8C
Chapter 11: The Steel Ribbon
the Canadian Pacific Railway Company-  it was formed by business people under Sir Hugh Allan to build railways under the leadership of Macdonald
bribe- an offer or a method of  persuasion involving  products or services that benefit a person so another person may gain access to things or services
the Pacific Scandal- when Conservatives had admitted that Allan had given money to their election campaign
the National Policy-it was meant to boost the Canadian economy and develop Canadians industries; American products faced stiff tariffs and Canada East which manufactured products would trade with Canada West that largely had agricultural supplies
spikers- for the construction of the railway, the workers who adjusted the rails to ensure that they were exact
trestle- it is a framework used to support the bridge using A-frames
navvies- workers who lived on the railway from all over the world
colonist car- it was important to the settlement of Canada; it was used in the first trains created

2. John A. Macdonald was more care free about the costs or details whereas Mackenzie was more aware of the costs. Macdonald was more concerned about uniting the country regardless of the human and financial cost.
3. a) Less expensive American products were flooding the Canadian markets and Canadian companies could not compete. He claimed that it would encourage the development of industries and create more jobs.  It created a more level playing field for Canadian business owners.
b)The railway would create jobs.  The tariffs would protect companies against competition.  Trade would also create more jobs internally.
c) Macdonald was re-elected on this platform and it promoted nationalism since you were encouraged to buy Canadian.
4. Crowfoot and Blackfoot (Siksika) were upset because Treaty No. 7 guaranteed that no one could trespass on their reserves.  The railway disrupted the bison hunts and trespassed on Native territories.
5.  Here are some of the problems that existed:
a)  Muskeg terrain is filled with water at times and dense forests.
b) There were difficult mountain passes with steep inclines and drastic declines.  With weight of the train, some trains could not make turns going down steep mountains.
c) The railways would expand and contract and the steel would buckle without gaps placed between the pieces of steel.
d) Climate was another factor.  The summers in the West can range up to 40 degrees and drop to -40 degrees in the winter.
e) The sheer distances and the isolation of some communities made building a true engineering challenge.




As a class we took up the terms related to chapter 11.  I see Mr. Watt's class on Tuesday, November the 26th.  Students are to have the remaining questions assigned in chapter 11..  One will require internet research. We watched a clip on Prime Minister Trudeau, when he was 18.  At university, he competed in a debate against separatist students and we will be extending the concept of separatism as it applies to the case of Wexit and its historical roots in 19th century Canada in further discussion.