Canada and the British Empire

The history of the British Empire experienced few periods in the

18th century. The loss of North American colonies marked the end of
the First Empire. At the beginning of the 19th century, Great Britain
founded another empire. Territories such as The Indies, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and later South Africa formed the Second
Empire.
Canada was obtained after the Seven Years War in 1763. The
English Government sanctioned the Act of Quebec in 1774. As a
consequence of that, the French inhabitants who were living there
obtained religious freedom. There was a big change in Canada due to
the loss of the thirteen colonies. Because of this fact, it was provoked
a high rate of immigration. Canada was provided with the first Anglospeaking population and as soon as they settle in New Brunswick and
Ontario, they immediately started to claim self-determination. There
were a lot of differences between the immigrants and the Canadians
of French origin because they did not share the same political and
religious ideas. As a result, William Pitt decided to treat both groups
in equal terms.
By means of the Act of Canada (1791) two new provinces were
created: Low Canada and Upper Canada. The first one was French,
conservative

and

catholic

whereas

the

second

was

British,

progressive and protestant. Each of these provinces were provided

with an own Board of Directors

and a Governor appointed by the

Empire Government power. The Atlantic Colonies (New Scotland, New

Brunswick and Terranova) did not form part of these new provinces.
In 1830 there was a huge dissatisfaction in Low Canada and
Upper Canada. This fact provoked rebellions in 1837. One of them

was in the Low Province between the French habitants and the
other one was in the Upper Province between Anglo-speaking
settlers. Neither of them was intended to be united to the United
States. Nevertheless both were unsatisfied with the administration
which was considered by them as indifferent. The two assemblies
which were established by William Pitt were not allowed to control
and appoint the executive power, so it was thought that a
government with self-determination could be the solution to the
Canadian problem but the most important political leaders did not
think it.
Fortunately, Lord Melbourne, who was in the Whig Party
Government, sent Lord Durham to Canada in order to evaluate the
situation. What he found there was chaotic: two nations which were
confronted with each other and with the Government at the same
time. He perceived that the colonies where stoodstill and he
understood that if these colonies had to live near a dynamic country
as the United States was, they had to be introduced into the Progress
Current. Lord Durham proposed that a good solution could be the
union of the provinces. French community was stood still in time and
maybe this action would help them to develop.
Lord Durham proposed another idea that was supported by
some reformers from Low Canada and Upper Canada. The idea was
to make the executive responsible for an assembly in order to
guarantee the self-determination of the colonies. This assembly would
have the whole control of the incomes and the fatherland would have
the control about defence, foreign trade and international issues. The
British Government refused to provide self-determination but it
accepted the union of the two Canadian provinces. It was called The
Act of Canada (1840) and converted them in a single government.
British and French people worked together in order to overcome the
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past difficulties. The relations between Canada and the United States
were affected due to border disputes so, that is why Canada decided
to make their union stronger. Nowadays, the Durham Report, which
contains political information about the colonies, is still useful.
The British North America Act (1867) created the Dominion of
Canada and spelled out the terms of the union. Its consequences
were that Ontario and Quebec were separated again; New Brunswick
and New Scotland gave important functions to a Federal Government.
Terranova was a separate supremacy until 1948.