CONFEDERATION

WHY CONFEDERATE?

- Unstable Government- Divided by English and French loyalties,

the government could never agree on new laws, government responsibilities or what was best for the ENTIRE population

- How would confederation help solve this? Give a response

WHY CONFEDERATE?

- The British did not have BNA’s best interests in mind- The British would make decisions for

BNA they felt would help them, not the colony. This included taxes, laws, trades and wars.

- How would confederation help solve this? Give a response

WHY CONFEDERATE?

- The Americans threatened to attack and invade during the American civil war- The British were helping the Confederate

Army (the South). The Union Army (the North) threatened to get back at Britain by attacking Canada.

- How would confederation help solve this? Give a response

CONFEDERATION HAPPENS

- Queen Victoria granted Canada’s request to govern themselves as a Commonwealth Country of the United Kingdom on July 1, 1867.

- The Country was called The Dominion of Canada

CONFEDERATION HAPPENS

- There will now be a Federal Government in charge of big decisions for the entire country- First Prime Minister: Sir John A. Macdonald

- Provinces would have their own governments in charge of specific things, like education

- The Francophones received promises that their language and rights would be respected

- The Aboriginals and Metis were not involved in discussions

PROVINCES INVOLVED- Ontario

- What was Upper Canada becomes Ontario, a mainly Anglophone population

- Quebec - What was Lower Canada becomes Quebec,

a mainly Francophone population

PROVINCES INVOLVED- New Brunswick

- At first, NB did not want Union. They felt they were too small and their needs would not be met.

- John A Macdonald promised them a railway to connect them with the rest of the country so they accepted

- A bilingual population

PROVINCES INVOLVED- Nova Scotia

- Like NB, NS feared they would have no say in government

- John A Macdonald promised them a railway to connect them with the rest of the country so they accepted

- An anglophone population

PROVINCES NOT INVOLVED

- Prince Edward Island- feared they would have no say in

government- Being an island, there was no way to

connect them with the rest of the Dominion. They felt isolated.

- Did not join confederation

PROVINCES NOT INVOLVED

- Newfoundland- The people of Newfoundland felt they had

more in common with Great Britain than the people of Canada

- Chose to remain a British Colony

PROVINCES NOT INVOLVED

- British Columbia- BC was all by themselves on the West Coast- Awkward to have a province all by itself,

separated from the East- Until a solution to connect them with the

rest of the country could be solved, they remained a British Colony