[00:00.00]After much complicated debate
[00:02.18]at another convention in Quebec City
[00:05.13]that same year, the delegates
[00:07.21]submitted a draft of an agreement
[00:08.96]for the formation of
[00:10.82]the Dominion of Canada.
[00:12.68]The bulk of the work had been
[00:15.20]done by a group of men
[00:16.62]of seemingly high virtue,
[00:18.26]who became known in history
[00:20.45]as “the Fathers of Confederation”.
[00:23.29]United Canada was divided into
[00:26.79]the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
[00:29.63]Some allowances were given
[00:32.92]to Quebec because it was
[00:34.56]a predominantly French speaking
[00:35.98]Catholic province and had
[00:37.95]special needs, unlike other provinces.
[00:40.25]The colony of Nova Scotia
[00:43.53]was divided into Nova Scotia
[00:45.94]and New Brunswick.
[00:48.23]These four provinces formed
[00:50.42]the original new nation.
[00:52.06]A flexible approach, in later years,
[00:55.89]persuaded other colonies to join.
[00:58.41]A federal system, with powers
[01:02.79]distributed between the central
[01:04.42]and provincial governments, was created.
[01:06.72]The provinces were assigned powers
[01:10.23]to have their own governments
[01:11.98]to deal with more local
[01:13.40]or provincial issues.
[01:15.59]The federal system would promote
[01:18.54]harmony among provinces, with
[01:20.95]different perspectives on nationhood.
[01:23.24]This was a compromise, so that
[01:26.31]the bigger provinces of Ontario
[01:28.71]and Quebec wouldn’t completely
[01:31.01]dominate the smaller provinces.
[01:32.87]The country was to be called
[01:35.82]the Dominion of Canada, but
[01:37.79]would still remain loyal
[01:39.43]to Britain as a member
[01:40.75]of the British Empire.
[01:42.39]The new legislation that
[01:45.23]created Canada was a British act
[01:47.86]of Parliament called
[01:49.72]“The British North America Acts of 1867”.
[01:54.75]Canada officially became a nation
[01:57.49] on July 1st, 1867.
[02:00.88]This would be the anniversary occasion
[02:04.05]each year, for joyous celebration
[02:06.35]of a national holiday
[02:08.32]commemorating the birth of Canada |