Valerie Knowles

"When the Canadian Pacific Railway's transcontinental line was completed six years ahead of schedule, CPR general manager William C. Van Horne insisted that any ceremonies to commemorate the event be kept informal, declaring: "There is to be no 'golden spike' driven on the completion of the Canadian Pacific and no excursion to celebrate the event. The last spike will probably be driven by one of our track-laying gang and will be an iron one."" "A man of action, William C. Van Horne was the prime mover of the CPR, an organization heading toward financial disaster when he took control in 1881. Described as "a human dynamo" for his energy and imagination, the tireless railway tycoon conducted thousands of workers toward the aim of uniting the Canadian east and west, chiselling access through what was heralded as impassable terrain, including the Canadian Shield, Rocky Mountains, and Fraser Valley." "Born in Illinois in 1843, by the time he was 38 years old, Van Horne already had 25 years' experience in the railway business, starting as a message delivery boy and telegrapher and rising to prominence in the United States before coming to steer Canada's national railway project. Later assuming the role of CPR president, Van Horne also became one of Canada's foremost financiers and art collectors, capping his career by opening Cuba's interior with a railway. After turning down the honour twice, Van Horne was knighted by Queen Victoria for his contributions toward Canadian unity."--Jacket.

"Immigrants and immigration have always been central to Canadians' perception of themselves as a country and as a society. In this history, Valerie Knowles describes the different kinds of immigrants who have settled in Canada, and the immigration policies that have helped to define the character of Canadian immigrants over the centuries. Key policymakers and moulders of public opinion figure prominently in this story, as does the role played by racism." "This new and revised edition contains additional material on immigration to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, sections on the evacuee children of the Second World War and Canadian War Brides, and material relating to significant developments in the immigration and refugee field since 1996. Special attention is paid to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of 2001."--BOOK JACKET.

"From the Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Narrow Road to the Deep North, the hypnotic tale of a ghost writer writing the memoir of a notorious con man, and the chilling events that unfold as their lives become increasingly intertwined. Kif Kehlmann, a young, penniless writer, is rung in the middle of the night by the notorious con man and corporate criminal, Siegfried Heidl. About to go to trial for defrauding the banks of $700 million, Heidl offers Kehlmann the job of ghost-writing his memoir. He has six weeks to write the book, for which he'll be paid $10,000. But as the writing gets under way, Kehlmann begins to fear that he is being corrupted by Heidl. As the deadline draws closer, he becomes ever more unsure if he is ghost writing a memoir, or if Heidl is rewriting him--his life, his future. Everything that was certain grows uncertain as he begins to wonder: who is Siegfried Heidl--and who is Kif Kehlmann? As time runs out, as Kehlmann's world feels it is hurtling towards a catharsis, one question looms above all others: what is the truth? By turns compelling, comic, and chilling, this is a haunting journey into the heart of our age"--