The Canadian Confederation

The Canadian Confederation

The Charlottetown Conference

September 1-9, 1864

In the spring of 1864, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were contemplating the possibility of Maritime Union. Resolutions had been passed in their legislatures to appoint delegates to a conference on the matter, but no further plans were made until the Province of Canada heard of the proposed conference. The Province had problems of its own, springing from the legislative union of Canada East and Canada West. Members of the combined legislature requested permission to attend the meeting of the colonies, in order to raise the larger subject of British North American union, something they saw as a solution to their difficulties.

The Maritime colonies had therefore to plan a conference for the Canadians to attend, and to appoint their own delegates. It was decided, after much deliberation, to hold the meetings in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, beginning on September 1, 1864. Representatives were appointed from the Province of Canada as well as from the three Maritime colonies that had originally discussed union. Newfoundland asked belatedly (on August 18th) if it might attend, but by then there was not enough time left to organize a delegation.

First to arrive in Charlottetown was Robert Dickey of Nova Scotia, on August 30th. His four fellow delegates, led by Charles Tupper, arrived by steamer on the afternoon of August 31 and New Brunswick's delegates followed late in the evening of the same day. Sharing the city's spotlight with the first circus to visit the island in over twenty years, the conference delegates had no small trouble finding accommodations in an already crowded city. The Canadians finally arrived by steamer on the morning of September 1. Since many Island government officials were busy with last-minute preparations, one of the delegates was sent on a rowboat to greet the visitors.

Official proceedings began on the afternoon of September 1, with the appointment of officers. As the Conference was following parliamentary protocol, the Canadians were at this point only observers. They made their presentations regarding union the next day, when invited to do so by the Maritime delegates. Once their presentations began, talk of Maritime Union vanished from the conference agenda. The proceedings were closed, and so there exists little or no public record of what was said during these meetings. However, it is known that George-Ð"‰tienne Cartier and John A. Macdonald presented the arguments in favour of union, that Alexander Galt discussed the possible financial arrangements, and that George Brown suggested the form that a united government might take. There was also an article outlining the proceedings, attributed to Jonathan McCully, which appeared in the Halifax Morning Chronicle on September 10, 1864.

The Conference was not all business. Indeed, the various social events held throughout the proceedings were as important for the delegates as the formal discussions, establishing camaraderie and a common sense of purpose. Activities included the famous oyster and champagne lunch aboard the Canadians' ship, luncheons at the homes of local delegates and officials, seaside excursions, and a grand ball at the legislative building. George Brown's letter to his wife, written during the Conference, provides a vivid description of these events.

The meetings at Charlottetown were adjourned on September 9, 1864, but the delegates continued with meetings in Halifax, Saint John, and Fredericton. It was decided that the idea of British North American union had enough merit to warrant further discussion, and formal planning. With this in mind, a second conference was scheduled to begin October 10, 1864 at QuÐ"©bec City.

The QuÐ"©bec Conference

October 10-27, 1864

The QuÐ"©bec Conference was the second conference leading to creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867. After the enthusiastic reception given to the delegates from the Province of Canada at the Charlottetown Conference in September 1864, John A. Macdonald asked Governor Monck to invite representatives from the three Maritime colonies and Newfoundland to meet with the United Canada delegates in QuÐ"©bec in October 1864. The Confederation project proposed in Charlottetown was on the agenda and, if the talks went well, a constitutional proposal would be drafted. In Charlottetown, the Canadian delegation had proposed the foundations for a new country: preservation of ties with Great Britain; residual jurisdiction left to a central authority; a bicameral system including a Lower House with representation by population (rep by pop) and an Upper House with representation based on regional, rather than provincial, equality; responsible government at the federal and provincial levels; and the appointment of a governor general by the British Crown.

The QuÐ"©bec Conference took place from October 10 to 27, 1864, in a magnificent building that stood where the ChÐ"Ñžteau Frontenac is today. Participants were charmed by the site on Cape Diamant, overlooking the St. Lawrence, with a view of Ð"Ћle d'OrlÐ"©ans and the shore of LÐ"©vis. The Plains of Abraham were only a few minutes' stroll away. In contrast with the breathtaking location, the weather was miserably cold and windy, and the incessant rain dampened the spirits of the delegates.

The following delegates attended the QuÐ"©bec Conference as representatives of the colonies. For Canada East: George-Ð"‰tienne Cartier, Jean-Charles Chapais, Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Alexander Tilloch Galt, Hector-Louis Langevin and Ð"‰tienne-Paschal TachÐ"©. For Canada West: George Brown, Alexander Campbell, James Cockburn, John Alexander Macdonald, William McDougall and Oliver Mowat. For New Brunswick: Edward Barron Chandler, Charles Fisher, John Hamilton Gray, John Mercer Johnson, Peter Mitchell, William H. Steeves and Samuel Leonard Tilley. For Nova Scotia: Adams George Archibald, Robert Barry Dickey, William Alexander Henry, Jonathan McCully and Charles Tupper. For Prince Edward Island: George Coles, John Hamilton Gray, Thomas Heath Haviland, Andrew Archibald Macdonald, Edward Palmer, William Henry