Treaties and Railroads

Following Canada's acquisition of Rupert's Land from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1870, the federal government began signing treaties with the First Nations people of Western Canada. From 1871 to 1921, eleven "numbered" treaties were signed. The major treaties affecting Alberta were Treaties 6, 7 and 8. The Canadian government negotiated that in exchange for giving up their aboriginal title to the land and other rights, First Nations people would be compensated through initial cash payments and annuities, along with promises of reserves, educational and farm assistance, and other benefits.

Until quite recently the Canadian government and the courts have intended to interpret the treaties solely in terms of their written texts. First Nations people have argued that the texts of the treaties are only part of the story, as many other issues were discussed and agreed to verbally. In many ways, the on-going debate is over the true spirit and intent of these treaties rather than the specific details of their clauses.

Several of the treaties made possible the construction of railroads in the late 19^th to early 20^th centuries by granting land rights to the Canadian government.

In 1872, the Canadian Pacific Railway was chartered by Parliament in Ottawa as the fulfillment of a promise to British Columbia to construct a Pacific railway within ten years of their joining Canadian Confederation. By mid-1886, regular trains were running through to the Pacific.

Deemed "Canada's Second Transcontinental," the Canadian Northern Railway was incorporated in 1899 following the amalgamation of two small Manitoba grain-transporting branch lines. At its peak, the CNR possessed railway lines connecting Montreal to Vancouver. However, as a result of the outbreak of war in 1914 and high construction costs, the Canadian Northern Railway encountered serious financial difficulties.

The Grand Trunk Railway's main line ran from Winnipeg, via Melville and Edmonton, to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Incorporated in 1903, it was built between 1906 and 1914 to provide the Grand Trunk Railway with western connections. The Grand Trunk Pacific faced severe competition from the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway, both of which had excellent branch and feeder lines on the prairies. In 1919, the federal government acquired the Grand Trunk Pacific and the Grand Trunk railways. In 1923 the operations of the Grand Trunk, the Grand Trunk Pacific, and the national Transcontinental merged with those of the recently nationalized Canadian Northern Railway to form the new Canadian National Railway.

	Treaty 8 was one of three treaties that had a direct impact on Alberta's Aboriginal peoples. Follow the story of this treaty at The Making of Treaty 8 in Canada's Northwest website.

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