Confederation

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Confederation

• Canadian History

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British North America

• Before Confederation British North America was
  divided into 5 separate colonies
• 1.The Province of Canada (East and
  West)
• 2.Nova Scotia
• 3.New Brunswick
• 4.Newfoundland and Labrador
• 5.Prince Edward Island

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What We Already Know

• Lord Durham came to Canada to find out why both
  Upper and Lower Canada rebelled in 1837. He made
  two major recommendations. One of the
  recommendations was to give Canada RESPONSIBLE
  GOVERNMENT.
• Canada could choose any form of government they
  wanted unlimited or limited government. They
  chose a DEMOCRACY with a CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY.
  Further, they chose a FEDERAL system which split
  the power between the central government and the
  regional (provincial) governments. It was
  intended that the central government should have
  more power than the regional governments.

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1. During the American Civil War (1861 1865)
the British supported the South.

• Between 1861 1865 the US was embroiled in a
  civil war between the Northern States the
  Southern States
• Britain supported the Southern States because
  they bought cotton from them supporting the
  very important textile industry in England.

• The Northern States tried to convince England
  to withdraw their support by invading and
  harassing the closest British colony Canada.
• War ended with a Northern victory in 1865

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During the American Civil War (1861 1865) the
British supported the South.

• Robbers of St. Albans Southern soldiers
  attacked and robbed this northern town and fled
  to Canada. They were tried in Montreal and set
  free and were even allowed to keep some of the
  money U.S. ANGRY!
• Many in British North America (BNA) worried that
  the victorious US Northern armies would take
  revenge against Britain by invading

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2. Fear of Manifest Destiny

• There was the belief by many Americans that it
  was their natural right to one day control all of
  North America..Manifest Destiny fear of
  annexation

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Annexation Bill July, 1866

• Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
  Representatives of the United States of America
  in Congress assembled that the provinces of New
  Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island,
  Newfoundland, Canada, British Columbia, and
  Vancouver's Islandare constituted and admitted
  as States and Territories of the United States of
  America.

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U.S Expansion 1783 - 1853
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3. The Fenian Raids

• Fenians were committed to Ireland's
• independence from England.
• Believed that if they could capture
• BNA then the Irish may achieve
• independence (trade Canada for
• Ireland)
• Sporadic raids were launched into
• Upper Canada New Brunswick
• but failed without much support
• The argument emerged that a united Canada would
  be better able to resist such invasions

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4. Canada could take over Rupertsland from the
Hudson Bay Company.

• Background
• The Industrial Revolution made farm work easier
  fewer people were needed to farm the same plot of
  land.
• People were still having large families.
• The young people still wanted to be farmers, but
  now, all the land in Ontario and Quebec was taken.

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4. Canada could take over Rupertsland from the
Hudson Bay Company.

• Canada felt that if they could purchase
  Rupertsland, then they could prevent these young
  farmers from going to the States for open land.
  They could provide new land right here in Canada.
• By putting more settlers into Canadas West, the
  government could stop the Americans from
  drifting up into Canadian land and claiming it.

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5. The colonies needed to have free trade among
themselves.

• Reciprocity Treaty (1854) an agreement between
  BNA and the United States allowing trade in
  certain goods without taxes or tariffs
• In 1865, the USA announced it was ending a
  ten-year Reciprocity Treaty with the BNA
  colonies
• Now, trading with the USA would cost a lot in
  tariffs and import duties.

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5. The colonies needed to have free trade among
themselves.

• 1840s Rapid industrialization - Britain no
  longer gave trade privileges to BNA so the
  colonies were forced to find new markets to
  support their economies.
• This was very difficult since Britain controlled
  who Canada could and could not trade with.

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5. The colonies needed to have free trade among
themselves.

• The only solution for the BNA colonies would be
  to trade among themselves
• Without a free trade agreement, taxes would have
  to be paid on goods traveling between colonies
  because each British colony HAD to charge fees
  that were then funneled into Britain
• If the colonies were united, it would be easier
  to trade with one another

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6. Trade with other countries would be more
likely if all the colonies were joined as a
single country.

• Countries do not like making deals with lots of
  little countries for the same product. They want
  to be able to get all they need in one place.
• As long as Canada was a bunch of little colonies,
  they could not meet the needs of bigger markets.
• It would be like Walmart buying from several Mom
  and Pop producers rather than from one large
  manufacturer.

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7. Big Public Projects

• A rail link between the colonies was essential
  for trade, communication defence
• Extending the railway would help to open the West
  to British immigrants, thus securing the land
  form American intrusion

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7. Big Public Projects

• Grand Trunk Railway all British route linking
  Canada West with the Atlantic Ocean at Halifax
• Very pricey project no single colony could
  afford to invest, however a united BNA may
  attract investors and would provide a larger tax
  base from which to draw the money for production.

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8. Political Deadlock

• There were too many small political parties in
  Canada nothing got done
• The Province of Canada had four failed
  governments in four years
• Canada West Clear Grits radicals who pushed
  for a more democratic government
• Canada East Rouges radicals who were intent
  on preserving their way of life
• Confederation would limit the number of political
  parties that could exist, and it would give the
  citizens a common goal to work toward.

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9. Language and cultural rights could be
guaranteed under a federal system.

• As long as they were colonial acquisitions of
  Britain (or any other country), the provinces and
  territories of Canada would be subject to the
  whims of each successive government.
• Only as their own country could Canadians ensure
  that they controlled their language and cultural
  rights.
• At the time, this was meant to appease the
  French, but in todays Canada, it could be seen
  as protecting the English culture and language as
  well.

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10. Changing British Attitudes

• Many people in England believed that the colonies
  were now a great burden to Britain rather than an
  asset
• Defence was very expensive
• Special trade deals could not be made any
  longer.
• Bad news for the colonies with US expansion
  Fenian raids

• The English felt it was time that the BNA
  colonies became independent paid their own way

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Fathers of Confederation

• There were many people involved in achievement of
  Confederation
• We are going to look at 3of the 36 men who are
  known as Fathers of Confederation because of
  their dedication to the uniting of British North
  America.

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Sir John A. Macdonald(Canada West)

• Trained in law and business
• Brought together various groups with a financial
  stake in the Province of Canada
• He helped form the 1854 coalition with Upper
  Canadian reformers and French Canadians, creating
  the Liberal-Conservative Party
• He was a leading delegate at all three
  Confederation conferences, and was knighted for
  his work towards union

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Sir John A. Macdonald(Canada West)

• Macdonald was the driving force behind the idea
  of confederation. It was his skill as a diplomat
  and his eloquence as a speaker that overcame many
  of his opponents objections and united most
  Canadians with a common vision.
• Generally regarded as the chief architect of
  Confederation, Macdonald wrote 50 of the 72
  articles of confederation.

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Sir George Etienne Cartier(Canada East)

• Trained in law and business
• Together with John A. Macdonald, he was
  co-premier of the Province of Canada.
• During the 1837 Rebellion, fought in the battle
  of Saint-Denis
• Presented a bill to the Union parliament to
  create the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada.
  
• Another primary architect of Canadian
  Confederation

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Sir George Etienne Cartier(Canada East)

• Cartier and Macdonald shared a common political
  view of Canada as a strong central government
  with several weaker regional govenments
• He was a staunch advocate for French rights
• Saw Canada as a land of great potential free,
  equal, and independent.

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George Brown(Reformer)

• Founded the Globe newspaper in 1843
• As a reformer he reorganized the Clear Grit Party
  in 1857
• This party supported representation by
  population(Rep by Pop) (the more people are
  living in an area, the more representatives they
  get in the government)

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George Brown(Reformer)

• This party supported separation of church and
  state (He didnt want any church officials to
  have a say in what laws were to be made. He felt
  that church doctrines divided people too much)
• In 1864, he proposed the Great Coalition to John
  A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier, and went
  on to play a major role at the Charlottetown and
  Québec Conferences.

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Road to Confederation

• Three main conferences shaped the future of
  Canada
• Charlottetown Conference (Summer 1864)
• Quebec Conference (Oct 1864)
• London Conference (Dec 1866-March 1867)
• The Dominion of Canada..July 1st, 1867

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Charlottetown Conference

• Originally intended for the
• colonies of Nova Scotia, New
• Brunswick, and PEI, but the
• Province of Canada invited
• herself along.
• Originally met to discuss a
• Maritime Union but the idea
• of all colonies joining as one
• was later discussed
• It was decided to meet at Quebec later in the
  year to discuss Confederation

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Quebec Conference

• Attended by NS, NB, PEI,
• Canada East, Canada West,
• Newfoundland
• Developed the 72
• Resolutions which became
• the framework for Confederation
• All agreed the union must be strong could not
  be broken by any one province
• Central govt must be stronger than provincial
  govt
• Delegates returned to their colonies to inform
  their people about the 72 Resolutions

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The London Conference

• Attended by Members from New
• Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the
• Province of Canada
• PEI and Newfoundland feared
• that Confederation would lead
• to excessive taxation, and
• conscription of Islanders for
• Canadian conflicts
• The British North America Act received the Royal
  Assent on March 29, 1867.
• Once the Act was passed, the delegates returned
  home to prepare for union, which was scheduled to
  take place on July 1, 1867