History · Grades 9–12

Confederation and the growth of Canada · Revision sheet

Reference sheet for Grades 9 to 12: 4 key ideas, including negotiating union, july 1, 1867 and growth. How four colonies became the Dominion of Canada in 1867, and how the country grew afterward.

Printable summary of the study guide Confederation and the growth of Canada.

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Negotiating union

Delegates met at Charlottetown and Quebec City in 1864 and in London in 1866 to work out the terms of union.

July 1, 1867

The British North America Act (now the Constitution Act, 1867) united Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Growth

Manitoba (1870), British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island (1873), Alberta and Saskatchewan (1905) and Newfoundland (1949) joined later; Nunavut became a territory in 1999.

Perspectives

First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples were not part of the negotiations, although their lands and lives were deeply affected.

Explain without looking

Explain one reason why the colonies of British North America considered union in the 1860s.
Describe how Canada’s map changed between 1867 and 1999. Name at least three later additions and their years.

Check yourself

Four practice questions on this topic. Try each one before you open the answer.

Which of these two events happened first? • Women in Manitoba won the right to vote in provincial elections • The forced removal of Japanese Canadians from the West Coast began
- Women in Manitoba won the right to vote in provincial elections
- The forced removal of Japanese Canadians from the West Coast began
Show the answer
Women in Manitoba won the right to vote in provincial elections Women in Manitoba won the right to vote in provincial elections: 1916. The forced removal of Japanese Canadians from the West Coast began: 1942.
Which of these two events happened first? • The Canadian Bill of Rights was passed • The United States declared war on Britain, starting a war fought partly in Canada
- The United States declared war on Britain, starting a war fought partly in Canada
- The Canadian Bill of Rights was passed
Show the answer
The United States declared war on Britain, starting a war fought partly in Canada The United States declared war on Britain, starting a war fought partly in Canada: 1812. The Canadian Bill of Rights was passed: 1960.
Which four provinces formed Canada at Confederation on July 1, 1867?
- Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
- Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland
- Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan
- Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia
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Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick The original four provinces were Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Which province joined Confederation in 1871 after being promised a railway link to the rest of Canada?
- Newfoundland
- Prince Edward Island
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
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British Columbia British Columbia joined in 1871 on the promise of a transcontinental railway.