Horton High School's Canadian
History 12 Web Page and Student
Resource
The Canadian Pacific
Railway and the Arrival of
British Columbia in 1871
The addition of British Columbia
to Canada was largely dependent upon Canada's ability to complete the Canadian
Pacific Railway. Prime Minister Macdonald held this as one of the most
important undertakings during his tenure, thus much money and energy was
placed on this undertaking.
until the railway was a reality
or at least a promise to the British Columbians, the government of B.C.
seriously considered American annexation as an option. The vast distance
from Manitoba, not to mention the Rockies, made the idea of joining Canada
a "far-fetched idea".
nonetheless, the leader of the
pro-Canada movement was a native Nova Scotian journalist named William
Smith, whose "pen name" of Amor de Cosmos became his name of preference.
He pushed for B.C. to join Canada, and gained a strong following.
B.C. had a diverse population,
with many Asians, primarily brought in to work the railway and fish. There
were also many Americans and Australians.
the British government allowed
B.C. to apply for inclusion into Canada. It must be noted that at this
time B.C. had a small population of about 36,000, and an economy which
was in poor shape.
However, de Cosmos and Macdonald
both saw great potential, especially with the C.P.R., thus in July of 1871
B.C. became Canada's sixth province. The vote on whether B.C. should join
Canada was only open to those who owned land and had British status, thus
eliminating all Natives, Asians and other immigrants. In total, less than
10% of the population were eligible to vote!
The federal government gave
large grants to get B.C. up and running, and promised to have the railway
completed soon. Amor de Cosmos became B.C.'s first Premier.
The remaining provinces joined
Canada in the following order: Prince Edward Island [1873]; Saskatchewan
and Alberta [1905] and Newfoundland [1949].
The Canadian Pacific Railway:
the Canadian Pacific Railway
Company was formed under the leadership of George Stephen [President of
the Bank of Montreal] and the aforementioned Donald Smith of the Hudson's
Bay Company [later known as Lord Strathcona].
they took over from the lagging
government, which was having problems getting the work completed. Macdonald
was a leading force throughout, while Alexander Mackenzie, who was Prime
Minister for one term during this time, decided not to "rock the boat",
despite his frustrations over the enormous amount of money being spent
on the railway.
in 1880 the CPR put forth a
budget of $35 million to complete the railway. The government gave the
CPR the monies, lands, grants and personnel necessary to get the job done.
The finishing date was projected to be 1891.
the Chief Engineer was the American
railroad tycoon, Cornelius Van Horne. He drove the workers hard and the
conditions for the workers were horrible. Many perished in the construction
of the CPR, especially Asians.
by 1883, the CPR was out of
money, with tracks laid only to Winnipeg! Fortunately for the CPR, the
Riel Rebellion of 1885 gave the undertaking a "kick start", as the swift
movement of troops into the Red River proved to naysayers that the CPR
was a worthwhile venture. As a result, the government approved an extension
to the grants and monies afforded to the CPR.
Despite its fair share of controversy
and scandal, the CPR worked fast, so much so that on November 7, 1885,
the "Last Spike" was driven by Smith at Craigellachie, B.C.. The CPR was
the longest rail line in the world, and was built in only five years.
