Showdown at Border Town
Page 14
The Martin family spent their summers at a cottage, as
described, in Colchester. The cottage is still standing and I had the pleasure of visiting the real Mary Anne there. Sadly, Mary Anne passed away about a month later. Among other things, she showed me the ‘park’ where the kids convened, the loft where they slept, and the tennis court.
Abby is a fictional character, but she represents some of the close friends that Paul Martin had at the cottage.
Mance Campbell was a real neighbour of the Martin family’s, whereas Bud Brunner was fictional. Paul Martin would end up working for Mance Campbell at his fishing business when he was about 14.
The Martin family was described accurately, from their appearances and personalities to their careers. Paul Martin Sr. was
actually a member of parliament, and later, minister of national health and welfare and other portfolios. He was a huge contributor to medicare and a conversation between father and son in the book explores his values in this regard.
In an early scene when Paul is waiting for his cousin, Mike, to show up, he asks his mother if he can see Treasure Island when it comes out. Young Paul says, “Someone told me it only costs a dime and six Orange Crush bottle caps and then you get in for free!” Treasure Island really was released in 1950. The Orange Crush promotion is a fact gleaned from the book, ‘The Cleaver’s Didn’t Live on Our Street: Growing Up in Windsor, Ontario, in the 1940s and 1950s,’ written by J. V. Trott.
The prominence of polio – a disease which crippled healthy children – was authentic. In the 1950s, numerous polio epidemics broke out, instilling fear in the population. As minister of national health and welfare, Paul Martin Sr. made the
important decision to support a controversial polio vaccine, which went on to successfully save lives.
William Lyon Mackenzie King, the longest-serving Canadian prime minister, did pass away during the summer of 1950. Newspaper articles and radio clips allowed me to describe the state funeral the way it truly happened.
The gill net fishing method, used by Bud Brunner and his
employees, was fully characteristic of the time and location.
Walpole Island is an actual Aboriginal reserve, located along the St. Clair River. Consisting of six islands, it is one of the largest reserves in Canada. Although all of the Aboriginal characters are fictional, their attitudes and experiences are based as much as possible on historical research. For instance, in one chapter Tom and Billy indicate that the reserve would be better off if it were governed by Aboriginal people. These were revolutionary ideas at the time.
According to Walpole Island Heritage Centre, residential schools were winding down by 1950, and there were far less children attending them. Most who did go attended Shingwauk (Sault Ste. Marie), and there were probably only 10-15 kids there from Walpole in 1950. Most children attended the one-room schools on the island in 1950, as the characters Tom and Joyce did. Few received a higher education than Grade 5 or 6. Children were not encouraged to attend high school.
After his time as Prime Minister, the real Paul Martin created an organization called the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative (MAEI) which brings together Aboriginal organizations, the business community, post-secondary institutions, First Nation schools and provincially-funded school boards to implement programs to support Aboriginal students.
Billy’s account of the War of 1812 is historical. The story about Tecumseh’s bones, though, is merely a legend. There are various competing theories about Tecumseh’s final burial place and this is one of them. The monument on Walpole Island really does exist. It remembers the sacrifices of Aboriginal soldiers and bears the inscription about Tecumseh’s bones as quoted.
Also, Billy told a story describing the encounters between the Giant Woodpecker and Nanabush. This is a re-telling of a common Ojibway myth.
The scene where the inspector is walking down Wyandotte Street is based on a photograph of Wyandotte Street in 1950. Lee’s Dress Shop was an actual retail store, as was the Tivoli cinema, which changed its name several times. The movie ‘In a Lonely Place,’ starting Humphrey Bogart, did come out in 1950.
– CW
Areas for Further STUDY
The History of Health Care in Canada
Medicare is often seen as something iconically Canadian. But it wasn’t easy to get to where we are today.
The British North America Act in 1867 accorded health
responsibilities to the provinces. At that time, though, health care was generally seen as a personal responsibility and the hospitals that did exist tended to be used by the poor. In the 1910s, many people discussed the idea of having a Federal Health Department that would be concerned with the health of all Canadian citizens. In 1919, this new department was created. It made public health more consistent from one province to another.
During the First World War, Canada was becoming more industrial and less rural. New political parties were also formed, like the United Farmers of Canada and the National Progressive Party. Many of the new parties supported public health measures, which then made it a political issue.
Later, in the 1920s and 30s, politicians and citizens began wondering about the true roles and responsibilities of health care. Some thought that doctors should remain private, while others argued that the government should have a role. The
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, for example, supported the nationalization of medical services.
During the Second World War, it was obvious that health care needed to be improved. It was then that Mackenzie King began pushing for the creation of a national health program.
In 1957, Paul Martin Sr. introduced the Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act. Under this law, the federal government provided funding and assistance to provinces that met certain requirements. This was an important step towards full-fledged medicare, which was introduced in 1962 in Saskatchewan, after much work by Tommy Douglas. Within ten years, medicare was adopted by every province in Canada, becoming a universal, national policy in 1972.
Aboriginal Self-Government and Policies
Many Aboriginal peoples see self-government – or political independence – as an inherent right. Aboriginal people inhabited North America long before European contact and they governed it with distinctive methods, viewing themselves as a part of nature. They formed political associations, primarily using oral treaties. When Europeans arrived, they imposed their political systems on Aboriginal societies.
The amalgamated Indian Act, preceded by the The Constitution Act, gave Parliament authority for all Aboriginal administration. These acts defined “Status Indians” (individuals that are recognized by the government) and confined them to reserves (Crown land to be exclusively used by Aboriginal people). Each reserve had an Indian Agent, who closely managed band governments on behalf of the state.
Up until the 1950s, the federal government’s policies focused on assimilating Aboriginal people. With pressure from band leaders, the management of Aboriginal affairs began to gradually see changes in the 1950s. The Indian Act was revised numerous times, slowly according Aboriginal people more rights. In 1965, Walpole Island became the very first reserve to force the withdrawal of its Indian Agent, thereby becoming responsible for its government.
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, both constitutional and community-based negotiations were held between Aboriginal groups and the federal government. The Constitution Act in 1982 solidified Aboriginal treaty rights.
The Government and Finance
One of the roles of the government is to take care of the nation’s finances. The department of finance, led by the
minister of finance, uses taxes and spending to manage the economy. For instance, the government collects revenue from sales taxes, payroll taxes and income tax. In turn, they spend in numerous areas like social assistance, defence and health care. The bal
ance between the government’s taxing and spending affects incomes, employment and prices of goods.
Oftentimes, the government spends more than it receives as revenue. If the amount of money spent in a year is greater than the government’s revenues, the difference is referred to as the deficit. Alternatively, if the government spends less in a year than it receives as revenue, the difference is referred to as a surplus. A balanced budget occurs when spending equals revenue. Governments rely on banks, other countries and
individuals to loan money to finance a deficit, primarily in the form of bonds. This is added to the debt, the cumulative amount of money that the government owes.
Certain economic approaches favour the accumulation of debt more than others. In response to the Great Depression, John Maynard Keynes – an influential economist – argued that the government should increase its spending and lower taxes. This approach stimulated the economy, raising demand and employment.
In the early 1980s, Canada fell into a deep recession and the debt was too large for the Keynesian model to be effective. To recover, Canada focused on reducing its debt. In the 1990s, Finance Minister Paul Martin managed to eliminate the deficit and left a surplus when he left office as Prime Minister.
Books and other sources used in writing this book
Coatsworth, David and Coatsworth, Emerson S. comp. The Adventures of Nanabush: Ojibway Indian Stories. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1979.
Gervais, C. H. The Border Police: One Hundred and Twenty-Five Years of Policing in Windsor. Waterloo: Penumbra Press, 1992.
Henderson, Tom. “‘The Strange Case of Joe Assef’: The Windsor Police Corruption Scandal of 1950.” Major Paper. University of Windsor, 2007.
Martin, Paul. Hell or High Water: My Life in and out of Politics. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2008.
Martin, Paul Sr. A Very Public Life. Ottawa: Deneau, 1983.
Nin.Da.Waab.Jig. Walpole Island: The Soul of Indian Territory. Wallaceburg, Ontario: Nin.Da.Waab.Jig, 1987.
Prothero, Frank. The Good Years: A History of the Commercial Fishing Industry on Lake Erie. Belleville, Ont.: Mika Publishing, 1973.
The Times Magazine Archive Site. Walkerville Publishing, http://www.walkervilletimes.com.