National railway

An intercontinental railway had been important to Canadian leaders such as Thomas D’Arcy McGee and John A. Macdonald since the days of the American Civil War (1861–65) and the Fenian raids, when the quick movement of troops across British North America was seen as the primary guarantor of the colonies’ security. After confederation in 1867 the railway would serve two important functions: first, as a firewall against American expansion, and, secondly, as an agent of economic modernization.