The road to confederation

1. The road to confederation “The Botheration Scheme?”

2. But first… • Let’s acknowledge the territories that existed long before Confederation between British colonies existed as an idea

3. Oh Canada: mon pays mes amours • Comme le dit un vieil adage:Rienn'estsi beau que son pays;Et de le chanter, c'estl'usage;Le mien je chante à mesamisL'étrangervoit avec un oeil d'envieDu Saint-Laurent le majestueuxcours;À son aspect le Canadiens'écrie:Ô Canada! mon pays! mes amours! • As the old proverb says:Nothing is more beautiful than one's country;And to sing it is the tradition;And mine I sing to my friendsThe stranger looks with an envious eyeOf the St. Lawrence the majestic course;At its aspect the Canadian sings:O Canada! my country! my love!

4. Come near at your peril... • Hurrah for our own native Isle, Newfoundland,Not a stranger shall hold one inch of its strand;Her face turns to Britain, her back to the Gulf,Come near at your peril, Canadian Wolf! • Ye brave Newfoundlanders who plough the salt sea,With hearts like the eagle so bold and so free,The time is at hand when you’ll all have to sayIf Confederation will carry the day.Cheap tea and molasses they say they will give,All taxes taken off that the poor man may live;Cheap nails and cheap lumber, our coffins to make,And homespun to mend our old clothes when they break. • If they take off the taxes, how then will they meetThe heavy expenses on army and fleet?Just give them the chance to get us into the scrap,They'll show you the trick with pen, ink and red tape.Would you barter the right that your fathers have won?Your freedom transmitted from father to son?For a few thousand dollars of Canadian goldDon't let it be said that your birthright was sold. • Hurrah for our own native Isle, Newfoundland,Not a stranger shall hold one inch of its strand;Her face turns to Britain, her back to the Gulf,Come near at your peril, Canadian Wolf!

5. Remember… • With the exception of Canada East and Canada West, the colonies were completely separate before 1867 • This meant that the citizens of each colony were British subjects, and that the British colonial office was responsible for their well-being and defence • The colonies were often on friendly terms, economically and socially, but they had separate legislatures

6. So – how did this all happen? • Since Lord Durham had suggested a union of all the colonies, many people had become fascinated by the idea of a new country that could stretch across the continent • However, just as many people were opposed to it • Union would mean a central government that would likely control defence, external relations, currency, taxations, etc • Many people in the Maritimes felt they had little in common with the growing province of Canada • Obviously, French-Canadians were wary of any attempt that would make them a minority in an English-speaking nation

7. However… • Britain’s economic relationship with the colonies was changing • The British government was no longer giving the same preferential treatment to trade with the colonies (ie Canadian grain) and the Canadian colonies were having a hard time economically • They were also not willing to invest in big financial projects as they once had (ie building of railroads) • The idea is that with confederation they would become more economically stable – for example, Canada East and Canada West were essentially bankrupt pre-Confederation • With a strong central government they could also build an intercontinental railway to link the colonies for trade and defence

8. Annexation? • In the West, Confederation would help to ensure that the western region of British North America (BC and Rupert’s Land) were not annexed by the United States • The US had just emerged from their civil war, and the army of the victorious north had more soldiers than the combined population of the British colonies. • Britain had supported the South in the Civil War, and many wondered if the North would retaliate by invading Canada

13. Some concerns… • "The question is reduced to this: we must either have a British North American federation or else be absorbed into the American federation.“ George Etienne Cartier, Confederation Debates, 1865

14. So how did this all come about? • In 1864 the colonies of the Maritimes decide to meet in Charlottetown (the Charlottetown conference) to discuss a Maritime union • Britain encouraged this idea, hoping that they would then become less economically and politically dependent on them, and provide greater economic and military power for the region in light of the American Civil War • However, Sir John A MacDonald, then leader of the Conservative party in Canada, hears about the meeting, and comes along, asking that the meeting discuss instead the union of all of the colonies • Newfoundland then ask to join as well, although there was very little support in Newfoundland for the idea • The meeting gets enough support they decide to plan another one, this time in Quebec, in 1864 – 6 colonies attend

15. Quebec Conference, 1864 • Obviously we know the end of the story, but in 1867 Canada as we know it was still a ways way • Reminder: Who were the 4 that actually joined Confederation? • Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia • And BC? • Joined in 1871

16. Oh Canada… • 1867 Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia • 1870 Manitoba, Northwest Territories • 1871 British Columbia • 1873 Prince Edward Island • 1898 Yukon • 1905 Alberta, Saskatchewan • 1949 Newfoundland and Labrador • 1999 Nunavut

17. Canada’s evolutionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU3cYwWWM2E

18. Oh…Canada? • Just about everyone had an idea for a name for the new country. George Brown even invited readers of his newspaper, the Globe, to come up with proposals. Which of these are real suggestions and which are made up?

19. KANATA • The name “Canada” comes from the Huron word “kanata,” which means village. When explorer Jacques Cartier heard First Nations people in Stadacona (now Quebec City) use the word, he thought they were talking about the whole country. He called the St. Lawrence “rivière de Canada” on his maps, and the name stuck. In 1791, the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada were created; they were joined again as the Province of Canada in 1841.

20. VICTORIALAND • Queen Victoria was on the throne of Great Britain when Canada came to be. She chose Ottawa as the capital. Our capital city is named after her, Alberta is named for her daughter, and pretty much every town has a Victoria Street/Rue Victoria. But obviously the person who made this suggestion thought the whole country should bear her name, too.

21. TUPONIA • This name stands for “The United Provinces of North America.”

22. ESFIGA • This one stands for “English, French, Scottish, Irish, German, American.” Some have also said the “A” might stand for “Aboriginal,” but that’s not a word people of 1867 would have used

23. CABOTIA • This idea honours the explorer John Cabot, who sailed to Newfoundland in 1497. (Then again, he thought he was in Asia).

24. Borealia This suggestion focused on our geography: The word “boreal” means “of the North.”

25. HOCHELAGA • A name that honours the Iroquois. It means either “beaver path” or “big rapids.” It’s also the village where Jacques Cartier landed, on the site that we now know as the island of Montreal.