CONFEDERATION

• EXTERNAL PRESSURES FOR COLONIES TO UNITE – BRITAIN PUSHES TO OFFLOAD COSTS– FEAR OF AMERICAN INVASION AND

ANNEXATION DURING CIVIL WAR• BRITAIN SUPPORTED SOUTH DURING WAR

– FENIAN RAIDS – FORMED 1857, RAIDS AFTER CIVIL WAR

– RUSSIAN DEFEAT IN CRIMEAN WAR• WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH ALASKA?• SOLD TO UNITED STATES IN 1867

• INTERNAL PRESSURES FOR COLONIES TO UNITE– RECIPROCITY

SET TO ENDIN MARCH 1866

– DESIRE TOEXPAND TOTHE WEST

– HBC’s LISCENCETO WESTERNTERRITORIESUP FOR RENEWAL IN1859

CANADA WEST DESIRES VAST AREA UNDER CONTROL OF HUDSON’S BAY COMPANY

• BEGINS AS A CONFERENCE OF MARITIME COLONIES TO DISCUSS ATLANTIC UNION– NOVA SCOTIA,

NEW BRUNSWICK& PRINCE EDWARDISLAND QUICKLYAGREE THAT THEYARE TOO SMALL &TOO SIMILAR TOMAKE AN EFFECTIVECOLONY

– THEY ARE JOINED BYREPRESENTATIVESFROM CANADA OFF-SHORE ON THE QUEENVICTORIA TO DISCUSSA WIDERCONFEDERATION

CHARLOTTETOWN CONFERENCE

CANADA AT CONFEDERATION - 1867

• ATLANTIC COLONIES WANT RAILWAY FROM QUEBEC TO HALIFAX FOR TRADE AND DEFENCE

• CANADA BACKS OUT OF RAILWAY IN 1863, (STILL PAYING FOR GRAND TRUNK)

• AS INTEREST IN MARITIME UNION GROWS, CANADA RENEWS INTEREST IN A RAILWAY AND ASKS TO MAKE A PRESENTATION AT THE MARITIME UNION CONFERENCE

• SECOND CONFERENCE SET TO IRON OUT THE DETAILS

CHARLOTTETOWN CONFERENCE SEPTEMBER 1864

• CANADA, NOVA SCOTIA, NEW BRUNSWICK, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND AND NEWFOUNDLAND REPRESENTED– NEWFOUNDLAND DELEGATES THERE UNDER PRESSURE FROM

BRITAIN• PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND WANTS ABSENTEE LANDLORDS

BOUGHT OUT• NOVA SCOTIA AND NEW BRUNSWICK WANT RAILROAD• DEBATE OVER TYPE OF UNION: LEGISLATIVE OR FEDERAL• IN 3 WEEKS DELEGATES SET OUT 72 RESOLUTIONS

ESTABLISHING BASIS FOR CONFEDERATION• STRONG FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS AND PROVINCIAL

GOVERNMENTS WITH POWER OVER LOCAL MATTERS

QUEBEC CONFERENCE OCTOBER 1864

FEDERAL UNION OF 50 STATES LEGISLATIVE UNION OF 5 NATIONS

• REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COLONIES SPEND WINTER IN LONDON, ENGLAND HELPING TO DRAFT UNION BILL

• BROWN, GALT, MACDONALD & CARTIER SURPRISED AND WORRIED AT HOW MUCH BRITAIN WANTS TO BE RID OF COLONIES

• UNION BILL MUST BE PASSED BY BRITISH PARLIAMENT AND LEGISLATURE OF EACH COLONY

• PASSED IN BRITAIN WITH ROYAL ASSENT ON 29 MARCH 1867• IN COLONIES ONLY CANADA, NOVA SCOTIA AND NEW

BRUNSWICK INITIALLY PASS THE UNION BILL• PASSAGE CREATES THE STATE OF CANADA WITH A WRITTEN

CONSTITUTION CALLED THE ‘BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT 1867’ IN ADDITION TO THE TRADITIONAL UNWRITTEN CONSTITUTION THAT IS FOUND IN BRITISH COMMON LAW

LONDON CONFERENCE WINTER 1866-67

• SETS OUT:– FORMAT OF FEDERAL &

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS (EXECUTIVE & LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES)

– POWERS HELD BY EACH LEVEL

– FORMAT OF JUDICIAL BRANCH

– HOW TO CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION (AMENDING FORMULA)

BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT 1867

INTRODUCTION TOBRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT 1867