Chapter 7: Confederation

Was Confederation a democratic process by today’s standards?

On a piece of loose-leaf…

• In point form, answer the following question:

What do you know about What do you know about Confederation?Confederation?

EXTRA! EXTRA!

• TEST:– We will be having a test when

we get to page 133 and when we get to page138.

– It is YOUR responsibility to be reviewing your notes EVERY night.

– Remember – if you are an auditory learner it is a good idea to read them out loud or to someone else.

– It is always a good idea to teach the subject matter to someone else to help yourself learn.

• QUIZZES– We will be having mini ‘pop’

quizzes periodically.– To do well on these quizzes,

you must:• Listen in class• Review your notes often• Complete all homework

assignments

Thinking of the Future

• People of BNA began asking themselves two questions:– Would each colony have more economic and

political power if it took charge of its own affairs?

– Would the colonies do best if they all worked together?

What The Maritime Colonies Thought…

• Nova Scotia– Premier Charles Tupper, suggested the idea of a

Maritime Union

• New Brunswick– Premier Leonard Tilley thought it was a good idea.

• Prince Edward Island– John Gray, the premier of PEI, wasn’t sure it was a

good idea.

What the Province of Canada Thought

• The leaders of the Province of Canada were very interested in a union…– to solve problems between Canada East

(French) and Canada West (English.)– To pay off debts from building railways and

canals.

What Newfoundland Thought…

• Newfoundland wasn’t asked about joining Confederation because it was assumed they would not be interested as they were too far away.

• However, when Newfoundland heard about the meeting they asked to send delegates, but did not end up attending.

The Charlottetown Conference

• Delegates from all colonies got together in Charlottetown on September 1-9th, 1864 to discuss the benefits of joining together.

• At the end of the conference there was still much to be decided on so another conference was arranged in a month’s time.

The Quebec Conference

• At the Quebec conference on October 10th, 1864, all colonies including Newfoundland, discussed how the union would work.– Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province

of Canada formed a union.

• At the end a list called the Seventy-Two Resolutions was created. – resolution: a formal decision made by a group.

The Seventy-Two Resolutions

• Helpful Terms– Federal

• One central government in charge of the whole country.

– Representation by population:• The provinces with the highest populations would

have the most members in government.

Why Confederation?

• There were many reasons why colonies wanted to join confederation but there were 4 common reasons:

1. The Threat from the United States

2. Trade

3. The Need for More Railways

4. The Demand for More Land

1. The Threat from the United States

• People in favour of Confederation said it would be easier to defend the colonies against takeover by the US if they were united.

2. Trade

• The US wanted to end the reciprocity treatyreciprocity treaty and the colonies realized they couldn’t depend on trade with the US forever.

• Reciprocity treaty– The colonies and US didn’t charge tax on each

others products – it was free trade.

3. The Need for More Railways

• If the colonies all joined Confederation they could share the cost of building an Intercolonial Railway to link all of the railways together.

4. The Demand for More Land

• The Hudson’s Bay Company still owned a lot of land in the west.

• Many people believed that if the colonies were united they could afford to buy the land to have for the increasing number of settlers coming over.

Debating Confederation

• Today, an issue as important as confederation would be decided using a referendum.– referendum: the people vote on an issue

directly.

• Back then, some governments held elections on whether to join confederation, some governments decided to join without asking the people.

Debating Confederation

• The Province of Canada– Antoine-Aimé Dorion believed the people

should decide on joining Confederation.– Instead the government decided to join

Confederation.

• Was this a democratic process?

Debating Confederation

• New Brunswick– Leonard Tilley was in favour of Confederation– A.J. Smith was against Confederation– In an election, Tilley’s government lost and the

anti-Confederation government was voted in.

Debating Confederation

• Prince Edward Island– The people were against Confederation on PEI

and the government listened to them. They did not join Confederation.

– Was this a democratic process?

Debating Confederation

• Nova Scotia– The premier, Charles Tupper, was for Confederation.

– Joseph Howe, who was not a member of government at that point but was vocal in his newspaper, was against Confederation.

– More people were against Confederation than for it.

– Charles Tupper had Confederation approved before he had to call an election.

– Was this a democratic process?

Debating Confederation

• Newfoundland– Although the government leaders were in

favour of Confederation, the people of Newfoundland were not.

– Newfoundland did not join Confederation.– Was this a democratic process?

What Changed New Brunswick’s Mind?

• The reciprocity agreement with the US ended so NB relied on the other colonies for trade.

• A group of Fenians almost attacked NB– Fenians are Irish-Americans fighting to free Ireland

from British control

• New Brunswicker’s regretted voting in a anti-confederate government so another election was held and a pro-confederate government was voted in.

Was Confederation Democratic?

Democratic?

Yes () No ()

Province of Canada

New Brunswick

Prince Edward Island

Nova Scotia

Newfoundland

Was Confederation Democratic?

Newfoundland

Nova Scotia

Prince Edward Island

New Brunswick

Province of Canada

Democratic?

Yes () No ()

Confederation Achieved

• July 1st, 1867– Queen of England signed the document that created the

Dominion of Canada.

– The Dominion of Canada was made up of:• Quebec (the old Canada East)

• Ontario (the old Canada West)

• New Brunswick

• Nova Scotia

– The first Prime Minister was John A. MacDonald

The British North America Act, 1867 (BNA Act)

• 1866-1867– Delegates went to England to figure out a

system of government for Confederation.– This system was based on the Seventy-Two

Resolutions from the Quebec Conference.– The name given to their work was the British

North America Act.

Aboriginals & the BNA Act

• The act said that the federal government would be in charge of any decisions regarding Indians and their land.

• Problem:– They did not have the rights of citizens in this

new country, but they had to be governed by their laws.

Expanding Confederation

• New Brunswick 1867• Nova Scotia 1867• Ontario 1867• Quebec 1867• Manitoba 1870• Northwest Territories 1870• British Columbia 1871• Prince Edward Island 1873• Yukon Territory 1898• Alberta 1905• Saskatchewan 1905• Newfoundland 1949• Nunavut 1999

Organization of the Federal GovernmentThe Crown(Monarch)

Governor General

Senate House of Commons Prime Minister

Voters Cabinet

Taking Part in Government

• There are three levels of government:– Federal (the whole country)– Provincial (the province)– Municipal (cities & towns)

Canada Today

The CrownThe Crown

The Governor General

The Governor General Lieutenant-GovernorLieutenant-Governor

One federal governmentOne federal government

CommissionerCommissioner

LegislatureLegislature

Provincial GovernmentsProvincial Governments

Legislature or AssemblyLegislature or Assembly

Sharing Power and Responsibilities

• Federal and provincial governments have different responsibilities. – For example,

• each province looks after education and healthcare, but

• the federal government looks after the army and postal service (mail) for the entire country.

• Copy the Venn diagram from page 136 into your notebook.

Elections

• Elections are held every few years to allow the people to– Choose a new government if they are not happy

with the current one– Keep the current government

Elections

• Canada is divided into ridings.

• A riding is a particular area of land that includes certain communities.

• The larger the population in an area, the more ridings it will have.

Elections