Southern Alberta Writers -- Registration is Open for Creative Writing I

Creative Writing I starts October 22nd at Lethbridge College. Writers of all genres, ages, and levels are welcome. Register online, in-person, or by telephone.

My Upcoming History Talk with Alberta History Buffs

This and more at the Galt Museum in Lethbridge this fall:


DEC 07 Coal, Culture and Confederation with Jane Harris-Zsovan.
Three generations of Galt men –John, Sir Alexander and Elliott
– shared a poetic vision for a united and vibrant Canada.
Lethbridge, the only Canadian city co-founded by a
Father of Confederation,
is a living example of the Galts’ Canadian dream.

Lethbridge’s Word on the Street Festival is creating a lot of buzz in Alberta’s fourth largest city. CKXU.FM, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Lethbridge Public Library all help to get the word out. Flash mobs are popping up in unexpected places and authors, musicians, publishers, and booksellers are lining up to get involved.

I’m pleased to say that my bio is up on the Word on the Street Lethbridge site. And I’m excited to be joining so many great authors at Lethbridge’s WOTS!

In the next few weeks, I’ll be blogging about some of the authors, musicians, and organizations I hope to meet at the festival. Cheers!

"New Light on Alberta's Dark Past" in Calgary Herald

Eugenics and the Firewall was profiled by Eric Volmers in “New Light on Alberta’s Dark Past” in the Calgary Herald yesterday. This article also appeared in the Regina Leader Post online and Canada.com network.

It's time the right owned up to Alberta's eugenics horror story.

A friend emailed me this column by Michael Coren, a man esteemed in Canada's Conservative and Christian intellectual circles. Judging by his CV, Coren is a smart man, but if "The Barbaric Vision of Progressive Heroes" is any indication, it appears Coren only knows part of Canada's eugenics story.(The part his Socred, turned PC, turned Reform, turned Tory/WRA -- or whatever they're calling themselves this week-- buddies from Alberta aren't afraid to hear guys like Coren talking about.)

It's the part he thinks the 'progressives' were responsible for. An aside, Coren might be surprised to know just what progressive meant to early 20th century prairie populists. Ernest Manning, whom most conservative types from Toronto think was one of them,considered himself proudly progressive as well as conservative. As did and do most prairie folk.

But in Coren's discussion, progressive appears to mean left-wing, socialist, or a member of the 'godless' CCF. (By the way, the father of the CCF Tommy Douglas, Preacher and Premier of Saskatchewan, was a social conservative, fire and brimstone Baptist just like Premier of Alberta and radio pastor, Ernest Manning and his mentor, William Aberhart were.)

But why does Coren's discussion of Canadian eugenics omit the worst forced sterilization scandal in the British Empire (Commonwealth), the one in which nearly 3000 Albertans were sterilized at the hands of the provincial eugenics board? (Another 1900 were ordered sterilized, but escaped the knife.) Vulnerable Albertans were also lied to, beaten, used a cheap domestic labour, and made guinea pigs.

He references Douglas's university paper, "The Problems of the Sub-Normal Family," in which Douglas appears to favour legalization of sterilization for 'sub-normals' as a means to remedy illegitimacy and poverty. (Douglas's paper is vague and leaves quite a few logical gaps. He's not clear whether this sterilization is to be voluntary or forced or if it is to apply to adults who already have children.)

But Coren fails to acknowledge that, when Douglas became Premier of Saskatchewan, he never set up a provincial eugenics board. Douglas's support for eugenic sterilization was scared out of him during a 1936 trip to Europe. (One look at the rising NAZI tide convinced Douglas that a great evil was loose and that NAZI eugenics would lead to mass murder. He was right and he never forgot the lesson.)

But, as Douglas had his epiphany about NAZI eugenics, Alberta's Social Credit regime, led by William Aberhart, was hell-bent on ramping up its eugenic sterilization factory by weakening and/or removing consent provisions in the 1928 Sexual Sterilization Act (brought in by the former UFA government.) Aberhart's Socreds -- and many of their constituents -- were frustrated by the low numbers of defectives who were sterilized under the UFA legislation.

After Premier Aberhart died suddenly, his protege, Ernest Manning, became premier. Contrary to a lot of right wing political revisionism, Ernest Manning remained Aberhart's disciple throughout his life. At his December 1968 retirement from the premiership, Ernest Manning, declared that William Aberhart was ahead of his time and 'one of the greatest men this country ever produced.'

Premier Manning held fast to the Socred's revamped eugenics legislation. Critics of the eugenics board were ignored --or sued. The province's travelling, and virtually unaccountable, appointed eugenics board violated even the weak protections within the law; and the Manning government clung to the Sexual Sterilization Act years after medical and mental health professionals (albeit belatedly) denounced the 'science' behind eugenic sterilization in Alberta.

When I wrote Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada's Nasty Little Secret, I hoped Mr. Coren and his colleagues in the Christian and right wing media would start talking about Alberta's UFA/Socred links to forced sterilization.

So far, no luck. Maybe the Manning legacy is too dear to Canadian evangelicals and the right wing, but surely, telling half the story does a disservice to Conservatism, Canada and Christianity. Doesn't it?

Hot Apple Cider Author Signing

If you are in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada on 09 October 2008, join Marcia Laycock, author of One Smooth Stone, and me for a signing of Hot Apple Cider: Stories to Warm the Soul and Stir the Heart(HAC) at Dove Christian Supplies, right across the street from the fountain, flowers, and forest of beautiful Galt Gardens (named for the city's co-founders, Father of Confederation Sir Alexander Galt and his son, Elliott Torrance Galt.)

Marcia and I will be at Dove between 10am and 4pm, sipping some of the store's fantastic lattes, or, better yet, hot apple ciders.

Marcia and I are both contributors to HAC.

Want to know more about this inspirational anthology of over 30 Canadian writers? Check out the Hot Apple Cider Website.

In the meantime, I'm working on more posts for this blog. I will have them up in the next few days. Stand by.

Fortis and Liber

It's sad. Too few Canadians actually know the meaning of their national and provincial symbols. Take the hoopla over Alberta's new licence plates. Talk over whether or not to put the provincial motto on the plates is causing a controversy.

Some quarters of our population think that putting 'Strong and Free', the English version of the Province's Latin Motto, Fortis and Liber, on licence plates represents Americanization of Alberta politics. Some Anti-Ottawa politicians and pundits think creating a distinction between Alberta and the rest of Canada is a great.(One gets the idea that they are more loyal to the land of their birth than the country that accepted them as immigrants.) Most Albertans do not.

But all sides in this discussion are way off base. It is ridiculous to suggest that ideas of strength and freedom are not linked to Canada's place within the British Empire. It lessens Alberta's place in the world to suggest the province does not share in that tradition. Or that the founders of the province were not loyal to those institutions.

'Strong and Free', in the Albertan context, has nothing to do with the United States of America. And while the ideas of creating and federating new Canadian provinces were radical in their day, the motto itself has little to do with political reform. It is a motto, handed to us by the Crown, indicating that our province's strength and freedom are tied to parliamentary democracy.

'Strong and Free' symbolizes Alberta's links to the Canadian Crown and pays tribute to the fortitude of Canadians who settled the NWT in the days before The District of Alberta, NWT, became a province. 'Strong and Free' is proudly Canadian. And Albertans remain deeply loyal Canadians.

Hot Apple Cider Hits Presses

I know. Blogs are supposed to have regular posts. And I’ve been silent for weeks. But I promise to be more prompt with posts in future .

You see, I’ve been waiting to make an announcement. And here it is:

Hot Apple Cider: Stories to Warm the Heart and Stir the Soul is published. So get yourself a warm cuppa’, sit down and enjoy a big helping of inspiring writing by some of the best Canadian authors around.

My author’s copies arrived the other day . But I don’t expect them to last long.

Hot Apple Cider: Stories to Warm the Heart and Stir the Soul has contributions from over 30 of Canadian authors. Their stories will inspire and energize you. And while the book is aimed at the Christian market, I think HAC is going to have a big impact on Canada’s publishing industry. I see this book crossing over into mainstream markets.

This inspirational anthology appeals to readers who just want to sit down and enjoy a good read. Most chapters can be read in less than half an hour. And these days, who has more than 30 minutes at a stretch to sit down and relax with a book?

I’m very excited to see my chapter Jessie’s Generation: Canada’ s Firebrands of Justice and Mercy included in this superb anthology of writers. My chapter’s about Canadian women who turned their world right side up without money, jobs or even a vote! Check out www.hotapplecider.ca

And oh yeah, Stars Appearing: The Galts’ Vision of Canada is available at www.visionofcanada.com.

(I’ll post an update of retail locations and signings for both books in the next few days.) I’m also working on brand new book — more to come! Talk to you soon.

Jane HZ

The Forgotten Vision of the Red Coat Trail

As I sat in the chapel at the Fort Museum in Fort Macleod on Canada Day, I felt like I was capturing a little of the vision that inspired our ancestors to create a nation out of wilderness. I realized that vision wasn't about furs, or imperialism, or even about making money.

The British subjects who created Canada were immersed in a culture that valued justice, compassion and grace more than making money. They viewed prosperity as the result of moral uprightness and a disiplined life. Staying true to their values mattered. The good fortune that might flow from adhering to these values was of secondary importance.

Many settlers, policeman, teachers, and doctors, who came to the plains to alleviate suffering and injustice, died with only a few dollars to their names. Even Justice James Macleod, the hero of the NWMP, died with only $8.00 to his name. It's popular to denounce the coming of the whites to the Canadian prairie and to point out evidence of greed, injustices and the inequality that still exists today.

But those injustices exist because we allow them to exist. And we forget the promises previous generations made to live in harmony and and justice.

The North West Mounted Police were not perfect. Nor was the man who named this province, Governor General Marquis of Lorne. Or John A. Macdonald. Or George Etienne Cartier. Or Louis Riel for that matter. They did the best with what they had. It is our turn to rediscover those ideals and make their vision a reality.

We are bound by honour to pick up their torch and finish their work.