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Primary sourceSpeech17 January 1881

Sir John A. Macdonald's Speech on the Canadian Pacific Railway

John A. Macdonald · 17 January 1881

A printed transcript of Macdonald's 1881 House of Commons speech defending the Canadian Pacific Railway project.

Macdonald's own speech defending his signature railway project before Parliament.

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Sir John A. Macdonald's Speech on the Canadian Pacific RailwayPDF · 14 pages
Sir John A. Macdonald, speech on the Canadian Pacific Railway, 17 January 1881. Scanned book, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This is a printed transcript of a speech given in the House of Commons in Ottawa on 17 January 1881 by Sir John A. Macdonald, then Prime Minister of Canada. It defends the plan for building the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Why it matters

The Canadian Pacific Railway was one of the biggest projects of Macdonald's government, meant to link the country from east to west. This speech shows how he argued for it in Parliament, facing opposition and defending the cost and purpose of the railway.

Look closer

  • What reasons does Macdonald give for building the railway?
  • Who might have disagreed with him, and why?
  • What does this speech leave out about the people and land affected by the railway?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sir John A. Macdonald on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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