Page:The empire and the century.djvu/450

 a question of continuing the Canadian Pacific from Montreal to the Atlantic, public opinion had chanced. It was felt that the Atlantic port must be on Canadian territory, and St John, New Brunswick, was chosen. This line, therefore, runs from a Canadian harbour on the Atlantic to a Canadian harbour on the Pacific; but to get there it goes for nearly two hundred miles through the State of Maine. There was opposition to this, opposition in which, it may be remarked. Sir Wilfrid Laurier took a part, but it was overruled. Now, this gap in the system is a weakness: the withdrawal of the bonding facilities granted by the States has been threatened, and might be enforced, and Canada cannot consider herself independent until she possesses a transcontinental railway running throughout on Canadian territory; for though it is true that a railway—the Intercolonial—does link Montreal with St. John and Halifax, and does run on Canadian territory, its course is so roundabout and inconvenient that it can be left out of account. Hence the building of the Grand Trunk Pacific, in defiance of geography and of classical economy. And upon the necessity of building it both parties are united; they differ only in details, chiefly whether it should be worked by Government or by a company. But upon the question of principle they are united, and an overwhelming majority of the people support them.

The direction of Canada's economic development has been little influenced by geography or by other natural forces of which economists make so much. Western Canada is divided geographically by the Rockies; on the other hand, it is for a great part of its area divided from the States by an imaginary line corresponding to no natural features whatever. And yet, did the Rockies not exist, British Columbia would not be more closely bound to Manitoba than it is at present; did they run east and west, Alberta and Saskatchewan would not be more completely separated from Montana and the Dakotas. The States, a country speaking the same language and inhabited by the same race, lie at Canada's