Canada is formed
A federation negotiated rather than fought for
See it on the timeline →In depth
Confederation is the name for the union in which Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick became one country on 1 July 1867. Confederation was driven largely by fear of American expansion after the Civil War and by the need to finance a railway to the Pacific. The bilingual, federal construction was a solution to a concrete problem — keeping a French-speaking Quebec inside — and it has defined Canadian politics since. The British North America Act remained Canada's constitution until patriation in 1982; the country could not amend its own constitution before then.
For children
Four British colonies joined into one country in 1867. Unlike the United States, Canada came into being not through revolution but through negotiation and an act passed in London. The country was built with two official languages from the start.
Sources
- British North America Act (1867)
- Bibliothèque et Archives Canada: Confederation
Report a correction
Found something that does not hold? Tell us — sources help, but are not required.
Report a correctionPart of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org ·