Dominion of Canada Established by British Act
In the 1860s, British North American colonies faced economic challenges, defense concerns from the United States, and political deadlock in the Province of Canada. Delegates from the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia met in conferences at Charlottetown and Quebec in 1864 to negotiate a federal union. The British Parliament passed the British North America Act in March 1867, which received royal assent and set the union date for July 1. On that day the Dominion of Canada came into being, uniting Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia under a federal government with John A. Macdonald as its first prime minister. The new dominion retained ties to Britain while gaining internal self-government.
Why it matters: Confederation created Canada's federal structure and launched a process of westward expansion that eventually spanned the continent. It established a model of parliamentary federation within the British Empire that influenced later dominions and remains the constitutional foundation of modern Canada.