The Charlottetown Conference Steps Towards Confederation

The Initial Conference In the summer of 1864 there was talk amongst the maritime colonies about joining together. They had been talking about this for several years.

Canada Approaches Out of the blue, Canada requested to be a part of the talks of a union. It seemed that the colony of Canada was making a serious move towards uniting all the colonies of British North America. New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia invited the Canadian politicians over for a conference.

I’m On A Boat! On August 29 th 1864 a group of Canadian politicians took a trip on a boat called the Queen Victoria from Quebec City over to Prince Edward Island to meet with the political leaders of the maritime provinces. Their goal was to convince the opponents of confederation who still existed in the Atlantic.

The Politicians on Board John A. MacDonald, George Brown, George- Etienne Cartier, Alexander Galt and Thomas D’Arcy McGee.

The Conference For about a week the politicians of Canada carefully executed their plan to present their argument for a combined confederation with the upcoming maritime union. A newspaper out of Saint John, New Brunswick declared the Canadian politicians to be “almost irresistible” in their efforts.

The Delegates

Work & Play As well as the elaborate discussions that went on there was also plenty of opportunities for the delegates to have parties and other social events. One of the most important acts of hospitality by the Canadians was hosting a luncheon on the Queen Victoria. Many believed that confederacy was now in reach.

What’s Next? After finishing the conference in Charlottetown the Atlantic delegates set aside their previous idea of a Maritime Union. Following a convincing outing in Charlottetown, the Canadians suggested hosting a conference of their own, this time in Quebec City.

Next Stop: Quebec City! Next class we’ll see what happened in the second of three important conferences.