British North America Act Officially Recognized the Dominion of Canada
Today in History: July 1, 1867
Happy Canada Day!
On July 1, 1867, the passage of the British North America Act officially recognized the Dominion of Canada, an alliance between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the future provinces of Quebec and Ontario by Great Britain.
This made Canada officially a self-governing entity of the British Empire. In 1869, Canada bought expansive possession of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Manitoba and Prince Edward Island joined the Canadian federation within a decade.
In 1841, the Act of Union made Lower and Upper Canada, currently Quebec and Ontario, into a single province.
The requirement for finding a solution to the conflict between the French and the English, the desire for a national railway system, and the need for a common defense developed into a movement for a greater Canadian federation.
In 1864, the Maritime Provinces were looking to unite and held a conference attended by delegates from other Canadian provinces. In the same year, Quebec hosted another conference.
Representatives from Canada attended a meeting in London in 1866 to confer with the British government.
The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail; 1968-1996; now CPR) ended in 1885, paving the way for mass settlement across the extensive Canadian territory.
July 1 later officially became known as Canada Day.