Sir John A Macdonald's National Policy

At its foundational core Sir John A MacDonald’s National Policy, was created to assist and continue the growth of the still developing nation of Canada. Following the purchase of Rupert’s Land from the Hudson Bay Company in 1870, the federal government was tasked with vast fertile lands to defend from American encroachment, and in 1878 the conservative government of Sir John A. MacDonald brought to legislation a new National Policy. Which would remain in effect until the 1930’s. Now. close to a century later we can determine that MacDonald’s National Policy, while originally bringing our Nation together. Has over time manifested regional political differences. Through its strategies of; levying high tariffs on manufactured imports, the costs

These others are the citizens of central Canada and the elites who purport to speak on their behalf”(Brooks 147) One of the earliest instances where these feelings could begin to take form would take place in 1905 as the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan would join the confederation(Lesson 5 Slide 34-37). While sections 92 and 109 the British North America Act of 1867 assigned exclusivity rights over all natural resources within provincial borders, these rights were not immediately granted to these provinces. The desire by the federal government to retain control over the economic development of this region, whose expansion was essential to the National Policy goal of building a larger manufacturing market for the businesses of central Canada( Brooks 137) The rights of these natural resources would eventually be returned to the provinces in 1930 following the passing of the Natural Resources Act by the newly elected federal conservative government of R.B Bennett who was from the western city of Calgary Alberta. The passing of this act by a western born politician only served to increase support of the ideals of “populism” that had already existed in the western

Despite the National policy not being in effect for close to a century we can still see its effects today, both on our political community but also on the fabric of our Nation. While MacDonald sought to connect the nation from coast to coast by rail, the governments of the 1950’s and 1960’s sought to connect the country through what is now the TransCanada highway, further driving our east-west transfer of goods. We can see that over time the original regional and economic biases displayed in the original National Policy have over time manifested themselves into feelings of distrust and have vastly affected our political community through their federal voting preferences, shaping the nation of Canada both for present and future