🏛️ Chapter 3: Canada's History
What did Ottawa promise to bring British Columbia into Canada in 1871?
Correct answer: A railway to the West Coast
A Free farmland for every settler
B A naval base at Victoria
✓ A railway to the West Coast
D Control of the Arctic Islands
💡 Explanation
British Columbia agreed to join once Ottawa committed to running a railway through to the Pacific.
Key facts to remember
- B.C. joined in 1871 on the promise of a railway to the coast
- Last spike driven on 7 November 1885
- Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona) was a CPR director, born in Scotland
- The CPR's "ribbons of steel" made a national dream real
- Financed by British and American investors
- Built by European and Chinese labour
- Chinese people later faced the Head Tax, a race-based entry fee
- Canada apologized for the Head Tax policy in 2006
Why this is the answer
From the official Discover Canada study guide — 3.4.6 A Railway from Sea to Sea:
Ottawa promised a railway that would reach the West Coast, and on that promise British Columbia agreed to join Canada in 1871. The last spike went in on November 7, 1885. Donald Smith, later Lord Strathcona, drove it. He was born in Scotland and directed the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Finishing the line gave the young country a powerful symbol of unity. Years of heroic work lay behind it, and the CPR's "ribbons of steel" turned a national dream into reality.
British and American investors financed the railway. It was built by both European and Chinese labour. After the work was finished, Chinese workers faced discrimination. One example was the Head Tax, an entry fee charged to people because of their race. The Government of Canada apologized for that discriminatory policy in 2006. Once complete, the line carried settlers and goods into the West and tied the country together.
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