The Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CPR) was incorporated in 1881. In 1882, Sir William Cornelius Van Horne (1843-1915) was hired as CPR general manager to oversee the construction of the transcontinental railway over the Prairies and through the Rockies. He became CPR's vice-president in 1884 and president in 1888. Completed in 1885, it connected Eastern Canada to British Columbia and played an important role in the development of Canada. The company established hotels, shipping lines and airlines, and developed mining and telecommunications industries (CP Steamships, CP Air Lines, CP Oil and Gas Limited, and CP Telegraphs). In 2001, Canadian Pacific separated into five independent companies, with Canadian Pacific Railway returning to its origins as a railway company. CPR is a public company with shares trading on the major stock exchanges in Toronto and New York.

In 1899 the Canadian Patriotic Fund was established in Montréal to aid Boer War veterans and their dependents. The first national president was the Governor General, Lord Minto. The national fund was incorporated in 1914 to aid the needy wives, children and dependent relatives of Canadian soldiers fighting in the First World War. By 1916 it was providing assistance to 54,000 families across Canada with money gleaned through voluntary subscriptions. The Montréal branch held three fund raising campaigns during the war and was responsible for local relief activities. Sir Herbert Ames, the president of the Montréal branch, was also the honorary secretary of the national fund. The national fund raised and distributed almost fifty million dollars before being terminated in 1937.

The Canadian Pulp and Paper Association was founded in 1913. In 1970, the Newsprint Association of Canada was amalgamated with the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association. The Association changed its name to the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) in February 2001.