Canadian Confederation

In Canada, in the 1860’s, five major problems pushed the colonies towards confederation. 1.War and Expansionism in the US  The US was in the middle of a bloody civil war with the North against the South. England supported the South.When the North won the war in 1865, Canadians began to worry that they would now turn on Canada.  Many Americans believed in “Manifest Destiny”. They believed it was natural that the US would one day control all of North America.  The US also began expanding into Alaska and many Americans moved into the colony of BC.  The threat of invasion from the US and American expansion were factors in pushing the colonies together.

2.Problems with the Fenians  Canada was invaded by Irish American troops (Fenians) after the Civil War.  The Fenians were looking for a way to free Ireland from British rule. They thought that if they captured Canada, they could force Britain to free Ireland.  They began a series of invasions…some were successful.  These attacks had 2 effects on the colonies: a.John A MAcDonald stated that these raids were a reason to unite the colonies as they would be in a stronger position to defend themselves if they came together. b.Canadians were feeling more resentful of the US. They felt that the US were not doing enough to stop the invasions.

3.Trouble with Trade  The provinces had a special trading position with Britain. They could export to Britain with a very low tax. This was called a preference.  Americans had to pay a higher tax to trade with Britain so they moved goods to Britain through Canada at the preferred rate.  However, in 1846, Britain ended the preferential tax and brought in Free Trade. This meant that Britain would allow goods from any country into its markets without a tax.  Because of the money they had invested in trade due to the preferential tax, Canadians now found themselves in financial trouble. With Free Trade, Americans no longer had to go through Canada to ship to Britain. The colonies would have to find new trading partners so they turned to the US.

3.# 3 cont…  They entered a Reciprocity agreement with the US in The Reciprocity agreement allowed the colonies to trade certain goods with the US, free of taxes or tariffs.  In the meantime, there was very little trading amongst the colonies themselves. And, when they did trade with each other, they charged one another high taxes.  However, in 1865, the US announced that it would end the Reciprocity agreement with Canada. This meant Canada again faced financial trouble because of trade.  The only solution seemed to be to trade with each other. And, it would be easier and more logical for them to do this if they were united.

4.The need for Rail Links  If the colonies were going to trade with one another, there had to be rail links. However, in the 1850s, this was lacking.  The colonies set about building a railway line that would link Canada West with the Atlantic Ocean. By 1860, it was costing a fortune and was almost bankrupt.  Many people felt that the only way to finish the project would be to unite the colonies and share the financial burden.  These railways would also provide a communication as well as a trade link between the colonies. It was also seen as necessary for defense.

5.Changing British Attitudes  In England, there was a small group that wanted to get rid of the colonies. They were known as the Little Englanders and they felt that the colonies were a great burden with one of the biggest expenses being defense.  This group felt that it was time the colonies paied their own way. They were tired of seeing their tax dollars go overseas to pay for problems that had nothing to do with Britain. Many people in England agreed with them.  This was another threat that pushed the colonies to unite.