during World War I. The GTP had built through the Yellowhead Pass on a route paralleled later by Canadian Northern, but near Mount Robson, GTP headed toward Prince Rupert. Prince Rupert was one of several possible Pacific termini for the line. Originally, Port Simpson on the Alaska border was selected, but a border dispute with the United States in the early 20th century left Canada concerned about the defensibility of any Pacific rail terminal, and the terminal for GTP was moved south to Prince Rupert. That selection potentially saved a day of steaming for ships to or from Asia. Much GTP track through the Yellowhead Pass did not last even to the end of World War I. As a government-imposed war measure to garner rails for potential use in France, trackage was consolidated between Lobstick, Alberta, and Red Pass Junction, British Columbia with Canadian Northern in 1917, and rails were lifted from the nearly brand-new GTP. Canadian Government Railways The GTR reneged on its deal with the federal government for operating the eastern section (the NTR) and the government folded it, along with the Intercolonial Railway of Canada (IRC), the Prince Edward Island Railway (PEIR), and the Hudson Bay Railway (as well as some smaller lines) into the Canadian Government Railways in 1915 for administrative and financial purposes, although the individual systems maintained their independent names. The CGR and its subsidiaries would last until 1918. Canadian National Railways On September 6, 1918, the CNoR was nationalized after becoming insolvent and its government-appointed directors were ordered to assume operation of the CGR system. On December 20, 1918, the federal government created the Canadian National Railways (CNR) under which the CNoR and CGR were to be operated. Several years later, on July 12, 1920, the GTPR was nationalized and entered the CNR fold. The GTR itself was placed under government control several weeks earlier on May 21, 1920; however, GTR was not merged into the CNR until January 23, 1923. Legacy The significant cost overruns in construction of the NTR/GTPR contributed to the downfall of Laurier's Liberal Party in 1911, but Robert Borden's Conservative Party was forced to finish the project, including the disastrous spanning of the St. Lawrence River with the Quebec Bridge. The NTR route across northern Quebec and Ontario, far from the major population centres, had been approved by Laurier's government largely because of the support of his Quebec