ALLAN BLAKENEY’S PIONEER NARRATIVE
Posted on March 29th, 2009
Former Saskatchewan Premier Allan Blakeney’s political memoir, An Honourable Calling (University of Toronto Press, 2008) is an enjoyable read and cuts a pretty wide swath across Saskatchewan’s political, social, cultural and economic landscape. But lying underneath the many anecdotes, policy explanations and first-person accounts of historic moments is Blakeney’s belief about Saskatchewan’s “distinctive character,” which he clearly expresses in a form of pioneer narrative. Blakeney writes:
Saskatchewan is replete with names drawn from the map of Europe. It was settled by a rich mix of ethnic and religious groups set down in a fertile land, but with a harsh climate and next to none of the means of transportation and communications that are now thought to be essential for human settlement. These people came and they prospered, but with many hardships. Then in the 1930s, Saskatchewan was hit harder than any other place in Canada by the double disasters of worldwide economic depression and a drought lasting almost a decade . . . These settlers from many cultures and backgrounds were driven to cooperate. They worked together or they perished. (p. 25-26)
Cooperation, ethnic diversity and overcoming hardship are the three key elements of any pioneer narrative and they all figure prominently in Blakeney’s vision of Saskatchewan. Throughout the book he describes the various programs as pioneering and individuals as pioneers. It is clear he saw his own work and that of his government as part of the larger pioneer narrative of Saskatchewan history. Not surprisingly, he links the pioneer narrative with his own political philosophy that supports a larger role for government than individuals with other political persuasions might readily accept. There are, however, other versions of the pioneer narrative that link the same elements found in Blakeney’s pioneer narratives to rugged individualism and free enterprise.
While people who expect history to provide “truth” may consider that a weakness and a reason to abandon the narrative, I would argue the opposite position. Narratives that provide a common story for people with divergent points-of-view can provide a basis for common understanding. Therefore, you don’t need to agree the particular use of a narrative to appreciate its power, even its beauty. Focusing on what we share, as opposed to what divides us, is one of the main lessons of every pioneer narrative. From time-to-time, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of that lesson.
