Canada: The Formation of a Sovereign Nation 1867-1949 - Essay Sample

Introduction

In 1867, the Province of Canada merged with two British colonies, namely New Brunwisk as well as Nova Scotia, through Confederation to form a sovereign entity with the name Canada. It should be noted that the new country widened by including other sections of British North America, completing with Labrador and Newfoundland in 1949. The country has operated under the title of Dominion for reasons that it includes ten provinces and three territories that collectively form Canada. In light of the Post-Confederation Canada, the essay evaluates why and how Canada came into existence in the 19th century and strategies that ensure it is kept together as a coherent Dominion. The essay will also discuss the evolution of the Dominion alongside its regional nature.

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Question 1

According to the book, Canada was established on July 1, 1867. It is worth noting that this is the time the colonies of Canada, namely Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, connected to form the independent Dominion of Canada in the confederation procedure. It is during this time that Lower Canada and Upper Canada became Ontario and Quebec. As such, the new form confederation included four provinces, namely Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. It should be noted that this Confederation resulted in the inclusion of other sections of British North America into the freshly formed entity of Canada to form what is currently the modern Canada. Labrador and Newfoundland were the last provinces to be included in the Confederation in 1949. The subsequent years after this, Confederation saw Canada undergo numerous territorial expansions and changes, and this is the final contemporary area that includes ten provinces together with three territories. The formation of Canada alongside independence attainment represented a gradual procedure. Regardless of the availability of a responsible regime in the country, the United Kingdom persisted with claiming sovereignty of Canada until the conclusion of WWI. It should be noted that the 1931 passing of the stature of Westminster sanctioned Canada as equal with the United Kingdom, despite being denied the power of amending its Constitution. Reliance on the British parliament located in Canada was eradicated in 1982 after the Constitution was changed. Canada represents a federal parliamentary democracy as well as being a constitutional monarchy, with the head of state as Queen Elizabeth II.

The new regime of Canada under the British North America Act of 1867 commenced using the phrase Dominion of Canada to mean the novel more significant nation. Nonetheless, both the Confederation and the adoption of the title provided additional autonomy or new powers to this fresh federal regime level. From the information presented in earlier sections of this essay, it should be noted that Dominion maintained success because both parties could negotiate deals before approaching the United Kingdom. The procedure was mainly aimed at being given the change to form and amend their Constitution. In 1907, for instance, Newfoundland asked Prime Minister Robert Bond to act as a representative in the Imperial Conference hosted by Henry Campbell-Bannerman, the British Prime Minister. Representing a struggling and impoverished colony, the prime minister strived to argue for autonomy in the imperial connection while avoiding commitments to costly British military projects. Bond carried the day and saw Canada recognized as a dominion, a rank that made it diplomatically equal to Australia, New Zealand, and the Cape Colony (current South Africa). It can, therefore, be said that Canadian regulation over the monetary affairs of the colony together with the Canadian involvement in Newfoundland's diplomatic systems drew the economy nearer to the Dominion's sphere of influence.

The application of Dominion of Canada was used as the nation's name after 1867, taking the place of Dominion as used on the other autonomous parts of the British Empire after 1907. It should be noted that Dominion of Canada is not witnessed in the Constitution or the 1867 Act but can be seen in the Constitution Act of 1871, subsequent bills, and other contemporary texts. Principally, the Dominion of Canada in subsequent acts, including the Stature of Westminster, does not clarify the exact point since all nouns were formalized in British legislative approach. In the original reading of the 1867 Constitution Act, 'One' and 'Name' were capitalized. Indeed, Canada's status and rank as a Dominion concluded when the Canadian regime announced war on Germany in 1939. What followed is that the United Kingdom also declared war six days after Germany's declaration.

Starting the 1950s

The federal regime began phasing out the application of Dominion, which had to date been used highly as a synonym of national or federal, for instance, Dominion building in the case of post offices and Dominion-provincial relations among other things. The last fundamental change included renaming the national holiday in Canada from Dominion Day to Canada day effective 1982. Moreover, official bilingualism regulations also added to the disuse of the term Dominion, considering it has zero equivalence in French. Regardless of that the name Dominion is found in official older documents, together with the Dominion Carillonneur tolling parliament buildings, the term is currently hardly used in differentiating the federal regime from the provinces of historical Canada after and before 1867. However, the federal regime continues producing educational publications and materials that specify the currency of the official names. In 1982, the enactment of the Canada Act, bringing the Constitution of the nation entirely under its control, referred only to Canada, and later that year, the title of the national holiday. The Dominion in Canada has an extensive history that can be traced back to its past. It should be noted that numerous changes have been witnessed in connection to Canada's evolution. As such, Canada and its Dominion refer to a collection of either provinces or territories.

Conclusion

Therefore, the paper provides information on how and why Canada came into existence as far as the nineteenth century is concerned. Additionally, the essay provides the success factors behind Canada being one coherent Dominion and finally discusses the early revolution of the Dominion and its regional nature. As indicated, hence, Canada is a difficult place having undergone numerous struggles in the past more so the 19th century. It is fundamental to note that Dominion of Canada represents the nation's formal title, despite that it is rarely applied. The term was first used in Canada at Confederation in 1867. It was further utilized in the formal titles of other states in the British Commonwealth. The institutions of Canada primarily halted applying the term in the early stages of the 1960s. Other countries have used the term dominion include but not limited to South Africa and New Zealand

Bibliography

Belshaw, John Douglas. "Canadian history: Pre-confederation." (2018).

Kling, David W. "Boundless Dominion: Providence, Politics, and the Early Canadian Presbyterian Worldview. By Denis McKim. McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion, Series 2, vol. 80. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2017. xx+ 363 pp. $110 cloth (CAD & USA); $34.95 paper (CAD & USA)." Church History 88, no. 1 (2019): 254-256.

Madokoro, Laura, Francine McKenzie, and David Meren, eds.Dominion of Race: Rethinking Canada's international history. UBC Press, 2017.

Mclaughlin, Mark. "A Little History of Canada, by HV Nelles."The Canadian Historical Review 100, no. 1 (2019): 135-136.

Wiseman, Matthew S. "Review of" Dominion of Race: Rethinking Canada's International History" by Laura Madokoro, Francine McKenzie and David Meren, eds." Canadian Military History 28, no. 2 (2019): 17.