Canada In The 19th Century

The 19th century was a huge step in the history of Canada. They decided that it shouldn’t be divided in east and west but combined to be a country. In 1864 they had their first conference in Charlottetown with Ontario, Québec and the Maritimes. They also had another that same year in Québec. In Québec, even Newfoundland and Labrador was invited. In 1866 all the colonies go to London (England) for permission to unite. Aubiosly London accepte since this was their plan since the beginning. To unite themselves they wanted to build a train going from one end to another. London is still so thankful that their dream of Canada is starting to become true that the Baring Brothers will make a loan to the colonies. The train is built from 1818 to 1860 and was the first step to what Canada is today. I question two things about this part in history, why did the colonies even
want to unite? Did they all always want this?

Why did the colonies unite?
What was the position of the colonies? Who wanted this? Why or Why not?

Why did the colonies unite?
The colonies united for several reasons.
Those reasons include commerce. Commerce is essential in that era. Mostly because different regions have different resources and you can't live off one resource which enforces trades. With a train we can deliver fish from the maritimes, wood and fur from the west and industrialised products from Montreal. This gives all the colonies a variety of resources. Also, with a train we can unite the colonies as one so that all the land between British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador is one country and no longer divided. Plus in 1854, when London started bringing the British troops home to fight in the Crimea war and save money, it left us practically defenceless. Since we are now vulnerable to the United States, who have attacked us before, we can build a train so we can move more soldiers faster, more efficiently and easier to defend a raid if it ever occurred. We could also move simple villagers to see family and friends or move to a new colonie to start a new life. Uniting the colonies can also help achieve Britain's dream for the colonies to become more
independent.

What was the position of the colonies? Who wanted this? Why or Why not?
Most of the colonies refuse the idea of joining together and becoming one. Mostly because they want to be sure of preserving their unique traditions. Here are the inverses of each colonie and their reasoning.

Colonie
Chef or government
Position
Canada-United
(Ontario, Québec)
John A. Macdonald and George Étienne Cartier
They approve. They believe we would become more developed, better economy and can defend themselves essayer.
Nova Scotia
Charles Tupper
They approve, however, there are several deputies that don't like this idea.
New Brunswick
Samuel Tilley
They approve after several votes. Eventually Sammul Tilley signs the deed even though plenty electors are against this act.
Prince-Edward-Island
James Colledge Pope
They approve but they want $800 000 to buy back land that they lost to the United States during different wars.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Frederic Bowker and Terrington Carter
They approve. They are all extremely worried about losing their traditions.
(colin, M. Bain, p.59)
In conclusion, all the colonies united. They used a train to unite us. The train brought commerce, defence, land and most importantly our economy boosted and we are no longer divided. Without this action we wouldn't be where we are today and might even be split in two countries and British-Colombia might even be american. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoyed my presentation.