Last best West

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"Last best West" was a phrase used to market the Canadian prairies to prospective immigrants. The notion of the last best West is still a common perception of the Canadian west. The phrase was used to advertise the Canadian west abroad, and in Eastern Canada, during the heyday of western settlement from 1896 until the start of the First World War.

Printed on pamphlets distributed in Europe, Britain and the United States, under the orders of Minister of the Interior Clifford Sifton (appointed by Prime Minister Laurier to oversee settlement of the west), "The Last best West" was a direct comparison to the United States. While there were still vast tracts of land available in the U.S., most of the best land had been taken and the American frontier had been declared closed in 1890. Thus it could be said the land in Canada was the last region still not populated by Europeans.

The phrase was for the most part a marketing ploy. While the growing season is shorter in Canada a less arid climate compensates for this and the Canadian prairies have long been more productive than those of the Dakotas and Wyoming. Unlike the American West the settlement of the Canadian west was well organized, with the North West Mounted Police providing law and order.