this
way. In the Western Provinces alone about one million acres of it are
under cultivation {470} by returned men. As a result of this action,
new careers have been provided for men whose love of outdoor life was
stimulated by their military experience. It has at the same time
opened up from virgin soil fresh tracts of rich, arable land. As for
pensions, up to February, 1921, the Dominion has paid out 82 million
dollars and her annual pension bill now represents over 33 million
dollars. Truly Canada is a country "fit for heroes to live in."

All this, however, has been accomplished not without some internal
difficulty. At Winnipeg in May, 1919, some thousands of workmen came
out on strike for more pay, shorter hours, and the principle of
collective bargaining. Rioting took place among some of the more
disorderly elements. But after negotiation by the Hon. Arthur Meighen
and a fellow minister, aided by strong measures on the part of the
Mayor and ex-Service men, the rioters returned to work.

[Illustration: New Parliament Buildings, Ottawa.]

But the great work of construction and restoration has progressed. In
September, 1917, the Quebec Cantilever Bridge, one of the engineering
triumphs of the world, even larger than the famous Forth Bridge, was
completed at a cost of 15 million dollars. The special importance of
this structure is, that by connecting the Government railway lines on
the south of the River St. Lawrence with those on the north, it
shortens the distance between Halifax and Winnipeg by two hundred
miles. The necessity for good roads has not been overlooked.
Parliament authorised under the Canada Highways Act of 1919, a grant of
20 million dollars, {472} for the purpose of road construction and
improvement. This sum allotted to the various provinces is granted on
condition that the amount should be supplemented by the provinces
themselves. The 250,000 miles of public highways will therefore be
extended gradually but effectively in the future.

In the same year, there occurred the death at Ottawa of one whom Canada
could ill afford to lose; a statesman whose prestige at home and abroad
stood out on the pages of the Dominion's history. Nominally the leader
of the Liberal Party, Sir Wilfrid Laurier was more than that. He was a
great national figure. As a statesman of broad imperialistic views, as
an orator of brilliant gifts, as a zealous guardian of all that he
considered to be for Canada'