What Was The Impact Of CPR In Canada

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The year 1885 marked a momentous time in history for Canadians across the country. This year marked the end of the construction of the technological advancement for the transportation of goods and people, The Canadian Pacific Railway, known as the CPR. The CPR's impact provided a crucial infrastructure that facilitated Canada's economic growth for years and was originally built to “Physically connect Canadians coast to coast (Briggs, 2023)”. The railway exceeded expectations financially and virtually as it is still in use today and it is a staple in Canadian history for the development and settlement of Western Canada. Many other railway companies failed to achieve profitability and went out of business. However, the CPR company and the visionary …show more content…

In module five, “The Contract to Build the CPR was Lucrative due to Government Subsidies and Large Land Grants Given to the Company. (Briggs, 2023). The CPR company was fortunate to be awarded the contract to build the railway by the government in 1880. When the railway construction was finished, the company was a monopoly for some time due to being given exclusive access to transcontinental transportation through the developing west and charging more for their services to be profitable. The CPR company being given the lucrative contract due to government support meant the CPR company could also hire the best people for the job construction, this includes rising star businessperson Cornelius Van Horne. According to the article Connecting Canada, the author states “Van Horne was lured with a sizable salary to become CPR general manager and to oversee construction of the transcontinental railway (author, 2023)”. Van Horne's recruitment by the CPR was due to his expertise in management which meant the contract to build the railway was finished six years ahead of schedule and transportation started sooner than expected to achieve …show more content…

In module five, after the construction of the railway, “Van Horne’s Success Leads to Him Being Made President of the Company in 1888”, (Briggs 2023). The company was profitable due to the management skills of Van-Horne, who coordinated the company's strategies and operations. Furthermore, in Connecting Canada, the author argues “the CPR actively recruited immigrants and settlers from eastern Canada and Europe” (author, 2023). Due to the CPR's management and expertise, they recruited settlers to move to the developing Western front. In doing this, CPR increased the number of passengers and amount of cargo being transported which increased profitability. Additionally, the CPR company sold farmland from the original twenty-five-million-acre land grants to settlers in the region creating more profitability and success for the