A Letter to Queen Victoria about the Railway's Delay

(1881). Petition of Legislative Assembly of British Columbia to the Queen, respecting Canadian Pacific Railway, March 25, 1881. Canadiana, https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.14500/6

In this letter the speaker of legislative assembly, writes to the Queen of England, Victoria I. The speaker of legislative assembly is writing a letter to Queen Victoria to quantify/enforce the means of construction and funding of the Canadian Pacific Railway. This was an important letter for the representatives of B.C. to send, because the province agreed to join the confederation if a railway was built connecting it to the eastern provinces. The railway was supposed to be finished in July of 1881, but the Canadian dominion government asked for an extension. The letter suggests that the new due date for the railway would be around 1891, but the railroad was finished three years before then. The British Columbian government was asking that the Queen enforce a $2-$1.5-million-dollar budget for the railroad monthly (during the year of 1881), which would be around $55 million dollars today[1] (calculated with amounts from 1904 and estimated to 1881 value)! Also in this letter, is a clause asking for permission to reinstate the Tariff that B.C. gave up to join the federation, as the promised railroad had not yet been completed.

[1] https://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/related/inflation-calculator/