The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) connected Canada coast to coast and played an important part in the nations development.
As part of the Confederation in 1867, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were promised a railway to link them to the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. British Columbia joined later in 1871, with the condition that a railway would be built in the next 10 years.
The construction of the railway was a long process and not much progress was made while John A. Macdonald was Prime Minister. In 1880, a group of Scottish businessmen took over the project, and in 1881 the Canadian Pacific Railway Company was incorporated with George Stephen as its first president. Still, they were facing difficulties and construction was slow progress. William Cornelius Van Horne became the new manager and construction would resume through the prairies and mountains. The Railway was completed in 1885 and connected Canada by its coasts.
There was a lot of discrimination which surrounded the construction of the railway. Land was taken from indigenous people and although negotiations were made, they were controversial and unfair.
The working conditions for the CPR were very dangerous. There wasn’t much of a work force in British Columbia at the time, so Chinese workers were used for the construction. The working conditions were dangerous and little pay was offered for excruciating work. Chinese workers only received $1 a day, and despite their meagre salary they were expected to pay for their food and camping gear. Since they couldn’t afford more nutritious food, many workers developed scurvy from lack of vitamin C. White workers did not have to pay for the same items and were paid more money ($1.50-2.00). The hardest of tasks were assigned to Chinese workers, such as blasting the tunnels through rocks. As a result, many workers died from landslides and dynamite blasts.
Over 15,000 Chinese workers helped build the railway and an estimated 600 died. The very same year that the construction was done, a head tax was introduced which stated that Chinese immigrant did not have the permission to vote.
The Canadian Pacific Railway played a major role in Canadian History and it is important to acknowledge the injustices that many of the workers faced.
Works Cited:
https://www.cpr.ca/en/about-cp/our-history
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-pacific-railway
https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/settlement/kids/021013-2031.3-e.html
Leave a Reply