Home > Clifford Sifton

Born in Middlesex County, Upper Canada (now Ontario), Sifton moved with his family to Manitoba as a boy. He trained as a lawyer, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in 1888. Sifton served in the cabinet of Thomas Greenway from 1891 to 1896 as Attorney General and Provincial Lands Commissioner. He played a role in negotiating the Laurier-Greenway Compromise , which temporarily resolved the Manitoba Schools QuestionThe Manitoba Schools Question was a political crisis in Canada in the late 19th century involving separate schools. Manitoba became the fifth province to join Confederation in 1870, after negotiations between Canada and the provisional Red River governmen.

In 1896, Sifton was elected a Member of Parliament and served as Minister of the Interior under Laurier. As Minister of the Interior he started a vigorous immigration policy to get people to settle and populate the WestWest is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. West is the direction towards which the sun sets at the equinox. It is one of the four cardinal points of the compass, upon which it is considered the opposite of East,. Sifton established colonial offices in EuropeFor the band of the same name, see Europe (band . Europe is a continent forming the westermost part of the Eurasian supercontinent. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Se and the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in. While many of the immigrants came from BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly and the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in, Canada also had a large influx of UkrainiansThe Ukrainians are a Slavic people of central- eastern Europe. They are the descendants of several people who inhabited the vast area extending from north of the Black Sea to the borders of Russia, Poland, Moldova, Belarus and Slovakia. Ukraine had a very, Dokhobors , and other groups from the Austrian Empire1867 and of the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary until 1918. The Austrian Empire was founded in 1804 as a reaction to the creation of the First French Empire under Napoleon I. The first Emperor of Austria was Francis I, at this time holding also the title.

In the federal election of 1900, Sifton retained his seat against a strong challenge from former Manitoba Premier Hugh John Macdonald.

After presiding over the creation of Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905, Sifton resigned from cabinet following a dispute with Laurier over religious education.

Sifton retired from politics in 1911 and died in 1929.