Billion-Dollar Megaprojects

There were many plans to improve Canada after the Second World War, but the greatest set of plans were arguably made by Canada's Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent. His plans were technological advancements that benefited the whole of Canada, from the Maritimes to the Pacific West Coast. These advancements included the Trans-Canada Highway, the Trans-Canada Pipeline, and the St-Lawrence Seaway. Although many debates were held over these plans, all three great projects commenced anyways, and are still being used in Canada today.

The Trans-Canada Highway

This plan was mainly a way to create jobs for Canadians after the Second World War. It was to create a link from St. John's Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia and pass through all ten provinces. The Trans-Canada Highway Act was passed in 1949 to approve the decision to start construction. Although it wasn't a failure, the construction process faced major obstacles including rising construction costs and difficulty building through the Rocky Mountains. However, despite these difficulties, over eight thousand kilometres of road had been laid out across Canada and was open to the public in 1962. The entire route was paved by 1966 and is maintained by both the federal and provincial governments. Next to Russia's Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway is the longest national highway in the world and remains a major source of transportation to Canadians today.

The Trans-Canada Pipeline

In 1947, oil was discovered in Leduc, Alberta. This discovery led to a boom in oil production in Canada, producing 84.8 million barrels of crude oil in 1959. In 1956, St. Laurent decided to build a pipeline across Canada to supply British Columbia and Central Canada with oil from Alberta. Americans helped to finance the pipeline, but more money was needed to build the pipline through Ontario. The Liberals struggled to finance the rest of the pipline after the Opposition tried to debate the bill they were trying to pass. Despite the many arguments against the pipeline, 3700 kilometres of pipe was finished by 1958 and was the longest pipeline in the world.

The St. Lawrence Seaway

Canada and the United States had been planning to expand the St. Lawrence for many years in order to gain better access to Central Canada and Eastern United States. However, the United States were held back by internal debates, therefore, in 1951 Canada's government, under St. Laurent's leadership, decided to build the St. Lawrence Seaway on its own. In 1954, America joined Canada on the project, with construction beginning the next year. Many sacrifices were made; some people of the First Nations were forced to move out after their land was flooded. In addition, the Canadian government spent US$330 million and the United States with US$133 million. These costs provided better transportation and accessible hydroelectric power for both nations ever since the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959.

These successful projects were all planned and finished under the leadership of St. Laurent's government. Although the Liberals faced many debates and obstacles, they did not give up any of the projects. With some help from the Americans, Canadians managed to create a network of roads, pipes, and canals that would benefit the entire country. Today, Canadians still use these sources in their everyday lives, and it is because of St. Laurent's government and the cooperation of Canadians from all over that such things exist today.