This map shows the Canadian canal system when the great program of the 1840's was completed. Note the minor canals along the lower Ottawa, the Richelieu, and the Grand rivers. The map also shows the competing Erie Canal in Northern New York. The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, drew American and Canadian trade to New York which was rapidly becoming the great metropolis of North America. The St. Lawrence canals were designed to give Montreal an advantage over its rival port, but, because of its inland situation, Montreal was never a match for New York.
