SIR JOHN A MACDONALD
Macdonald’s Personal Life
Immigrated from Scotland at 5 years old
He was not a very successful businessman, but
was a successful lawyer
Entered politics at age 28
Became member in Legislative Assembly for
Canada West
Leader of the Conservative Party (GreatCoalition)
Had significant drinking problem
VISION
“Let us be English or let
us be French….Above
all let us be
Canadians.”
.
Sir John A Macdonald had
a national vision to unite
Canada from sea to sea.
How did he achieve this goal?
Map of Canada - 1867
New Brunswick
Lack of popular support in each province
for joining confederation
Concerns about being swallowed by Ontario
and Quebec
SO, HOW DID MACDONALD
CONVINCE THEM TO JOIN?
NEW BRUNSWICK (cont.)
Transfer payments
Assumption of debt
Building of railroad
NOVA SCOTIA
Howe concerned about loss of Nova
Scotians’ identity if they were to join
confederation
Howe sought closer ties with Britain
Trent Affair
SO, HOW DID MACDONALD
CONVINCE THEM TO JOIN?
NOVA SCOTIA (cont.)
Transfer payments
Assumption of colonial debt
Promise of railroad
Subsidies
When popular opinion in Nova Scotia threatened
confederation, Macdonald promised to increase
annual subsidies 30% over next 10 years
Macdonald offered Howe a federal cabinet
porfolio
CONSIDER…..
Population of Canada by
Province in 1871
Transfer payments to
each province
Ontario
1 620 581
Quebec
1 191 516
Nova Scotia
387 800
New Brunswick 285 594
Ontario
$80,000
Quebec
$70,000
Nova Scotia $60,000
New Brunswick $50,000
The latecomers…..
-
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Geographically isolated
Crucial to fulfill vision of Canada from “sea
to sea”
Canadians willing to grant major
concessions to have British Columbia join
Confederation
BRITISH COLUMBIA (cont.)
BC decided to join in 1871 – Why?
Permanent rail link to West Coast within 10 years
Assumption of colonial debt
Pensions for unelected officials who would lose
positions after BC joined confederation
BUT, opposition and some members from Ontario
viewed the terms as entirely too generous
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Refused confederation in 1867
Felt that they had little to gain and their
independence to lose
SO, WHY THE CHANGE OF HEART?
Absentee landlords owned most of the land and
would not sell at reasonable rates to sellers
Railway project on Island was threatening
finances of colony
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Canada agreed to assume PEI’s debt
Canada agreed to buy the land from absentee
landlords for $800,000 and sell to settlors
Connection of PEI to mainland by ferry was
guaranteed
(Interesting note: When bridge to PEI was
completed in 1997, that condition of
confederation was deleted)
NORTH-WEST
Bought land from Hudson’s Bay Company in
1869
Increased size of Canada by six times
Manitoba Act of 1870 created Province of
Manitoba
in response to Red River Rebellion
Newfoundland did not join
until 1949 despite
participating in the
discussions leading up to
Confederation
_________________________
Discussion of Macdonald’s
actions to unite Canada
Did he give too much away to the
detriment of other provinces?
Were his concessions defensible for
the unification of Canada?
THE BEGINNINGS OF
CANADA
but
THE END OF THE
PRESENTATION