🇨🇦History of Canada – 1867 to Present Unit 1 – Canada's Confederation and Early Years

Key Events and Timeline

• 1864 Charlottetown Conference initiated discussions about a potential union of British North American colonies
• 1864 Quebec Conference continued the conversation, resulting in the Quebec Resolutions outlining the proposed federal structure
• 1866 London Conference finalized the details of Confederation
• July 1, 1867 Dominion of Canada officially established through the British North America Act
  • Included the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia
• 1869 Red River Rebellion led by Louis Riel challenged the Canadian government's authority in the Red River Colony (Manitoba)
• 1870 Manitoba Act created the province of Manitoba and provided land rights to the Métis people
• 1871 British Columbia joined Confederation after negotiating the promise of a transcontinental railway
• 1873 Prince Edward Island joined Confederation

Major Political Figures

• Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first Prime Minister and a key architect of Confederation
  • Leader of the Conservative Party
  • Played a crucial role in negotiating the terms of union and shaping the new nation
• George-Étienne Cartier, a French-Canadian politician who worked closely with Macdonald to bring Quebec into Confederation
• George Brown, a Liberal politician and founder of The Globe newspaper who initially opposed Confederation but later supported it
  • Played a significant role in the Great Coalition government that made Confederation possible
• Thomas D'Arcy McGee, an Irish-Canadian politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation
  • Advocated for a strong central government and minority rights
• Samuel Leonard Tilley, a New Brunswick politician who supported Confederation and suggested the term "Dominion" for the new country
• Charles Tupper, a Nova Scotian politician who worked to bring his province into Confederation despite initial opposition

Reasons for Confederation

• Desire for a stronger, more united British North America to counter the growing influence and potential threat of the United States
• Need for improved trade and economic cooperation among the colonies
  • Removal of tariffs and trade barriers could stimulate economic growth
• Belief that a larger, more populous nation would be better able to defend itself militarily
• Pressure from the British government, which favored a more streamlined colonial administration
• Political deadlock in the Province of Canada (Ontario and Quebec) due to sectional and linguistic divisions
  • Confederation offered a solution by separating the two regions into distinct provinces within a federal system
• Desire to expand westward and secure the vast territories of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory
• Potential for improved infrastructure, particularly the construction of an intercolonial railway linking the colonies

Challenges and Debates

• Concerns over the loss of individual colonial identities and autonomy within a larger federal structure
• Resistance from the Maritimes, particularly Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, which feared economic and political domination by the larger provinces
• Debates over the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments
  • Balancing the need for a strong central government with the desire to maintain provincial rights and jurisdiction
• Language and religious rights, particularly the protection of French-Canadian and Catholic interests in Quebec
• Representation in the federal parliament and the balance of power between the larger and smaller provinces
• The question of Indigenous rights and the impact of Confederation on First Nations communities
  • Lack of consultation and inclusion of Indigenous peoples in the Confederation process
• Economic concerns, such as the assumption of colonial debts by the federal government and the distribution of financial resources

The British North America Act

• The legislation that officially created the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867
• Established the framework for Canada's federal system of government
  • Outlined the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments
• Defined the structure of the federal parliament, including the House of Commons and the Senate
• Provided for the appointment of a Governor General to represent the British Crown in Canada
• Guaranteed certain rights and protections, such as the use of both English and French in the federal parliament and courts
• Allowed for the admission of new provinces and territories into Confederation
• Remained the core constitutional document of Canada until the patriation of the Constitution in 1982
  • Renamed the Constitution Act, 1867

Provincial Dynamics

• Ontario and Quebec, formerly united as the Province of Canada, became separate provinces within Confederation
  • Each with its own legislature and distinct legal systems (common law in Ontario, civil law in Quebec)
• The Maritimes (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) initially resisted Confederation due to concerns over loss of autonomy and economic disadvantages
  • Eventual acceptance of Confederation terms, though not without ongoing tensions
• Prince Edward Island initially opted out of Confederation in 1867 but later joined in 1873 after negotiating favorable terms
• British Columbia's entry into Confederation in 1871 contingent upon the promise of a transcontinental railway to link the province with the rest of Canada
• Manitoba created as a new province in 1870 in response to the Red River Rebellion and to facilitate westward expansion
• Territorial disputes and boundary issues between provinces, particularly Ontario and Manitoba, required federal intervention and resolution
• Ongoing tensions between provincial rights and federal authority, as well as between English and French-speaking populations

Early Economic Developments

• Construction of the Intercolonial Railway began in 1867 to connect the Maritimes with central Canada
  • Completed in 1876, facilitating trade and communication between the provinces
• Expansion of the railway network westward, including the commencement of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1881
  • Crucial for the settlement and economic development of the Prairies and British Columbia
• Growth of the agricultural sector, particularly in Ontario and Quebec, driven by increasing demand and improved transportation
• Emergence of new industries, such as textiles and manufacturing, in urban centers like Montreal and Toronto
• Exploitation of natural resources, including timber and minerals, as key drivers of economic growth
  • Lumber industry thrived in the Ottawa Valley and New Brunswick
  • Coal mining expanded in Nova Scotia and later in Alberta and British Columbia
• Establishment of a national currency and banking system to facilitate trade and investment
• Protective tariffs (National Policy) introduced by the Macdonald government in 1879 to encourage domestic manufacturing and economic self-sufficiency

Social and Cultural Shifts

• Rapid population growth due to natural increase and immigration
  • Influx of European immigrants, particularly from the British Isles and Eastern Europe
• Urbanization and the growth of cities, leading to new social challenges and class divisions
• Expansion of public education systems in the provinces to promote literacy and social mobility
  • Establishment of new universities and colleges, such as Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and McGill University in Quebec
• Emergence of new social and political movements, such as the women's suffrage movement and the labor movement
  • Early advocates for women's rights, such as Emily Stowe and Nellie McClung, began organizing and campaigning for change
• Ongoing tensions between English and French-speaking Canadians, particularly over language rights and cultural identity
  • Manitoba Schools Question in the 1890s highlighted the challenges of accommodating minority language and religious rights
• Growth of new cultural institutions, such as museums, libraries, and performing arts centers
  • National Gallery of Canada established in 1880 to promote Canadian art and culture
• Changing attitudes towards Indigenous peoples, with the federal government increasingly pursuing policies of assimilation and control
  • Indian Act of 1876 defined and regulated Indigenous identity and governance, often to the detriment of Indigenous communities and cultures