The History of Canada Series: Three Weeks in Quebec City
The Meeting That Made Canada
In 1864, thirty-three delegates from five provincial legislatures came to Quebec City to pursue the idea of uniting all the provinces of British North America. The American Civil War, not yet over, encouraged the small and barely defended provinces to consider uniting for mutual protection. But there were other factors: the rapid expansion of railways and steamships spurred visions of a continent-spanning new nation. Federation, in principle, had been agreed on at the Charlottetown conference, but now it was time to debate the difficult issues of how a new nation would be formed. The delegates included John A. Macdonald, George Etienne-Cartier, and George Brown. Historian Christopher Moore demonstrates that Macdonald, the future prime minister, surprisingly was not…
Christopher Moore has been described as Canada's most versatile writer of history. A winner of the Governor General's Award and other literary prizes, he writes widely about Canadian history for adults and children. He has also developed historical materials for historic sites, museums, radio, and television, and he speaks frequently to a wide variety of audiences. He writes a long-running column on history and historians for The Beaver: Canada's History Magazine. A past chair of the Writers' Union of Canada, Christopher Moore lives in Toronto.