Canada’s economy underwent dramatic changes during the Second World War, as Britain looked overseas for new sources of food, lumber, minerals, and other resources. While the 1930s were dominated by the Great Depression, the outbreak of war spurred the greatest growth the country has ever known. Between 1939 and 1945, Canada’s gross national product (GNP) more than doubled.

This text has been adapted from the Picturing the Past website, developed by the Canada Science and Technology Museum in 2006. In addition to building the rail system across the country, Canada’s two national railway companies (Canadian National Railways and the Canadian Pacific Railway) built a string of grand hotels in the major cities and resort areas of the nation.