Makers of Canada

One of the greatest challenges of uniting British North America into a single state was convincing the separate colonies of the mutual benefit of such an alliance. A solution that MacDonald believed in was the Pacific Railway, a set of train tracks that would cross the entire country, linking the colonies from coast to coast. In practice the construction of the railway proved to be challenging, however the potential benefits were clear; by linking all of the colonies with those tracks, the vast distance separating Canadians would become relatively insignificant. The economic benefits were clear but soon the social gains would be prove to rival any other benefits introduced by the railway. In making the travel times between provinces tenfold shorter, people could affordably travel and fall in love with the rest of the country. As more citizens discovered the country as a whole, a unified national identity was formed, rather than the separate psyches of each colony. In the same sense, Riel also helped lay the foundation for the Canadian identity. Instead of a railway to link the country, Riel’s relentless fight for social justice proved to connect people across the country. The fight of the Métis for their rights and social justices are a common thread throughout the stories that make Canada. Riel’s demands transcended the regional dispute of the Métis and served as an example for the all the denominations within Canada. The rights put forward by Riel laid the groundwork for multi cultural country that is seen today.