In the year of 1867 the nation we know as Canada came into being. The Confederation in this year only came about after things had been overcome. Many political and economic pressures were exerted on the colonies and a federal union of the colonies seemed to be the most practical method of dealing with these pressures and conflicts. While Confederation was a solution to many of the problems, it was not a popular one for all the colonies involved. In the Maritime colonies views differed widely on the topic. Some were doubtful, some were pleased, others were annoyed and many were hopeful for a prosperous future.1
It was the initiative of the Maritime Provinces that first created the concept of union. Leaders of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia had been discussing the possibility of a Maritime union for many years. Lieutenant Governor Arthur Hamilton Gordon and Leonard Tilley of New Brunswick, Premier Charles Tupper of Nova Scotia and Colonel Gray and W.H Pope of Prince Edward Island were all advocates of the concept of maritime union for solutions to the problems which they were encountering.2
Trade was important to the Maritimes. Up to 1846 Britain had provided the British North American colonies with a market for their goods, but then began a policy of free trade. Because there were no tariffs placed on any country the colonies lost a sure market for their goods. Many colonists were concerned that some might consider union with the United States and the British North American colonies was brisk with large amounts of lumber and grain being imported by the U.S. When the Americans ended the Reciprocity Treaty in 1865, many Maritimers became uneasy about the economic future. It became apparent that in order to develop thriving trade; new economic links would have to be developed. 3
George Coles, a persistent politician, insisted that Prince Edward Island was not being provided with strong leadership, Gray was forced to drop the topic of Confederation. To the Islanders, a government dominated by Upper and Lower had little appeal. A colony as small as Prince Edward Island would have very few representatives in a federal government. They were not prepared to pay taxes to build an Intercolonial Railway, which could not run on their island. Islanders also opposed Confederation over the issue of absentee landlords. Their dislike of the landlords ...
... middle of paper ...
...s. These lands were “usually in less desirable locations and discouraged any successful transition to agriculture”.24
The British North America Act went into effect July 1st, 1867 creating a union known as the Dominion of Canada, but this did not complete the debate on the Confederation issue. Many Nova Scotians continued their opposition to the idea and it would take considerable time before all Nova Scotians would accept the fact of Confederation. “These Nova Scotians, disgruntled at their treatment by Great Britain, found that their loyalty had markedly diminished. The more they considered taking over the responsibility for their own affairs from England, however, the greater trust they had to place in Confederation.”25 Confederation struck a balance between the rights of English and French speaking Canadians. Nevertheless, many divisions, conflicts, and debates would occur not only in Quebec but also in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick over this balance. Economic disparities between the Maritimes and the rest of Canada would also create many problems for the years following 1867. As a result, Confederation can be viewed as a beginning and not an end.
It was once stated by F.R.Scott “ There are two miracles in canadian history. The first is the survival of French Canada, and the second is the survival of Canada.” His quote came to reality as of Canada grew to be a stable and secure country where everyone would want to be. Yet to accomplish this, many obstacles and events occurred such as the Spanish Succession war in 1713 , the seven years war in 1763, the constitutional act in 1791 and finally the Act of Union in 1841. First in 1713, the Spanish Succession war occurred where the British took control of Acadia. Soon after that, in 1763 the Seven Years War ended where the British took over New France and was later renamed British North America. Before the British most of the colonies were
Today I am here to discuss the perks and the benefits of British Columbia joining Confederation. Joining Confederation means that British Columbia will receive things that the province is in desperate need of, such as a rail link to the East, and help with debt and government. If British Columbia were to choose differently from Confederation, economic isolation, no support from Great Britain or becoming enemies with Great Britain, and American invasion would be the case. British Columbia is falling apart, and so are the people and the economy. Who will help us as we continue to fall?
In conclusion Canada gained independence because of a series of events that took place during the twentieth century. If it hadn’t been for these events, Canada to this day might have been a part of the British Empire. Through discussion on the Chanak affair we signalled that we wanted autonomy. Through our hard work and lives, the world knew we had the ability to stand alone as a strong nation. While, our international reputation of being a “peacekeeping” country the right to stand as an independent self-governing nation. But finally through the Canada Act, we stood solely independent from our Empire. It is obvious that the twentieth century provided us with great chances to become an independent strong nation.
“When on December 22, 1775, the British Parliament prohibited trade with the colonies, Congress responded in April of 1776 by opening colonial ports—this was a major step towards severing ties with Britain.” (history.state.gov) The colonies no longer depend solely on British goods, but had set up strong trading agreements with numerous countries. These agreements sustained the colonies. By setting up trade agreements with other countries, the colonies had, in a way, become “independent’ from the necessity for British goods. These British goods had become obsolete to the goods of rival
In reference to the rest of Canada at the time, the Maritimes were a region with less of an advantage in fields such as the economy, employment and business. At the time the Central and Western areas of Canada were much more populated then the Maritimes. This often this correlated with better economy, employment, and other fields that the Maritimes were weak in. Since the time of Confederation, the Maritimes economy had been on a steady downfall. This was a huge strain on the labor force. Most of the potential employees in the Maritime region were leaving, going to Central and Western Canada for better life and employment .
Britain no longer provided the colonies with the guarantee on market and its material from other countries for lower prices. This was a signicant disvantage to them because that means no jobs and they needed someone to buy their goods and products. Upper Canada was loyal to English crown. Lower Canada and the maritime need the marker aces to upper and Lower Canada. Upper Canada used market to keep ties with England stand on their own their own. In Canada East, they would lose some French culture and language. The French Canadian hated the Canadian English, they dont get along well and rarely agree on the same idea. According to the French, english speakers wouldn’t speak a line in french, and didnt want to learn. Canadians were 2/5
The Founding Fathers and Canada’s Founders both faced many obstacles and concerns when working towards creating the best possible form of government for their respectable nations. The Federalist Papers seek to counter the Articles of Confederation whereas Canada’s Founding Debates is a discussion between supporters and opponents of Confederation. Between the Founding Fathers and Canada’s Founders in the Founding Papers chapter Federal Union, there are many common concerns about the future of the country. When there is a change in how a country is structured, it brings concern over group rights and interest being ignored for the common good, and it is very
The French and Indian War impacted the trans-Atlantic economic relationship between the motherland and her colonies. Before the war colonists were rushing to buy new British manufactured goods resulting from the early stages of the industrial revolution. To pay for these manufactured goods, colonists increased their export of raw materials for sale to Britain. Although the exports were able to pay for a significant portion of cost of British imports, a significant shortfall was covered by British loans. This economic relationship saturated much of pre-French and Indian War colonial America and became normal. After 1763, Britain was in dreadful need for revenue to pay for the French and Indian War. Britain was clever on finding ways to raise revenue from the colonies. From 1650 to the end of the French and Indian War was a period of "salutary neglect." Britain had very little involvement in the lifestyle of the colonies. After the French and Indian War, mercantilism became strictly enforced. Merc...
The Confederation act of 1867 without question has had a major influence on the status of contemporary Canada. It has helped shape Canada into one of the worlds most politically and economically powerful countries; a country that is strong, independent, and united. There was a series of events which led to the confederation of Canada, some which are more significant than others. However, I believe that despite the significance of events such as the British encouragement of uniting its North American colonies, the central and key reason for confederation was the fear of potential American (Yankee) inhabitance (whether by persuasion or invasion) of the divided and vast British North American colonies, and the way that the “Fathers of Confederation” were able to take advantage of this situation and persuade reluctant colonies to join Confederation. A strong and united nation could not be easily invaded or bought. These essential factors will be discussed in the paragraphs to come.
Colonists from France came to Canada and settled in Acadia also known as present day east coast colonies during the seventeenth century. The name given to the French colonists from the time of arrival to Canada was the “Acadians”. The Acadians from France continued their formal lifestyle by farming, fishing and maintaining a close family oriented culture in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The Acadians had created a prosperous agriculture economy up until the late eighteenth century, when there was a colonial struggle in power between the French and the British. British had conquered Port Royal and the Acadians refused to recognize British rule, wanting to keep their religious freedom and not wanting to be obliged to bears arms in the event of war. In this essay I will show that the impact from the England colonial rules led the Acadians to be deported and there they made a decision to settle in the Southern United states. This research essay will discuss why the they settles in the Maritime Provinces, what conflicts arise for in order for the British to exile them and why they chose the Southern United States to settle during the seventeenth and eighteenth century.
The confederation of Canada, a process which took over a century long, with many notable events and people who were involved in forming what we know as Canada today. The confederation all started in 1763, with The Royal Proclamation. Britain decided that pacifying First nation was the best alternative to a costlier war. This proclamation created a boundary between the First Nations and the British Colonies. In the next 50 years or so, the Quebec Act, which revoked the Royal Proclamation, and Treaty of Paris, which recognized British North America to independently exist, and the Constitutional Act, happened. Although these were major events in Canada’s history, The War of 1812, was one of the most notable events that lead to Canada’s Confederation.
Canada is known by outsiders to be a very peaceful country. But if you ask any Canadian they well tell you that is unfortunately not the case. For there is a large ongoing conflict between Canadians. The conflict is between the French and the English, or more specifically between Quebec and the rest of Canada. As a result of this conflict, along with some wrongdoing and propaganda. Quebec has considered and has gone as far to hold referendums over Separatism (Surette,2014). Separatism is that the province of Quebec separates from the rest of Canada to form its own country. Which would have immense effects on indubitably Quebec but also the rest of Canada (Martin, 2014). This report will focus on the root causes and origin of Quebec Separatism, the current state of Quebec Separatism and finally how we as a society can act towards Quebec Separatism.
The Articles of Confederation was the first form of government that was created after the United States received their independence from Great Britain. It was a decentralized government where the national government got their power from the states. The state government power was much more supreme than the federal government’s. There are many events that proved that this type of government was really weak and that there needed to be a change. There was absence in the balance of power between the states, national government and the people. One of the problems that was visible is that the weak federal government. State government concentrated a lot of the power. The need for this change was seen when Shays Rebellion took place in 1786.
Since federalism was introduced as an aspect of Canadian political identity, the country has undergone multiple changes as to how federalism works; in other words, over the decades the federal and provincial governments have not always acted in the same way as they do now. Canada, for example, once experienced quasi-federalism, where the provinces are made subordinate to Ottawa. Currently we are in an era of what has been coined “collaborative federalism”. Essentially, as the title would suggest, it implies that the federal and provincial levels of government work together more closely to enact and make policy changes. Unfortunately, this era of collaborative federalism may be ending sooner rather than later – in the past couple decades, the federal and provincial governments have been known to squabble over any and all policy changes in sectors such as health, the environment and fiscal issues. Generally, one would assume that in a regime employing collaborative federalism there would be a certain amount of collaboration. Lately, it seems as though the only time policy changes can take place the federal government is needed to work unilaterally. One area in which collaborative federalism has been nonexistent and unilateral federalism has prevailed and positively affected policy changes is in the Post-Secondary Education (PSE) sector.
2. It was 1868 and Canada finally rejected the British rule and there was a union of provinces.