diff --git a/src/display/sp-canvas.cpp b/src/display/sp-canvas.cpp
index bd4f664495f63b1e99f74138c63836fe9267e5e3..4cd1410f11b581697317ed1271705523361377d3 100644
--- a/src/display/sp-canvas.cpp
+++ b/src/display/sp-canvas.cpp
@@ -136,7 +136,12 @@ struct SPCanvasGroup {
 
     SPCanvasItem item;
 
-    std::list<SPCanvasItem *> items;
+    // TODO: Consider refactoring the "items" structure to use map or set structure
+    // because std::deque is not optimal structure to use here. That is because
+    // canvas operations that need to find specific item from "items" become slow
+    // with very large path sets. This is evident e.g. in "path deselect" operation.
+    // Deque is however faster in this use than std::list or std::vector.
+    std::deque<SPCanvasItem *> items;
 
 };
 
@@ -495,13 +500,15 @@ void sp_canvas_item_raise(SPCanvasItem *item, int positions)
     }
 
     SPCanvasGroup *parent = SP_CANVAS_GROUP (item->parent);
-    std::list<SPCanvasItem *>::iterator l = std::find(parent->items.begin(),parent->items.end(), item);
+    std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::iterator l = std::find(parent->items.begin(),parent->items.end(), item);
     g_assert (l != parent->items.end());
 
+    std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::iterator l_orig = l;
+
     for (int i=0; i<=positions && l != parent->items.end(); ++i)
         ++l;
 
-    parent->items.remove(item);
+    parent->items.erase(l_orig);
     parent->items.insert(l, item);
 
     redraw_if_visible (item);
@@ -515,7 +522,8 @@ void sp_canvas_item_raise_to_top(SPCanvasItem *item)
     if (!item->parent)
         return;
     SPCanvasGroup *parent = SP_CANVAS_GROUP (item->parent);
-    parent->items.remove(item);
+    std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::iterator l = std::find(parent->items.begin(), parent->items.end(), item);
+    parent->items.erase(l);
     parent->items.push_back(item);
     redraw_if_visible (item);
     item->canvas->_need_repick = TRUE;
@@ -544,13 +552,14 @@ void sp_canvas_item_lower(SPCanvasItem *item, int positions)
         return;
     }
 
-    std::list<SPCanvasItem *>::iterator l = std::find(parent->items.begin(), parent->items.end(), item);
+    std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::iterator l = std::find(parent->items.begin(), parent->items.end(), item);
     g_assert (l != parent->items.end());
+    std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::iterator l_orig = l;
 
     for (int i=0; i<positions && l != parent->items.begin(); ++i)
         --l;
 
-    parent->items.remove(item);
+    parent->items.erase(l_orig);
     parent->items.insert(l, item);
 
     redraw_if_visible (item);
@@ -564,7 +573,8 @@ void sp_canvas_item_lower_to_bottom(SPCanvasItem *item)
     if (!item->parent)
         return;
     SPCanvasGroup *parent = SP_CANVAS_GROUP (item->parent);
-    parent->items.remove(item);
+    std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::iterator l = std::find(parent->items.begin(), parent->items.end(), item);
+    parent->items.erase(l);
     parent->items.push_front(item);
     redraw_if_visible (item);
     item->canvas->_need_repick = TRUE;
@@ -768,7 +778,7 @@ gint sp_canvas_item_order (SPCanvasItem * item)
 {
     SPCanvasGroup * p = SP_CANVAS_GROUP(item->parent);
     size_t index = 0;
-    for (std::list<SPCanvasItem*>::const_iterator it = p->items.begin(); it != p->items.end(); ++it, ++index) {
+    for (std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::const_iterator it = p->items.begin(); it != p->items.end(); ++it, ++index) {
         if ((*it) == item) {
             return index;
         }
@@ -793,7 +803,7 @@ static void sp_canvas_group_class_init(SPCanvasGroupClass *klass)
 
 static void sp_canvas_group_init(SPCanvasGroup * group)
 {
-    new (&group->items) std::list<SPCanvasItem *>;
+    new (&group->items) std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>;
 }
 
 void SPCanvasGroup::destroy(SPCanvasItem *object)
@@ -803,12 +813,12 @@ void SPCanvasGroup::destroy(SPCanvasItem *object)
 
     SPCanvasGroup *group = SP_CANVAS_GROUP(object);
 
-    for (std::list<SPCanvasItem *>::iterator it = group->items.begin(); it != group->items.end(); ++it) {
+    for (std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::iterator it = group->items.begin(); it != group->items.end(); ++it) {
         sp_canvas_item_destroy(*it);
     }
 
     group->items.clear();
-    group->items.~list(); // invoke manually
+    group->items.~deque(); // invoke manually
 
     if (SP_CANVAS_ITEM_CLASS(sp_canvas_group_parent_class)->destroy) {
         (* SP_CANVAS_ITEM_CLASS(sp_canvas_group_parent_class)->destroy)(object);
@@ -820,7 +830,7 @@ void SPCanvasGroup::update(SPCanvasItem *item, Geom::Affine const &affine, unsig
     SPCanvasGroup const *group = SP_CANVAS_GROUP(item);
     Geom::OptRect bounds;
 
-    for (std::list<SPCanvasItem *>::const_iterator it = group->items.begin(); it != group->items.end(); ++it) {
+    for (std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::const_iterator it = group->items.begin(); it != group->items.end(); ++it) {
         SPCanvasItem *i = *it;
 
         sp_canvas_item_invoke_update (i, affine, flags);
@@ -856,7 +866,7 @@ double SPCanvasGroup::point(SPCanvasItem *item, Geom::Point p, SPCanvasItem **ac
     *actual_item = nullptr;
 
     double dist = 0.0;
-    for (std::list<SPCanvasItem *>::const_iterator it = group->items.begin(); it != group->items.end(); ++it) {
+    for (std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::const_iterator it = group->items.begin(); it != group->items.end(); ++it) {
         SPCanvasItem *child = *it;
 
         if ((child->x1 <= x2) && (child->y1 <= y2) && (child->x2 >= x1) && (child->y2 >= y1)) {
@@ -890,7 +900,7 @@ void SPCanvasGroup::render(SPCanvasItem *item, SPCanvasBuf *buf)
 {
     SPCanvasGroup const *group = SP_CANVAS_GROUP(item);
 
-    for (std::list<SPCanvasItem *>::const_iterator it = group->items.begin(); it != group->items.end(); ++it) {
+    for (std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::const_iterator it = group->items.begin(); it != group->items.end(); ++it) {
         SPCanvasItem *child = *it;
         if (child->visible) {
             if ((child->x1 < buf->rect.right()) &&
@@ -909,7 +919,7 @@ void SPCanvasGroup::viewboxChanged(SPCanvasItem *item, Geom::IntRect const &new_
 {
     SPCanvasGroup *group = SP_CANVAS_GROUP(item);
 
-    for (std::list<SPCanvasItem *>::const_iterator it = group->items.begin(); it != group->items.end(); ++it) {
+    for (std::deque<SPCanvasItem *>::const_iterator it = group->items.begin(); it != group->items.end(); ++it) {
         SPCanvasItem *child = *it;
         if (child->visible) {
             if (SP_CANVAS_ITEM_GET_CLASS(child)->viewbox_changed) {