Introduction

"The St. Lawrence River, circa 1930"

There is no stream more closely bound up with the life of a people, more important to a nation than is the River St.Lawrence. From a purely economic point of view it is the most valuable possession of the Dominion of Canada. It is the highway down which passes most of our overseas trade; it affords us quick and ready access to the markets of the world.

But for those who live in or near its valley the St.Lawrence has a very special significance, for it is the center of our life.

Tonight we shall make a journey from Montreal down the great to its outlet in the Gulf, and we shall make excursion to the territories of the Province of Quebec in the Gulf itself -- The Magdalen Islands.