The St. Lawrence saw a large expansion of its market following Confederation for four main reasons. First, Confederation centralized the economy and extended the role of the government in economic decisions. Second, it improved quality and speed of communications (mainly canals and railways) and contributed in unifying the domestic market. Third, the large waves of immigrants between 1840 an1857 increased the number of consumers and provided industry with cheap and abundant labour. Fourth, the Lachine Canal in Montreal provided enough energy to fuel the industries.

Soulanges Canal   Rideau Canal  Coteau Locks  Welland Canal  Gallop Canal

Port of Montreal in 1890