Canadian Confederation facts for kids

The Canadian Confederation (French: Confédération canadienne) was a big step when three British colonies in North America – the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick – joined together to form a new country called the Dominion of Canada. This happened on July 1, 1867. This process was driven by a growing feeling of Canadian nationalism in these colonies. When Canada was formed, it had four provinces: Ontario and Quebec (which were created from the old Province of Canada), plus Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Prince Edward Island, where the first meeting about Confederation happened, joined later in 1873. Since then, Canada has grown a lot and now has ten provinces and three territories.

What is Confederation?

Understanding the Term

Canada is a federation, which means it's a country made of different parts (provinces) that share power with a central government. The word "confederation" here describes the political journey that brought the colonies together in 1867. It also refers to the events around that time and when other colonies and territories joined later.

You'll often hear the term when talking about "the Fathers of Confederation," who were the leaders who helped create Canada. Provinces that joined after 1867 are also said to have joined Confederation. The term is also used to divide Canadian history into "pre-Confederation" (before 1867) and "post-Confederation" (after 1867) times.

Who Were the Fathers of Confederation?

The Fathers of Confederation, who helped create Canada.

The original Fathers of Confederation were the delegates who attended important meetings in Charlottetown and Quebec in 1864, and in London, United Kingdom, in 1866. These meetings led to the creation of Canada. There were 36 original Fathers of Confederation.

Leaders who helped other provinces join Canada after 1867 are also called Fathers of Confederation. For example, Amor De Cosmos helped British Columbia join, and Joey Smallwood helped Newfoundland join in 1949.

How Canada Was Formed

Early Colonies in Canada

Sir William Alexander was granted Nova Scotia in 1621.

Many of the areas that became part of Canada were first part of New France, ruled by France. Nova Scotia was given to Sir William Alexander by King James I in 1621. This claim clashed with French claims in Acadia. After many struggles, the British took control of mainland Nova Scotia in 1713 and later expelled the Acadian people in 1755. They renamed Acadia "Nova Scotia," which included what is now New Brunswick.

The rest of New France became British after the Seven Years' War, which ended in 1763. Most of New France became the Province of Quebec. However, Prince Edward Island (then called "St John's Island") became a separate colony in 1769. It was renamed "Prince Edward Island" in 1798.

After the American Revolution, about 50,000 United Empire Loyalists (people loyal to Britain) moved to British North America. In 1784, the British created the province of New Brunswick for Loyalists settling in western Nova Scotia. Many Loyalists also settled in the Province of Quebec, which was then split into Upper Canada (mostly English) and Lower Canada (mostly French) in 1791.

Canadian territory at Confederation in 1867.

After the Rebellions of 1837, Lord Durham suggested joining Upper and Lower Canada and giving them a responsible government (where the government is accountable to the elected representatives). So, in 1841, the Province of Canada was formed, divided into Canada West (former Upper Canada) and Canada East (former Lower Canada). Over the next few years, other colonies like Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland also gained responsible government.

The area of modern-day British Columbia was formed from lands controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company. Before joining Canada in 1871, it was two separate colonies: the Colony of British Columbia and the Colony of Vancouver Island, which later merged in 1866.

The rest of Canada was made up of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory (controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company and sold to Canada in 1870) and the Arctic Islands (which became part of Canada in 1880).

Why Confederation Happened

Several things led to Confederation, both from inside the colonies and from outside pressures.

Inside, there was a political problem in the Province of Canada. It was hard to get things done because of disagreements between English Protestants and French Catholics. Also, the population was growing, and people wanted better economic development, but there was no railway connecting the colonies, which made trade and travel difficult.

From outside, the Canadian–American Reciprocity Treaty (a free trade agreement) was cancelled by the United States in 1865. This was partly because the U.S. was upset with Britain for supporting the South during the American Civil War. There were also fears of another American invasion, especially after the U.S. bought Alaska in 1867. The American Civil War also made Canadians wary of a republican system like the U.S. In Britain, some politicians wanted to reduce their responsibilities and costs in the colonies.

Important Meetings for Confederation

Charlottetown Conference

In 1864, the leaders of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island were thinking about joining their three colonies into a Maritime Union.

Delegates of the Charlottetown Conference in September 1864.

The Province of Canada then asked if they could join the talks. This request was approved. The Province of Canada's leaders, including John A. Macdonald, George-Étienne Cartier, and George Brown, believed that uniting with other British colonies could solve their political problems.

The Charlottetown Conference began on September 1, 1864. The Canadian delegation was allowed to join and present their ideas. While no official notes from the meeting exist, we know that the Canadians proposed a union that would:

• Keep ties with Great Britain.
• Have a strong central government.
• Have two houses of parliament: a Lower House based on population and an Upper House with equal representation for regions.
• Have responsible governments at both the federal and provincial levels.
• Have a Canadian governor general appointed by the British Crown.

They also suggested that the central government would take on provincial debts and share revenues based on population. A very important idea was building an intercolonial railway to connect Montreal and Halifax, which would help trade and transportation.

By September 7, 1864, the Maritime delegates agreed that a federation of all the provinces was a good idea if the terms were fair. After the conference, more meetings were held, leading to a decision to hold a second conference.

Quebec Conference

After the Charlottetown Conference, Macdonald asked the Governor-General, Viscount Monck, to invite delegates from the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland to a conference in Quebec City. A total of 33 delegates attended, including Newfoundland, which had not been at the first meeting.

Delegates at the Quebec Conference in October 1864.

The conference started on October 10, 1864. Étienne-Paschal Taché was chosen as chairman, but Macdonald largely led the discussions. Despite some disagreements, the delegates felt a strong sense of purpose and nationalism. For leaders like George Brown from Canada West, it meant an end to what they saw as French-Canadian control over local issues. For Maritime leaders like Charles Tupper of Nova Scotia, it opened up bigger possibilities for trade and growth.

One tricky issue was the Senate. The Maritime provinces wanted equal representation. With Newfoundland joining, the three Maritime colonies didn't want their power in the upper house to be reduced. Macdonald found a compromise by giving Newfoundland four senators of its own when it joined.

Another debate was about which level of government – federal or provincial – would have powers not specifically listed. Macdonald wanted the strongest central government possible, and Tupper supported him.

By the end of the conference, they adopted the "seventy-two resolutions," which would be the basis for a future meeting. The conference ended on October 27. Prince Edward Island was not happy with the results, as they didn't get what they wanted regarding representation and financial help.

London Conference

Queen Victoria gave her approval to the British North America Act on March 29, 1867.

After the Quebec Conference, the Province of Canada's legislature approved the union. However, it was more debated in the Maritime provinces. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia eventually passed union resolutions in 1866, but Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland decided not to join yet.

In December 1866, sixteen delegates from the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia traveled to London. There, the Earl of Carnarvon introduced them to Queen Victoria. The Queen told the Nova Scotian delegates, "I take the deepest interest in [Confederation], for I believe it will make [the provinces] great and prosperous."

At meetings in London, the delegates reviewed and approved the 72 resolutions, now called the London Resolutions. These decisions were sent to the British government.

After a Christmas break, the delegates met again in January 1867 and began writing the British North America Act. They decided the new country should be called Canada, Canada East would be Quebec, and Canada West would be Ontario. There was a lot of discussion about what to call the new country. They chose "Dominion of Canada" after rejecting "kingdom" and "confederation." The term dominion was suggested by Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley.

The delegates finished their draft of the British North America Act by February 1867. The bill was quickly approved by both the House of Lords and the British House of Commons. It received royal assent (the Queen's official approval) on March 29, 1867. This set July 1, 1867, as the date for the union.

The British North America Acts

The official announcement of Canadian Confederation.

Confederation officially happened when the Queen approved the British North America Act (BNA Act) on March 29, 1867. A royal announcement then declared that "on and after the first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, the provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick shall form and be One Dominion, under the name of Canada." The Act replaced the old Act of Union from 1840 and created the separate provinces of Ontario and Quebec. July 1 is now celebrated as Canada Day, the country's official national day.

The new country was called the Dominion of Canada to show its status as a self-governing part of the British Empire. When the British North America Act, 1867 was passed, Queen Victoria told Macdonald, "I am very glad to see you on this mission [...] It is a very important measure and you have all exhibited so much loyalty."

Even though the BNA Act gave Canada more control over its own affairs, it was not fully independent from the United Kingdom yet. Britain still handled Canada's foreign policy, and the highest court of appeal was in Britain. Canada slowly gained more independence. The Supreme Court of Canada says that Canada became truly sovereign between 1919 and 1931. The power to change Canada's constitution stayed with the British Parliament until 1982, when the constitution was brought home to Canada with the Canada Act, 1982.

The constitution of Canada includes several laws and traditions. One key document is the Constitution Act, 1982, which renamed the British North America Act, 1867 to the Constitution Act, 1867. This act explains how power is shared between the federal (national) and provincial governments. For example, Section 91 gives the federal Parliament power over things like banking, criminal law, and the armed forces. Section 92 gives provinces power over property, local projects, and general business.

First Steps for the New Country

John A. Macdonald became the first prime minister of Canada.

After Confederation, elections were held in August and September 1867 to choose the first Parliament. The four new provinces also chose the 72 people who would sit in the Senate.

Not everyone was happy. In Nova Scotia, the Anti-Confederation Party won most of the federal and provincial seats in 1867 and 1868. For seven years, William Annand and Joseph Howe tried to convince British authorities to let Nova Scotia leave Confederation, but they were unsuccessful.

To make sure there was no gap in laws, the Constitution Act, 1867 allowed existing laws from the three original colonies to continue until new laws could be made for the Dominion. This helped the new federal government smoothly take over many responsibilities.

Joining Confederation

After the first BNA Act in 1867, other parts of British North America joined Canada:

• Manitoba was created by the Canadian Parliament on July 15, 1870.
• British Columbia joined Canada on July 20, 1871. The federal government promised to build a railway connecting British Columbia to the rest of Canada within 10 years.
• Prince Edward Island (PEI) joined on July 1, 1873. One reason was financial; joining brought money that helped the province avoid bankruptcy. Canada also promised a ferry link, which was later replaced by the Confederation Bridge in 1997.
• Alberta and Saskatchewan were created on September 1, 1905, by acts of the Canadian Parliament.
• Newfoundland joined on March 31, 1949, also with a guaranteed ferry link.

The Crown bought Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869 and transferred them to Canada on July 15, 1870, merging them into the North-West Territories. In 1880, Britain gave all the North American Arctic islands to Canada. From these vast territories, three new provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta) and two territories (Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories) were created. Later, Nunavut was created from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999. The Yukon territory was formed during the Klondike gold rush, when many people came looking for gold.

Here is a list of Canadian provinces and territories in the order they joined Confederation:

Confederation's Impact

The word confederation is now used in many ways in Canada, both for the country itself and for the historical events that created it. Many places are named after it, like Confederation Square and the Confederation Bridge.

Indigenous communities were largely left out of the process of Canadian Confederation. After Confederation, the Canadian government took over the responsibilities of the British government in dealing with First Nations. The federal Parliament later passed the Indian Act in 1876, which still affects Indigenous peoples today. Confederation created a system where the Canadian government had a lot of power over Indigenous nations that had governed themselves.

As time went on, more attention was given to the situation of Indigenous peoples in Canada. They gained full voting rights in 1960. Their treaty rights were protected in the Canadian constitution in 1982. The Supreme Court of Canada has also recognized a special relationship between the Canadian Crown and Indigenous peoples, where the Crown has a duty to protect First Nations' rights. A process of settling land claims is ongoing. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission was also created to address the harms caused by the residential school system and to find ways to improve conditions for Indigenous peoples.

Key Dates in Confederation

Images for kids

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  Thomas D'Arcy McGee in 1868, a Canadian delegate.

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  Map of the Eastern British Provinces in North America in 1867.

See also

In Spanish: Confederación canadiense para niños