What do they have in common?
Answer: they were
all politicians who
were assassinated...
 Watch the video
found here:





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJIFoW0viJ8
Read the article
found here:
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/featur
ed/the-assassination-of-thomas-darcy-mcgee
And then answer
the questions that
follow…
The Assassination of D’Arcy McGee
D’Arcy McGee was assassinated after Confederation
had been won in 1867. What effect do you think the
news of his assassination had on people in the new
country of Canada?
 McGee was popular with both Irish and non-Irish
Canadians.
 Citizens at that time might react with anger and
demand government reprisals against the Fenians.
 The fact that the country was newly formed might
make some insecure, especially since McGee was a
strong supporter of Confederation.
The Assassination of D’Arcy McGee
What does the murder of
D’Arcy McGee suggest about
the atmosphere in Canada
around the time of
Confederation?
 Political assassination is a
last-resort form of protest.
 Just as there were differences
that existed among the
colonies, there was a division
among the citizens of the
colonies over uniting.
The Assassination of D’Arcy McGee
Thomas D’Arcy McGee
is the only Canadian
victim of a political
assassination at the
federal level to date
 And the execution of
Patrick James Whalen
was the country’s last
public hanging

The Charlottetown Conference
Date and Location:
1 September 1864
Charlottetown, PEI
 Purpose: Maritime
provinces were talking
about a Maritime union
 The Canadians had asked
to attend as they wanted
to put forth their plan of
all British North
American provinces
uniting... Confederation

The Charlottetown Conference


The Canadian delegation, including John A.
Macdonald, George-Etienne Cartier, George Brown,
Alexander Galt and D’Arcy McGee arrived and were
asked to speak first.
They spoke of the advantages of uniting:
Free trade between the colonies... businesses would grow and jobs
would be plentiful
An inter-colonial railway could be built to connect all provinces
A central government would be set up for matters affecting all
provinces – but each province would still have its own government to
look after its own affairs

They agreed to meet and discuss the idea of
Confederation at the Québec Conference.
The Québec Conference
Date and Location: 28 October 1864
Québec City, Québec.
 Purpose: to finalize a union of the provinces
 Included seven delegates from NB, seven
from PEI, five from NS, two from NFLD and
twelve from Canada East and Canada West
 They worked out a plan known as the
Seventy-Two Resolutions.

The Seventy-Two Resolutions






There would be a strong central government to look after
affairs affecting the whole country such as defence, trade, and
foreign affairs.
Each province would have its own government to look after
local matters.
The system of government would follow the British
Constitution and the head of the government would be the King
or Queen of England.
The federal government would be made up of an elected House
of Commons and an appointed Legislative Council (Senate).
Members of the House of Commons would be elected according
to the principle of representation by population.
NFLD and NWT and BC would be allowed into the union as
terms could be worked out.
Province of Canada
Who?
For Confederation
Why?
The Great Coalition:
End political deadlock,
Macdonald, Brown, Cartier, strengthen defence,
Galt & McGee
improve trade, build transcontinental railway
Most members of Canada
West (English speaking)
Chance to expand to the
West, union with other
English-speaking colonies
Conservatives (le Parti
Bleu) led by Cartier
(mainly French-speaking)
Separate provincial
government for Québec
would be a way of
protecting FrenchCanadian way of life.
Province of Canada
Who?
Against Confederation English-speaking minority
in Canada East
Why?
Fear of being at a
disadvantage in a province
with a French-Canadian
majority
French-speaking Liberals
Fear that a central
(Le Parti Rouge) in Canada government dominated by
East – led by Dorion
English Canadians would
threaten French Canadian
way of life
Canada West
•
•
•
•
•
They would become a powerful nation
It would provide a barrier-free market
Canada would become the third largest
seagoing nation in the world after Britain
and the USA
It would encourage people to immigrate to
Canada
In case of war, they would stand together
Canada East
Cartier explained that French and English
would be equal partners.
 He promised that they would not lose their
way of life.
 He said that if they did not join that they
could be swallowed by the USA.
 Dorion wanted a referendum, which means
that all the people of Canada East would be
given a chance to vote on the question and
not just members of the Assembly.

New Brunswick
Premier Tilly was in favour of Confederation
and called an election on the question
 The anti-confederates believed that NB
would lose control over their own affairs
 Opponents complained that Tilly sold New
Brunswickers out for .80 cents each at the
Québec Conference
 Tilly and his party was defeated, but the
province still joined the union... more on that
later

Nova Scotia
Leading Anti-Confederate was Joseph Howe,
the best known politician in Atlantic Canada.
 He influenced many people with his
“Botheration Letters.”

Comparing Confederation to a piece of cloth, it is weak and poorly planned
piece of material. Is it a good idea to put new wine (NS) in an old bottle (Province of
Canada) or to attach new cloth to an old item of clothing? Is union strong when a
wise man, doing a steady business, is tricked into joining a gambler? Was Samson
stronger when combined with Delilah, who tied him with ropes and cut off his hair?

The premier of NS was Charles Tupper, who
decided to wait as he did not want the same
result as New Brunswick... more on this later
Prince Edward Island
Advantages were unclear as the promise of a
railway linking the Atlantic Colonies to the
rest of Canada did Prince Edward Island little
good
• PEI was a small colony and would only have a
small amount of representatives in a
Canadian government.
• There was widespread opposition and the
topic was dropped... for now.
•
Newfoundland
They felt few ties with Canada and
Confederation had little appeal.
 They had longstanding bonds with Britain.
 CF Bennett, a wealthy merchant, spoke out
against Confederation. He warned that the
government would tax their boats, fish etc.
and that goods in Canada would be so cheap
that NFLD products would not sell.
 On the night Confederation was defeated in
NFLD, there was a parade in St. John’s.

Anti-Confederation song from NFLD
Hurrah for our own native isle, NFLD!
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 say
If Confederation will carry the day.
Cheap tea and molasses they say they will give,
All taxes take off that the poor man may live;
Cheap nails and cheap lumber our coffins to make,
And homespun to men our old clothes when they break.
Anti-Confederation song from NFLD
If they take off the taxes how then will they meet
The heavy expense of the country’s upkeep?
Just give them the chance to get us in the scrape
And they’ll chain us like slaves with pen, ink, and red tape.
Would you barter the rights that your fathers have won,
Your freedom transmitted from father to son?
For a few thousand dollars of Canadian gold,
Don’t let it be said that your birthright was sold.
Then 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!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmEH1LUV3nE
Anti-Confederation song from NFLD
1. What objections does this song suggest
Newfoundlanders had to Confederation?

The song suggests Newfoundlanders had the objections to
Confederation because the rest of Canada would exploit the
colony’s rich reserves of natural resources and giving nothing
in return. The song also implies that joining Confederation
would be disloyal to Britain.
2. Why is a folk song an effective way to express
feelings about key issues?

The lyrics are usually written in catchy phrases and in a
language used by common people.
Outcome in Atlantic Colonies
Britain supported the idea of Confederation
as it would mean only one colonial
government to deal with
 They would also not have to send soldiers
and the country expanding west would
create more business opportunities
 This led them to being actively involved in
making sure New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
joined the union...

Outcome in Atlantic Colonies
In New Brunswick, Britain instructed the
lieutenant-governor to arrange for a proConfederation decision
 Former Premier Samuel Leonard Tilly
received money from railway promoters,
shipping and timber interests and the
Canadian government to help the cause
 The US had ended free trade and Tilly played
up the Fenian raids... this combination of
factors was enough to convince NB to join

Outcome in Atlantic Colonies
In Nova Scotia, a new, pro-Confederation,
lieutenant-governor, Sir Fenwick Williams,
was appointed
 Williams was a hero in the British navy and
was beloved by many
 He threw his support behind Tupper which
helped to turn the tide and convince Nova
Scotians to join Confederation

The London Conference





Date and Location: 4 December 1866
London, England
Purpose: united Canada East and West, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia
Revised the 72 Resolutions so they would be
passed as an act and made law in British
Parliament.
The British North America Act, which is
now known as the Constitution Act of 1867,
was passed and went into effect on 1 July
1867
It created the Dominion of Canada... a land
stretching from sea to sea.
Term
Definition
Historical Significance
Charlottetown Conference
A meeting organized by
the Maritime colonies to
discuss a union among
them. Politicians from
other colonies came to the
conference to discuss their
plans for a wider union
The Maritime delegates
were impressed by the
advantages cited by the
delegates from Canada
East & West and agreed to
meet at the Québec
Conference to discuss
union
Seventy-Two Resolutions
A plan worked at the
Québec Conference to
ensure that there would be
a string union with a
powerful central
government
These resolutions are the
foundation of the British
North America Act of
1867, which created the
Dominion of Canada.
Québec Conference
A meeting of delegates
from all the colonies who
gathered to sit down and
work out the details of a
plan for a union
This conference initiated
formal plans for
constructing a system of
government that was
unique to Canada
Term
Definition
Historical Significance
Anti-Confederation
Those opposed to
Confederation. They were
numerous and powerful
in NB, PEI and NFLD
The Fathers of
Confederation worked
hard in all their regions to
have the 72 Resolutions
pass in their Assemblies.
PEI and NFLD rejected
Confederation in 1867.
Subsidy
A sum of money that each
colony would receive from
the central government
each year, based upon the
population of the colony.
Opponents of
Confederation in NB used
the subsidy to attack the
plan and accused the
delegates of selling New
Brunswickers to the
Canadians for 80 cents
each.
Referendum
A vote of all citizens on a
question
Although Cartier refused
Dorion’s request for a
referendum, there have
been referendums in
Québec in 1980 and 1995