The road to the confederation of Canada was not just one event; it was a battle between many ups and downs to get Canada to where it is right now. It consisted of many different conferences and negotiations. The union of the British North American colonies such as New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland was involved. Confederation was a slow process of learning how to nation bond and eventually coming to terms to unite as one. Understanding the process of confederation allows for individuals to question how different the events could have gone with just a simple alteration.
Confederation was a movement in history that made Canada the country it is today. The ideas of confederation started as early as the 1790s; however, it was not brought into action until the early 1860s. Confederation all started due to the American Civil War of 1861 to 1865. The war was a battle between northern and southern states which took the lives of many and destroyed many homes and families. The war was considered to be an “internal affair, the interference of Britain and its North American colonies created hostility to the point of military conflict”. The fact it got so out of control resulted in the start of the confederation.
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The Charlottetown conference of 1864 is where individuals such as John A. Macdonald and George-Etienne Cartier gave their input on why confederation would be beneficial to the nation. There were three main reasons the individuals spoke for pro-confederation. Holding loyalty to the British Crown, a stable government where people can control their affairs, and lower households based on population.
After all the proposals everyone had come to the conclusion they would meet back in Quebec, for the Quebec conference. The conference occurred in the year of 1864, where the British North American colonies joined together in Quebec to discuss creating a country. “The Quebec Conference was a success, and the delegates reached a compromise...they included the power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of Canada”. Here it is evident the impact the Quebec conference had on the confederation, and what we have now.
The final push to strive for confederation was all the negotiations between the colonies. Which consisted of Canada West and East, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland; where each colony had its say. West Canada had come up with the confederation proposal allowing them to be on board, whereas East Canada was not on board at the start. Cartier; however, had changed the minds of the French Canadians, informing them it would allow for the protection of their affairs. New Brunswick was anti-confederation, due to A.J. Smith, resulting in a hold on the talk of confederation. Nova Scotia, quite similar to New Brunswick, was faced with Joseph Howe who, “ saw confederation as restricting the colony’s potential”. Prince Edward Island was a mix, a majority of its people did not want confederation, while premier John Hamilton Gray had supported it. Lastly, Newfoundland, had the least amount of ties to the confederation, as they had not even taken part in the Charlottetown conference. Each colony had said what they thought would be best for their them as a whole; however, eventually, once each colony was able to negotiate some sort of deal that was best for them, the confederation of July 1st, 1867, took place.
All of these events which occurred is what led Canada to what it is today; however, the question of what if confederation did not occur. Or the question of how easy everything would have gone if all the colonies quickly got on board. If the American Civil war did not break out, would the idea of confederation come into action? A big reason the confederation occurred was due to all the negotiations between the colonies fighting for what they wanted. If this had not happened today, there would have been unstable colonies. The change of belief of each colony would profoundly impact the confederation. If confederation did not occur, there would have been a constant battle between Canada West and Canada East. It was already known that these two colonies were at war; to this day, there would have been more fighting as well as a political gridlock between the two. Trying to pass laws for the people of the colonies would be very difficult as both colonies are stubbornly wanting to do what is best for themselves. The colony of New Brunswick had no opposition to confederation, and there were many benefits for New Brunswick. The trade pattern confrontation ended up being correct by going East to West which ended up allowing for successful trading for the colony. Canada was also not in debt which allowed for no issues of high tariffs. All the individuals were pro confederation as all their needs were met. Joseph Howe, of Nova Scotia, is all for confederation, he concluded that joining would allow for the growth and development of the province in the North American nation. Prince Edward Island was the easiest colony to convince to take part in the confederation during the debate. The premier of Prince Edward Island had promised the sale and purchase of land for many individuals would take part, convincing many the economic standpoint would be very beneficial. The colony, as a whole, had seen the helpful acts of confederation and declared for it. Lastly, Newfoundland was quite enthusiastic about confederation, as they were significant contributors to the Quebec Conference. The people of Newfoundland realized how joining the confederation would profoundly impact their economical standpoint, as joining with Britain was doing nothing for them. In conclusion, the confederation was one of the easiest takes of history. It was quite a unanimous decision, and by July 1st of 1867, everyone had become one, and the birth of Canada had risen. Luckily for what is known as Canada today, there were no bloody battles between any of the colonies. The weakness which would have arisen if confederation did not happen would most likely ruin what is here today. Confederation was fortunate enough to not face severe difficulties over the years, and the birth of what is known as Canada is here today. As Canada keeps on ageing the country as a whole grows and develops into something bigger and better.
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