Confederation Conferences

Charlottetown conference:
The Charlottetown conference took place on September 1-9, 1864.  In the spring of 1864, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI were thinking about a maritime union.  Some activities that surrounded the conference which included the famous oyster and champagne lunch, luncheons at the homes of local delegates and officials, seaside excursions, and a grand ball in the legislative building.  The specific details that were discussed were classified for the public.  This conference will be one of the major steps to confederation because it is the first place where confederation was considered be the colonies.  The maritime colonies thought this was a pretty good idea and wanted a follow up conference to extend the concept.

“The Charlottetown Conference.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada. Web. 13 Nov. 2015. <http://www.cbc.ca/history/EPCONTENTSE1EP8CH4PA1LE.html>.

Quebec conference:
The Quebec Conference took place on October 10-27, 1864 in a very large beautiful building.  The delegates were charmed by the magnificent view of the St. Lawrence River and the Ile d’orleans, The plains of Abraham are only a few minutes away by foot.  It was a very windy and cold day for the conference.  At the conference the delegates from the colonies, including Newfoundland, drafted a document known as the 72 resolutions, also known the Quebec resolutions named after the drafting place.  Some of the main  resolutions are:
Resolution 1: The best interests of British North America lie in a union that is fair to all provinces.
Resolution 3: The British constitution will be the model for the constitution of the new union.
Resolution 17: Sets the seats in the House of Commons for each province.
Resolution 29: Proposes the powers of the federal government.Resolution 43: Proposes the powers of the provincial governments.
Resolution 44: Laws from the federal government will void provincial laws if there is a conflict between the two.
Resolution 46: Both English and French to be used in government.
Resolution 48: All tax bills are to originate in the House of Commons or House of Assembly.
Resolution 52: The seat of the federal government will be in Ottawa.
Resolution 60: The federal government will assume the debts of all the provinces.
Resolutions 61-69: Set certain conditions and incentives for different provinces to enter the union.
This conference will be the the second major step to confederation for Canada.

“Colloque Conférence De Québec 1864: Jour 2.” Blogue Ville De Montmagny Pour Loisirs Culture Et Vie Communautaire RSS2. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. <http://www.vivremontmagny.com/2014/10/19/colloque-conference-de-quebec-1864-jour-2/>.

London conference:
As soon as the preliminary discussions were over, the meetings officially began on December 4 and they took place at the Westminster Palace Hotel in London.  This conference was much smaller than those held in Charlottetown and Quebec and the conference took place from December 1866 to March 1867. They first reviewed the 72 Resolutions to ensure that each resolution was satisfactory. The review was completed in late December and the London version of the resolution have been sent to the Colonial Office. The delegates want Canada to be a kingdom but the British feared that this title would anger the United States and they denied the request. An alternative title, Dominion, was suggested by Samuel Leonard Tilley.  The delegates had the completed text for the bill by the first week of February 1867. It was submitted to the Queen on February 11, and read in the House of Lords for the first time the next day. The bill passed through its first, second, and third readings in the House of Lords during February. The three readings in the House of Commons were also completed quickly, within two weeks with very little debate. The British North America Act received the Royal Assent on March 29, 1867. Once the Act was passed, the delegates returned home to prepare for union, scheduled to take place on July 1 (Canada Day). Delegates from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick had to hold their final legislative sessions to make last-minute changes to their constitutions. They also had to select members for the new Cabinet and Senate.  Social activities were not as much of a priority in London compared to the other conferences, but some delegates did visit European countries, and relatives and friends. The major social event of the conference, was the marriage of John A. MacDonald and Agnes Bernard on February 16, 1867.   This was the final major step for Canada’s confederation.
“The London Conference.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. <http://www.cbc.ca/history/EPCONTENTSE1EP8CH6PA1LE.html>.