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Pacific Scandal

The 1873 Pacific Scandal erupted following revelations that the Conservative government of Sir John A. Macdonald had granted an American-financed company the charter to build the Canadian transcontinental railway in return for contributions towards the Conservatives’ 1872 general election campaign. The Conservatives resigned in November 1873 and met defeat at the polls. The new Liberal prime minister, Alexander Mackenzie, saw the scandal as a natural by-product of Conservative politics; with ideological leanings towards free trade and individual enterprise, the Liberals naturally pointed out that the scandal involved a rejection of the norms of competition and an assertion of monopoly power.

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Other Resources

Canadian Pacific Scandal
Pacific Scandal - Oxford Reference
Pacific Scandal - Wikipedia
Pacific Scandal | Canadian history | Britannica.com
Scandal. Content archived on 3 Apr. 2016
Sir John A. Macdonald – Dictionary of Canadian Biography
The Canadian Pacific scandal - Deploying the railway network | A wide area of action - Sir Sandford Fleming

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We acknowledge the financial support of the Canadian Museum of History through the Online Works of Reference Program funded by the Government of Canada.
Nous reconnaissons l'aide financière du Musée canadien de l'histoire à travers les œuvres du programme de référence en ligne financés par le gouvernement du Canada.

We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada.

Nous reconnaissons l’appui du gouvernement du Canada.

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