His influence extended to the very centre of Canadian power, both through his writing and his close relations with his employers, the Liberal Sifton family.

In 1919, he did not give unqualified support to the Business side during the strong Labour-Capital confrontation that was the Winnipeg General strike.

He claimed credit for his paper that Winnipeg adopted Single Transferable Voting for city elections in 1920.

Dafoe opposed appeasement of fascist dictators and urged the government to prepare for a major war, which he accurately predicted would begin in 1939.

His daughter, Julie Annette Elizabeth Dafoe, was Head Librarian of the University of Manitoba from 1937 to 1960 (its main library now bears her name).