Macdonald was Canada's first Prime Minister. He started his political career as a councilor for Kingston in 1843. After four years, he decided to move to provincial politics. He was elected as the Conservative party's member for Kingston in 1847. He managed to unite French and English politicians, which allowed the new Liberal-Conservative party to form the government. To deal with the Province of Canada's economic and political problems, a group of politicians, led by Macdonald, came up with the idea of joining with the Maritime colonies to form a larger country. Macdonald was a significant person in Canada's road to confederation, which is why he was asked to be Canada's first Prime Minister. While he was Prime Minister, he built the Canadian Pacific Railway. He also opposed the Métis in the Red River Resistance, and the Northwest Rebellion, which led to the hanging of Louis Riel.
2) George Stephen was president of the Bank of Montreal, was one of the investors for the CPR, and was a vital person in the CPR Syndicate. He made many personal contributions to the Canadian Pacific Railway, and never lost faith in the project. Later, he became the first president of the CPR.
3) Donald Smith was a former Hudson's Bay Company trader who invested in the Canadian Pacific Railway. He was cousins with George Stephen, and together they were a part of the original CPR Syndicate, with James J. Hill. Donald Smith also made many personal contributions to the CPR. He became a major CPR shareholder and a Director of the company after 1883. Macdonald approached both Donald Smith and George Stephen because of their previous success with railways. .
4) William Cornelius Van Horne was the general manager of the railway. His arrival had quickly energized the CPR and he brought a high level of drive and efficiency into its construction. However, he began cutting expenses because money was running very tight.