London Conference of 1866

The London Conference was held in the United Kingdom and began on 4 December 1866, and it was the final in a series of conferences or debates that led to Canadian confederation in 1867. Sixteen delegates from the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick gathered with officials of the British government to draft the British North America Act, 1867. This was a continuation of the Quebec Conference held earlier about the "Seventy-two Resolutions". A major issue of contention was the education system, with Roman Catholic bishops lobbying for guarantees protecting the separate school system, This was opposed by delegates from the Maritimes, and the compromise reached was Section 93 of the act, which guaranteed separate school systems in Quebec and Ontario but not in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. The result of this meeting was the British North America Act. This was the last of the conferences discussing Confederation.

John A. Macdonald was the chairman of the conference. The Queen of the United Kingdom (Queen Victoria) assented to the bill and the Dominion of Canada was created when it came into force on July 1, 1867.

See also

• Quebec Conference, 1864
• Anti-Confederation Party

External links

• Canadian Confederation: The London Conference at Collections Canada