Although Canada is as vibrant and thriving a nation as ever in its history, its past should not be disregarded in lieu of prospects of the future – and at the core of all Canada stands for today is its founding from a single Act of legislation, from a tiny fraction of the landmass it now has.
Initially comprised of scattered British and French colonies, with 80% of people living a rural life, history sees Canadians at that time living a relatively passive life. Unlike its neighbor, the United States, Canada didn’t endure a civil war to stabilize. However, witnessing America’s violent and brutal civil war was arguably one of the most crucial reasons for our country’s making: British colonies saw the chaos as a result of a weak and divided government and advocated for a unified central authority. This would also protect the colonies collectively from American expansion, a perfectly rational fear given the recent radical movements of the States.
In the Civil War, the North defeated the South, who possessed British support. With a strong military after the war, the victorious faction harbored resentment towards the British – and, by extension, their colonies in North America – and there was talk of annexing parts of Rupert’s Land (a part of Canada). Harsh restrictions were imposed on previously free trade between the two bodies; unification of the colonies would offer a balance to the hit that the economy would inevitably take.
On 1 Sep. 1864, a conference was planned to discuss the proposal of Confederation, in which the Maritime colonies and the Province of Canada (in the general area we now know as Quebec and Ontario) participated. Any progress, however, was scarce: many colonies showed a disparity in perspective, but also suffered internal conflict between the passionate looking for a better future, and the already prosperous who viewed Confederation as risky and dangerous. It took a total of 3 conferences between 5 eastward colonies (the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and PEI) to form a lasting unification – and only between the first 3. Regrettably, no First Nations parties were invited.
(In case you’re wondering, the Province of Canada later separated into Ontario and Quebec because of dissent among the English-speaking and Francophone communities.)
On 30 March 1867, America purchased Alaska from the Russians, validating colonial concern for America’s expansionist desires. There was also a growing opinion that Britain felt less and less inclined to defend its colonies, pushing delegates towards action. On 1 July of that same year, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the PoC followed John A. MacDonald’s practical suggestions on how Confederation would be achieved to become the foundation of Canada, signing the British North America Act that would consolidate their territories.
All in all, Confederation would be the first step towards true independence from European origins, spurred along as much by domestic interests and nationalism as by external influence.
