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Provinces and manufacturing

In 1879, Prime Minister John A. MacDonald introduced the National Policy to foster industrialization in Canada.

The decade that followed brought vast growth of industry in the Maritimes' value of output did not increase at the same pace as that in Ontarion and Quebec, indicating lower productivity of many new firms there.

The 1885 completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway helped spur industrial development in the Prairie provinces, where agriculture dominated the economic activity, and especially in British Columbia, where hard-rock mining and coal mining encouraged substantial investments in smelter and machine works and foundries.

The First World War and decade following it were characterized by consistent growth for most manufacturers. When the Great Depression hit in 1929, the net value of production across the country dropped for five straight years, then moved upward again.

The Second World War effort spurred enormous expansion in manufacturing output, with the Western provinces significantly outperforming the nation as a whole and the Maritimes lagging somewhat behind. The years following the war saw industrialization continue its steady growth across the country. Alberta and British Columbia, where the mining and lumbering industries were particularly strong, led the growth during this period, followed by Quebec and Ontario, whose economies were dominated by manufacturing. Advances were more moderate in the other provinces.

A striking aspect of industrial development over Canada's first hundred years is that many of the early differences among the provinces exist to this day.

1917 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Statistics of manufactures by province, establishments employing five hands and over, 1900, 1905, 1910 and 1915

1927 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Historical summary of statistics of manufactures, by provinces, 1870 to 1925, all establishments irrespective of the number of employees
2. Historical summary of statistics of manufactures, by provinces, 1870 to 1925, establishments with five hands or over

1947 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Summary statistics of manufactures of each province, classified by industrial groups, 1944
2. Summary statistics of manufactures, by provinces, significant years, 1917 to 1945

1957 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Nationalities of immigrant arrivals, 1954 to 1956
2. Net value of production and percentage analysis, by province and industry, 1955
3. Net value of production by province, 1950 and 1952 to 1955
4. Percentages of total net production, by province, 1950 and 1952 to 1955

1967 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Indexes of volume of manufacturing production for major industry groups, 1961 to 1966
2. Summary statistics of manufactures of Canada, 1961 to 1964
3. Summary statistics of manufactures, 1917 to 1961
4. Summary statistics of manufactures, by industry group, 1961 to 1964