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Once responsible
government had been won, there were a number of issues still
affecting politics in the British North American colonies. One of
the most contradictory and ironic was the desire to split the union
of the Canadas again. French Canadian politicians resisted this
at first, but the political debate that followed led to the birth
of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, and its modern Constitution.
Topics in this section:
"Rep by pop"
Barriers to Expansion
Expensive Railways
Calls for a Federation
The American Civil War
Maritime Union and the Charlottetown and Québec
Conferences
The Fenian Raids
The London Conference
Other Interesting or Important Documents
"Rep by Pop"
Due to heavy immigration, the population of English-speaking inhabitants
of Canada
West soon outstripped Canada
East. Under the Act
of Union, 1840, however, the seats in the house were evenly
divided between Canada East and Canada West. This led to calls in
Upper Canada for representation by population, or "rep by pop."
Barriers to Expansion
By the late 1850s, all the farmable land in Canada West had been
sold. The next frontier lay west of Lake Superior, in the lands
owned by the Hudson's
Bay Company. Most in Canada East resisted the annexation of
this land, as it would have changed the balance of the seats in
the legislature.
Expensive Railways
The Grand Trunk
Railway incurred enormous debts in the 1850s. By 1860, it was
$72 million in debt, at a time when the average annual income (per
capita) was around $200. Partly because of this experience, the
Province of Canada pulled out of the negotiations for the Intercolonial
Railway linking Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Canada.
Calls for a Federation
Starting in the 1850s calls for a federal union of all the British
colonies in North America began to get stronger. It was seen by
many, including the British, as a way to strengthen the colonies
and to deal with the many problems that had arisen since the Act
of Union in 1840. One of the leaders was John
A. Macdonald, who led several coalition governments.
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George-Étienne
Cartier was co-premier with John A. Macdonald
from 1858 to 1862. Macdonald is the most famous
Father
of Confederation, and received much of the
credit for forming the new nation. When Macdonald
became the first prime minister in 1867 (and became
Sir John A. Macdonald), Cartier was his most senior
minister.
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The American Civil War
This caused problems for a railway that was seen as necessary for
defence. The American
Civil War had caused tension between Britain and the Northern
States. The victory of the North in the Civil War increased British
concerns, as it was expected to lead to a more aggressive government
in the United States.
A federation of British North American colonies became more attractive
to Britain. It was believed that such a federation would be stronger
and, most importantly, provide for the cost of its own defence.
Until then, Canada had steadfastly refused to pay anything for its
own defence - apart from the poorly trained militia.
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When Britain sent 14,000 troops
as a precaution, they were forced to march 1100
kilometres in winter because the Intercolonial
Railway was unfinished.
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To learn more about the effect of the American
Civil War on Confederation:
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Copyright/Source
Maritime Union and the Charlottetown
and Québec Conferences
Maritime Union was a popular idea with the New Brunswick governor,
Arthur Gordon Hamilton, for the same reasons that Britain favoured
a union of all the British North American colonies. In 1864, there
were suggestions for a conference including New Brunswick, Nova
Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. The idea interested
Canadian politicians, and in September, 1864, they joined the Charlottetown
Conference.
This conference was such a success that the Québec
Conference followed it a month later. The Seventy-Two Resolutions
drafted at the end of the conference formed the nucleus for the
future Constitution of Canada. The resolutions:
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To learn more about the Charlottetown Conference:
To learn more about the Québec Conference:
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Copyright/Source
The Fenian Invasions
Despite the success of the conferences, the proposed union was widely
unpopular in the Maritime provinces. In 1866, however, activists
in the Fenian
Order invaded Canada with 1,000 men. Although these attacks
did not seriously threaten the British North American colonies,
they pushed the Maritime provinces to seek federation.
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The Fenians were Irish-American
immigrants who formed an order to support the
independence of Ireland, which was then occupied
by Britain. Canada, as a British colony, was seen
as a legitimate target.
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The London Conference
With the momentum in favour of a federation, the British invited
delegates from each of the provinces to London to negotiate. Some
opponents of federation also attended, but by early 1867, the British
North America Act was ready.
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London Resolutions, 1866
(Repeat the Québec Resolutions of 1864, with
small changes.)
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To learn more about the London Conference:
To learn more about Confederation:
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Copyright/Source
Other Important or Interesting
Documents
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