Beyond Regina: The On to Ottawa Trek in Manitoba and Ontario

Abstract

Beyond Regina examines the reaction in Manitoba and Ontario to the On to Ottawa Trek, specifically in the cities the marchers would have passed through had they not been stopped in the capital of Saskatchewan: Winnipeg, Fort William and Port Arthur, Sudbury, Toronto and Ottawa. Two major studies on the Trek appeared in the 1980s, Victor Howard's We Were the Salt of the Earth and Lome A. Brown's When Freedom Was Lost. Both monographs offer copious detail on the Trekkers and their journey from Vancouver to Regina, something necessary to provide true context to the event. A national mantle is claimed for the march by the respective authors but the lack of substance in this area effectively renders the event a regional protest movement. The thesis examines in particular the extent and nature of Trek support in various Manitoba and Ontario cities. It seeks to provide a broader perspective on the On to Ottawa Trek and therein a more comprehensive portrait of the event.