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George-Etienne CartierA lawyer, Cartier was at first a Patriote who had fled to the US during the rebellions. Later he would have a change of heart and became a firm supporter of the British crown. Eventually he becameleader of the Conservative party in Canada East and a supporter of Confederation. He would go on to become the Minister of Militia and Defence in the federal cabinet.
John A MacdonaldA lawyer, Macdonald was leader of the Conservative party of Canada West. He was a supporter and chief architect of Confederation. He would become Canada’s first prime minister.
George BrownThe Reform party leader in Canada West, Brown was the editor of the Toronto Globe newspaper and supporter of the Great Coalition and later, Confederation. He offered to form a coalition with the conservatives on the condition that they would work toward creating a federal union of all the British North American colonies.
Great Coalition: This involved the union of the English-speaking reformers, the English-speaking conservatives and the French-speaking conservatives to form a coalition that would work toward a federal unionof all BNA colonies. This would become the driving force behind Confederation.Representation by Populationreferred to the organization of a legislature so that each member represents an equal number of people. This idea was promoted by English-speaking Canadians now that they made up the majority of the population. In doing so it would give them the larger share of elected representatives.
Thomas D’Arcy McGee was an MP, poet, journalist and the most powerful political orator of his era. As a young man in Ireland, he fought the British and opposed the Catholic Church. Years later, as a journalist and politician in Canada, he hotly defended the interests of the immigrant Irish. In maturity, McGee turned from rebellion to conservatism. He returned to the Church. He used his eloquence to support the new Canadian Confederation — promoting religious freedom, minority rights and national unity under the British Crown. Former associates called him “turncoat”, and his change of heart led to his assassination in 1868.
Maritime Union referred to the proposal of the 3 maritime colonies (NB, NS, and PEI) to give them greater political power within the British Empire. NB and NS were in favour of the proposal while PEI was not.Universal Suffrage meant that all citizens would have the right to vote.The 72 Resolutions was a plan for BNA union as outlined by the Canadians led by John A. Macdonald. This plan was presented at the Quebec Conference in 1864. They are also referred to as the Quebec Resolutions. The plan outlined a federal system of government with authority divided between a new central government and the provincial governments. The central government would assume authority over matters that were found not to have been allocated to either level of government.
The BNA Act is the British act of parliament in 1867 that created the Dominion of Canada. It outlined the terms and conditions under which Canada would be governed.The Fenians were a group of Irish Americans formed for the purpose of overthrowing English rule in Ireland. Following the Civil War, the Fenian Brotherhood, largely composed of Irish-American veterans, sought to achieve Ireland’s independence from Britain by capturing Canada as a hostage. Between 1866 and 1871, they raided Canadian territory from New Brunswick to Manitoba. If successful they hoped to bring pressure on Britain to withdraw from Ireland. Most of the raids were successfully repelled by British forces and local militias. However, their actions would convince New Brunswickers of the merits of Confederation (Text, p. 164).
Samuel Leonard TilleyTilley, a pharmacist, was the Liberal party leader and premier in New Brunswick who pushed for Maritime Union and later, Confederation.
Charles TupperA doctor, Tupper was the Conservative party leader and premier of Nova Scotia. He was a supporter of Maritime Union and later, Confederation. He would eventually serve as Canada’s sixth prime minister.
John Hamilton GrayA British army officer, Gray became premier of PEI as leader of the Conservative party.He and other Islanders were opposed to Maritime Union because there was small prospect of Charlottetown becoming the capital and they’d lose both their provincial legislature and provincial status. Moreover, Islanders wanted no part in the railway debts being accumulated in NS and NB.
Front Row: (left to right) E. Whalen, A.T. Galt, George Brown, J.A. Macdonald, Col. J.H. Gray, C. Tupper, Sir É.-P. Taché, S.L. Tilley, George-É. Cartier, J. McCully, E.B. Chandler, W.H. Steeves, Lt. Col. J.H. Gray Back Row: G. Coles, H.L. Langevin, E. Palmer, O. Mowat, J.M. Johnson, A.G. Archibald, C. Fisher, J. Cockburn, J.C. Chapais, W.A. Henry, R.B. Dickey, A.A. Macdonald, W.H. Pope, J.A. Shea, F.B.T. Carter, H. Bernard, J.H. Haviland
Wilfrid Laurier was the first francophone Prime Minister of Canada, fluently bilingual, and spent much of his time in office trying to balance the interests of the French and English in Canada. Before being elected he was against Confederation.First elected in 1871, he had the longest unbroken term of office of any Canadian prime minister. He was a moderate and known for his ability to compromise. Laurier served as prime minister for 15 years and a member of the House of Commons for 45 years.
Fenian Soldier The Fenian Raiders were the first to introduce the term Irish Republican Army or IRA which was prominently displayed on their uniform buttons.
Following the Civil War, the Fenian Brotherhood, largely composed of Irish-American veterans, sought to achieve Ireland’s independence from Britain by capturing Canada as a hostage. Between 1866 and 1871, they raided Canadian territory from New Brunswick to Manitoba. During the largest raid, in June 1866 along the Niagara frontier, the Fenians defeated a small Canadian force at Ridgeway. The Fenians returned to the United States before Canadian and British reinforcements arrived. Every other Fenian raid ended in failure, and the movement collapsed after 1871.
The Battle of Ridgeway - 3rd June 1866 Casualties:British- 16 killed, 2 dying later of wounds, 2 dead by heat stroke, 74 wounded, 6 captured from the Queens Own Rifles, Caledonia Rifles, 13th Battalion, York Rifles and the 2nd Battalion.IRA - 5 killed, 2 dying later of wounds, and 17 wounded.
Charles TupperWas Tupper’s decision to take Nova Scotia into Confederation welcomed by the electorate? Explain. (Text p. 164)
Joseph Howe Explain why Howe was opposed to Nova Scotia joining Confederation. (Text, p. 164)
Under the BNA Act of 1867: • Canada remained part of the British Empire, • control of Canada’s foreign affairs remained with Britain, • the governor-general was appointed by the British monarch on the recommendation of the British government, • the provincial lieutenant-governors were appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Canadian prime minister, • and the governor-general gave assent to all laws passed by Parliament on behalf of the monarch. (Text – P. 165)
The Parliamentary System • Consisted of a “lower house”, the House of Commons, whose members were to be elected on the basis of representation by population, with elections to be held every 5 years, • and an “upper house”, the Senate, that was divided on the basis of equal representation, with Ontario and Quebec, and the Maritimes each given 24 seats. Senators were appointed, on the advice of the prime minister, to a life term by the governor-general. • The governor-general appointed the leader of the party with the most elected members (seats) in the House of Commons as the prime minister, who in turn recommended appointments to the cabinet.
Canadian federalism meant that there would be two levels of government: federal and provincial, in which powers would be divided between the two: • matters of national concern, such as trade and commerce, defense, and taxation would fall under federal jurisdiction while • matters of local interest, such as property and civil rights, education, municipal affairs, language, and religion would come under provincial control. • responsibility for Aboriginal peoples came under federal jurisdiction. • any powers and responsibilities not expressly reserved for the provinces were residual powers to be exercised by the federal government
Questions to ponder • When Canada was first created in 1867 do you think the country was truly a democracy? Explain. (Text, p. 163) • If the British North American colonies did not join Confederation in 1867 we may have become part of the United States. What do you think about that scenario?
“Life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”(The American Declaration of Independence, 1776)“To make laws for the Peace, order, and good Government of Canada.”(The British North America Act, 1867)Compare these two mottoes then describe how they are representative of their respective societies.
