Lesson 4 of 5 · 8 min read
On July 1, 1867, three British colonies became the four founding provinces of the Dominion of Canada. Over the next fifty years the country stretched from sea to sea, through the Métis uprisings, a railway to the Pacific and a wave of immigration.
From 1864 to 1867, representatives of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada, with British support, worked together to create a new country. They are the Fathers of Confederation. They designed two levels of government, federal and provincial, and split the old Province of Canada into Ontario and Quebec.
The British Parliament passed the British North America Act, and the Dominion of Canada was born on July 1, 1867, with four provinces:
Each province would elect its own legislature and control areas such as education and health. Until 1982, July 1 was celebrated as Dominion Day; today it is Canada Day.
In 1869 Canada took over the vast northwest from the Hudson's Bay Company without consulting the 12,000 Métis of the Red River. Louis Riel led an armed uprising and seized Fort Garry. Ottawa sent soldiers to retake it in 1870, Riel fled to the United States, and Canada created a new province: Manitoba.
To keep order in the West and help negotiations with First Nations, Macdonald founded the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1873. They built Fort Calgary, Fort Macleod and other posts that are now cities, with headquarters in Regina. Today they are the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the national police force; frontier hero Sir Sam Steele came from their ranks.
As westward settlement again threatened Métis and First Nations rights, a second rebellion in 1885, in present-day Saskatchewan, led to Riel's trial and execution for high treason, a decision strongly opposed in Quebec. Gabriel Dumont was the Métis' greatest military leader. Many see Riel as a hero, a defender of Métis rights and the father of Manitoba.
British Columbia joined in 1871 after Ottawa promised a railway to the West Coast. On November 7, 1885, Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona) drove the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway, a powerful symbol of unity. It was built by European and Chinese workers. Afterward the Chinese faced discrimination, including the Head Tax, a race-based entry fee; the Government of Canada apologized in 2006.
The economy boomed in the 1890s and early 1900s, and one million British and one million American immigrants arrived. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the first French-Canadian Prime Minister since Confederation, encouraged settlement of the West; his portrait is on the $5 bill. The railway brought 170,000 Ukrainians, 115,000 Poles and tens of thousands from Germany, France, Norway and Sweden, who built a thriving farm economy before 1914.
Most Canadians were proud to be part of the British Empire: over 7,000 volunteered for the South African (Boer) War of 1899–1902, and over 260 died.
| Year | Joined or created |
|---|---|
| 1867 | Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick |
| 1870 | Manitoba, Northwest Territories |
| 1871 | British Columbia |
| 1873 | Prince Edward Island |
| 1880 | Arctic Islands transferred (to the N.W.T.) |
| 1898 | Yukon Territory |
| 1905 | Alberta, Saskatchewan |
| 1949 | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| 1999 | Nunavut |
Key facts
From 1864 to 1867, the Fathers of Confederation from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada worked to create a new country with two levels of government, federal and provincial.
The British North America Act created the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867, from four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
July 1 was called Dominion Day until 1982; today it is Canada Day.
Sir John A. Macdonald, born in Scotland on January 11, 1815, became the first Prime Minister. Sir George-Étienne Cartier was the key architect of Confederation from Quebec.
Sir Leonard Tilley suggested the name Dominion of Canada in 1864, inspired by Psalm 72: "dominion from sea to sea."
When Canada took over the northwest from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869 without consulting the Métis, Louis Riel led an uprising. Canada then created Manitoba in 1870.
Macdonald created the North West Mounted Police in 1873; today they are the RCMP. A second uprising in 1885 led to Riel's execution for high treason.
British Columbia joined in 1871 on the promise of a railway; the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven on November 7, 1885.
Discover Canada — Canada's History — Building a CountrySir Wilfrid Laurier was the first French-Canadian Prime Minister since Confederation and encouraged immigration to the West.
Discover Canada — Canada's History — Building a CountryAnswer all 4 to mark this lesson done.
1. Which four provinces formed Canada in 1867?
2. What was July 1 called until 1982?
3. Why did British Columbia join Canada in 1871?
4. Who led the Métis uprisings and is seen by many as the father of Manitoba?
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