Timmy The Buffalo

CP Rails

Check out this song about the Canadian Pacific Railway!!

The Route Of The Railway

 

Red - the original route along the Canadian Pacific Railway in the early years and as it was operated by Via Rail after 1978 until 1990 

Blue - the current route along Canadian National Railway 

The Chinese Workers : Free Verse

For This Land

We were brought from our home

had to leave everything behind

to build a railway

of the Canadian kind

We had only one goal

to earn enough money

to go back to China

and see our honeys

We were willing to work

for half the price

though we worked twice as hard

and weren't treated nice

People objected to us

because we looked different

Our customs and colour

made us victims of judgment

We had more dangerous jobs

many of us died

a cruel price to pay

for the workers who tried

We never made it out

please understand

we faced a grim future

all for this land

Chinese workers working on the CPR

Macdonald's National Policy

The National Policy was an economic policy put in place in 1879 by John A. Macdonald's government, it was purposed in the election  of 1878. It remained the basis of Conservative economic policy for many years -- Conservative Prime Minister Robert Borden would maintain the policy from 1911 to 1920, as would Prime Minister R. B. Bennett from 1930 to 1935.

 This policy consisted of 3 parts:

1. Protective Traits:
   To encourage the development of Canadian Industries; raw materials would come into the country less expensively. High import duties or taxes (called tarrifs) would be put on goods that Canadian industries could manufacture.These taxes make goods coming from other countries more expensive so more Canadian goods could be sold. The taxes would also help fund for the railway.

2. National Railway:
   The railway would bring settlers to the West and bring crops to the East.


3. Settlement of the West:
   Macdonald promised to help immigrants from other countries settle on the Canadian Prairies. These settles would buy the products of the Canadian Industries and grow wheat to be sold in Canadian cities.


 The people of Canada supported the idea of this National Policy, causing the re-election of Macdonald. This brought back the production of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

 

Sir John A. Macdonald's campaign poster for the election of 1878

Sir John A Macdonald's Role In The CPR Project

 Before the railway was built, the people of British Columbia were unsure of whether to join Canada or the United States. The Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald was very anxious for BC to join the Dominion, since the US had recently purchased Alaska from Russia. Macdonald held the present fear that the US may try to annex the entire west coast, as many American settlers were already moving across the area. Sir The Prime Minister promised the people he would build a railway to connect them to the rest of Canada. John A. Macdonald also wanted the fertile plains to be settled upon, and to bring in settlers to those areas, the government needed to build a railway.

 A group of businessmen under the order of Sir Hugh Allan formed the Canadian Pacific Railway Company to build the tracks.

 During the election of 1872, Sir John A. Macdonald's Campaign ran short of funds. Allan was supposedly the richest man in Canada, so Macdonald ask him for money. Hugh Allan gave him the cash, and after the election Macdonald repaid Allan by awarding him the contract to build the CPR. When Macdonald's opponents discovered this "scandal", it raised such a huge commotion, that Sir John was forced to give up his position as Prime Minister. This is now called the "Pacific Scandal".

Sir John A. Macdonald