In September 1864, representatives from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick were planning to meet to discuss a Maritime union. When news of this meeting reached the Province of Canada, John A. Macdonald and other pro-Confederation leaders asked to attend. The conference was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

The Charlottetown Conference was the first of three sets of meetings held between 1864 and 1866 to discuss and debate Confederation.

Newfoundland was not represented at this conference. Colonies in the Pacific Coast region were not central to the discussions of Confederation at this time. Through lengthy speeches and many arguments, politicians from the Province of Canada and the Maritime colonies discussed the idea of a formal union.

By the end of the Charlottetown Conference, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island had abandoned the idea of a Maritime union to consider a union with the Province of Canada. But now all of the leaders needed to work out the terms of Confederation.

A second conference was held in October 1864 in Québec City. Representatives from Canada West, Canada East, and the Atlantic colonies discussed and debated how the new country would be governed and how the needs and wants of each of the colonies would be met.

The Maritimes wanted access to new trade partners in British North America. For this, they needed a railway to move their goods. Prince Edward Island wanted a ferry system to have better access to the mainland. Canada East wanted special rights for religion, education, and language. John A. Macdonald of Canada West wanted a very strong central government. He drafted the majority of the resolutions (decisions) reached during the Québec Conference. These resolutions were drafted into a document named The 72 Resolutions and were voted on before the delegates left for home.

As a result of the Québec Conference, only the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia agreed to join Confederation. Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland were not yet convinced the union was in their best interests.

With the list of resolutions drafted, the Fathers of Confederation representing Canada West, Canada East, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia travelled to England to write the British North America Act. This legislation would officially end their status as individual British colonies. They would be joined together as a united, partially self-governing country by an act of British Parliament. The Dominion of Canada came into existence on July 1, 1867 with four provinces Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

July 1, 1867, became known as Dominion Day. The picture below shows people gathered to hear the reading of Queen Victoria’s proclamation. In it, she declared that the Province of Canada (now split into two provinces, Ontario and Québec), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia were officially united in the Dominion of Canada. John A. Macdonald was appointed prime minister on July 1, 1867, and was elected to the position a month later. Queen Victoria also knighted him for his role in forming the new dominion.

In both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Queen Victoria’s proclamation met with protests. Many people believed Confederation was pushed on them due to their lack of voting rights.