Canadian Expansion and Canada Today Reading Comprehension Lesson

Reading Passage

Canadian Expansion and Canada Today

When Canada became a country in 1867, most Canadians lived in the southeastern part of the nation. The vast prairies and rugged western mountains were largely unsettled, separated from the east by the Canadian Shield and the Canadian Rockies. Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald, believed the key to uniting the distant territories was a national railroad. His promise of rail service encouraged more provinces to join the Confederation. Manitoba joined in 1870, and British Columbia agreed to join in 1871 — but only on the condition that a railroad connecting it to the east would be built within ten years.

Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway began in 1881 under the direction of American engineer William Van Horne. It was one of the greatest engineering challenges of the 19th century, requiring workers to blast through the rocky Canadian Shield, bridge wide rivers, and carve a path through the steep passes of the Rocky Mountains. Thousands of Chinese laborers were brought to Canada to help build the railroad, doing the most dangerous work for the lowest pay. The Canadian Pacific Railway was completed in 1885, more than four years ahead of schedule. The railroad opened the prairies to settlement and allowed Canadian goods to be shipped to both coasts.

The promise of free or inexpensive land on the prairies attracted waves of immigrants from Europe. Ukrainians, Germans, Poles, Scandinavians, and Russians came to farm the flat, fertile plains of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. In 1905, both Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces, completing Canada’s coast-to-coast span. By 1911, Canada’s population had nearly doubled. The wheat fields of the prairies made Canada one of the world’s leading grain exporters, a role it has maintained to the present day.

Canada’s population has grown increasingly diverse throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. People from China, India, the Caribbean, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia have made Canada their home, bringing their cultures, languages, and traditions. Canada has two official languages — English and French — and its official policy of multiculturalism encourages cultural preservation alongside national unity. The country consistently ranks among the world’s top nations for quality of life, education, healthcare, and tolerance. Newfoundland, the last province to join Canada, did so in 1949 after a close referendum, completing the country’s current map of ten provinces and three territories.

Today Canada is a prosperous, modern nation with a population of about 40 million people. Its economy is one of the largest in the world, based on natural resources (oil, timber, minerals), agriculture, manufacturing, and services. Major Canadian cities — Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa — are among the most livable and culturally vibrant in the world. Canada maintains close economic and cultural ties with the United States, its neighbor and largest trading partner. The two countries share the world’s longest undefended border and cooperate on defense, trade, and environmental issues — a relationship that reflects their shared history and values, even as each maintains its own distinct national identity.

Printable Worksheet

More Reading Worksheets

Explore our full library of history, geography, and reading comprehension worksheets.