|
A New Nation |
Nova Scotia Balks |
The Northwest Territories |
Manitoba & Riel |
Federal Provincial Relations |
British Columbia |
Prince Edward
Island | The
Washington Treaty | Scandal
| Liberal Interlude |
The National Policy |
The Railroad |
Immigration |
Rebellion |
Transition
The main issue that prevented prince
Edward Island from entering Confederation a one of the
founding Provinces in 1867 was that of absentee
landowners. When PEI was taken form the French, Britain
did not have an organized plan for the Island until 1766
when Captain Samuel Holland decided that the land would
be divided into 67 lots which were transferred to
wealthy landowners in England who in turn rented the
land out at a high rate and refused to sell to the
colonists. Very few of these landowners ever even
visited Prince Edward Island.
The colonies delegates at Charlottetown
were not in favour of Confederation unless their issues
could be addressed and after the Quebec Conference they
turned against joining the other colonies in
Confederation because the landlord issue was not
addressed or resolved. They were also anxious about how
much of their identity could be maintained, as a very
small colony, if they joined the much larger, populous
colonies. They decided to go it on their own and build a
railway on the Island to service the people.
By 1873 conditions in Prince Edward
Island were becoming desperate. The railway had proven
to be a financial disaster, the landowner issue had not
progressed and communication with the mainland was
sporadic. The time seemed opportune for the re-opening
of negotiations with Canada about entry into
Confederation. The British authorities had started to
apply pressure to PEI to join Canada in order to
solidify the new Empire country as a counterbalance to
the US and the Canadian government had proposed new
terms which would largely alleviate the major problems
that PEI faced.
The United States had
also been making overtures to PEI to join the republic
and had dispatch informal delegates to promote the
option. In 1973 Canada offered to absorb PEI's debt into
the Canadian debt, provide funding to buy out the
absentee landowners, and to provide a reliable from of
transportation to the mainland. PEI accepted these terms
and on July 1st 1873 they joined Canada and became the
7th Province in Confederation.
|
