The Effect of Canadian Pacific Railway on Economy (Essay Sample)

Changes in technology impact people in good and bad ways. In 1878, John A. Macdonald created a plan called the National Policy that had three main goals, one of which was the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The CPR was first created to stimulate the economy and unite the country. The large project had many challenges such as geographical challenges, political challenges, and economic challenges. One of the main economic challenges was the worldwide economic depression. The economic depression temporarily stopped Macdonald and the government from building the CPR, which made many people upset such as British Columbia, who were promised that the railway would be built. The CPR impacted everyone in Western Canada in good ways such as improving the economy and uniting the country, and bad ways such as negatively affecting the life of different minorities.

One way that the CPR positively impacted people in Western Canada is that it improved the economy. One of the main ways that the CPR improved the economy was that it improved trade. The transportation made trading more efficient. It was easier for farmers in the West to ship their goods to the markets and factories in the East, which helped many Canadian manufacturers in the East, since there was a wider range of people that could get their products to. The CPR and the protective tariffs, which was another main goal for the National policy, assisted the Canadian manufacturers and many became very wealthy. Another way that the CPR and the National Policy improved the economy was that it helped with Western settlement and with jobs. After the railway was finished, more people started to settle since the CPR made getting goods and necessities quicker and easier. They gave around 65 hectares of free farmland from the original land grant to immigrants and settlers to encourage them to come to the West. As the CPR company grew, more jobs were available to Canadians.The company opened hotels and air lines, which created new jobs for settlers and immigrants (Hasking-Winner, 2007). Due to the expansion of the CPR, the Canadian economy was greatly improved.

Another way that the CPR positively impacted people in Western Canada is that it united the country. When creating the National Policy, Macdonald promised British Columbia that he would build a railway that would go through all of Canada if B.C joined Confederation. The article states that, “A railway would allow goods, people, and communication to move back and forth across the country” (Hasking-Winner, 2007). B.C very much wanted a railway since the province was farther from all the other Canadian provinces. If B.C joined Confederation, the country would be united. With a bigger population and the railway, it would be easier to protect the country from the United States. The United States wanted to expand west and take Canadian land. The CPR helped secure the land since it was easier to transport soldiers, weapons, and armor. Canada would be more prepared for an attack. As a result of establishing the CPR, Canada became united as one nation.

Although the CPR positively impacted many Western Canadians, it negatively impacted different minorities such as the First Nations and the Chinese. The First Nations never liked the idea of the railway, but they had no say in the decision making since the Canadian government and the representatives debating Confederation at the Charlottetown conference didn’t think that the First Nations were important and thought that they were going to go extinct. Even though new settlers were seen as a good thing for Canada, the government didn’t have that much land space for newcomers. To have land for the settlers, the Canadian government forced the First Nations to leave their traditional territories and move onto reserves. The First Nations lost all of their rights. They lost their rights to their land, their language, and their culture. When several First Nations groups joined Louis Riel and the Metis in the 1885 Resistance, the CPR was finished being built. Ottawa troops came in way faster than predicted since the army could now be transported by the railway. Riel and the First Nations had only a matter of days to prepare which tremendously affected the outcome of the resistance. The First Nations weren’t the only ones that were negatively impacted by the CPR. When there was trouble with completing the railroad, the CPR turned to Chinese workers. Over 15,000 Chinese workers helped build the railway between the years of 1881 and 1885. Some people in British Columbia were upset that the CPR was hiring Chinese workers. They were worried that the Chinese workers would take their jobs since they were more experienced. The upset made the CPR promise that the White workers would get jobs first, even though they were less skilled. Another issue with the White workers and the Chinese workers is that the Chinese workers were paid less. Even though the Chinese workers had the most dangerous jobs such as working with explosives and carrying heavy rocks, they were only paid $1 per day while the White workers were paid $1.50 to $2 per day. Over 700 Chinese workers died from the labor since the CPR only gave the White workers gear and protection and made the other workers get their own equipment. Even though there were many advantages of the CPR, there were more disadvantages for different minorities.

While the CPR positively impacted many people in Western Canada by improving the economy and uniting the country, it also had negative effects which impacted different minorities. Many Canadian manufacturers succeeded, and many settlers moved West due to the CPR. Without the help of the railway, B.C wouldn’t have joined Confederation, there wouldn’t be any protection against the United States, and Canada wouldn’t be what it is today. Even though the railway was a great part of Canada’s history, the First Nations and the Chinese workers show that not everything about the CPR was positive. In conclusion, technology changes every day, and there are many positive and negative impacts towards change.