The Early Years: 

• Canada used to be made of the Upper & Lower Canada

• Completed in the Constitutional Act of 1791 

• Upper Canada (Ontario)

• From England

• English speakers

• Lowe Canada

• French

• Catholic Christianity

What Life Was Like?:

• Family Compact

• Not investing in the company

• Rich families  

• 10% of income were sent to church (tithes)

• Led to 1817 Rebellion 

• William lyon mackenzie

• To limit the government's power

•  Can only vote:

• White

• Rich & owns land

Lord Durham’s Report (1837)

• Liberal sent by king to resolve rebellions

• Said French & English are battling 

• Claims french have no culture 

• Should be destroyed 

• What did he want?

• Untie the Canada’s by assimilating the French

• Eliminate the clergy/ patronage

• Create a responsible government

Responsible Government:

• Government system:

• Responsible to its citizens  

• Elected representation

• Effective

• Equal

• By 1851

• Have a responsible government in United Canada’s

Lead Up to Confederation:

• People in the Canada’s wanted local governments to control local affairs

• Not rich people in England 

• Capital City?

• Ottawa 

• Toronto

• Montreal

• Kingston

• Ottawa  

• Ottawa it is

• It is still in Upper Canada

John A. Macdonald: 

• Thought responsible Government is the solution

• Runs for leadership on Canada

• Represented by population

• Pushes for other separate provinces to come together in a union to make a stronger Canada

Why Confederation: 

• Internal

• Political Stalemate

• Economic Success (Railway)

• Developing & Settling the West

Why Confederation?: 

• Civil War

• Trade Issues

• Free movement of goods 

• Fenian raids

• Irish Catholics attempted to conquer Canada through Manitoba

Confederation (July 1st, 1867)

• Meeting in Charlottetown

• John A & Oliver Mowait promoted idea of Transcontinental Nation 

• Approved July 1, 1867 

• 2 governments

• Municipal 

• Property

• Civil rights 

• Central

• Education

• Health

• Taxation 

• Railways

• British Columbia (Des Cosmos) Wagon Trail  

• 3 million people living in Canada

MacDonald's National Policy:

1. Build a railway

2. Raise tariffs (duty)

3. Promate immigration

Wilfrid Laurier:

• Becomes prime minister

•  1896

• French & catholic

• Agrees with everything John A did 

• Except tariffs 

• Lowers rate from 30% to 12.5%

• Offers of Empires

• Gold was discovered in Alaska

• Americans get there from British Columbia 

• Boer War: 

• 1899 - 1900

• Coming to Britain's defence

• Volunteer basis fighting as British troops

• 1000 men 

• Laurier does not want a military

• Continues to fight for Free Trade with United States

• Angers Canadians in 1911 

• Laurier loses election

• Borden becomes Prime Minister

Populating Canada: 

• CLIFFORD SIFTON

• Minister of the interior

• Job was to populate the west

• People willing to become British

• Open Door Policy

• Offered 65 hectares of land for $1

Clifford Sifton: 

• Promotion of immigration was an immense success

• Taking advantage of a strong economic recovery that made farming in the West more attractive

• Established a vigorous organization

• To seek out settlers in the US, Britain & east-central Europe 

• Against attacks by nativist 

*** Primary trading partner at the times was not us, it was the great Britain ***