CONFEDERATION
WHY CONFEDERATE? -Unstable Government -Divided by English and French loyalties, the government could never agree on new laws, government responsibilities or what was best for the ENTIRE population -How would confederation help solve this? Give a response
WHY CONFEDERATE? -The British did not have BNA’s best interests in mind -The British would make decisions for BNA they felt would help them, not the colony. This included taxes, laws, trades and wars. -How would confederation help solve this? Give a response
WHY CONFEDERATE? -The Americans threatened to attack and invade during the American civil war -The British were helping the Confederate Army (the South). The Union Army (the North) threatened to get back at Britain by attacking Canada. -How would confederation help solve this? Give a response
CONFEDERATION HAPPENS -Queen Victoria granted Canada’s request to govern themselves as a Commonwealth Country of the United Kingdom on July 1, The Country was called The Dominion of Canada
CONFEDERATION HAPPENS -There will now be a Federal Government in charge of big decisions for the entire country -First Prime Minister: Sir John A. Macdonald -Provinces would have their own governments in charge of specific things, like education -The Francophones received promises that their language and rights would be respected -The Aboriginals and Metis were not involved in discussions
PROVINCES INVOLVED -Ontario -What was Upper Canada becomes Ontario, a mainly Anglophone population -Quebec -What was Lower Canada becomes Quebec, a mainly Francophone population
PROVINCES INVOLVED -New Brunswick -At first, NB did not want Union. They felt they were too small and their needs would not be met. -John A Macdonald promised them a railway to connect them with the rest of the country so they accepted -A bilingual population
PROVINCES INVOLVED -Nova Scotia -Like NB, NS feared they would have no say in government -John A Macdonald promised them a railway to connect them with the rest of the country so they accepted -An anglophone population
PROVINCES NOT INVOLVED -Prince Edward Island -feared they would have no say in government -Being an island, there was no way to connect them with the rest of the Dominion. They felt isolated. -Did not join confederation
PROVINCES NOT INVOLVED -Newfoundland -The people of Newfoundland felt they had more in common with Great Britain than the people of Canada -Chose to remain a British Colony
PROVINCES NOT INVOLVED -British Columbia -BC was all by themselves on the West Coast -Awkward to have a province all by itself, separated from the East -Until a solution to connect them with the rest of the country could be solved, they remained a British Colony