Confederation of Canada (1867)

By Big Nose

  • The Great Coalition

    The Great Coalition
    The Great Coalition of 1864 brought together George Brown's Reformers. The Liberal Conservatives in Canada west led by John A. McDonald in Canada West as well as the bleus group led by George-Etienne Cartier in Canada East to support the idea of Confederation. It was a crucial moment in history for Canada which eventually brought upon the Charlottetown Conference

  • The Charlottetown Conference

    The Charlottetown Conference
    The Charlottetown Conference of September 1-9 of 1864 put Confederation underway. The meeting drew representatives from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to discuss uniting their provinces, but they were convinced by the Great Coalition to work for the union of all the British North American colonies.

  • Quebec Conference

    Quebec Conference
    Representatives met in Quebec City to continue efforts from the Charlottetown Conference a month earlier. The decisions made by the folks in Charlottetown were refined and focused into 72 resolutions, which would become the foundations of Confederation. The most important issues solved in Quebec were composing Parliament and distributing powers between federal and provincial governments.

  • Indigenous Peoples

    Indigenous Peoples
    Indigenous people were not invited to Charlottetown and Quebec conferences, despite the fact that they believed they had established bilateral agreements with the Crown through treaties. In the eyes of the first people, any ideas about being in positions of authority or power was gone as they were excluded from discussions about bringing together the nation.

  • Confederation in 1867

    Confederation in 1867
    In 1866, Edward Cardwell, a strong advocate for Confederation instructed governers in North America in the strongest language possible, to advertise the idea. The London Conference from December 1866 to February 1867, was the last step in turning the 72 resolutions into new legislation. The product as the British North American Act of 1867, which is now known as the Constitution Act, 1867. Signed by Queen Victoria, the it was introduced into law on 1 July 1867, which is known as Canada Day