CANADA’S 13 LOCKS: THE HIDDEN INFRASTRUCTURE ADVANTAGE FEW AMERICANS TALK ABOUT

For decades, discussions about North American economic power have usually focused on oil, natural gas, manufacturing, or trade agreements.

Yet one of the most important pieces of infrastructure on the continent receives surprisingly little attention.

The St. Lawrence Seaway connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, allowing oceangoing vessels to reach deep into the industrial heartland of North America. Through this system, ships can travel thousands of kilometers inland and reach major cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Toledo, and Duluth.

Every year, roughly 3,000 vessels carrying around 36 million tons of cargo move through the system. Grain, steel, iron ore, petroleum products, machinery, and countless other commodities depend on this transportation corridor.

Without the Seaway, many industries across both Canada and the United States would face significantly higher transportation costs.

The waterway remains one of the most important trade arteries in North America.

What makes the system especially interesting is not simply its economic importance.

It is who controls most of it.

According to the historical account presented in the transcript, Canada owns or manages 13 of the 15 locks that make the system function. America controls only two.

That fact has fueled renewed discussions about Canada’s often-overlooked strategic leverage.

THE STORY BEHIND THE LOCKS GOES BACK MORE THAN 70 YEARS

The origins of the modern Seaway stretch back to one of the longest-running infrastructure debates in Canadian-American history.

For decades, proposals to create a deep-water route connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic faced political resistance and delays. According to the transcript, Canada repeatedly pushed for construction while many American interests opposed the project for economic reasons.

By the early 1950s, Canada reportedly became increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress.

The transcript describes how Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent informed American officials that Canada was prepared to build the project independently if necessary.

That possibility reportedly changed Washington’s calculations.

Eventually, the United States joined the project and construction moved forward.

The resulting undertaking became one of the largest engineering projects of its era.

Entire communities were relocated, thousands of people were affected, and vast sections of infrastructure were rebuilt to accommodate the new waterway.

When the Seaway officially opened in 1959, it represented a new era of economic integration between the two countries.

The ownership structure that emerged from those negotiations continues to shape the system today.

WHY THE NUMBER 13 MATTERS

The Seaway functions as a giant staircase for ships.

A vessel entering from the Atlantic must be gradually lifted through a series of locks to reach the higher elevations of the Great Lakes. The process allows ships to overcome natural barriers that once prevented direct navigation.

According to the transcript, five of the seven locks between Montreal and Lake Ontario are Canadian, while the entire Welland Canal system—eight locks in total—is located in Canada.

Together, that means Canada controls 13 of the 15 locks required for passage through the Seaway.

The two American locks are positioned within a larger system surrounded by Canadian infrastructure. Ships cannot reach the upper lakes or the Atlantic without passing through Canadian-controlled sections.

Supporters of the video’s argument see this as evidence that Canada’s influence within North American trade networks is often underestimated.

The point is not that Canada would ever close the waterway.

Rather, it highlights how deeply interconnected the two economies have become.

Infrastructure, geography, and trade have created a relationship in which both countries depend heavily on each other.

THE REAL LESSON IS ABOUT PARTNERSHIP, NOT POWER

Despite emphasizing Canadian ownership of the locks, the transcript ultimately acknowledges an important reality.

Canada depends on the Seaway just as much as the United States does. Canadian grain producers, manufacturers, steel companies, and exporters rely on the same infrastructure.

Any serious disruption would harm both countries.

That is why the Seaway is best understood not as a weapon but as a symbol of mutual dependence.

The waterway exists because both countries ultimately chose cooperation over confrontation.

It remains operational because both sides continue to benefit from that partnership.

The broader lesson is that some of the most important forms of power are not military or political.

They are embedded in infrastructure, geography, and long-term economic relationships.

THE ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY IS MORE THAN A SHIPPING ROUTE—IT IS A REMINDER THAT THE CANADIAN AND AMERICAN ECONOMIES ARE CONNECTED IN WAYS THAT CANNOT EASILY BE SEPARATED.

More than six decades after its opening, the locks continue doing what they were built to do: moving goods, supporting jobs, and linking two nations through one of the most important waterways on the continent.