Confederation Inquiry

When did the other provinces and territories join Confederation?


Confederation was formed by four original provinces in 1867
  • Québec (Lower Canada, Canada East) 
  • Nova Scotia 
  • Ontario (Upper Canada, Canada West) 
  • New Brunswick
A Province and a Territory Joined in 1870
  • Manitoba 
  • Northwest Territories
Province or Territory Date of Entry Main Reasons They Entered Confederation
British Columbia 1871
  • The Fraser River gold rush in 1858 brought many new settlers to B.C. The settlers wanted their own local government rather than a far away one appointed by Britain.
  • The settlers feared America would take over their lands.
  • Canada promised to build a railroad to transport goods and people from East to West.
Prince Edward Island 1873
  • They had strong trading ties to America and they were afraid they would lose power as the smallest province of Canada. They did not join Confederation at first.
  • Canada offered PEI money because they were afraid PEI might join the U.S. 
  • PEI wanted to buy their land from British landowners and to pay their debts from building a railway. They accepted the money and joined Confederation.
Yukon 1898 (originally part of the North-West Territories)
  • Canada already controlled the area. 
  • After gold was discovered, Canada sent in the North West Mounted Police and began to keep law and order. Many prospectors did not respect First Nations' trap lines.
  • The Klondike gold rush attracted many Americans and people feared the United States would take over the area if they did not join Confederation.
Alberta and Saskatchewan 1905 (originally part of the North-West Territories)
  • The population had grown and was no longer a fur trading area. Many farmers, loggers, miners, and railway workers lived here.
  • The leader Frederick Haultain felt that settlers should have the same government as the other provinces, and be able to collect taxes to pay for schools and other services.
Newfoundland 1949
  • Many people wanted to remain a colony of Britain.
  • Britain did not want to support Newfoundland anymore.
  • Canada offered to help pay for roads and develop the colony.
  • Joey Smallwood helped convince the people to vote to join Canada.
Nunavut 1999 (formed from the eastern Arctic portion of the original North-West Territories)
  • The Inuit wanted control over their lands and resources.
  • They wanted to make decisions about the use of their lands.
  • They negotiated to join Canada.