|
Fathers of Confederation |
Maritime Union | George Brown
| Pan-Federalism |
US Civil War |
Canada's Proposals |
River Cruise |
Charlottetown |
The Quebec Conference |
The London Conference |
July 1, 1867
The Charlottetown conference was
initially intended to be a gathering of the Maritime
Colonies in order to discuss and initiate a union of
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and
possibly Newfoundland. The Canada's were looking for a
solution to the stalemate which paralysed politics in
their system and realized that by uniting with the
Maritime colonies they could create many benefits
including making a majority government possible in the
larger union. The Canada's asked if they could send a
delegation to Charlottetown to make a presentation to
the Maritime representatives and were accepted.
On September 1st, 1864 the Maritime
delegates convened in Charlottetown to discuss the Union
of the Colonies, and were joined by 8 representatives of
the Canada's who were led by John A. Macdonald and
Georges E. Cartier.
A campaign of
encouraging Confederation had been growing in the
Maritimes with the support of the Canada's and over the
next few days, the crowd was won over. One of the
important points of the conference was that the
opposition leaders of the various colonies were also
included in the talks which enabled a consensus to be
hammered out which would basically face no real pressure
from the smaller political parties due to their
inclusion in the process. The conference was convened
with an objective defined, a process in place and a
national agenda in on the order paper.
The group dispersed with an agreement to
meet in Quebec City to iron out the details of the
arrangement and finalize a document for London which
could be passed in order for the birth of the new
country to occur.
It has been said...that
we only come now seeking union with these provinces to
escape from our sectional difficulties at home... the
existing coalition was formed expressly for the purpose
of settling justly and permanently the constitutional
relations between Upper and Lower Canada... We are
pledged as a government to place before parliament at
its next session a bill giving effect to the conditions
of our conquest...You will therefore clearly perceive
that we have not come here to seek relief from our
trouble, - for the remedy of our grievances is already
agreed upon, and come what may the larger scheme now
before us, our smaller scheme will certainly be
accomplished. Our sole object in coming here is to say
to you: 'We are about to amend our constitution; and
before finally doing so, we invite you to enter with us
frankly and earnestly into the inquiry whether it would
not be for the advantage of all of the British American
Colonies to be embraced under one political system. Let
us look the whole question steadily in the face; if we
find it advantageous let us act upon it; but if not, let
the whole thing drop....
Speech delivered by
George Brown at a Banquet in Halifax on September 12,
1864
The Governor Generals House - Charlottetown
The Room where the delegates met at the Charlottetown
conference |
