Confederation

Colton Map of British North America or Canada

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

On July 1, 1867 the British North America Act came into effect creating the Dominion of Canada. British Columbia joined Canada in 1871. Material on this subject can be found throughout the Central Library (350 West Georgia Street). Please ask the Information staff if you need help. The Building of the Canadian Pacific Railway section in this guide may also be useful when researching Confederation.

Useful Websites

Canadian Confederation

Hosted by Library and Archives Canada, this website traces the path to Confederation through the Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences, the development of the Constitution Act, the history of Lower Canada, and the relation between British North America and the United States.

Canadian Historical Association Booklets

Written in accessible prose by specialists, titles on Confederation include The Charlottetown Conference, 1864; The Great Coalition; Joseph Howe: Anti-Confederate; The Quebec Conference; The French Canadians and the Birth of Confederation; and The West and Confederation, 1857-1871.

Confederation

A collection of primary source documents related to the British North America Act.

Digital Library Resources

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online

Brief biographies of notable Canadians from the years 1000 to 1930.

Access:

Everywhere for everyone

Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples

NOTE: this online resource will be discontinued as of December 31, 2024. A print copy is available at the Central library.

Online version of the 1999 resource that describes the nation’s 119 different ethnic groups: their process of migration, arrival and settlement, community life, intergroup relations, language and culture.

Access:

Everywhere for VPL cardholders

The Globe and Mail: Historical Newspapers

Access the full image of the Globe and Mail newspaper from 1844 to 2018.

Access:

Everywhere for Vancouver residents

Historica Canada

Includes the complete text of the Canadian Encyclopedia in English and French, interactive resources and timelines of Canadian and world events.

Access:

Everywhere for everyone

Recommended Titles

1867: How the Fathers Made A Deal

John A: The Man Who Made Us: The Life and Times of John A. Macdonald

The Life and Times of Confederation, 1864-1867

Three Weeks in Quebec City: The Meeting That Made Canada

Alexander Galt: The Stubborn Idealist

Britain and the Origins of Canadian Confederation, 1837-67

Canada, A People's History: Volume 5

The Critical Years: The Union of British North America, 1857-1873

John A: Birth of A Country

Monck, Governor General, 1861-1868

Cover Image for Parliamentary Debates on the Subject of the Confederation of the British North American Provinces, 3rd Session, 8th Provincial Parliament of Canada

Parliamentary Debates on the Subject of the Confederation of the British North American Provinces, 3rd Session, 8th Provincial Parliament of Canada

The Road to Confederation: The Emergence of Canada, 1863-1867

See full list

Northwest History Index

This card index in Special Collection provides access to the Northwest History Collection, a heritage collection covering the early history and exploration of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.

The collection includes:

magazine and newspaper articles
pamphlets
books
chapters in books
many other resources

As of August 1998, no new material has been added to the Northwest History Index. It is continued by the British Columbia Index.

Confederation

Canadian History

Useful Websites