In a world where conflict between colonizer and colonized in Canada is ever present, it’s worth taking a look at our past to see if our country’s treatment of Indigenous people has truly gotten better, or simply changed appearances. In Cheated, historians Bill Waiser and Jennie Hansen aim to do just that, bringing light to some of the Laurier government’s deplorable actions against Indigenous peoples. Cheated looks at the numerous reserve surrenders that occured at the beginning of the 20th century under the leadership of Prime Minister Wilfried Laurier. Laurier’s mission to settle Canada’s “great west” is revisited as a scandalous tale of abuse of power, a failure to adhere to the tenets of the Indian Act, and a continued effort to denigrate and dehumanize the Indigenous peoples of Canada. 

Cheated follows this legacy from its early days, just before Laurier’s government came into power. What the book makes clear from the very start is the government’s view of the Indigenous peoples and the previous administration’s existing Indian Act as a nuisance, a sort of “white man’s burden” that many in government simply did not want to deal with. Waiser and Hansen do a great job of showing this, crafting a weaving tale that isn’t linear at times, serving to emphasize different ways in which indigenous rights were undermined or conveniently neglected. An example of this undermining of Indigenous rights that the book focuses on is that as settlers began to pour into the Canadian west, the regulations for land surrenders set out in the Indian Act became an afterthought. Even those who did want to uphold the Indian Act did so because they saw it as their Christian duty to “uplift the Indian,” a position that places the settler as superior to those already living in this land. It’s no surprise then that as time goes on, settler desires and expansion take precedence over those of the Indigenous peoples, whether stated outright by those who saw Indigenous peoples as “backwards” people who deserved to die out, or more subtly by those who believed Indigenous tribes had “too much land” and didn’t need it all.

Despite this being a book about the Laurier government’s role in illegal reserve surrenders, Waiser and Hansen make it clear that these attitudes towards Indigenous people and their reserves were far from exclusive to one administration. Despite their differences, both Liberal and Conservative governments shared a very clear interest in securing Indigenous reserve land (legally or not) in order to push Canadian growth through settlement in the West. Waiser and Hansen offer a very in-depth look into the biases against the Indigenous present through the entirety of parliament at this time, and this is to the book’s benefit. It emphasizes the fact that this problem was a systemic one rather than exclusive to one government.

Cheated also does a fantastic job demonstrating how many members of parliament used language as a tool for alienating and othering the Indigenous people. The way that even those “sympathetic” to the Indigenous people and their land speak of them was infantilizing, in such a way that it removes the agency of these people. Waiser and Hansen are deliberate in their presentation, using direct quotes sparingly but effectively to demonstrate the lack of self-awareness and consideration many of these officials had. There is a belief that the white man “knows what’s best for the Indian,” and that they are simply taking this land to fulfill their duty to the wards of the state. This seems to be an appeal to logic and reason, but it’s far more sinister and manipulative due to the context it ignores. There is no consideration given to the fact that this land was promised to these people, often sacred to them, and protected under federal law. In a bit that would be hilarious if it wasn’t so infuriating, some officials are shocked when an Indigenous band decides not to sell their land to the state, believing that it was the best option. There is a lack of understanding of Indigenous culture at hand (the land is not simply “owned” by man; it is a living thing to be protected and respected in a reciprocal relationship) but also a lack of consideration at all. It is callousness and disrespect disguised in logic, and it sometimes comes across as even more insulting than the outright racism amongst Parliament. At least they’re hateful to your face. 

Waiser and Hansen demonstrate how the “well-meaning” actions of the “sympathetic” are actually tools used to infantilize and take away power from the Indigenous. Whether it’s the belief that the white man “knows what’s best for the Indian” or the combining of Indigenous bands that were deemed “too small,” attempts to remove power and individual expression from the Indigenous through indirect ways are highlighted throughout. It’s a very convincing way of showing how actions can appear sympathetic on the surface, but are actually fueled by selfish interests. I found myself feeling as if these actions were even more insidious than the outright power grabs. At least those weren’t hidden under the guise of care. 

There’s an almost humorous tone to the way Waiser and Hansen emphasize just how few barriers for such criminal activity existed for those in power, and how little punishment there was. I found myself blown away at how brazen some of these cons were and how easily these people got away with them. This did come with a downside at times however. Many names are involved in or surrounding the titular offence of profiting off land surrenders, and at times it becomes a struggle to keep them all on track. I did feel that the book did a good job of centering many of the crimes around three main culprits, James Smart, Frank Pedley, and William White. The book follows these three for much of their career in and around the political sphere, and I felt I got a good understanding of the depth of their actions and conspiracy. The book’s ending does a good job of reinforcing this idea of little punishment for the culprits as well as how little the government cared about Indigenous rights or compensation. The final line is a great thought to end on, something that really ties the whole thing together and left me thinking about it for a while. It’s actually the line I used for this review’s title!

This abuse and callousness towards Indigenous rights and communities have long been a stained part of Canada’s legacy, and Waiser and Hansen’s thorough analysis serves to further underline that impact. Cheated is not only a spotlight on a scandal; it’s a reaffirmation of the harm Canada has dealt to its Indigenous people. It can be easy to think we understand just how far the damage has gone, but investigative pieces like this show the wounds are far deeper than we realize. It’s imperative that we keep that in mind when discussing Indigenous rights in Canada today, and how reflecting on history like this only serves to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes again.