Student Tasks

What were the important reasons for and against joining Confederation for Nova Scotia?

When determining the important reasons for and against Confederation for Nova Scotia, you may want to consider the following aspects:

• the type of government in Nova Scotia at the time.
• the social impact of Confederation.
• the economy of Nova Scotia prior to Confederation.
• military threats to Nova Scotia.
• how Nova Scotians felt about Confederation.

Historical Context for Teachers

Brief history

• The land that is now Nova Scotia was originally a French possession, but became a British colony in 1713 as a result of the Treaty of Utrecht.
• Nova Scotia was important to Great Britain because the port of Halifax was used as a naval and military base.
• The economy of Nova Scotia was based on fishing, shipping, shipbuilding, agriculture and natural resources (e.g., timber). Britain had a preferential trading system with Nova Scotia that allowed products to be imported to Great Britain without tariffs (taxes on goods imported from another country).
• When Britain ended the system of preferential tariffs in 1847, Nova Scotia could not afford to continue paying the high tariffs. Nova Scotia began increasing trade with the United States because of their close proximity and because of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 that allowed free trade between the United States and British colonies.
• In 1848, Nova Scotia, led by political reformer Joseph Howe, became the first colony in the British Empire to achieve responsible government. Responsible government decreased the authority of the appointed governor and gave more power to the elected representatives in the province.
• By the 1860s, Nova Scotia had a population of approximately 350 000 people, composed of English, Scottish, German, Acadian, French and First Nations peoples.

Key events leading to Confederation

• In 1862, a conference was held between the United Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to discuss building an intercolonial railway to link all of the colonies of British North America; however, the colonies could not come to an agreement on how to finance the cost of the railroad.
• From 1861 to 1865, the Civil War erupted in the United States between the northern and southern states. The British North American colonies worried that armies from the North or South might invade and occupy the colonies.
• In 1864, politicians in Nova Scotia began planning a conference to discuss a union between Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to gain influence with the United Provinces of Canada when negotiating a railroad agreement.
• Nova Scotia had already gone into debt completing several sections of the railway. Politicians hoped that a joint railway agreement between the Maritime colonies would prevent each colony from going further into debt.
• In the summer of 1864, the United Provinces of Canada expressed interest in attending the conference and suggested discussing a union of all the British North American colonies.

Confederation introduced

• The first conference on unification, or Confederation, took place on September 1, 1864, at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Representatives from Canada, George-Etienne Cartier and John A. Macdonald, changed the discussion from a Maritime union to Confederation, a union of all British North American colonies. The Conference ended with all attending colonies expressing interest in Confederation.
• Based on the success of the Charlottetown Conference, the Quebec Conference was organized for October 1864 to agree to the terms for Confederation. The delegates disagreed over the composition of the Senate, the appointed upper level of government. The Maritime colonies wanted the same number of Senate seats as United Canada to prevent the more populous Canadian provinces from having more power than the others.
• At the Quebec Conference, the delegates drafted the 72 Resolutions, or Quebec Resolutions, an agreement outlining the terms of union and the formation of the country and its government.
• Premier Charles Tupper expected that the 72 Resolutions would easily be passed in Nova Scotia because he had the majority support in the Legislature. Joseph Howe was the main opponent of Confederation in Nova Scotia and he used the support of anti-Confederation newspapers to spread his message throughout Nova Scotia.
• In 1865, the United States government announced that the Reciprocity Treaty would end in 1866. This meant that Nova Scotia lost an important trade partner for its goods. A union between the British colonies would open new markets for goods coming from Nova Scotia.

Map of British North American colonies, 1840

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