Confederation (1867)
Confederation or The British North American (BNA) Act of 1867 was an important moment in Canada's history. It signalled the moment that Canada stopped being a British colony and became a country. Although it would take many more years before Canada became a fully independent country, the BNA Act on July 1, 1867 is recognized as the beginning of Canada as a country.
Confederation was a reaction to economic, political, and military difficulties the colony experienced during the 1850s and 1860s. Before we explore what confederation meant we will first look at why it happened in the first place.
Confederation was a reaction to economic, political, and military difficulties the colony experienced during the 1850s and 1860s. Before we explore what confederation meant we will first look at why it happened in the first place.
Political
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Economic
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Military
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Adoption of Confederation
It took 3 years for confederation to be officially adopted. Two conferences, which each lasted many days, took place in Canada. The first began in September 1864 and is known as the Charlottetown Conference. The second was in October of the same year and is called the Quebec Conference. The main goal of these conferences was to determine how to divide power between the federal (Canadian) government and provincial governments. |
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Once the powers were agreed upon by the men who attended the conferences, known as the Fathers of Confederation, the agreement was accepted in London, England in December of 1866. The law for the new constitution, known as a constitutional monarchy, was passed in the British Parliament in May 1867 and came into effect on July 1, 1867, which is why Canada celebrates its national birthday, Canada Day, on July 1 each year.
Who was part of Canada?
When The Dominion of Canada came into existence there were four provinces that joined:
A huge territory, known as Rupert's Land, that would later become part of Canada was owned by the Hudson's Bay Company.
When The Dominion of Canada came into existence there were four provinces that joined:
- Ontario
- Quebec
- Nova Scotia
- New Brunswick
A huge territory, known as Rupert's Land, that would later become part of Canada was owned by the Hudson's Bay Company.
The Great Coalition
Political adversaries came together to unite the colonies into a single country that was capable of holding off American expansionism. The agreement they reached allowed for each group to achieve one main objective that would satisfy its supporters. Below you can find the three main leaders, their political party, and what they attained through the Great Coalition:
Leader: George-Étienne Cartier
Party: Liberal-Conservative Party (Parti bleu) Objective: Provincial Government for French Canadians |
Review Questions
- Complete questions 1, 2, and 3 on p. 46 - 47. You will need to look at the 'Division of Powers' that shows which powers/responsibilities the federal and provincial governments received at confederation.
- Complete questions 2 and 3 on p. 60