Railways and Immigration
Suggested Classroom Uses/Strategies
a) Teacher-directed activities
• Develop students’ understanding by discussing Canada after confederation (1867), Mcdonald’s
National Policy, the development of a national railroad, and Sifton’s immigration policy.
b) Group activities
• Introduce this resource to the group as a presentation tool. The data can aid in presenting the
plan for a national railroad, the impact of railroad development on the expansion of Canada, and
increases in the Canadian population.
• Discuss the changes in the political boundaries of Canada since 1867.
• Present information referring to political, social, and economic issues after Confederation (1867).
c) Individual activities
• Investigate a correlation between the completion of the transcontinental railway and population
growth in Canada.
• Use the slider to make predictions on the impact of railroad expansion westward.
• Explain how the National Policy helped determine the economic and demographic aspects of
Canadian expansion.
• Examine CPR posters and identify the audience of the immigration campaign; moreover, discuss
the manner in which Canada was portrayed in this campaign.
• Compare the changing political boundaries and discuss how Canada has changed between 1867
and 1914.
Features of this Digital Resource
Interface / Navigation
1. To the right of the main window,
individual maps and overlays can
be selected to display railroads,
cities, and territories.
2. The main window features the
various maps and overlays.
3. The timeline slider below the
main window can be adjusted to
reflect changes between 1867 and
1914.
4. The population graph below the
slider shows the number of
immigrants entering Canada each
year between 1867 and 1914.
5. In the bottom right-hand corner,
a collection of authentic Canadian
Pacific Railway poster images and
the Historica Minutes video, Nitro
(1884-1885), are available for
further study.
Railways and Immigration
© 2006 Alberta Education (www.learnalberta.ca)