Cheated: The Laurier Liberals and the Theft of First Nations Reserve Land

Nicole O'Byrne talks to Bill Waiser and Jennie Hansen about their book, Cheated: The Laurier Liberals and the Theft of First Nations Reserve Land published by ECW Press in October 2023. Cheated is a gripping story of single-minded politicians, uncompromising Indian Affairs officials, grasping government appointees, and well-connected Liberal speculators, set against a backdrop of politics, power, patronage, and profit. The Laurier government’s settlement of western Canada can never be looked at the same way again. Bill Waiser is the author of more than a dozen books, including A World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan before 1905, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for nonfiction. He is also the recipient of the Governor General’s History Award for Popular Media (the Pierre Berton Award). Bill lives in Saskatoon, SK. Jennie Hansen has been involved in numerous projects that investigate how nature was understood, appropriated, and administered under British imperialism. She lives in Saskatoon, SK. Image Credit: ECW Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.