2. Towards Confederation
• Before 1867, with the exception of Canada East and
Canada West, the colonies of British North America
were completely separate
• Citizens of each colony were British subjects, and
Britain was responsible for their well-being and
defence
• Colonies were only interested in Confederation if
they received favourable terms
3. “Deal,” not “Ideal”
• When Confederation was proposed, the colonies
wanted to know how the deal would benefit them
• Although Macdonald favoured a strong national
government with limited powers for the provinces,
very few colonial politicians agreed with this idea
• People who lived outside central Canada were not
excited about the idea of being ruled by a
government in central Canada
