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A term to describe the commercial shipping industry. The title “Merchant Navy” was bestowed on British merchant fleets by King George V after their crucial service in WWI. It recognized the importance of merchant ship crews and their vessels in war. It was applied to Canadian and other merchant fleets. The term “Merchant Marine” is used in the United States.

The Canadian National Railway was established in 1918 by the Canadian Government during a period that saw the nationalization of several bankrupt railway companies. In 1919, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway failed and was taken over by the C.N.R. The Grand Trunk Pacific had operated four passenger steamships on the B.C. coast and several sternwheelers on the Skeena River and these services became part of Canadian National Steamships. Until 1975, the C.N.R. operated passenger ships connecting B.C. and Alaska.

The Canadian Pacific Navigation Company was a steamship company based in Victoria, British Columbia established by Captain John Irving (b. 1854 - d. 1936) who had previously been involved in operating a steamer service between Victoria and New Westminster. When Canadian Pacific Navigation Company was established 1883, it acquired three Hudson's Bay Company ships. The company also operated ships serving the B.C. coast and southeastern Alaska.

In 1901, the company was bought by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company becoming the steamship division of C.P.R. The fleet initially continued to be operated under the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company name while finances and mortgage ownerships were sorted out. By 1903 the mortgages had been paid off and the remaining shares were registered under the name of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Canadian Pacific Navigation Company was then formally wound down and the fleet operated as the Canadian Pacific Railway British Columbia Coast Steamship Service.

The Canadian Pacific Railway British Columbia Coast Steamship Service was established in 1903 when the C.P.R. purchased the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company. The company served the transportation and shipping needs of the coast of B.C. with its "Princess" line of ships.

British Columbia's entry into Confederation in 1871 was based on the condition that the construction of a transcontinental railway begin within 2 years and completed within 10 years. The contract was awarded to the partners of Donald Smith, J.J. Hill, and George Stephen. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company was incorporated in 1881. Under the management of W.C. Van Horne, construction moved rapidly across the plains. However, construction throughout the Canadian Shield almost equalled in difficulty the construction through the mountains of B.C. Despite numerous setbacks, the last spike was driven at Craigellachie in Eagle Pass on 7 November 1885. During construction of the railway, the C.P.R. became involved in the sale and settlement of land, the acquisition of the Dominion Express Company, and the acceptance of commercial telegraph messages. The company also constructed numerous tourist hotels and dining halls along its route through the western mountains. These hotels and dining halls were the starting point from which the company later began their international development of hotels, steamships, and airlines.

Canadian Pacific became involved with Pacific Shipping as early as 1891. It had interests in, not only Trans-Pacific shipping, but also coastal steamers (B.C. Coastal Steamers) and B.C. inland water steamers (B.C. Lake and River Steamers).
(See also: Canadian Pacific Steamship Lines).

The Canadian Pacific Railway Company entered into the shipping business in 1884, operating three ships on the Great Lakes. In 1901, with the acquisition of the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company, the C.P.R. Company had established shipping services between British Columbia and Asia, on inland waterways in British Columbia, and in British Columbia coastal waters. Transatlantic freight and passenger services started in 1903. Eventually, C.P.R.’s deep-sea fleet came to be managed in Liverpool and most of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s ocean-going vessels were registered in the UK and in the late 1970s, the company divested itself of its coastal and passenger shipping.

In 1971, the name of the deep-sea operation was changed to C.P. Ships. In 2001, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company was divided into four separate entities one of which was C.P. Ships. In 2005, C.P. Ships was acquired by a German conglomerate and by 2011, the C.P. Ships name had disappeared from commercial shipping.