The indigenous inhabitants throughout different cultures have been at the clemency of the majority of the region. Similarly, akin to other local citizens of North America, the Aboriginal tribes of Canada had to go through a lot at the disposal of European immigrants. European Canadians have given confidence to the native populace to take abroad their personal, or Canadian, culture, ever since the late 18th century. (Irlbacher-Fox, 2009, Pg1)Throughout the period of the consequent centuries, the Canadian regime enforced Aborigines to take in into a Eurocentric society, every now and then infringing upon the United Nations Genocide Convention. (Irlbacher-Fox, 2009, Pg1)

The built-up school system that, under duress involved Aborigine children from their homes for assignment in Christian-run schools turned out to be establishments of stolen culture, mistreatment, and sexual attack. In addition, all the way through the nations history, the Aboriginal public has been put out of place from their domain. in spite of these chronological inequity, existing institutional policies, for example providing capital as a replacement for property claims and strong-arm campaign for the period of consultation, have fashioned an importunate scheme of communal anguish that incessantly pestilences this marginal group. In Finding Dahshaa Self-Government, Social Suffering, and Aboriginal Policy in Canada, (Irlbacher-Fox, 2009) Investigator and attach, Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox, outlines a logical, comprehensive evaluation of Aboriginal practices and discussions to make public the problems that get in the way of reasonable accord for native people and a spot on therapy to current social anguish.

As the past has over and over again verified with an assortment of civil rights actions, principal impediments of eliminating institutionalized prejudices are deficiency of facts and high opinion for the maltreated partys traditions and repudiation to concede to the groups precedent and current affliction. In her assessment of the profuse conciliation dealings stuck between the government and the tribes of the Northwest Territories, Irlbacher-Fox presents a piercing foretaste interested in a lot of administration negotiators negative response to be familiar with contemporary degenerative course of action. That negative response, she argues, shoots from the negotiators incapability to accurately recognize the enlightening insinuation of Aboriginal way of life.

Consequently, indigenous representative, who boast the supplementary weigh down of humanizing the contrasting group from flawed postulations, or unadorned lack of knowledge, make the most of the convention as an occasion to link the coulee of misconstruction by commencing with a plea, harmony, and individual recantations of agony. Irlbacher-Fox brings into focus that at the same time as some negotiators are glad about the message they repeatedly experience unresponsiveness as their concentration was set in making certain that the governments objectives are fulfilled. On the other hand, others plummet into the concluding class, renouncing that as a subjugated marginal group, keeping hold of ethnicity is of no consequence in the thrash about of accomplishing self-government. For instance, for the duration of a meticulous assembly in which ethnicity and verbal communiqu were talked about, a management representative emphasized 

Why, exactly, do Inuvialuit and Gwichin need control of culture and language These are policy based programs. I dont see the point in why we are discussing them. There is no jurisdiction here. So I just want to understand why discussing this seems to be so important when there is really none here (Irlbacher-Fox, 2009, Pp.139)

Irlbacher-Fox depicts that delegates are representatives of policymaker, who have analogous feelings. This approach, she argues, makes illegal the spot on victory of administration interference in Aboriginal existence. 
For the reason that administration strategy have been and carry on to be unproductive and frequently prejudiced, Aboriginal people try to find self-government. The tribes, who struggle under obligatory repositioning and uptown schools, need land, which is indispensable to their civilizing accomplishment, and be in command of over the course of action that have an effect on their people. Lamentably, officials prop up the dysfunctional theodicy, at variance that meager lifestyle preference and antediluvian traditions are at the starting place of aboriginal anguish. By means of this judgment, the management pay no attention to its position in commencing and further aggravating precedent and present suffering. In Inuvialuit and Gwichin Culture and Language, for instance, Irlbacher-Fox makes public how course of action alleged to help out in Native progression in due course make a payment to the continuation of anguish. (Irlbacher-Fox, 2009, Pp. 133)

Housing schools, for instance, have become a requirement to home-grown remonstrations. Even though the organization misplaced its obligatory rank in 1996, numerous children still go away from home to become skilled at Canadian talking with the intention of being converted into representative which is applicable in the quest of native civil liberties. Furthermore, this obligatory makes a payment to the thrashing of home-grown civilization. In words of her coworker, Irlbacher-Fox inscribes 

The years spent at the English-only residential school came at a price Vince lost his language, connections with his culture, family, and community and groups of children and the ones sent away to school each had to develop defense mechanisms justifying their relative positions, creating a division in the community (Irlbacher-Fox, 2009,146).

For all intents and purposes, present inequality makes compulsory the precise suppression in opposition to which the populace is combating. 

Concurrently Finding Dahshaa outlines complicated investigation and all-inclusive comments of the conscientious and deliberate route of Aboriginal resistance, Irlbacher-Foxs unbeatable achievement lies in her positive reception and sympathetic views of the diverse ethnic groups. She is on familiar terms with the fact that she is a foreigner but nothing like a lot of researchers, who disorder in their exceedingly scholastic assessments and irregularly prone declaration, the author absorbs herself in native civilization to depict and clear her of, her individual predetermined philosophy that probably has an effect on supplementary persons who vie to facilitate alleviate bias. 

Extraordinarily illuminating is the authors staging of the Dene custom of tanning moose hide. (Irlbacher-Fox, 2009) Not only is the ability a trade and industry means, it still establishes to be a civilizing appearance that is on the subject of collective cooperation, responsibility, tenacity, self-reliance, commitment and accomplishment requiring multiple and specific Dene knowledge (Irlbacher-Fox, 2009, 38). Irlbacher-Fox gives the readers an idea about the governments view of the development as a exclusively chronological, failing custom reduces the educational significance of the citizens and their society, which also promotes the question that incontestably bleed interest in the deliberations and stratagem upsetting Aboriginal citizens. 
Akin to extra examination of Canadian malfeasance, Finding Dahshaa makes available a comprehensive revision of institutional course of actions that continuously get in the way of aboriginal development.

Unusually, on the other hand, Irlbacher-Fox puts on a pedestal the book from a doctrinaire study to a civilizing concurrence that glimpses into Aboriginal civilization and ethnology. Furthermore, she does not highlight the ethnic groups monolithically she over and over again demarcates the assortment of mores by their populace, referring to the Dene, Sahtu, and supplementary ethnic groups by their titles. 

Even though Irlbacher-Fox continues to be specialized in her production, she on the other hand is proficient to disassociate her personal penchant to manufacture a meticulous critique of the ethnic groups and their effort. Associate scholars possibly will find liability in the authors ardor for impartiality, which is unintentionally divulged in the writing, but it is the human connection that makes Finding Dahshaa Self-Government, Social Suffering, and Aboriginal Policy in Canada, a reliable foundation for additional learning of Aboriginals necessitate for autonomous practices.

Innumerable manuscripts and editorials have outlined the impact of colonialism and civic strategy on Canadas First Nations, but hardly any have discovered the crash of Aboriginal notion on communal discussion and strategy improvement in Canada. Finding Dahshaa Self-Government, Social Suffering, and Aboriginal Policy in Canada brings together collectively Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal scholars who slash all the way through the existing orthodoxy to disclose Indigenous philosopher and advocate as a persistent existence in miscellaneous political, historical, legal, and educational debates. (Irlbacher-Fox, 2009)

The book entitled Heavy Burdens on Small Shoulders The Labour of Pioneer Children on the Canadian Prairies, written by Rollings-Magnusson, discusses the economic value placed on the labor efforts exerted by the first wave of children that settled in the Canadian Prairies. The discussion focused on the contributions of the children to the family farms, which was established by the settlers coming from different areas around the globe. Through the efforts of the government and other organizations, immigrants and migrants were encouraged to venture into new opportunities that were presented through massive information campaigns in the form of brochures and print materials. Unfortunately, the information contained in the materials is often exaggerated, which served to mislead the immigrants into thinking that transferring in the area was relatively easy coupled with abundant opportunities for livelihood. The difficulties faced by the settlers paved the way for the participation of children in activities in the family farm, which started from the establishment of the homes to the engagement in agriculture-related tasks. The book serves as an important source of information with regard to the economic contribution, and implicitly shows the importance, of children in the agricultural production in the Canadian family farms, as seen through the experience of the first wave of settlers.
   
In the earlier parts of the book, the author argued that the functions of the children in the family farms situated in the Western Canadian prairie region have contributed to the management of the farms. There are a variety of factors that paved the way for the need of childrens participation that includes compliance with government regulations for acquiring properties, expectations from the society and the families, and the labor-intensive work that needs to be accomplished by the families. In addition to this, the author argued that the economic contributions of the children are unrecognized as shown through the insufficiency of theories and literature that describes and brings significance to child labor in the family farms (x 11). Thus, the author proposes that the experiences of children should be incorporated into the larger umbrella of feminist theories. The general picture offered by the author shows that the children are often considered as co-workers and not simple apprentices who deserve lesser loads of work (19).
   
The author presented answers to the questions of who, what, when, where, and how with regard to the childrens participation in the family farms by a comprehensive introduction that provides the relevant details. The details that correspond to the above mentioned descriptive inquiries, being placed in the first chapters of the book, successfully respond to the need for relevant information with regard to the arguments posed by the author. Likewise, the structure and clarity of the presentation of the information immediately equips the readers with relevant knowledge on the facts that are useful throughout the paper. After presenting the answers to the descriptive questions, the author proceeds with answering the aspects of why, which in this book is related to a) why there is a need for the participation of children in farming activities and b) why the contributions are deemed significant for the success of the settlers in establishing the family farms. The answers to the last question is continuously built through the different sections of the book that focused on the specific relationships between the children and the family farms. In other words, the author is able to develop the arguments by providing the important details in the beginning and presenting the analytical aspects in different organized sections.
   
The author provided one general argument but further supported this by listing additional sub-arguments. The author is able to establish that the children made their own respective contributions in accomplishing tasks in the family farms through the different narratives presented. However, there are smaller ideas that also sprung along the way that support the major argument. The existence of smaller details related to the general argument sometimes lead to inconsistencies as there is a tendency for the data presented by the author in support of particular arguments to go against the principles of another argument. For example, the author states that there is no numerical value or remuneration provided to the children in exchange for the labor spent as they accomplish activities within the family farms (11). However, the entrepreneurial type of child labor, one of the categories offered for the measurement of childrens participation in the family farms, mentioned that children are given payment in exchange for the work they accomplished. In fact, the data gathered for entrepreneurial labor showed that 37 of the boys and 27 of the girls engaged in such activities in order to earn money and make financial contributions to their family.

Likewise, the author mentioned that children are often considered as co-workers instead of mere apprentices, which forces the children to bear the same kind of workload as the adults (19). Through this statement, it is shown that the children seemed to be treated as adults and are expected to pursue the same kind and quantity of tasks. The picture drawn presents children to be at par with the adult workers despite physical differences. A thorough reading of the narratives shows that it is not true for all instances. Indeed, there are children who are expected to perform the responsibilities of the adults. However, there are still considerations made by parents before they allowed or expected their children to work, according to a survey conducted among the mothers in the prairie. From the responses, it is found that women took consideration of the physical strength of their children before they are introduced to the world of labor and production but did not discount the need to bring children because of their positive contributions to the family (23).

Moreover, there are experiences that demonstrated the relatively little degree of help extended by the children to their parents in different tasks. In one of the experiences gathered from the memoirs of a child, the following is stated father did the loading, but I kept him company and thought I helped (38). The statement demonstrates the varying degree of expectations with regard to the level of participation exhibited by children, which is associated with their physical capabilities. Aside from this, expectations of society and families are not inherent factors that affect the ability of the children to engage in labor during the earlier parts of their childhood. For example, the account taken from one of the children who lived during the period showed that children requested permission to engage in activities and saw the novelty in the tasks (54). As soon as the tasks become routine and repetitive, the children start to reduce these to mere chores (54).
The arguments and ideas presented by the author are mostly qualitative in nature and are supported by the subjective responses gathered through primary and secondary sources. The author gathered the relevant data from 260 children who were part of the early settlers in the Western Canadian prairie from 1871 to 1913 (12).

The author consulted historical records written by these children that includes diaries and memoirs, family histories, stories, autobiographies, poems, letters, and published documents (13). Aside from these, the author also used information from the census and other official records (ix). The use of primary resources enhances the credibility of the information included by the author because it shows the actual experiences of the children who were active participants in the phenomenon studied. The inclusion of personal narratives, experiences, perspectives, and opinion serves the purpose of the author, which is to illustrate the contribution of children in the family farms.
   
The quality and quantity of the information presented suffices the goals of the author. Practically, the entire book is built to narrate the specific experiences of people who have lived during the settlement period and allows the readers to imagine the important roles of children during that time. Likewise, enough information is included to prove the point of the author in each of the sections presented in the book. However, there are instances when the author spends too much time presenting data regarding certain aspects of the prairie that interrupts the focus and flow of the discussion. An example of this is the information provided for the construction of houses and its impact on the familys way of life and farming activities.
   
In terms of presentation, the author systematically divided the relevant information into four important sections based on the types of labor that children engage in. In so doing, it becomes easier to access information because data is systematically arranged according to their commonalities. The narrative approach of the client in presenting the data also keeps the interest in reading despite its length.
   
Since the focus of the author is on presenting the economic labor performed by the children, a significant portion of the data is obtained from personal accounts of children. Most of the time, the other members of the family are kept in the background to reinforce the need for help from the children. The focus on the perspectives of the children did not allow the author to pursue the research from a holistic view, which should have been achieved by gathering relevant information from the parents and other members of the family. Thus, it lacked relevant attention towards the experiences of the observers, who might have contributed important data as they are able to work with the children in different terms. Likewise, the outside observers are usually the source of expectations that encouraged or pushed the children to work in the family farms.
   
With regard to the illustrations included in the book, there is a great relevance seen for some where it is intended to support the arguments of the author. However, there are instances when the pictures shown simply illustrate the same ideas seen from the last pictures. Aside from illustrations, the book also contains tables that show important statistics or data gathered by the author. The use of tables is limited to the purpose of supporting the arguments through numerical representations as evidences.
   
The economic contributions of children is discussed using a variety of theories and is explained through different approaches. Different fields of studies, including sociology and psychology, have contributed towards establishing the argument that children have respective economic values in terms of the labor they are able to provide to help their parents and other family members. However, as mentioned by the author, there is little, if none, information that focuses on the childrens participation in agricultural endeavors. More importantly, the settlement period, which entails labor-intensive activities, served as a critical point for the roles of children in agriculture because of the difficulties that the group of immigrants and migrants faced. In this aspect, the study contributes towards shedding light on the specific contributions of the children in the settlement period. The information presented in the book is a step towards giving life to the specific experiences of children and shows the value of their labor in the success of the settlements in the region.
  
 In addition to this, the contents of the book can be used to understand the business and labor history in Canada because of its focus on production and labor. The discussions can be used to analyze the historical underpinnings of labor in the agriculture setting, more specifically in relation to child labor during the settlement period. The book does not provide a comprehensive perspective on business but touches some aspects of production during the particular period. A better insight is gained with regard to the complexity of establishing and operating the family farms in order to produce agricultural products. As for labor, the discussions show a different perspective with regard to child labor from a particular period in Canadas history. The information contained in relation to this can be used to better understand the current labor policies involving the employment of children in different industries. The historical understanding derived from the book can be used to evaluate the current business and labor practices in Canada.

Objections for the Canadian Confederation

Confederation of British North America (Canada) was a union that brought together the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, Brunswick and Canada, which consisted of East Canada (Quebec), and West Canada (Ontario). This confederation was achieved on first of July in 1867 and named the Dominion of Canada. It later expanded to include the North West Territory and Manitoba, British Colombia, Prince Edwards Island (the Maritimes) and eventually Newfoundland (Barman 156).  Formation of this confederation however only came into being after overcoming of certain things. The colonies faced many pressures (both political and economic) compelling them to consider a federal union as a possible way of addressing these pressures as well as conflicts.  The Confederation was in the form of an Act which sought to balance the forces that threatened to tear the Old Province of Canada apart with those that sought top push all the provinces together (Ged 24-45).

This act had three basic elements it pushed for division of power between the provinces and the federal parliament. It also gave the Governor General in Council the power not to allow any provincial law within a year after receiving a copy of the legislation. Thirdly, the act provided for the parliament to assume any of those powers that had not specifically been allocated (Buckner 21-25). The parliament was also given the power to act for peace, as well as order and good government. The provinces therefore had secure power over some crucial areas including education. Provinces such as Quebec were allowed to maintain their civil laws and distinctiveness was recognized. 

The federal government however retained the overall power. Although Confederation provided a solution to most of these problems, not all the involved colonies perceived it to be popular. Though most of the colonists in the region were pleased and hopeful that the Confederation would bring a prosperous future, others were annoyed and doubtful. This paper seeks to evaluate those who opposed the Confederation and their reasons for rejection of the Confederation. The paper will also discuss how these colonies eventually agreed to join the confederation.

Nova Scotia though one of the first three colonies to propose a Confederation had its opposition leaders opposing this proposal. When it delegates including Charles Tupper returned home after the Quebec Confederation, they encountered problems with the opposition leaders and Joseph Howe in particular who was stirring the colony against a united Canada. These leaders were particularly opposed to one of the seventy resolutions of the Confederation that mandated the central government to give financial support to each of the provinces based on population every year (Waite and Ged 57-61). Nova Scotia had a relatively smaller population as compared to other provinces such as Ontario and Quebec and going by this resolution, its portion amounted to only 40 cents per person (Pryke 38-41).

Since Nova Scotia was to be taxed just like the other provinces the opposition leaders found this resolution to be unfair. The opposers led by Joseph Howe opposed this agreement accusing Tupper of selling the Nova Scotia out to central Canada for the price of a sheepskin (just forty cents per person). They also feared that the Canadians (Ontario and Quebec) would dominate the new centralized government because they were large and had larger populations hence could use their power to benefit themselves at the expense of the Maritimes (Douglas 63-67). 

Nova Scotias ties with the United States were also very strong. This is because the province traded a lot with the US. The United States seemed to be a more beneficial than the Confederation (Pryke 38-41).

Joining the US seemed to be a more attractive possibility to those who doubted the Confederation.
Tuper decided that he would not introduce the seventy-two resolutions Nova Scotias assembly as it would suffer defeat because of the overwhelming support that Joseph had. He opted to take time before introducing these resolutions and meanwhile worked hard to destroy the arguments of those opposed to the Confederation. The colonists in Nova Scotia were however divided as it was not clear to them whether a Confederation would be beneficial or a disadvantage to their future (Waite and Ged 65-68). Moreover, News that New Bruswick faced a Fenian threat instilled fear among Nova Scotians as they thought that Nova Scotia might also be invaded. Nova Scotia wanted a better deal from Ottawa before it could join the Union.

The main reason as to why Nova Scotia opposed the Confederation was the 72 resolutions that were quite unfair. Granting each person forty cents yet they are paying the same amount of tax as those in Quebec or Ontario is unrealistic. They perceived this amount to be too little as there was is nothing much one could do with forty cents. The fact that other provinces were receiving higher grants made the confederation appear to be unequal (Smith 4-6). Fear that Quebec and Ontario would dominate the new government is also valid. According to the resolutions, grants including positions were based on population. The large populations of the two Canada provinces implied that they would have more representatives hence more control when it came to decision making. It is obvious that they would make decisions that favored their provinces leaving smaller provinces such as Nova Scotia unrepresented. Based on this, it can be argued that the reasons the opposers in Nova Scotia had against the Confederation were valid. The Confederation seemed to present inequality and misrepresentation which would make Nova Scotia suffer. 
   
In spite of these oppositions, Nova Scotia still joined the Confederation eventually. Tupper achieved this by suggesting that all delegates representing all the provinces to meet in London and work out a plan that would address all the concerns raised hence satisfy everyone (Douglas and Smith 23-27). Joseph Howe still carried on with his campaign against the Confederation during the time when the delegation was in London. The Confederation was however passed and Nova Scotia joined the union without calling for an election that put the seventy-two resolutions to a vote. The Nova Scotians never had a chance to vote and decide whether they wanted to join the Confederation. Passing of the 72 resolutions without calling for an election that put them to vote kind of forced these colonists in Confederation.   
   
New Brunswick also had those opposed to the Confederation. Unlike Nova Scotia, Leonard Tilley, New Brunswicks Premier called for an election after the Quebec Conference and put the seventy-two resolutions to vote. The anti-Confederationalists however won. They complained about the amount of subsidy from the central government they were to receive annually which amounted to 80 cents per person was too little (Buckner and Reid 57-64). Just like Nova Scotia, they also felt that by agreeing to the 72 resolutions, their Premier was selling them to the Canadians just for 80 cents each, a very small amount indeed. The results of the elections were a blow to those who supported the Confederation. New Brunswick was crucial to the success of the Confederation as it linked Canada (Quebec and Ontario) to the other Atlantic colonies. Without New Brunswicks support, the Confederation could not exist (Buckner and Reid 57-64).
   
Tilleys efforts eventually made Confederation to happen in New Brunswick. After conceding defeat in the election, he did not give up. He visited each part of the colony campaigning for the Confederation. His honesty, sincerity and personal efforts on the subject helped win New Brunswickers over.
   
Three other different events also played a major part in convincing New Brunswick that Confederation was the only the province could progress. First, the US stopped the free trade it initially had with the British North American colonies. New Brunswicks goods could not enter the United States market tax-free. The Americans were revenging Britains support, though unofficial of the South during the American civil war (McNally 93). The second event was the message from the British government that encouraged New Brunswickers to join the Confederation (Richey 9-12). The third event was the 1866 Fenian attack of the New Brunswick that terrified people. An election was called even before the Fenian threat had been eliminated. This time round, New Brunswickers voted in favor of the Confederation and joined the union led by Leonard Tilley.
   
In Prince Edward Island (PEI), the Confederation had no popularity at all. they had a myriad of reasons for rejecting the Confederation. First, they objected paying more taxes that were intended to construct the Intercolonial railway which they perceived to be useless to them as it could not possibly run on the Island (Arsenault 25-28).They wanted a railway line that joined various places within their province yet the Quebec conference had not mentioned any of that. In this aspect, they perceived the Confederation not to be of any benefit to them as a province.
   
The other reason for rejection of Confederation in PEI was the utter size of the proposed new country (Buckner and Reid 61-77). PEI was a small island and the people feared being swamped in the large union. Because of the Islands small population, representation, which was based on population, gave them only five representatives out of the total 194. The Islanders felt that this was loss of power to Ottawa, which was also far away (Buckner and Reid 61-77). The small number of representatives caused fear that their interests and needs would not be addressed, as their voices would be too few to be heard. They feared that the larger provinces, which had more representatives, would dominate the new government.
   
PEI also wanted the Confederation to buy out absentee landlords who had land on the island. The resolutions however failed to mention this (Waite and Ged 98-101). This was however agreed in the last minute when it was clear that PEI was not going to join Confederation. A last minute promise which suggested that land would be bought for the Island from the landlords by Canada for 800 000 was made. This was however too late as the Islanders had already made up their minds not to join the union. In an election that was called in December of 1864, the Islanders rejected Confederation (Waite and Ged 98-101).
  
 In the late 1860s, PEI was considered the various options it had which included the a separate dominion and entertaining the US delegations that who sought to have the island join the United States of America (Buckner and Reid 61-77).
   
PEI later entered Confederation in July 1873 after the Federal Government of Canada agreed to assume the Islands huge railway debts (PEI had began to build a railway to connect its regions in 1871) and to finance a buy out of all of the remaining absentee landlords of the colony. This freed PEI of leasehold tenure as well as from any new migrants coming to the island (Weale and Baglole 112-121).
   
Newfoundland is the colony that opposed Confederation for the longest time as it only joined the Confederation more than eight decades later in 1949. Though the colony sent two delegates to the Quebec conference, they did not find any support for joining Confederation when they returned home as Newfoundlanders took pride in their historic ties with Great Britain and were not willing to be united with rest of the colonies (Cadigan 59-71).
   
They also feared heavy taxes that a union with the other provinces presented. A wealthy merchant who argued that the new government would impose heavy taxes on everything led the fight against Confederation (Waite and Ged75-81). He also warned that Newfoundland products would be replaced by cheap goods from Canada. He also added that entering the union would force Newfoundland to defend Canada in the event it was attacked by the United States. Newfoundland was so opposed to Confederation that the night it was defeated, a huge parade matched through the streets of St. Johns with a coffin that was labeled Confederation, which was then buried, and a fake funeral held. Therefore, the Confederation issue died and only came to resurrect eighty-two years later.
   
Newfoundland agreed to join Confederation in 1949 after the Second World War left it in an economic and financial crisis. The colony could not get any financial support from Britain which was not eager to support it anymore. Since the colony could not manage as an independent country, it considered two options, joining the United States or Canada. The referendum to join the USA was defeated. Against Catholics objections, Newfoundland finally joined Confederation after Canada agreed to help it financially and to reconstruct its infrastructure including roads and railways (DeMont 18). 
   
In Quebec (Canada East), the French were opposed Confederation for various reasons. A. A. Dorion complained that out of the 32 delegates at the Conference, only were French-speaking and the discussions had not considered this fact as they were entirely held in English. French Quebec opposed Confederation as it argued that a union would make it a part of a much larger country that was English-speaking making them a minority as they would be outnumbered (Newman 1). However, the Confederation was supported by conservatives, the dominant political group in the colony which was led by George Ettienne Cartier, a staunch supporter of Confederation who worked closely with Macdonald (from Canada West) to achieve the union (Bonenfant 8-11). He had the needed support of the Catholic Church (McNally 93). He convinced the French-speaking people that a provincial government would ensure that they kept their provincial identity (the provinces capital would once again be Qubec and that they would keep their own culture and language (Bonenfant 13-19). He also encouraged them that the fear of Anglophone dominating Ottawa would be alleviated by the strong representation of French Canadian in the Federal government. He also warned that refusal to confederation would make Canada East Vulnerable to invasion by the United States (McNally 93). Cartier was trusted by the Canada East people and garnered supported. When the election came, most of the French-speaking members of the Assembly voted in favor of the Confederation. 
   
The Confederation did not receive much opposition in Ontario (Canada west) because most people thought it was good for business (Ibbitson 40). However, farmers strongly opposed it was perceived that Confederation would result to higher taxes (Kuper 24-26). The opposition was not significant as the combined assembly for both Ontario and Quebec voted in favor of confederation with a vote of 91 to 31.
   
Though Confederation was ultimately achieved, it did not come easy. A lot of convincing had to be done to clear the doubts and fears of those opposed to the union. In most cases however, people did not vote for Confederation because they were comfortable with its seventy-two resolutions. Most feared invasion from the United States which threatened to take over. Most of the colonies joined Confederation for security (economic, social and political).

DANCING AROUND THE ELEPHANT

Bruce Muirhead currently works as a head professor at the Department of History at Lakehead University. His position has practically given him the access to scholarly works that provide a good view of the course of history and the hints for the modern generation concerning what has been done before and what could still be done for the sake of instantiating development in the current society. Cross referencing his own works with the materials used to conduct these researches, Muirhead is in a clear position of presenting different facts about the development of Canada and the way these developments practically shaped the chances of Canada to achieve stable positions in the international industry with the current popularity of the United States in the field of the international market trading.
  
In the world of the modern commercialism and international industries of trading, being able to accomplish trading achievements, given the tough commercial competition, is an essential part of establishing the national reputation and identity. So far, the United States has already started making a good name in the field of the international market competition. This established identity has made this country a well known capitalist economy, that enables its business entities to gain a proper recognition even in the field of the international trade exchange.
  
As far as Canada is concerned, basically, although also considered to be among the first world countries, it has only the fourth level of commercial identity in the overall rating that involved international entities around the globe. The main point is what solutions there are for Canada to fare better in the commercial world lead by the United States. This is the main consideration that Muirhead intended to show in his writing. The questions addressed, include the following how is Canada trying to make a good sense of its resources and its people to face the competition How is the country able to take charge of  its responsibilities in the field of the international market thus making a name for itself that is recognizably popular in the face of international commercialism These are among the primary questions that Muirhead intended to answer through his book Dancing around the Elephant.
  
Using historical details about the country and case-based indications of Canadas stepping stones towards development, Muirhead showed the different elements that were considered by the Canadian government to be able to reach the status that they have at present. The author showed the possible steps that Canadians themselves could take as they face the future of far more intricate challenges when it comes to the international commercialism.
  
General information about the Book
Unlike other common history books about Canada, the book of Muirhead intended to show one side of Canadas rich pursuit toward the international recognition in the field of the modern commerce. Basically, this book tries to discuss the different operations of the Canadian government with regard to the aim of the country to make a good name in the field of the international commercial trading amidst the challenge of modern globalization.
  
Within the context of this book, a specific consideration made on the different entities that exists within the country to further develop the overall economic status of the Canada has been clearly emphasized by the author. Through these particular presentations, it has been made certain that Canada is indeed making a good sense of whatever resources that they have.
  
Considering Canada as an entity that dances around the elephant United States, this book further intends to make a vivid presentation of the way Canada tries to create strategies that are more than just direct competition to the big daddy of the international commerce. Explaining the international competition as the international capitalism through the use of indirect strategies such as continentalism and nationalism. These factors, though indirect, have actually provided Canada with the source of competitive confidence that the country is most able to contradict the impending competition that not only the US economy poses but also that of the British rule in the international trade and exchange industries. To know more about the detailed indications that the book itself presents to the readers, the following section shall discuss the said matters further.
  
Content and Summary
Starting from discussing the history of Canada as a dependent economy when it comes to standing as a part of the international trade during the 1960s, Muirhead tried to make a good presentation of how the developments in the country took place. Through the definition of what the history was able to contribute to the success of the entire country, the author outlines the most definitive factors that lead towards the advancement of Canadas economy towards the modern globalization.
  
Muirhead was able to instantiate the different factors that made Canada the developed state it is at present. With the properly defined stages of development, the author himself outlined the progress that Canada initiated for the sake of further making a good stand in gradually leaving the umbrella of economic protection that the United States provides the country.
  
In latter chapters, the author presented that different acts and laws that are formed between the United States and Canada when it comes to trade systems that occurred between the said countries. Such trade acts included that of the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement of 1989 which originated the free trade between the two countries. This allowed Canada to provide exports to the United States as well as accept import products for the country with lesser tax responsibilities. However, due to the fact that the economy of Canada is in a much dependent state, it is less able to provide exports compared to how much import products it takes in from the United States. In short, this agreement has resulted into a much one-sided benefit that belonged to the United States as primary actors within the agreement.
  
Another trade act is that of the Products Trade Agreement. This is when the Canadian government took the opportunity to make a good use of the law to get the best benefits they could get from the agreement formed. As pointed out by Muirhead, the Canadian economy took a big break as the strategy of the automotive advancement came into the picture. Through the protection provided by the Products Trade Agreement, the Canadian automobile industry was able to make a good approach in utilizing the American design of automobiles and produce them for both the Canadian buyers and also toward the British market.
  
Basically, this system provided the Canadian economy an edge against that of the American standing within the international commercial competition. In a way, Muirhead considered that Canada was able to dance around the elephant through utilizing its resources and technology to come up with a well defined level of competition against that of the United States. Agreed upon or not, it could be well mentioned that somehow, this strategy has indeed provided Canada the edge that it needs to manage the competition that it needs to have as leverage against the well established reputation of the United States in the field of international trade.
 
As a proof, the author made a mention of the most incredible definitions that created a well imposed characteristic that modern Canada stands with today. In accordance to the research of the author, it has been realized that the automotive industry indeed created a well defined economic status for the country. Surely, this mandate over the overall economy of the country allowed the entire national treasury of Canada to gain as much profit as it needs to be able to comply with the needs and demands of the people in the country.
  
This is perhaps the reason that today, the well established position of the Canadian economy makes it easier for the countrys status in the international trade to attract a certain group of traders to take interest with the import products that the country is capable of releasing to the international market. Understandably, this is how Canada has been noted as the country that simply knows when to march and when to sleep during a well planned and appointed time.
  
The author further addresses in his writing that the recognition of the Canadian government and Canadian business operators of the importance of perfect timing created a better position for them in the field of the international market trade systems. This is why today Canada is already enjoying a considerably fine position in the face of the international competition among the different countries enjoined in the global field of commercialism. No matter how hard it seemed to be a part of the system, it could be noticed that the strategy of nationalist and continentalism created a positive indication on how the country is able to fare in the face of competition while trying to establish its reputation in the middle of the big countries in the industry mainly the United States and Britain respectively.
  
Critique and Analysis
Ranging from the step-by-step discussion of the basic identifiable elements that made Canada the country that it is today, Muirhead, the author, was able to compensate on the different shortcomings of other historical accounts that have been written about Canada. Likely, it is through this indicative presentation of facts that the book of Murihead was considered unique and worthy of attention.
  
Balancing the discussion between the history and the economy of the country, the author was able to make a good presentation of how the past of Canada actually assisted the country and its people towards learning from the different lessons presented to them by history itself. With this approach, the author was able to clarify the different elements that prompted the development of the country towards prosperity even when they are living in the midst of the American imperialism especially when it comes to ruling the international industry of modern commercial trading.
  
The well researched approach that the author used presented all the necessary facts that are able to lead the readers towards an understanding that provides them a vivid picture as to how Canada gradually made it in the field of international automotive industry success. Surely, through a well presented set of details, this reading presents a comprehensive indication on what steps have been taken by Canada and how all these procedures proved to be important in aiding the country towards the recognizable reputation that it already has in the international trading industries.
  
Overall Reaction
Being a history professor, Muirhead was indeed a well knowledgeable person who is in the position of creating the reading material that is able to present a balanced definition of history and economy in a very convincing manner. Surely, through referencing the reactions and opinions of other local and international economists, the author was able to create an authentic voice for the reader thus making it more convincing especially when it comes to defining the current state of the country in the face of economic fidelity.
  
Believably, with the proper knowledge and profound research, the consideration concerning the factual side and the opinionated side of the discussion, the book of Muirhead is an interesting find and a very informative read for those aiming to see how much history has taught Canada in facing up to the challenge of economic freedom from being basically dependent upon the American status in the field of international commercial trading.
  
The specific command of the subject on the part of the author provided this reading a considerable authoritative discussion of the facts that are intended to make the entire research and discussion presentation an informative factor that describes the journey of Canada towards a more independent economy apart from that of the supporting economic stand of the United States. Having a much freer economy provides the Canadian enterprise owners a chance to decide upon their activities in a much personally controlled manner. Also, with the presentations of the lawful background of the discussion, the reading provides a much considerable indication on the different provisions that are provided by trade agreements that subject Canada within the protection and the limitations as well as capabilities that they have in considering international trade as part of the process of economic rebuilding that they are taking into consideration at present.
  
Around the globe, there are many different countries that are vying for a considerable position in the international trading industries. At some point, the economic freedom may basically note the power that the country may hold in comparison with the economic stability of others. This is the main reason why it is very important for dependent countries such as Canada to break free from the chains through the utilization of useful strategies that could provide them the strength that they need to face up to the challenge of global competition. Undeniably, through the research and historical data collection, the author of the book, Muirhead, was able to complete the presentation in a considerable manner that provide the best chances for Canada to make economic advances that are able to provide the whole country with the strength it needs to face international competition in the middle of the big daddies of the world economy.

Sandra Rollings-Magnusson

Sandra Rollings-Magnusson, in writing Heavy Burdens on Small Shoulders, tries to reveal some of the activities that occurred towards the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The events that she puts across base on the activities that with which the pioneer children were involved. She brings out these activities through her knowledge and understanding of the archival material she comes across. In doing this Sandra Rollings-Magnusson, aims at interpreting the social, economical and political aspect that relate to the activities that occurred in this period. Her main goal is to make the readers get to understand the social structures of the period i.e. (1871-1913) and the political and economical structures present at this time. Rollings-Magnusson manages to achieve her objective though there seems to be a bias in the social and the gender aspects as compared to the political and economic aspects.

Sandra Rollings-Magnusson engages herself in a scholarly research to try to identify the role that childrens work played in the execution of homesteading operations during the pioneer era of between the year 1871 and 1913. She uses a variety of archival material to conduct the study that particularly gives the readers a better and more clear understanding of family survival, development of wheat economy and how the young labors carried burdens on their shoulders. She delves into the analysis of the labor of both boys and girls. Her analysis of the childrens labor helps in understanding how  helping to build the home, or taking part in productive, entrepreneurial or subsistence tasks or being responsible for various domestic duties were important to the success of the family farm. Rollings-Magnusson goes ahead to take into account economic, social, political and environmental difficulties of the time thus making the contribution of labor by children become even more significant.

In the book, Rollings-Magnusson discusses four types of labor that the pioneer children engaged in. She talks about productive, entrepreneurial, subsistence and domestic labor. According to her, there were no defined or laid down guidelines as to the restriction of the categories. However as we can see clearly from the book, the nature of the labor done by the children had distinguishable gender considerations, such that boys were more active than the girls in the activities that demanded more physical strength.
In productive labor, children only played a major role when they reached the age of nine years. During this period, boys got more involved in fieldwork, livestock production and even the more tasking chores such as working with horses. Girls on the other hand, had different roles most of which were centered on livestock production, doing domestic chores, running errands and helping on general activities.

In entrepreneurial labor, children were in a position to earn money through various ways. The money earned by the children was in most cases given to the parents for the upkeep of the family farm. As Rollings-Magnusson writes, many families expected that their children would obtain paid employment and send their wages back to the family.1 It is thus worth noting that as clearly as it can be seen in the book, the burden of balancing the many needs of the farm was greatly aided by having children. Under this kind of labor, employment outside the farm was greatly important than the contribution of the children within the farm. The main reason for this advantage over the children working in the farm was that the result was cash, which was put in use for greater purposes within the farm. For instance, the families used cash from employment of children outside the farm, purchase family necessities. There were varied entrepreneurial activities but the most significant was the raising of animals for resale.

Subsistence labor was in particular the most important kind of labor that the children were involved.  In true, the ultimate survival of the family highly depended in subsistence labor. In this kind of labor, both boys and girls tended animals, gardened, obtained fuel and water and harvested wild fruits and vegetables. The boys had some additional tasks of hunting and fishing.

Domestic labor on the other hand was for the girls in the prairies. Their chores in the farms included cleaning the compound, the house, making of beds, washing the dirty linen and utensils, caring for the babies, sewing and preparing food. In some very few cases, however, boys used to clean and take care of the young siblings though they were never engaged in sewing, washing or cooking activities.

In essence, children were a part of a very closely tied community whose daily activities focused on the survival of the family unit. Often, the children gained motivation from the fact that they did not work or participate in activities as a sign of prescription rather they were engaged in the activities voluntarily as a sense of obligation. According to Rollings-Magnusson, the best explanation for child labor in the prairies was more of a pragmatic choice rather an idealistic belief in duty, social influence or fear of authority.

Actually, payment was not also the motivator for the children to participate in the activities in the prairies. In fact, though they did not receive any form of direct payment or documented recognition for their economic contributions, boys and girls themselves expected and just as the society expected of them to work. This they did and efficiently undertook their duties and necessary tasks that contributed to the success of farms as well as to the survival of the families.

Considering the value of women in the society at this time, it would be in order to say that children were in a way similar to women, this is because they worked hard to assist their families achieve success, but were treated as economically invisible labor especially on the farms. In the prairies, farming children got social approval simply as workers on the farms whose labor eliminated the need for the family to hire external hands additional labor.

Further the fact that Sandra Rollings-Magnusson tries to show that children in the farms at the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century were fundamental since they contributed to the success of the farms during this period especially in western Canada. The importance of the children was particularly, owing to the fact that pioneers got land grants for moving to Canada and the government expected them to have their farms up and running within three years whereby without the assistance of the children it would have been impossible. However, it is also imperative that the larger families had the likelihood of succeeding more as compared to the small families.

Sandra, through her hard work and an extensive research into the journals and articles of the pioneer children manages to divide this magnificent piece of work into seven sections. These sections deal with division of child labor and its effects, entrepreneurial labor, subsistence labor, productive labor and domestic labor, all of which are discussed in the earlier sections of this review. She then sums up the book in the seventh chapter with a conclusion that gives an overview of all other chapters and their effectiveness.

Her prowess of writing reveals itself when she includes some very fascinating details in the book. A good example is during the construction of the sod homes, which are essential for the survival where trees are scattered. Without this protection, however simplistic it was life in the prairies could be very unbearable especially during the winter season.

How has the book used teaching aids
The book also uses a great number of teaching aids within its content. These are very useful especially for independent study. Some of the teaching aids in the book are data sources, a bibliography, an index, extensive notes, and a number of black and white photographs, found throughout the book. Within the book, there are also a number of very useful tables, which give illustrations of how the children contributed to the farm activities. For instance, in entrepreneurial labor, she gives the details of the contributions of the children with regard to age and the occupation. In such a case, labor included raising animals for sale and also the harvesting and selling of fruit. Money obtained from these activities was the major contribution to the well being of the family.

The teaching aids apart from them being educative to the reader whereby the reader is able to get supported data of the activities of the pioneers, the book further uses the teaching aids as a way of creating fascination to the readers. It is a technique she uses to remove monotony in the book and thus keeps the readers on toes.

How original is the author in the book
The originality of the book is a matter that can be open for a lengthy discussion. This is because it borrows a lot from the archival material such as diaries, letters, memoirs, and letters in the newspapers and from the published material such as autobiographies and collection of letters. In terms of its content, the author uses reference material especially from journals and personal statements from the pioneers to come up with the book. However, her idea of focusing on the children as the center of the action that take place in the prairies is original. Its originality comes in where no one has ever thought at looking at the development of the pioneers through this perspective. Rollings-Magnusson is well equipped with illustrative data that supports her stories. 

The explanation of Rollins-Magnussons methodology and the structure she employs in her book provides a good summary of the social attitudes towards children and work that is the characteristic of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The context established in the book is that farm work was not only a common and expected aspect of almost all of the childrens lives but was indeed a life teaching tool whereby lessons of perseverance and endurance were taught. Other lesson taught through the activities of the children in the farms were family loyalty, respect and mutual support. Farm activities were healthy physical pass time activities for all the family members to the pioneers.

The book aids in a better understanding of how the Canadian economy developed and the contribution the children had to the development of this economy. It explores a different perspective from other authors who only deal with the pioneers of the prairies from the sociological and historical perspective. Sandra on the other hand explores all the fields. She does this through affixation of the activities of the nineteenth and the twentieth century to assist in telling the readers how events unfolded during this period and how this events added to the development of the traditional economy.

Course commentary
The book generally contributes to the course in a variety of ways. First, it helps us understand how the economic activities evolved from purely subsistence and to entrepreneurial. From the book, we gain knowledge of how the economic activities moved from purely individual to the involvement of division and specialization of labor.

Secondly, it shows us the importance of the pioneer children on the economy.  In true, there could be no sufficient development were it not for the assistance of the children though this could be highly downplayed especially in modern day economies. As can be derived from the book the achievement of the children was great. Their participation led to the economic growth of the prairies.

Thirdly, the fact that the book relies on firsthand accounts of the pioneer children in Western Canada makes us able to realize how difficult it was for the pioneers to succeed economically given that they had only three years to establish themselves in marginalized tracts of lands.

Finally, after reading the book, it is worth noting that the period, which it refers to was made entirely of the traditional society where by the economy

Comparative Review of History Articles

The late 19th century is one of the most important phases of the modern history. It brought all those changes, on the basis of which the modern society is formed. One of the most important aspects of the late 19th century is the emergence of the industrialization in the North America. Industrialization though was brought in the European continent earlier, but in North America it a little later. As industrialization firmed its hold, the people of North America were forced to deal with the changes it brought in the society. These changes were both unexpected and harsh, for all whose way of life was forcefully changed with it. This paper compares and contrasts three articles, which illustrates the struggle of the people of Canada in the wake of industrialization and the development of modern western society. These articles include John Lutz illustrating the participation of the aboriginals of British Colombia in the industrial and economical development of the province, Peter DeLottinvilles article working class culture and the role of taverns in Montreal during the late 19th century, and Gregory Kealeys article struggle of Torontos skilled workers and their respective unions with the employers to gain control on the workplace.

Subject and Main arguments of the articles
Lutz articles primary emphasis is on the role of the aboriginals of British Colombia in its economic and industrial development. He rejected the popular notion among most historians that the aboriginal population was relatively irrelevant to the economic development of the province. He argued that contrary to the popular belief the aboriginals were the primary labor force in the early days of the settlement and development of the colony, which later became the province of British Colombia. He asserted that if it were not the aboriginals, British Colombia would never have become, what is today.
   
Lutz argued that the natives were the natural source of labor in the early days of the settlement because they were the only source of labor available in the region at that time. He provided the figures, which clearly illustrates the fact that before the gold rush, British Colombia was entirely an aboriginal province with the two-third of the population comprising of the natives. Thus the early settlers were forced to rely on them, though grudgingly, for the next few decades. The eagerness of the Indians to work for wages was also a participating factor, which further enhanced the level of involvement of the natives in the development process.

Lutz provides the proof that even with the establishment of the colony in Victoria a mass migration of the natives towards the capital began. This migration for work soon became so intense that the entire villages started to leave during the summers for work. The tribal chiefs started to work as laborers and made contracts with the companies, which wanted the services and labor of their people. The author further argues that even the flocking of European people in the gold rush and the rapid emergence of Chinese labor did not prevented the natives in getting involved. In the end though they were no more the dominant people in the region but their participation continued. The author finally depicts the primary motive and incentive of these activities in the natives as to get respect among their people by holding potlatch ceremonies, which they must give generous gifts to the guests. This requires an extensive amount of money, which was the primary incentive for most ambitious natives to engage in labor with the white man in order to raise their social status.

Delottinvilles article primary emphasis was on the working conditions of the unskilled labor of the city of Montreal and what important role did taverns played at that time. Contrary to the popular belief the taverns helped in making the sufferings and inadequate living conditions of these poor workers like longshoremen public, in order to catch attention of the reformers and help change the deteriorating situation of the poor working class of the city. The taverns, particularly Joe Beef of Montreal also played an important role in providing shelter, health and other services to the poor. Joe Beef was one of the most important voices on the behalf of the poor at that time and he even motivated the labors to act for their rights and strike against their unjust employers. One of the famous strikes during which Joe Beef played an active role was the canal labor strike. He helped the labor class to be a man and fight for their rights like a man.

The author argues that most middleclass people despised the unskilled labors particularly because of their belief on being the righteous and most importantly because of their lack of understanding of the working classs culture, which prevailed during the 19th century Montreal. Most of the middle class people and reformers accused the taverns of being the core of all the dirt and filth in the city and the center of everything going wrong to the unskilled labors and poor of the city. These polished middleclass people often neglect the fact that it is the doings of the corporate leaders or Big Bugs as often called by Joe Beef, who were consistently exploiting the poor workers and were never ready to yield more wages to the workers.
Finally the author asserted that as soon the proper caretakers of the labor class came forward like the Knights of Labor came forward the taverns fell back in the shadow and lost their importance as a focal point of labor activities and forum.

Kealey primary focus on his article is the role played by trade unions of different crafts in their struggle against the employers in the war of getting hold of the workplace of the craft during the late 19th. The author used three trade unions of Toronto to exemplify, the coopers union, the molders union and the typographic union. The author then gave a detail account of the struggle of all these three unions and provided the facts that why the coopers union rise and fall was so drastic, on the contrary why the molders and the typographic unions were successful in their respective struggles and their adversaries have to succumb to their demands.
   
The author argued that the sudden rise and fall of the coopers union was the successful implementation of the machinery in the 19th century and the inability of the union to mold their tactics and strategies accordingly. On the contrary the molders and the compositors and printers were far more organized and, in the case of molders the machinery was not successfully implemented during that time so that they were able to carry on their traditions in the 20th century. In the case of printers and compositors, the machinery was introduced at that time, but the clever strategies devised by the union gave them upper hand even with the presence of machinery and the employers were forced use the machinery according to the unions demands.

Comparison
The most visible similarities between the three articles is that all of the speak about a specific era, which brought radical changes in the economy and society of that time. Though all three speak of different classes of the same country, but they all speak about the way different people responded to the changes brought by the industrialist European people in the continent. Lutz rejected the notion that the natives have no role in the economic development in the region. DeLottinville rejected the notion that the taverns in the Montreal were everything but good the unskilled working class. He proved the services and help provided by the taverns during that time. Kealey illustrated the struggle of the skilled labor on the wake of industrialization, which threatened their customs, traditions and way of life and how some of them failed to keep them up with the emerging industrialization, while others succeeded.
   
Thus this is the only similarity between all these articles that they speak about the same time, roughly the same region or country and speak about how people dealt with the rapid and radical changes in the new industrial era.
   
The similarities end here, because now the subject of all three articles is very much different. Three articles speak about entirely different people who were facing entirely different situations and their responses to the new situation were also entirely different. This is the primary reason that it is difficult to comparison the three articles more thoroughly and profoundly.
   
Thus it could be justly concluded that the articles deal with entirely different people in different situations though were in the same time and region and were part of a very large piece of work taking place in the entire region and changing the face of society.

Topic Canadian History

Review of Rollings Sandra Heavy Burden on Small Shoulders.           

Hard farm labor and domestic work characterized the early Canadian Settlement schemes. Farm mechanization was a dream then and thus children contributed to provision of labor for the family. The new settlers life became unbearable due to being ill equipped from their respective homeland places as they come in search of the Promised Land that pledged wealth and serene life. The beguiled and farmers arrived in the Canadian country side only to realize that the government had set them and yet the promised 160 acres of free land had to be attained by proving to the authority that the family labor could be able to settle within three years as well as break ten acres of land in crop production. Consequently, much pressure was put on the family labor and children had to be involved in order to sustain their future inheritance.       

The labor intensity tactics and lack of possible way out forced these farmers to be misused by the bankers, merchants and farm input operators who saw an opportunity to exploit. Therefore machinery prices were adjusted at the will of the merchants while the farmers had to contend with obligatory government tariffs. According to Sandra Rollings, the author of Heavy Burdens on Small Shoulders, the Canadian government decisively increased the tariffs to 25 for agriculture machinery, 35 for hardware and construction materials, 20 for lumber and shingles and 25 for glass (8). Reflectively, the high cost of machinery as projected by selfish business owners coupled up with the government taxes did increase the hardships of these farmers of the prairies by approximately 40 if we assume that the merchants added a mere 10 cost burden on the settlers.

Worse still the grains companies paid a fixed figure for the produce that attracted high cost of transportation together with instances of faulty underweight machines that promoted extensive cheating and intentional downgrading of the crops quality (8). Probably the treason why the situation got out of hand leading to the call for political representation was that the family set up in the prairies was overstrained and skimmed of all their effort to promote and integrate liberal labor tactics. Precisely, the government of Canada seemingly employed these settlers in order to satisfy its colonial powers in the control of commerce. In so doing the settlers were virtually reduced to slaves together with their children who according to the life constraints at hand had no option of education or decent leisure but to be fully engaged in the production that could sustain their live hood.                            

Children come in handily for such exterior jobs as taking care of animals and accompanying the deliver of farm inputs and crops thus were freeing the parents and other sources of family labor from petty chores. Intensive work like harvesting incurred the highest rate of labor thus exposing all children intensive work besides their immaturity to undertake such family cares. Though, Sandra jokes with the idea that children could eventually become a source of wealth by acquiring more free land and thus expanding the family territory still the escalated economic status of the day that did not favor land owners and the same hardships that these children faced could always follow these childrens children and a continuous cycle of induced poverty could ensue.

At the same time the author treats women and children as the invisible economic power that never had the opportunity to be paid for their services to which I prefer to defer. Invisibility and payment for labor as such do not connect as enough premises to declare that indeed women and children were in some way mistreated by not receiving remuneration as other farm workers. In stead consideration should be reflected in family life, in that the proceedings from these farm investments were meant for the well being of the family as a whole and therefore if an argument should address the women and children alone still even the men who owned these farms never paid themselves as workers. The male members played the part of being the custodians of the family wealth that the whole family used together for the benefit of the family. The scenario that the author is trying to painting is that the family members should have been left back at home while the male head went along with the workers to till the land and produce a bounty harvest to be shared with non active members of the family. Such a family organization could bring about hatred whereas family work is supposed to be shared as the children also learn tactics about life.

The four categories that the writers suggests to be used in order to determine if these children were working out of their own will or may be by some application of force still do not make sense since all in all work is still work despite the amount and the cause behind that work. Further, the author admits to arbitrary groupings since even the work overlaps to be distinctly defined by the prestigious four groups. For instance the author includes livestock production in the productive labor together with general helping out with farm work while feeding and watering of animals is considered as a subsistence labor and at the same time raising animals and for sale is rated as an entrepreneurial labor activity. Seemingly the order is quite misplaced since rearing of animals fall under all the three categories except some quite confusing categorization that rarely sets apart the said labor division (15).

Consequently, the statistics in table four (16)  testifying the break down of the percentage suggesting the division of labor between boys and girls does not therefore qualify as to represent the four suggested types of labor but rather the distribution of gender in two main labor activities namely house work and farm work. The statistics bear witness to my conclusion since 66 of the boys actively engage in labor intensive production whereas a mere 32 of girls come on board. At the same time about 73 of girls are involved in domestic work as opposed to 13 of the boys. Overlapping of work was common especially and a man being called upon to reciprocate in house chores is quite unrealistic since when the women and children were busy with the house work, men were busy designing the procedures of the seasons work since the rest waited for instruction. Therefore the suggestion that men never helped in house work is out of context and even the inclusion of such suggests poor evaluation methods lifestyle in the prairies.                            

Lifestyle in prairies was awesome with presence of a family that meant that work was shared for the financial success of the family and savings that could otherwise be used to pay hand workers could be turned into useful expenditure as buying family members clothes and other basic needs of life. I acknowledge Sandra Rollings brief overview that children were a fundamental economic stepping step for the Canadian economy during the initials years of settlement and to some extend they are responsible for the commerce success of the colonial Canada. Unlike the paid workers children are much more responsible to oversee immediate rectification of any economic hazard as a natural act of saving the family from financial drain contrary to hired workers who could assume such a situation since only a payment could hire a workers time. Thus a family that had many members could eventually attain  sound financial structures at a faster rate than a man who worked alone. This is the reason behind many of the prairies families being composed of over five members to eight and even more. Working children easily acquired the customs and value of farming thus adopting similar lifestyles was simple for them unlike a supposed suggestion that children should have stayed home till a given appropriate age. Experience enabled the qualified children to marry at an early age as fifteen years in readiness to acquire a free farm too and start a family. Soon many farming kinship were created and the numbers were enough to fight for their rights.                        

Decency versus moral debauchery has been suggested by Sandra Rollings research as the basic advantage that the prairies children had over their town equals who apparently appeared to be weak in body structure and lose in morals as well as unhealthy due to the common town chemical foodstuffs. Farm work imparted a social responsibility in the farm boys and girls as opposed to the suggestion that the prairies wok was a form of unacceptable torture on face value (25). Sandra Rollings presents an argument concerning children and their tribulations during winter in poor shelter that literally left them frozen during cold nights. Lack of housing and children power to supply material for building is a commendable act as long as the weight was manageable and distance covered by feet sizable so as to make the nights comfortable. In the life of a these children the parents are in the same situation as the children and therefore the interpretation of work is quite a family issue.

On the other hand if a town dweller relative visited and witnessed the labor intensive life in the prairies, due to difference in lifestyles the interpretation of work will definitely vary even to the inclusion of torture. Therefore the issue surrounding children labor is definitively diverse and in accordance with the general background of the subject in question. Nevertheless, the building of Sods, rats and other procedural activities are briefly out of context with child labor though the main intention of the author was to elaborate further for the reader to gain understanding of the daily lifestyle (33-35). Unfortunately, Sandra Rollings scope of detail is outstandingly amazing and deep till he gets out of the main theme of children labor and the social forces pushing them and instead emphasizes the routine settlement lifestyle in the prairies. The photography of felling and hauling logs on a sleigh in the winter (36) bears out for my argument since though there is a presence of a child the general landscape activity defines an economic activity and lifestyle but the same does not portray  the Heavy Burdens on Small Shoulders title that Sandra Rollings choose.           

The topic productive labor discusses more about the glaring life realities that followed the settlers and their children as they got their portions of land. Some got rocky areas that were unfavorable for farming. Sandra discuses about the prairies lifestyle as the people struggle with the paradoxes of the unfolding life that was supposed to be a paradise haven of success. Brilliantly, the author exposes the conservative and one sided nature of though among the settlers. The best example could be the Mr. F.N. Krischke whose land portion was too rocky for farming but yet insisted on the idea without prior knowledge to other economic activity that could have made his life easier (46). Thus the power of creativity among the settlers was questionable. A possible explanation for their narrow-minded entrepreneurship was because their society almost equated land to farming. Possibly he could have built better houses to house visitors and locals who had no time to build during the winter by using his terrain advantage.

The visual illustration that accompany the land breaking procession, Clearing brush and breaking the land (47) with a boy sited on a plough is an example that explicitly depicts the settlers hardship to gain financial freedom. The boy is slowly being inducted to the way of life in the hardship hit prairies by the family. Boys seemingly loved to help out their parents in the farm work as a way of attaining some form of appraisal worthiness and probably the most admired boy in the locality must have possessed strength and hard work reputation for a girl to be confident about her future with him as potential husband and father to her children. Moreover, even girls had to show off in their ability to make a painstaking husband. Parents participated ridiculously in the brainwashing of children to accepting of hard labor as the only solution to financial freedom in order to maintain rural literature and lifestyles that insisted on the value of farming as the everlasting family investment and future ancestral occupation.                

Sandra Rollings introduces the entrepreneurial labor with reverent attribute of skilled labor that many settlers engaged in the hope to raise the 500 requirement before accessing the propose 160acres farming activity. The author delves into the lifestyle of the settlers and their troubles to achieve a fair financial status but in vain due to the strictly controlled market whose prices were controlled by cartel-like exploitative business agencies. Otherwise the rest of the chapter about entrepreneurial work weakly identifies the supposed place of children in the labor sector. Exploitation of the farmers is discussed at length and particularly the inability of farmers to break even due to malicious business traditions that made fool of the early investment vehicles like a pig farmer selling a pig at 2 a price far less than the maintenance fee. A wages earner would wind up wasting more by investing and therefore the exploitative commerce system forced the settlers to adopt the usage of children labor to produce just enough food to last the winter season in order to escape agony of never settling down for lack of financial stability.

Therefore children formed a basic human resource asset that many families sought to have big families in order to make work easier and more favorable. Out of the cultural affiliation and desire to provide for their family children who were employed always sent virtually all their few coins back to their families. Hunting was a common free source of food yet preposterously the governments one cent bounty on every killed rodent was turned into a lucrative business activity. Nevertheless, Sandra usually gets carried away by pass by one topic that the intended theme of the entrepreneur labor gets diluted and forgotten mid way. The gopher history has taken an inappropriately four pages that could have been delved into informing us more about child labor.                                                    

The author Sandra should have reduced the pages of the book from unnecessary descriptions that successively make the book lose touch of the vivid picture of its main topic. I believe that once the key point has been pointed out much of the breaking down into subsistence labor is unnecessary because the information covered so far is much enough for a mind to reconstruct pieces of home life together. Gendered roles are easily divided into muscle intensive labor for boys and their fathers while common household chores attract the meticulous nature of the girls and their mother. Cooking was a feminine role and women took it upon themselves to train girls on home cleanliness and laundry (115). Therefore the feminine call for a man help in cooking is purely unfounded and discriminative as though trying to force equality even in sectors that the society is already organized on by default. Unsurprisingly boys are rarely trained to cook and wash utensils and therefore the kitchen environment might be quite green for their performance. 

Washing and laundry required the master of the feminine power an d some muscle was welcomed so that fetching and drawing if water was a common occurrence. At the same time the collection of fire wood and other fuel sources were organized b y the gendered system that to a large extend made lives comfortable for the whole family as a family responsibility. Some instances have recorded the involvement of boys in heavy family washing process due to the amount of physical work required in due time. 

Childhood dominant culture that parents induced their children to affected their overall reaction to being involved in other house chores later in life.  For instance if a family participated in blanket washing experiences that invited the father to help out during the wringing process the children could adopt that culture to their later lives while if the father viewed the same experience as a womans job the same traits influenced the children.  Young boys did help in the general house cleaning work.

Basically the home keeping training in conjunction with sewing of clothes was common with the girls but for boys mending of fences was universal. The skills the children of the prairies leaned were strictly for their own survival and could soon be overcome in presence of more and easily accessible credit that could allow the financial broke society to be transformed. Child care is a universal common task for both genders as a source of more wealth and labor once these children grew. First aid lesson were passed on during such conceivable moments of care for the young as a way to creating lasting habits that could be mimicked later in life.                            

In conclusion Sandra Rollings quantity of research is outstandingly disclosing about the lifestyles that defined the settlers of the Canadian prairies and their children. The challenges family life faced in the environment is best dealt with than the proclaimed children labor difficulties. As such most of the children presented in the research seem to be readily disposed to engaging in family economic activities that defined their whole life both then and their latter lives that were to be duplicated as their parents lives. Therefore children took it upon themselves to understand the basic life guiding principles that we effective as to lead successful life in the prairies. The author is successful in providing an insight into the types of labor intensive activities that children engaged though sometimes too much of information on unnecessary aspects of life did taint the expectations of the theme thus rendering the book a bit boring to reading. Overall the authors intention was successful in the exposure of the constraints and hardships that the Canadian prairies settlers went through together with their children as a source of labor.