<P> Beukema and Saint Lawrence Seaway proponents were convinced that such a nautical link would lead to development of the communities and economies of the Great Lakes region by enabling ocean - going ships . In this period , grain exports to Europe were highly important to the national economy , along with other commodities . The negotiations on the treaty resumed in 1938 and by January 1940 , substantial agreement was reached between Canada and the United States . By 1941 , President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Mackenzie King made an executive agreement to build the joint hydro and navigation works , but this failed to receive the assent of the U.S. Congress . Proposals for the seaway were met with resistance ; primary opposition came from interests representing existing harbors on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and internal waterways , and from the railroads associations . The railroads carried freight and goods between the coastal ports and the Great Lakes cities . </P>
how did the great lakes st lawrence seaway influence the development of cities in the region
a nautical link would lead to development of the communities and economies of the Great Lakes region by enabling ocean - going ships