What Was Canadian Confederation?

Understand the Formation of Canada

Canada Day is a national federal holiday, celebrated on July 1, annually. It marks the Confederation of Canada on July 1, 1867
Parliament Hill on Canada Day in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Garry Black / Getty Images
by Susan Munroe
Susan Munroe, a public affairs and communications professional, has lived and worked in Canada for more than 30 years.
Updated July 03, 2019

In Canada, the term Confederation refers to the union of the three British North American colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Canada to become the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867.

Details on the Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation is sometimes referred to as the "birth of Canada," marking the beginning of more than a century of progress toward independence from the United Kingdom.

The 1867 Constitution Act (also known as the The British North America Act, 1867, or the BNA Act) formed the Canadian Confederation, making the three colonies into the four provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec. The other provinces and territories entered Confederation later: Manitoba and the Northwest Territories in 1870, British Columbia in 1871, Prince Edward Island in 1873, Yukon in 1898, Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905, Newfoundland in 1949 (renamed Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001) and Nunavut in 1999.