Why did wheat become important to the Prairie Provinces during the Laurier era?

During the administration of Wilfrid Laurier (1896–1911), wheat became the primary product of the Prairie Provinces due to a deliberate government strategy focused on the settlement of the west and the development of an effective transportation system.1

Laurier’s policies encouraged massive migration, with more than one million people moving into Manitoba and the western territories—which were established as the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta in 1905—during his 15-year tenure. This influx of settlers, supported by the expansion of railroads and the construction of a second transcontinental rail system, transformed the region into what became known as the "granary of the world". As agricultural production surged, the growth of towns and ports further solidified the economic importance of wheat to the region's development during this boom period.1