Canada

Britain’s wishes for British North America challenge their early expansion project and supported the centralization of their many colonies in British North America. It was a shift away from their early colonization policies and would have come as a surprise to all colonies involved in potential Confederation. Over time, Britain’s view concerning its colonies had shifted, being a big supporter of railway development (Destinies 9). This did not mean that Britain was cutting all ties to their colonies, but rather than their financial responsibility would be largely reduced as well as the pressure often felt between themselves and the United States (Destinies 9). This backing worked to increase the future value of Canada’s proposal, as it became a considerably large part of the Confederation package when it is later drafted. The joining of the colonies would eventually lead to the linking of the railways, which would create centralization for the colonies, while at the same time ensuring further prosperity for Britain. If an intercolonial union as to be created, it would allow for a more efficient system of government, making the provinces ability to stand alone in the world possible and it could resist the temptations of annexation to the United States. Britain would have also been eager to pull their troops out of British North America, given that the union would likely deal with the issues of national defense. A level of separation was both necessary as well as beneficial for Britain and its North American colonies.

The Canadian-American Reciprocity Treaty was enacted in 1854 between the United States and the British North American provinces. It “provided for free trade [of] all natural products, free access for fisheries to the ...

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...on agreement, “Ottawa denied Manitoba control over its own public lands and natural resources… [They] remained under the federal government’s control, to be used “for the purpose of the Dominion” (Destines 37). It forced the government to address the earlier outstanding issues of linguistic and educational rights outside of the province on Quebec (Destines 38), although the time spent outlining these aspects of the Act amounted to a greater result. As time passed Ontarians soon moved westward and took up the dominant roles in the new province, causing the Métis to move further west. All the work the government had put into suppressing the Métis, and later appeasing them, resulted in the expansion of Canada. Although arguably unconventional and unjustly, the government was able to continue its unwritten desire to expand as a means to create national centralization.