Comparing The Contributions Of Alexander Mackenzie And John A. Macdonald

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Both Alexander Mackenzie and John A. Macdonald contributed greatly to making Canada what it is today. However, due to being on opposing political parties, they both came up with completely opposite policies. First of all, while Mackenzie was seeking free trade with the USA, Macdonald implemented the National Policy. In addition, both Mackenzie and Macdonald had different intentions towards the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) project. Macdonald wanted to complete the CPR project, however, Mackenzie gave it no thought and immediately cancelled it. Finally, whilst Macdonald was pro-British and encouraged support from Britain, Mackenzie wanted to make Canada an independent country, and he wanted to remove Britain completely out of the equation. Despite Mackenzie’s significant contributions, I believe that Macdonald had better plans to making Canada what it is today.
Alexander Mackenzie, being a Liberal, wanted to make Canada a more independent country and he had his own plans of doing so. First of all, he sought free trade with the USA, who was an enemy to Britain at the time due to the War of 1812. In addition, he created the Royal Military College, which meant that Canada can now have its own military officers. Finally, he cancelled the CPR project that was started by Macdonald, which angered the people …show more content…

However, in my opinion, Macdonald had superior plans and was able to execute them better. First of all, Macdonald implemented the National Policy, which greatly helped Canada’s economy due to closer ties with Britain and Canada-wide trade. Moreover, Macdonald created the Canadian Pacific Railway, which, even though costed a lot of money, definitely was worth it in the long term. It was also the fastest way to get from one side of the country to another. In conclusion, after Macdonald’s final term as Prime Minister, Canada looked remarkably akin to what it looks like