[1] Along with the Leopold Canal it was one of the first major infrastructure projects of the newly independent Belgium.

In the middle part of the nineteenth century the economy of the Kortrijk region was dominated by the textile industry, with an emphasis on linen.

A further benefit from the canal involved protecting Ghent against the periodic flooding to which it had been subject.

The third significant benefit was that the canal provided a relatively direct route for water transport from the industrially active Kortrijk district to the North Sea.

This also contrasts with the condition of the Leopold Canal, sometimes known as De Blinker ("the shiner" or "the shining one"), recalling its relatively clear water[citation needed].