There is more to the history

Settlers were lured to the prairies by advertisements in Great Britain (at the time English settlers were preferred) which depicted farming on the prairies as a way to get rich. No mention was made of the way the indigenous people were moved off the land into reservations. Luring settlers to come to the prairies was one of Prime Minister Macdonald's policies to prevent the Americans from taking over the prairies. Many settlers suffered from the harsh conditions on the prairies and lost their homesteads, their investments and their health. Those who persisted, or were lucky, were able to make comfortable living for themselves and their descendents, quite unlike the indigenous people who continued to be held on the reserves, dependent on the Indian Act for food, water, health care and education. Yes Prime Minister Macdonald and his Conservative government were instrumental in creating Canada, but the cost to some settlers and all Indigenous People was high.