Acquiring the Canadian West: Why? How? And How Much? explains how, in 1867, the tiny, new Dominion of Canada set out to expand to the Pacific and the Arctic, an amazingly ambitious challenge for a colony of only 3.5 million people. In simple, historically accurate prose, Dr. Whitcomb explains in detail why it launched this bold endeavour which involved purchasing Rupert’s Land, enticing British Columbia to join, negotiating treaties with the First Nations on the prairies, establishing the North-West Mounted Police, building the Canadian Pacific Railway, and settling the prairies. Canada expanded over 800%. The challenges and triumphs are described along with some serious blunders such as provoking two rebellions and putting the CPR over two wrong routes, and a major effort is made to document and estimate the cost to the government, the settlers, the First Nations and Métis.