Charlottetown Conference
The Charlottetown conference was initially a meeting to discuss a Maritime union among the Maritime colonies (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I ) although, soon word of the meeting caught wind and the Canadians asked to attend the meeting. This was allowed by the maritime colonies and delegates from Canada East and West where sent to the meeting upon invitation from the Maritime colonies. Sir John A MacDonald and George-Etienne Cartier were leaders of the Canadian delegates attending. Newfoundland was not invited as it was apparent they had little interest in discussion of a union. The meeting went on as planned and was held on September 1st 1864. Great Britain was represented by Governor-General Lord Monck. The Canadians had other plans for the conference however. They hatched a plan to try and convince the Maritime colonies into joining a larger union that would unite British North America. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick delegates were mainly interested in this idea, some of their politicians, though, were not. Prince Edward Island, however was not interested as they thought they would have to support the new union too much from a military standpoint and that taxes in the new government would be too high. The Canadians said that if the union were to be formed they would (along with some help from the joining colonies) build a railway that would go through every new province of this union and through all its major cities. They promised that this would boost trade in the country and throughout each part of the union. George Brown declared that "Our farmers and manufacturers and mechanics shall bring their wares into every village of the Maritime Provinces and that they shall with their equal freedom bring their fish, and their coal and their...produce ro our three million of inhabitants". This would no doubt be positive thing as it would mean more jobs and income for the many people in British North America at the time. Some people took the chance to use the possible negative effect of a larger union to convince people against confederation. Especially in the Maritime colonies, many politicians believed that they would have less of a say in things because they led a colony with a smaller population than Canada East and West and that they would over-power the government that would be formed. Although the conference was very much a serious matter as it could change the course of Canadian history, the delegates did find a way to make it a little more relaxed. There were many dances and luncheons throughout the conference. The conference was nicknamed "The Champagne Conference" as the Canadians were seen to have wooed the Maritime provinces into considering there proposal of unionization. As the conference came to a close and it was agreed upon that their needed to be a second conference held to continue discussions of a British North American union. It was decided that this conference would be held in Quebec.