The
Pacific Scandal was a
political scandal in
Canada involving allegations of
bribes being accepted by 150 members of the
Conservative government in the attempts of private interests to influence the bidding for a national rail contract. As part of
British Columbia's 1871 agreement to join
Canadian Confederation, the government had agreed to build a transcontinental railway linking the
Pacific Province to the eastern provinces. The proposed rail project, when completed, was the most intensive and ambitious of its kind ever undertaken to date. However, as a new nation with limited capital resources, financing for the project was sought after both at home and abroad, naturally attracting interest from
Great Britain and the
United States.