“In this book, Professor D.N. Sprague tells why the Métis did not receive the land that was supposed to be theirs under the Manitoba Act.... Sprague offers many examples of the methods used, such as legislation justifying the sale of the land allotted to Métis children without any of the safeguards ordinarily required in connection with transactions with infants. Then there were powers of attorny, tax sales—any number of stratgems could be used, and were—to see that the land intended for the Métis and their families went to others. All branches of the government participated. It is a shameful tale, but one that must be told.”

— from the foreword by Thomas R. Berger

D.N. Sprague has been teaching history at the University of Manitoba since 1971. In 1978 he began working with the Manitoba Métis Federation to develop the history of the administration of the land promised the Métis by the Government of Canada. His articles on the subject have appeared in Canadian Ethnic Studies, The Journal of Canadian History, and The Manitoba Law Journal. Professor Sprague's other publications are in the fields of general Canadian history and historical methods. He is co-author of The Structure of Canadian History.

Thomas R. Berger was formerly a judge on the Supreme Court of British Columbia, 1971–83. He has also served as Commissioner of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, 1974–77, and the Inquiry of Indian and Inuit Health Consultation, 1979–80.