Changes on the Horizon
By the end of 1926, the government's attitude towards airmail service had changed
drastically, and the Minister of Postal Services announced the decision to create
a coast-to-coast aerial postal service. The United States and several European
countries had been operating such services since the end of the First World War;
the time had come for Canada to catch up.
A number of reasons prompted the government decision:
1. The prospect of American competition
The U.S. aerial postal service had been established in 1918; all parts of the country
were linked by several air postal routes. By 1926, mail delivery contracts were being
awarded to private airlines, and it was feared that these companies would add major
Canadian cities to their networks, making the Canadian system nothing more than a U.S.
subsidiary.
2. The dire need for a national policy on aviation
By the 1920s, the aviation industry in general had made tremendous progress; in Canada,
the industry was in need of regulation and supervision. In 1927, the Canadian government
admitted that U.S. and European aerial postal services could pose a threat to Canada.
Airports were constructed, new and more efficient airplanes were created, and
improvements were made to communication technologies and weather forecasts, all
with a view to establishing a Canadian aerial postal service. The first step
in the new service was the opening of the experimental
Rimouski-Montreal section.
3. The wish to provide aerial postal service in all parts of Canada
Canada's economic development and a steady growth in population accentuated the need
for efficient postal communication between the diverse regions of the country, further
encouraging the government to set up a regular aerial postal service throughout Canada.