ne,

Foreword

In the northwestern part of Canada, beyond the main
limits of general settlement, there lics a region of over a
million square miles, more than one-quarter of the entire
area of the Dominion, occupied by little more than one
hundred thousand people. This great expanse of mountain,
valley, lake, and plain, designated herein as the North
Pacific Region of Canada, comprises northern British
Columbia, most of northern Alberta and the District of
Mackenzie, and the entire Yukon Territory. In its
southern sections, notably in the Peace River Valley, it
contains some of the world’s finest agricultural land: its
Pacific slope carries some of the finest timber stands on
the continent; its mineral wealth, though of great potential
importance, remains in large part undeveloped and, over
vast areas, virtually unknown.

This area, with Alaska, forms the great American
land bridge to the Asiatic Continent and over its mountain
passes and along its river valleys lie the air paths from the
great centres of North American commerce and culture
to Soviet Russia, the Orient, and India.

So much economic land has been opened to occupation
and so much opportunity has been offered in more accessible
sections of Canada that development has proceeded slowly
in this area, so little known or understood. Except for
gold mining and the prosecution of the fur trade, the
latter still the prime industry in most of the country, it
has remained—save at its more accessible borders—a
largely unoccupied wilderness. Potentially, it is one of
the richest sections of the North American Continent
and, from a continental, no less than a national view-point,
one of the most important.

The need for ensuring the security of the continent
through the war years caused the two nations, United
States and Canada, to expend several hundred million
dollars in various types of defence projects. These measures
were designed to meet the special circumstances arising
out of the war with Japan and, particularly, the dangers
of invasion that confronted the North American nations
in the early stages of that conflict. Considered by them-
selves, the measures taken will do little to assure long-term
security but it is now apparent that they have a peace-time
significance far beyond their original objective.

Through the development of the Northwest Staging
Route they have blazed the way for one of the great air
lanes of the future, from the centres of North American
commerce through Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, and

‘Alaska to Soviet Russia and the countries of the Orient.

The Alaska Highway, built largely for the support
of the Staging Route, while less advantageously located
for immediate employment as a through highway, pene-
trates and makes accessible for exploration and purposes
of conservation immense areas the economic possibilitie
of which it has been possible only to guess.

S

The defence measures undertaken jointly by the two
countries following Pearl Harbour provided, through the
North Pacific Region of Canada, and through Alaska, by
the integration of highway and rail routes, a system of
communications—telephone, telegraph, and teletype—that,
but for war-time necessity, would likely have taken many
years to establish.

Not the least in consideration are those developments
bearing on the community of interests between Canada and
the United States in the physical integration of the territory
of Alaska in this Pacific northwestern zone. An able
author has written a book entitled Canada, America’s
Problem. Whether or not Canada poses any problem to
the United States, the territory of Alaska offers’ problems,
the solution of which will be the concern of both countries
and no discussion of northwestern Canada can neglect
consideration of the position of Alaska, economically,
culturally, and politically in our North Pacific picture.

Alaska is an economic island. While its natural
channels of land communication pass through Canada,
it is dependent almost entirely for transportation on its
sea connection with the northwestern ports of the United
States. While geographic features have had their effect
on its isolation, the trade policies of both the United States
and Canada have been far more effective in limiting economic
intercourse than any mountain barrier and have thereby
confirmed its economic insularity.

It is a matter of regret that the economic studies of
the North Pacific territories of both countries, initiated
under the authority of the Joint Economic Committees of
Canada and the United States and put in hand by collabor-
ating organizations in both countries, Were suspen

ded in
the United States in the early stage

s of their deliberations.
The objective of this internationally conducted investig

ation
was “to study the possibilitie

s for the economic development
of the Region (Canadian North Pacific and Alaska) for the
benefit of the two countries, particularly from the defence
standpoint, and for the welfare of the inhabitants of the
area with special attention devoted to the problem of the
post-war utilization of the facilities provided in the area
for military purposes”

Specifically, the area delineated for purposes of the
study was Alaska, Yukon Territory, and that part of British
Columbia lying north of Yellowhead Pass, Prince George,
and Bella Coola. :

In spite of the withdrawal of the United States repre-
sentatives from the joint project, it was decided by the
1 its studies of the Canadian

Canadian group to proceed witl
area.

This area, re-established for purposes of the stu
extended eastward, as indicated on the
chart, to include northern Alberta and tt
of the District of Mackenzie. Th

dy, was
accompanying
Ye principal part
e€ sections or chapters

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