With Good Intentions Euro-Canadian and Aboriginal Relations in Colonial Canada

With Good Intentions examines the joint efforts of Aboriginal people and individuals of European ancestry to counter injustice in Canada when colonization was at its height, from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century. These people recognized colonial wrongs and worked together in a variety of ways to right them, but they could not stem the tide of European-based exploitation.

The book is neither an apologist text nor an attempt to argue that some colonizers were simply “well intentioned.” Almost all those considered here — teachers, lawyers, missionaries, activists — had as their overall goal the Christianization and civilization of Canada’s First Peoples. While their sensitivity and willingness to work in concert with Aboriginal people made them stand out from their less sympathetic compatriots, they were nonetheless implicated in the colonialist project, as the contributors to this volume make clear.

By discussing examples of Euro-Canadians who worked with Aboriginal peoples, With Good Intentions brings to light some of the lesser-known complexities of colonization. Contributors are Thomas S. Abler, Jean Barman, Michael D. Blackstock, Sarah Carter, Janet E. Chute, Celia Haig-Brown, Mary Haig-Brown, Jan Hare, Alan Knight, David A. Nock, Donald B. Smith, and Wendy Wickwire.

This volume is an important resource for anyone interested in Canadian history, particularly post-Confederation history, and in Native studies and issues of colonization of Native peoples.