can be every means at hand to accomplish what is needed. In the first place the British Government in have long been seeking the favor of the Indians, and he knows that we can have the influence of the Provinces of to assist us. This subject was contemplated by President Joseph Smith, and he () and brother Sherwood where were appointed to go to on an expedition on this subject. If we were to enter into this matter a council can be got up in , and there will be money and means enough to accomplish every thing we want. There are men there who can command any amount of influence among the Indians. If our brethren go and obtain an influence in the West and these men be advised of it, they will [p. [295]]
Before 1830, British policy toward indigenous peoples in Canada was primarily focused on forging alliances that would secure their services in times of war. However, in the 1830s and 1840s government officials began encouraging permanent settlements and the adoption of Christianity and western education, with the goal of raising “the Tribes within the British Territory to the level of their white neighbours.” Arguing that “Christianity and religious instruction have been found both a prevention and a remedy” against idle or drunken behavior, the Bagot Commission—a multiyear Canadian study of British-Indian relations launched in 1842—recommended that “the co-operation of the various religious Societies . . . should be invited in carrying out the measures of the Government.” (Report on the Affairs of the Indians in Canada [24 June 1847], Appendix to . . . the Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, appendix T, sec. 3, pp. [1]–[2], [5].)
Appendix to the Sixth Volume of the Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. From the 2nd Day of June to the 28th Day of July, 1847, Both Days Inclusive, and in the Tenth and Eleventh Years of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lady Queen Victoria. Being the Third Session of the Second Provincial Parliament of Canada. Vol. 1. Montreal: Rollo Campbell, 1847.