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Confederation

Confederation. The Deal is Made. The Quebec Conference. October, 1864 – approximately a month after the Charlottetown Conference Many of the issues that were introduced at the Charlottetown Conference were discussed

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Confederation

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  1. Confederation The Deal is Made...

  2. The Quebec Conference • October, 1864 – approximately a month after the Charlottetown Conference • Many of the issues that were introduced at the Charlottetown Conference were discussed • It was a long process but eventually 72 points or “resolutions” decided upon – these formed the basis of the agreement to form a Union of the BNA colonies. • Although the politicians agreed, the people of the colonies were often undecided or simply did not agree. Therefore, the process was not a simple one...

  3. Rights for Regions • All of the colonies involved in the Confederation negotiations wanted to protect their regional rights. • None of the colonies (besides Canada West) really wanted to create a central government that took away regional power and decision making abilities. • During a debate in 1865 – Sir John A. MacDonald summed up the problem by mentioning: • The people of Canada East felt that their institutions and laws may be threatened by Confederation and that any ideas that would not guarantee the individuality of Canada East would not be accepted by the people who live there. • Also, the Maritime provinces were just as concerned about losing their individuality and decision making power. • Therefore, MacDonald concluded that the idea of Confederation must be abandoned altogether, or an idea must be decided upon which preserves the provinces as separate political organizations in some way.

  4. The BNA Act • John A. MacDonald, along with George-Etienne Cartier, wrote the act that established Confederation: the British North American Act which would eventually be passed in Britain in 1867 at the London Conference • All of the colonies decided to join Confederation, except for Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland – both of them thought that Confederation would have more disadvantages than advantages – especially from increased taxation.

  5. The BNA Act Key Points: • The act established English and French as the languages of Parliament • It created a division of powers between the federal and provincial governments • It gave the federal government the power to make laws for the “peace, order, and good government” of Canada • It gave the federal government the power to protect the rights of Catholic or Protestant minorities in any province in the future • It established representation by population (rep by pop) in Canada’s House of Commons (the main parliamentary assembly) – this gave Ontario the most seats in the House of Commons. • The act guaranteed that the federal government would pay for a railway linking the Maritimes with central Canada.

  6. The BNA Act • Agriculture • Immigration • Taxation

  7. The Maritime Provinces • The Maritimes had strong economic ties with Britain and the British colonies in the Caribbean, but not very strong ties with Canada East and West. • Canada East and West offered economic benefits – many people in the Maritimes thought this made a lot of sense. • The Canadas promised a railway that would link up central Canada to the Maritimes – they also promised money for roads, bridges, and other things. • Although Confederation was unpopular in Nova Scotia, Charles Tupper (the leader of Nova Scotia’s assembly) decided to join Confederation. Many people were disappointed with this. • As was previously mentioned, Newfoundland and PEI decided not to join. • New Brunswick did decide to join as they felt that their security and safety would be assured and that Confederation would help them out economically.

  8. First Nations • The First Nations Peoples of BNA were never consulted in any way during negotiations for Confederation. • In 1857 – 10 years before confederation – Britain passed the Gradual Civilization Act which required First Nations Peoples to give up their ways of life before they could be considered citizens with their right to vote. Most First Nations refused to do this. • In 1867 – First Nations Peoples were made the responsibility of the federal government. • It was not until 1960 (almost 100 years after confederation) that people with “Indian Status” were allowed to vote.

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