On July 1, 1867, the British North America Act created the Dominion of Canada. The Fathers of Confederation from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada built federal and provincial levels of government, and split the Province of Canada into Ontario and Quebec. The first four provinces were Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
1837 – 1849Rebellions and Responsible Government
By the 1830s, reformers in both Canadas thought democracy was coming too slowly; a few wanted American-style republicanism or even union with the United States. Armed risings broke out in 1837–38 near Montreal and in Toronto, but without enough popular support they were crushed by British regulars and Canadian volunteers. Some rebels were hanged, others exiled (a few later returned).
Sent from England to investigate, the reformer Lord Durham proposed two things: unite Upper and Lower Canada, and grant responsible government — a system in which the Crown’s ministers can govern only with the backing of a majority of the elected representatives. His third idea was the controversial one: that the Canadiens should assimilate into English-speaking Protestant culture. It showed he understood nothing of French Canadians, who were determined to preserve French Canada’s distinct identity. Several reformers of this era — Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché, Sir George-Étienne Cartier and Sir John A. Macdonald (who had served in Upper Canada’s volunteer government militia) — went on to become Fathers of Confederation.
The union came in 1840, creating the Province of Canada. There, Robert Baldwin and Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine — and Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia — pressed British governors for reform. Nova Scotia got there first, winning full responsible government in 1847–48; Governor Lord Elgin, with London’s encouragement, brought it to United Canada in 1848–49. La Fontaine, who fought for democracy and French language rights, became in 1849 the first head of a responsible government in the Canadas — a role similar to a prime minister.
Remember this
- Responsible government: ministers need the confidence of a majority of elected members; lose a confidence vote and the government must resign. Canada still runs this way.
- First to win it: Nova Scotia, 1847–48; United Canada under Lord Elgin, 1848–49.
- First head of a responsible government in the Canadas: La Fontaine, 1849.
1864 – 1867Confederation
Between 1864 and 1867, delegates from the Province of Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia — backed by Britain — designed a new country. We call them the Fathers of Confederation. Their design had two levels of government, federal and provincial, and split the old Province of Canada into Ontario and Quebec; with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, these four made up the Dominion of Canada. Each province elected its own legislature and ran fields such as education and health.
Westminster’s British North America Act of 1867 created the Dominion, which came into being on July 1, 1867. That anniversary was Dominion Day until 1982, recalling the day Canada became a self-governing Dominion; it is now Canada Day.
The word Dominion was Sir Leonard Tilley’s idea. A Father of Confederation from New Brunswick, he suggested it in 1864 after reading Psalm 72 — “dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth” — which fit the dream of a powerful, united, wealthy and free country spanning the continent. The title went into the Constitution, served officially for about 100 years, and is still part of our heritage. In 1921 King George V gave Canada its national colours, white and red — today’s flag colours.
Remember this
- First four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick.
- BNA Act 1867; born July 1, 1867; Dominion Day until 1982, now Canada Day.
- Tilley + Psalm 72 = “Dominion”; George V + 1921 = white and red.
1919 – 1939Between the Wars
Out of the post-war British Empire grew a free association of states, the British Commonwealth of Nations. Canada is still a leading member, together with other former parts of the Empire — Australia, New Zealand, India and a number of Caribbean and African countries. Prosperity and low unemployment marked the “Roaring Twenties,” but the stock market crash of 1929 brought the Great Depression — the “Dirty Thirties.” By 1933 unemployment stood at 27%, businesses had collapsed, and Western farmers, facing drought and low grain prices, were hit hardest of all.
Canadians began demanding a social safety net: a minimum wage, a standard work week, and programs like unemployment insurance. A central bank, the Bank of Canada, was created in 1934 to manage the money supply and stabilize the financial system. Immigration dwindled and many refugees were refused — among them Jews trying to escape Nazi Germany in 1939. One bright spot: Phil Edwards, born in British Guiana, took bronze for Canada at three Olympics (1928, 1932, 1936), then graduated from McGill’s medical school, served as an army captain in the Second World War and became a Montreal expert in tropical diseases.
Test questions on this topic
What are the representatives who worked from 1864 to 1867 to establish a new country known as?
Why: Between 1864 and 1867 delegates from the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick set about building a new country, with Britain's blessing. They are remembered as the Fathers of Confederation, and the system they designed had two tiers of government, federal and provincial.
Which four provinces made up the Dominion of Canada when it was created in 1867?
Why: The old Province of Canada was divided into Ontario and Quebec; with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia they made up the new Dominion of Canada. Every province would choose its own legislature and take charge of matters such as education and health.
Which act, passed by the British Parliament in 1867, gave birth to the Dominion of Canada?
Why: The British North America Act, passed at Westminster in 1867, brought the Dominion of Canada formally into being on July 1 of that year. The date was kept as "Dominion Day" until 1982, marking Canada's becoming a self-governing Dominion; the official name now is Canada Day.
On what date was the Dominion of Canada officially born?
Why: The Dominion of Canada came formally into being on July 1, 1867. The date was kept as "Dominion Day" until 1982, marking Canada's becoming a self-governing Dominion; its official name now is Canada Day.
Until 1982, July 1 was celebrated as 'Confederation Day' before becoming officially known as Canada Day.
Why: Up to 1982 the July 1 holiday was "Dominion Day," marking the day Canada became a self-governing Dominion. Its official name now is Canada Day.
Who suggested the term 'Dominion of Canada' in 1864, inspired by Psalm 72 in the Bible?
Why: Sir Leonard Tilley — an elected official from New Brunswick and a Father of Confederation — proposed the name Dominion of Canada in 1864, drawing on Psalm 72, which speaks of "dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth."
Which monarch gave Canada its national colours of white and red in 1921?
Why: A Dominion of Canada $1 bill of 1923 bearing King George V, who in 1921 assigned Canada its national colours, white and red — the colours of the flag today.
Which provinces joined the Dominion in 1905?
Why: Alberta and Saskatchewan were both carved out as provinces in 1905, part of the Dominion’s westward growth after the railway.
In what year did Newfoundland and Labrador join the Dominion?
Why: Newfoundland and Labrador was the last province to join, in 1949; during the Second World War it had still been a separate British entity.
In what year was Nunavut added to the Dominion?
Why: Nunavut, the newest territory, was created in 1999 — the last entry in the Dominion’s expansion, which began with four provinces in 1867.
Which province joined Canada in 1871?
Why: British Columbia entered Confederation in 1871, the year after Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, on the strength of Ottawa’s promise of a railway to the Pacific.
Who became Canada's first Prime Minister in 1867?
Why: Canada's first Prime Minister was Sir John Alexander Macdonald, one of the Fathers of Confederation, who took office in 1867. Scotland was his birthplace, on January 11, 1815; his family brought him to Upper Canada in childhood, and he practised law at Kingston, Ontario. He was a gifted politician with a vivid personality.
On which bill does the portrait of Sir John A. Macdonald appear?
Why: January 11 is recognized by Parliament as Sir John A. Macdonald Day, and his portrait appears on the $10 bill.
Sir George-Etienne Cartier was Confederation's key architect from Ontario.
Why: Confederation's chief architect in Quebec was Sir George-Étienne Cartier — a Montrealer, a railway lawyer, a patriotic Canadien and a close ally of Macdonald. He carried Quebec into Confederation and helped bring in the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and British Columbia.
When Canada acquired the northwest from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1869, who led the Métis in an armed rising and took Fort Garry?
Why: Canada acquired the vast northwest from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869 without consulting the Red River's 12,000 Métis. Louis Riel answered with an armed rising and took Fort Garry, the territorial capital.
What new province did Canada establish after sending soldiers to retake Fort Garry in 1870?
Why: Troops sent from Ottawa recovered Fort Garry in 1870. Riel escaped to the United States, and Manitoba was created as a new province. He won election to Parliament but never sat.
What happened to Louis Riel after the second rebellion in 1885 in present-day Saskatchewan?
Why: Westward settlement threatened Métis and Indian rights again, and a second rising in 1885, in what is now Saskatchewan, ended with Riel tried and executed for high treason — a decision Quebec bitterly opposed. Many regard him as a hero who defended Métis rights, and as the father of Manitoba.
In what year did Prime Minister Macdonald establish the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) to pacify the West?
Why: Following the first Métis rising, Prime Minister Macdonald created the North West Mounted Police in 1873 to bring order to the West and to help in negotiations with the Indians. The force established Fort Calgary, Fort MacLeod and other posts that are cities and towns today, with Regina as its headquarters.
What is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) today?
Why: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police — the RCMP, or "the Mounties" — serve as the national police force and rank among the country's best-known symbols. The ranks produced some of Canada's most vivid heroes, Major General Sir Sam Steele among them.
Who was the Metis' greatest military leader?
Why: Sir Sam Steele: a hero of the frontier, a Mounted Policeman and a soldier of the Queen. On the Métis side, Gabriel Dumont was the finest military leader they had.
On what date was the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway driven by Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona)?
Why: November 7, 1885 saw the last spike driven, a powerful emblem of unity. The man who swung the hammer was Donald Smith — Lord Strathcona — born in Scotland and a director of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Alongside European workers, which group of labourers built the Canadian Pacific Railway and afterwards faced the Head Tax?
Why: British and American money paid for the line and European and Chinese labourers built it. The Chinese then met discrimination, the Head Tax among it — an entry fee levied by race. Ottawa apologized for that policy in 2006.
In what year did the Government of Canada apologize for the discriminatory Head Tax policy imposed on the Chinese?
Why: Chinese labourers afterwards faced discrimination, including the Head Tax, an entry fee charged on racial grounds. Ottawa apologized for the policy in 2006.
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