Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation, or the Confederation of Canada, was the process that ultimately brought together a union among the provinces, colonies and territories of British North America to form the Dominion of Canada, a dominion of the British Empire, which today is the federal nation state called Canada.

Confederation as a political term of art

The term Confederation is now often used to describe Canada in an abstract way, "The Fathers of Confederation" itself being one such usage. Provinces and territories that became part of Canada after 1867 are also said to have joined Confederation (but not the Confederation). However, the term usually refers more concretely to the political process that united the colonies in the 1860s; it is also used to divide Canadian history into pre-Confederation and post-Confederation (post-Confederation being a living term that includes the present day).

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There were several factors that influenced Confederation both causes from internal sources and pressures from external sources.

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Internal causes that influenced Confederation:

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• political deadlock resulting from the current political structure
• demographic pressure
• economic nationalism and the promise of economic development

External pressures that influenced confederation:

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• the U.S. doctrine of Manifest destiny, the constant threat of intervention from the US
• the U.S. Civil war, British actions and American reactions
• the Fenian raids
• the creation of a new British colonial policy, Britain no longer wanted to maintain troops in its colonies.