Riel and Macdonald Honored with the National Stamp

One of John Macdonald’s major contributions to Canada was the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. This was important for several reasons. One of the being that it made it possible to settle in the western Canada, and along with that “one of British Columbia’s conditions for joining Confederation had been honored” . Also, it was easier to travel in the country and would encourage trade within the country rather than with the United States. During the 1878 general election, John A. Macdonald suggested something that would help Canadian manufacturers in several ways. This was the National Policy that was originally put forward to protect Canadian manufacturers from cheaper products coming from other parts of the world. Originally it was put forward to protect Canadian manufactures from cheaper foreign products. However, when it was first implemented in 1879, the policy provided more than protection of manufactures. It included the encouragement of immigration, the development of agriculture in the west, the growth of industry in the east and the improvement of the railway for an east-west economy.