BONUS: Canadia Pacific Railway              

By: Stephen Yan/Martin Campos

Who will Build The Railway?

In 1871, when BC joined confederation, the Canadian government promised to build a railway to the west coast within 10 years of BC joining Canada. Macdonald saw it was essential to the creation of a unified Canada nation that would stretch across the continent. It was part of his long-held dream to create a country that stretched from sea to sea. 

The Starting of the Railway

The first obstacle to its construction was political. Jay Cooke, an American businessman knew the potential of the Canadian West in terms of making money. Sir Hugh Allan decided to join forces with Jay Cooke and he then formed the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. This company was actually controlled by Jay Cooke. In the summer of 1872, John A Macdonald called an election. The Conservatives realized they needed more money for their campaign. In 1873, the agreement between Macdonald and Allan were made public so Maconald then got forced to resign from office. 

The National Policy