New Books Network: Éléna Choquette on "Land and the Liberal Project: Canada’s Violent Expansion" (UBC Press, 2024) Podcast Date: December 6, 2025 Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher | Guest: Dr. Éléna Choquette

Episode Overview

This episode features Dr. Éléna Choquette discussing her new book, Land and the Liberal Project: Canada’s Violent Expansion, with host Dr. Miranda Melcher. The conversation explores the profound and rapid expansion of Canada’s territory in the late nineteenth century, focusing on how political, legal, and rhetorical strategies supported settler colonialism at the expense of Indigenous peoples. Dr. Choquette examines the myths of peaceful Canadian expansion and investigates the ideological foundations—particularly "colonial liberalism"—that justified this land appropriation and enduring violence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Author's Background and Motivations

• [02:46] Dr. Choquette introduces herself as an Associate Professor at Université du Québec en Outaouais. Her interest stems from her experiences in Quebec and British Columbia, focusing on land, settler-Indigenous relations, and constitutional questions.
• Quote:

  "I got interested in the case study of the Canadian prairies, which appeared historically as the largest piece of land that was settled right after Confederation."
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [03:48]

2. Challenging the 'Peaceable Canada' Myth

• [07:45 — 10:05] The book interrogates the notion that Canada’s expansion was peaceful, contrasting this with the subtle and overt violence of nation-building.
• Dr. Choquette seeks to uncover the "coded war" beneath the "peace" by drawing on Foucault and historical discourses.
• Quote:

  "I wanted to look more closely at that history and see beneath kind of the peace that we think we're seeing...look at the war that was raged underneath."
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [08:34]

3. Distinctiveness of Canadian Expansion (Timeline and Comparison)

• [11:26 — 17:01] The Canadian case is compared to the United States and Australia:
  • US expansion occurred over a longer, more protracted period; Australia’s expansion was more straightforward.
  • Canada expanded dramatically in about 30 years: from 1857 (when Canadian politicians claimed the Northwest) to 1885 (military defeat of the Metis and First Nations).
• Quote:

  “The specificity of the Canadian case is that enlargement happened over a very short period of time right after confederation...that really is the time period that I'm looking at.”
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [14:52; 17:01]

4. Ideology of Colonial Liberalism

• [19:54 — 26:29] Dr. Choquette argues that "colonial liberalism"—the use of supposedly liberal ideals for colonial purposes—was central to justifying land appropriation and violence:
  • Principles like liberty, private property, self-government, and peace were invoked as justification.
  • “Improvement” was a recurring rationale, applied to both land and Indigenous peoples, echoing Lockean ideas.
• Quote:

  “I do qualify that liberalism as being of a colonial kind...it’s the main ideological engine of settler appropriation and violence.”
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [22:25]

5. How Expansion Became a Political Priority

• [27:20 — 32:07] The shift in the 1850s marked a critical juncture:
  • Canada moved from not prioritizing western expansion to framing it as necessary for survival against US rivalry.
  • Science (expeditions assessing agricultural potential) and law (restructuring legal mechanisms for annexation) enabled and justified expansion.
• Quote:

  “At that, the very first, that very first step was resisted by Louis Riel and eventually the provisional government...They contested and challenged it.”
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [37:32]

6. Law, Confederation, and Exclusion of Indigenous Peoples

• [33:04 — 35:07] Confounding the myth of peaceful legal transition:
  • Confederation functioned as a legal device for expansion, yet Indigenous peoples were excluded from these foundational debates.
  • The creation of Manitoba was fraught with Indigenous resistance, leading to adjustments in settler tactics and further repression.

7. Indigenous Resistance: Red River and Northwest Resistance

• [36:15 — 42:42]
  • Red River (1869-70): The Metis and First Nations resisted Canadian-sanctioned land surveys and political declarations. Louis Riel led forceful pushback, prompting Canada to negotiate, but ultimately responded with military force and constitutional designs privileging white settlers.
  • Northwest Resistance (1885): More violent, driven by broken promises, dire living conditions engineered by the Canadian state, and further attempts to consolidate settler control.
• Quote:

  "We see that kind of cycle of Canada claiming indigenous peoples resisting and Canada using that resistance to justify violent repression."
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [41:46]

8. Residential Schools as Colonial Strategy

• [44:49 — 50:38]
  • The logic of “improving” Indigenous peoples led to the residential school system, modeled after the US, aiming to assimilate through forced separation, language loss, and church-state partnership.
  • Not inevitable, but deeply linked to the prevailing ideology of colonial liberalism.
• Quote:

  “The project was to kill the Indian in the child. So really targeting the children to make assimilation quicker and...cheaper also.”
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [49:35]

9. Enduring Legacies

• [55:14 — 58:15] Canadian assertions of sovereignty and jurisdiction are not just historical but persistently impact Indigenous autonomy, jurisdiction, and stewardship of land today.
• Quote:

  “What is Canada if not a particularly large and well armed claims club?” (Robert Nichols, cited)

• Dr. Choquette argues for recognizing the violent origins and ongoing contestation of these claims, advocating for shared jurisdiction and meaningful engagement with Indigenous leadership.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Peace and Violence:

  “Beneath the peace that we think we're seeing, look at the war that was raged underneath, kind of what we're understanding Canada today.”
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [08:34]

• On Liberal Ideals:

  “I connect these values to what we understand today as being liberal discourse...but it’s a particular kind of liberalism. It's designed and figured for colonial purposes.”
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [22:25]

• On Red River and Sovereignty:

  “When [William McDougall] happened inside, he was marginalized and pushed out of the colony...he had no one else listening. But we can see how that second tactic was resisted and just ignored entirely.”
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [38:32–39:00]

• On Residential Schools:

  “So the project was to kill the Indian in the child...targeting the children to make assimilation quicker and...cheaper also.”
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [49:35]

• On Power and Today's Canada:

  “Canada still claims to be second largest country in the world and to exercise sovereignty...What I want to show is that historically...Indigenous peoples were living beyond and outside Canadian official sovereignty.”
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [55:14–56:29]

• Summing Up Purpose:

  “It's a story of power, of jurisdiction, of sharing, of living with better. I think that's kind of what I wanted my book to be.”
  — Dr. Éléna Choquette [58:15]

Key Timestamps

• [02:46] Dr. Choquette on her background and academic journey
• [07:45] Tackling the myth of "peaceful" Canada and the reality of colonial violence
• [11:26] Comparing Canada’s expansion to US and Australia; focus on 1857–1885
• [19:54] Colonial liberalism: ideology underpinning land appropriation
• [27:20] Scientific expeditions and political debate in the 1850s
• [33:04] The role of confederation in facilitating territorial acquisition
• [36:15] Metis and Indigenous resistance at Red River—details and implications
• [44:49] The origin, logic, and structure of the residential school system
• [51:16] The 1885 Northwest Resistance and its deadly consequences
• [55:14] Contemporary implications: sovereignty, land claims, and decolonization

Tone & Style

The discussion is rich, thoughtful, and nuanced, with a scholarly yet accessible tone. Dr. Choquette speaks with care and precision, referencing both archival research and current debates, while Dr. Melcher facilitates with curiosity and clarity.

Conclusion

Choquette’s analysis urges a re-examination of Canada’s self-image, foregrounding the violent roots and ongoing effects of settler colonial expansion. She concludes by emphasizing the importance of listening to Indigenous voices, enabling true stewardship, and reimagining jurisdiction—laying out both the historical reality and a call to action for a more equitable Canada.

For those interested in the complex and contested story of Canadian nationhood and its ongoing legacies, Land and the Liberal Project provides both a meticulous historical account and vital contemporary insight.