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In 1867, three colonies in British North America,
Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, united to form a "Federal
Union" called Canada. In the course of time, all the other British
possessions in North America joined or were integrated into the Canadian
federation, under circumstances specific to each. Today, Canada includes
ten provinces and three territories.
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Most of the acts that established the provinces and
territories of the Canadian federation, are acts of the British
Parliament, as the federal union in 1867 did not mark Canada’s
independence from Great Britain. Canada’s becoming an independent
state was a gradual process. Among the main stages in this evolution
are: 1) ratification by the British Parliament of the Statute
of Westminster, 1931, which conferred on Canada full authority
over its own foreign policy, and 2) ratification, again by the British
Parliament, of the Canada Act, 1982, 1
which notably provided for the "repatriation" of the
Constitution, thus granting Canada its political independence. Since
1982, all of Canada's constitutional acts have emanated from the
Canadian Parliament.
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1867: British
North America Act, 1867
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![](docs/federation/images/lois/spacer.gif)
![Ontario flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-on.gif)
Ontario
![Quebec flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-qc.gif)
Quebec
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Act of the British Parliament (one of Canada's
constitutional acts) responding to the express desire of the legislative
assemblies of three colonies – the Province of Canada (comprising
Canada East and Canada West), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick – to
establish a "Federal Union" consisting of four provinces:
Ontario (Canada West), Quebec (Canada East), Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick.
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![](docs/federation/images/lois/spacer.gif)
![Nova Scotia flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-ns.gif)
Nova Scotia
![New Brunswick flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-nb.gif)
New Brunswick
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Section 146 of the British
North America Act, 1867 allowed for the possibility of the other
British possessions in North America – the colonies (Newfoundland,
Prince Edward Island, British Columbia), the lands of the Hudson's Bay
Company (Rupert's Land), and the vast territories on the northwestern
edge of the continent (the North-Western Territory) – being admitted
into the federal union by order of the British Crown on addresses from
the Parliament of Canada and, in the case of colonies, from their
respective legislative assembly.
In 1982, the British
North America Act, 1867 was given the name Constitution
Act, 1867.
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1870: Manitoba
Act
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![](docs/federation/images/lois/spacer.gif)
![Manitoba flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-mb.gif)
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Act of the Parliament of Canada (one of Canada's
constitutional laws) which organized a part of the Northwest Territories
(the current region of Winnipeg) as a province to be called Manitoba. In
1871, an act of the British Parliament, the British
North America Act, 1871, confirmed among other things the power
of the Parliament of Canada to establish provinces in territories not
included in the provinces and to make provision for administration and
government in those territories.
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1870: Order
of Her Majesty in Council admitting Rupert's Land and the North-Western
Territory into the Union
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![](docs/federation/images/lois/spacer.gif)
![NWT flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-nt.gif)
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At the request of the Parliament of Canada, this
order in council of the British Crown (one of Canada's constitutional
laws) sanctioned the annexation of Rupert's Land and the North-Western
Territory to Canada. The aggregate of these territories would from then
on be called the Northwest Territories.
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1871: Order
of Her Majesty in Council admitting British Columbia into the Union
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![](docs/federation/images/lois/spacer.gif)
![BC flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-bc.gif)
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At the request of the Parliament of Canada and of the
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, this order in council of the
British Crown (one of Canada’s constitutional laws) approved the
admission of this colony into the Canadian federal union as a province.
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1873: Order
of Her Majesty in Council admitting Prince Edward Island into the Union
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![](docs/federation/images/lois/spacer.gif)
![PEI flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-pe.gif)
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At the request of the Parliament of Canada and of the
Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, this order of the British
Crown (one of Canada's constitutional laws) sanctioned the admission of
this colony into the Canadian federal union as a province.
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1898: Yukon
Territory Act
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![](docs/federation/images/lois/spacer.gif)
![Yukon flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-yt.gif)
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This act of the Parliament of Canada organized the
western part of the Northwest Territories, north of the 60th
parallel, into the Yukon Territory.
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1905: Saskatchewan
Act and Alberta
Act
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![](docs/federation/images/lois/spacer.gif)
![Saskatchewan flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-sk.gif)
Saskatchewan
![Alberta flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-ab.gif)
Alberta
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Acts of the Parliament of Canada (two of Canada's
constitutional laws) organizing most of the part of the Northwest
Territories south of the 60th parallel into two new provinces called
Saskatchewan and Alberta.
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1949: British
North America Act, 1949
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![](docs/federation/images/lois/spacer.gif)
![Newfoundland flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-nf.gif)
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Following two referenda in the colony of Newfoundland
(which had not had a legislative assembly since 1934) and an address
from the Parliament of Canada, the British Parliament approved the union
of the oldest British possession in North America with the Canadian
federal union, as a province retaining the name of Newfoundland. This
law is one of Canada's constitutional laws.
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1993: Nunavut
Act
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![](docs/federation/images/lois/spacer.gif)
![Nunavut flag](docs/federation/images/lois/ca-nv.gif) |
Act of the Parliament of Canada organizing the
eastern part of the Northwest Territories into the Territory of Nunavut.
The Act came into effect in April 1999.
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