The Province of Buffalo: A Historical Examination of Western Canada's Unrealized Territory

The proposed Province of Buffalo stands as a pivotal "what-if" in Canadian history-a bold vision for a unified western territory that never materialized but continues to reverberate in discussions of regional identity and governance. This report traces the origins, political dynamics, and enduring legacy of this unrealized province, contextualizing it within broader narratives of Canadian nation-building and western alienation.

Origins in the North-West Territories

Pre-Confederation Governance

Prior to 1905, the vast expanse of present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan formed part of the North-West Territories, a federally administered region acquired by Canada from the Hudson's Bay Company in 187056. The Territories' governance evolved slowly, transitioning from direct federal control to a partially elected assembly by 18888. However, critical powers-including control over natural resources-remained firmly in Ottawa's hands, fueling resentment among western settlers9.

Sir Frederick Haultain's Vision

As Premier of the North-West Territories from 1897 to 1905, Sir Frederick Haultain emerged as the foremost advocate for provincial status. A Conservative lawyer educated at the University of Toronto, Haultain argued that the region's growing population (over 160,000 by 1901) and economic potential warranted self-governance11. His 1900 proposal to Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier outlined a single province stretching from Manitoba to British Columbia, north to the 57th parallel13.

Haultain christened this entity "Buffalo," symbolizing both the region's vanished bison herds and his aspiration for a powerful western polity. In his words, it would become "the largest province and the most powerful province in the greatest and most glorious country"9. The proposed capital at Regina reflected Haultain's belief in centralized administration, though this rankled civic boosters in Calgary and Edmonton2The Buffalo Proposal: Key Features and Rationale

Geographical Scope

Encompassing 1.3 million square kilometers-larger than Ontario and nearly Quebec's size-Buffalo would have included:

• The southern halves of modern Alberta and Saskatchewan

• Regina as capital, despite Edmonton (pop. 8,350) and Calgary (pop. 11,500) being larger urban centers2 Agricultural heartlands along the CPR mainline, excluding northern forest and tundra3

Political Philosophy

Haultain's vision rested on three pillars:

1. Economic Autonomy: Control over public lands and resources to fund infrastructure9

2. Administrative Efficiency: Avoiding duplication of services across multiple jurisdictions11

3. Regional Power Balance: Positioning Buffalo as a counterweight to Central Canada's dominance12

His 1903 memorandum warned that without provincial status, the West would remain "a colony of the East"9. This argument gained traction as wheat exports boomed, with the Territories generating $2.5 million annually in land sales by 1905 (equivalent to $75 million today)6.

Federal Rejection and the Creation of Alberta/Saskatchewan

Laurier's Calculations

Prime Minister Laurier's Liberal government rejected Haultain's proposal in 1905, opting instead to create two provinces. Contemporary correspondence reveals multiple motivations:

• Partisan Politics: Haultain's Conservative leanings clashed with Liberal priorities1

• Demographic Concerns: Fears that a unified west (projected population 500,000 by 1911) could dominate federal politics11

• Railway Interests: CPR officials preferred smaller provinces to maximize land grant revenues2 Urban Rivalries: Edmonton and Calgary's refusal to accept Regina as capital1

The Saskatchewan and Alberta Acts (1905)

On September 1, 1905, Laurier's legislation took effect:

• North-West Territories divided at 110°W longitude

• Alberta (population 73,022) and Saskatchewan (population 91,279) established as provinces11

• Federal retention of natural resource rights-a contentious issue until 19309

Haultain, excluded from the inaugural celebrations, lamented that Ottawa had "emasculated" western potential9. The division created artificial boundaries: Lloydminster straddles the provincial line, while the Cypress Hills region lost its geographic cohesion.

Legacy and Modern Resonance

Early 20th Century Echoes

Though Buffalo never materialized, its ethos persisted:

• 1916-1921 United Farmers governments in Alberta/Saskatchewan advocated provincial resource control12

• 1930 Natural Resources Transfer Acts finally granted subsurface rights to prairie provinces9

The Buffalo Declaration (2020)

In February 2020, four Alberta Conservative MPs issued the Buffalo Declaration, explicitly invoking Haultain's vision1213. The 13-page manifesto argued:

• Western Canada faces "structural inequities" dating to 1905

• Federal policies perpetuate "colonial" resource management

• Constitutional reforms are needed to prevent separation referendums14

While criticized as hyperbolic, the Declaration tapped into tangible grievances:

• 2019 Federal election saw Liberals win 0/48 Alberta/Saskatchewan seats

• Equalization payments transferring $20 billion from Alberta (2014-2019)14

• Cancellation of Energy East and Trans Mountain delays13

Scholarly Reappraisals

Modern historians assess Buffalo's unrealized potential:

• Economic: A unified province might have better weathered the 1930s Dust Bowl through coordinated policy9

• Political: Could have accelerated Senate reform by amplifying western representation12

• Cultural: Might have fostered a distinct "Buffalo identity" bridging prairie populism and resource nationalism14

Archival research reveals alternative proposals, including a 1904 map showing three horizontal provinces (Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Athabasca)3. These "roads not taken" underscore the contingent nature of Canada's territorial evolution.

Conclusion: Buffalo as Metaphor and Memory

The Province of Buffalo endures as both historical footnote and potent symbol. Its 1905 rejection cemented patterns of center-periphery tension that still shape Canadian federalism. For contemporary western separatists, Buffalo represents lost opportunities for self-determination; for federalists, a cautionary tale about regional accommodation. As Canada grapples with climate policy and resource transitions, Haultain's vision of a cohesive, empowered West continues to inform debates-proof that even unrealized territories can cast long shadows.

Citations:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Buffalo
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pHLtFi1aS8
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_proposed_provinces_and_territories_of_Canada
4. https://macleans.ca/facebook-instant-articles/the-rise-of-the-republic-of-the-northwest/
5. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/north-west-territories-1870-1905
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Northwest_Territories
7. https://www.nwttimeline.ca/eras/1900-1924/
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Northwest_Territories_capital_cities
9. https://www.glenbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Haultain_Sir-Frederick.pdf
10. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/territorial-evolution
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan_Act
12. https://buffalodeclaration.com/the-buffalo-declaration
13. https://nationalpost.com/news/what-is-the-buffalo-declaration-and-why-did-they-call-it-buffalo
14. https://globalnews.ca/news/6578658/a-deeper-look-at-the-buffalo-declaration/
15. https://thestarphoenix.com/opinion/columnists/say-it-aint-so-territorial-premier-fought-for-sask-rights-but-was-no-separatist
16. https://www.heritagecalgary.ca/heritage-calgary-blog/northamericanbuffalo
17. https://allaboutbison.com/bison-in-history/canada-history/
18. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/buffalo-hunt
19. https://www.buffalopoint-firstnation.ca/history
20. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/waiser-history-whither-the-bison-1.6154180
21. https://buffalodeclaration.com/the-problems
22. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-saskatchewan-western-alienation-kathleen-petty-1.5350082
23. https://cpawsnab.org/blog/indigenous-history-of-wood-buffalo-national-park/
24. https://www.canadianbison.ca/download_file/view/590/626
25. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskACanadian/comments/wvzno1/province_of_buffalo/
26. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_evolution_of_Canada
27. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/4417-where-buffalo-roam
28. https://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/bison.pdf
29. https://thenarwhal.ca/un-says-canada-isnt-doing-enough-to-save-wood-buffalo-national-park/
30. https://atlas.gc.ca/ette/en/index.html
31. https://ipcaknowledgebasket.ca/a-history-of-wood-buffalo-national-parks-relations-with-the-denesuline/
32. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/northwest-territories
33. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-west
34. https://www.wlu.ca/about/assets/resources/sir-wilfrid-laurier.html
35. http://www.pwnhc.ca/en/evolution-northwest-territories
36. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/province-of-canada-1841-67
37. https://www.gov.nt.ca/en/newsroom/news/j-michael-miltenberger-update-partnership-wilfrid-laurier-university
38. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_W._A._G._Haultain
39. https://www.nwttimeline.ca
40. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/historical-boundaries-canada.html
41. https://campusmagazine.wlu.ca/2019/fall-winter/campus-news/laurier-and-government-of-the-northwest-territories-extend-decade-long-partnership.html
42. https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/SSU/TC-SSU-06282005170239.pdf
43. https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/300/cha-shc/historical_booklet/H-38_en.pdf
44. http://pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/settling-west-immigration-to-prairies
45. https://www.nwtgeoscience.ca/gsforum/wilfrid-laurier-university-past-present-and-future-research-nwt
46. https://www.communitystories.ca/v1/pm_v2.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000798&sl=8334&pos=1&pf=1
47. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada
48. https://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/history&people/territorial_evolution.html
49. https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/maps/ontario-boundaries.aspx
50. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/history-canada.html
51. https://rutherfordhousephs.ca/company-news/alberta-and-saskatchewan/
52. https://www.reddit.com/r/alberta/comments/1i9nbpw/alberta_could_have_looked_very_different_if_this/
53. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/timeline/confederation
54. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta_Act
55. http://www.historicalatlas.ca/website/hacolp/national_perspectives/boundaries/unit_17/u17_timeline/u17_timeline_1851_1867.htm
56. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_alienation
57. https://www.dummies.com/article/academics-the-arts/history/canadian/provinces-and-territories-and-when-they-became-part-of-canada-191103/
58. https://canadahistoryproject.ca/1905/index.html
59. https://app.geo.ca/result/en/territorial-evolution-from-1867-to-2017?id=e88ce995-b69a-4595-a752-bb06b061b5a3&lang=en
60. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/redrawing-the-west-the-politics-of-provincehood-in-1905-feature
61. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Declaration
62. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/john-ivison-pac-style-buffalo-project-a-bid-to-get-national-attention-for-western-issues
63. https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2020/02/22/motz-says-buffalo-declaration-meant-to-spark-solutions-to-western-alienation/
64. http://haultainparty.ca/index.php?page=frederick-haultain
65. https://nationalpost.com/news/the-buffalo-project-behind-the-powerful-cabal-working-on-a-new-deal-for-the-west
66. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-western-alienation-1.5289839
67. https://globalnews.ca/news/6264170/buffalo-project-canada-western-alienation/
68. https://www.bridgetolandwatersky.ca/return-of-the-buffalo
69. https://buffalodeclaration.com
70. http://www.cdgallantking.ca/2017/04/h-sir-frederick-haultain-and-province.html

---

Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share