Harry Swain

In 1990, a small community near Montreal, Quebec, was the scene of a violent dispute over land and Aboriginal sovereignty. The town of Oka wanted to turn disputed land in the community into a golf course; the Mohawk Indians objected that it was their land. Barricades went up, Indian Warriors from other parts of Canada arrived to provide support, an officer was killed and the army eventually called in. The stand-off lasted 78 days and had a profound effect on Canadians at the time, with show more gripping images of Warriors and soldiers standing nose-to-nose. In fact, one such picture is included in the anthology "100 Photos that Changed Canada".

Author Harry Swain was Deputy Minister of Idian Affairs at the time. He's written frm a perspetive few others can share as someone in the centre of the federal government as politicians, bureaucrats, police and soldiers struggled to deal with a crisis situation. His writing style is direct and honest and the book is easy, and exciting, to read.

Swain looks, too, at the longer term mpact of Oka and concludes that, sadly, true reconciliation with Aboriginal people is still not fully acheves. He argues that one critical key to success will have to be a major reform of the legislative framework governing Canada's relations with Indians. This will be very hard to acheve, but I think he is right. show less