This illustration shows the archway in Victoria, British Columbia, prepared for the visit of Lord Dufferin in 1876, to placate British Columbians, angry at the federal government for not living up to their promise of a transcontinental railway to the West coast. "Carnarvon terms" refers to the compromise between the provincial and federal governments which allowed for the creation of a railway on Vancouver Island between Esquimalt and Nanaimo. The Senate, however, defeated the "E & N" bill. Disillusionment with Canada increased in B.C. until in 1878 a resolution was moved by the provincial government that the new province withdraw from confederation. The separatist movement in B.C. is as old as union with Canada.
(This article first appeared in the Western Separatist Papers of October 1983.)
by Richard Lewers
The union of Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec) into the province of Canada was the beginning of the annexation of all of British North America. At that time (1858) the population of British North America was 3.5 million. Ontario and Quebec had 2.5 million of this total, with most of the remainder being in the Atlantic region. What we know as the Prairies had approximately 10,000 people and British Columbia had about the same.
In the 1860’s, the Maritimes were in direct competition with Canada for the manufacturing and commercial trade market with England and the U.S. The Maritimes boasted three sugar refineries, four distilleries, the lion’s share of the lumber export market, many small manufacturers and not to be forgotten, New Brunswick had the third largest merchant navy in the world. The Maritimes wanted nothing to do with Canada and their confederation ideas, however, the economic motives of Canada were the issue and confederation with the Maritimes was necessary as a prelude to the acquisition of the West, which offered an Empire for them to settle and exploit.
In 1860, Victoria was a thriving, growing city from the initial impact of the B.C. gold rush in 1854. The population had grown quickly, as had their commerce. Victoria was a free port (no taxes or tariffs) and up to 1400 ships a year were entering her harbour. There were seventeen steamers for trading on our coast, nine of which were built in Victoria, as were eighteen of the twenty-eight schooners handling our shipping.
During the period from 1860 to 1870, B.C. had lumber exports to Mexico, South America, Australia, New Zealand, China and the Pacific Islands. Meanwhile, in this beehive of activity and prosperity, the confederationists were diligently sowing their seeds.
Amor de Cosmos (a Nova Scotian named Bill Smith) had come here in 1858 and started the British colonist newspaper. Shortly thereafter, the Confederation League was also formed by de Cosmos, along with three other men who came to B.C. from Canada. They were John Robson, Dr. R.R. Carrall and F.J. Barnard. Their names appeared constantly in the press agitating for union with Canada. Victoria, in the meantime, had developed into major manufacturing for the consumer demands of the growing residential community.
It is interesting to note that about this time, rumours started coming from England that she was considering selling B.C. to the Americans. It was a horrendous thought for the British Loyalists. Just as horrendous to Ottawa was the thought of B.C. joining the U.S. on its own accord. This viable annexation movement gave them cause for concern, for without a west coast port, the Canadians could never complete their plans to market in the Orient or India from Canada.
On October 1, 1866, the Colonist account of the annexation meeting occupied two and a half columns and was headed, "The Annexists in Council, Treason Shooting at the Theatre. Ludicrous Scenes. Loyalty Triumphant." A series of articles were then printed from October to December 1866, deploring annexation by the U.S>
By 1868, the Confederation League had formed branches in New Westminster, Lytton, the Caribou/Clinton area, and Yale to promote confederation for British Columbia. They promoted tariff-free markets with the British Empire, responsible government, and of course, the big one: Railways from the east for the benefit of all British Columbians. The Confederation League held their historical Yale convention in 1868. The League adopted various resolutions prepared by de Cosmos for the incorporation of British Columbia into Confederation. These resolutions were then sent to the Colonial Secretary in London for his consideration. B.C.’s Governor Seymour, a strong opponent to the Confederationists, also sent a letter to the Colonial secretary on November 30th, 1868, in regard to the Yale Convention and their proposals. Paragraph 8 of that letter is as follows:
"I may add that the more prominent advocates for Confederation were defeated at the last elections in Victoria for members to serve on the Legislative Council."
The following year, 1869, say the Prairies purchased from the Hudson Bay Company for 300,000 pounds. Now the Canadian boundaries extended to the Atlantic in the east and to the Rockies in the west. As fate would have it, Ottawa moved swiftly to take advantage of this vacancy and on the personal recommendation of John A. Macdonald, the Colonial Secretary in London appointed the former Governor of Newfoundland, Anthony Musgrave to succeed Governor Seymour. Musgrave was a loyal confederationist who had failed in his attempt to get Newfoundland to join Canada.
In March of 1870 Attorney General H.P Crease opened the legislative debate on Confederation as follows:
"Mr. President, I move that this Council now resolve itself into Committee of the Whole to take into consideration of the colony of British Columbia with the Dominion of Canada in His Excellencies message to this Council. In doing so, I am deeply impressed with the momentous character of the discussion into which we are about to enter, the grave importance of decision by which the fate of this our adopted country, British Columbia, must be influenced for better, for worse, for all time to come. And I sincerely hope that our minds and energies may be bent to a task that will tax all our patriotism, all our forbearance, to combine all our individual powers into one great united effort for common good."
Mr. Crease’s loyalty to the Confederation paid off for him by his appointment as Supreme Court Judge, and finally, Knighthood.
By 1871, the legislators of British Columbia had been able to resist Confederation only until the Colonial Office decided to act. With Governor Musgrave’s arrival, and his instructions, they were left with no choice but to acquiesce. Musgrave appointed three delegates to go to Ottawa with the proposal for union terms; done very quickly, the Legislative Council passed an address to the Crown asking for union with Canada. The Canadian Parliament adopted a similar resolution and legal status was given by Imperial Order in Council, May 16, 1871. A little over a month later, July 20, 1871, Canada had added its sixth province, British Columbia.
The three delegates that were sent to Ottawa were: J.W. Trutch, who later was appointed B.C. 1st Lieutenant Governor by John A Macdonald and knighted; Dr. R.R. Carrall, who received a Senator’s appointment; and Dr. Helmcken. The terms proposed by B.C. for Confederation were: assumption of B.C.’s debts, a favourable subsidy, a transcontinental railway to be started within two years, and finished in ten. The ten year limit was to guarantee Canada’s intention to honour its agreement with British Columbia.
In the 1870’s the economy of Ontario and Quebec flourished as never before, particularly in Ontario where great timber rafts floated from the upper reaches of the Ottawa and down the St. Lawrence to Quebec where they were loaded on ships bound for Europe. The demand for iron and steel grew with the increased railway construction and this led to the revival of iron mining. Farm machinery with companies like Massey and the Harris Company, grew in leaps and bounds, supplying the new market in the Prairies with virtually no competition from the U.S. manufacturers because of the protective tariffs resulting from the National Policy of the Canadian Government.
in 8173, the Canadian Pacific payoff scandal broke and John A. Macdonald resigned in embarrassment. The Liberals under Alexander Mackenzie were opposed to Macdonald’s promise of a railway for the west coast and would not allow his mind to be changed by a few noisy British Columbians, so he refused B.C.’s demands that were part of the Confederation promises.
The Premier of B.C., George Walkem hurried to London (no easy trip in 1873) to see Lord Carnarvon, the Colonial Secretary, and find out if British Columbia could get out of the Confederation. Lord Carnarvon recommended that Canada should make larger financial appropriations for the railway, speed up their surveys and suggested their time limit be extended to 1890.
Premier Walkem returned to Victoria where "Carnarvon or Separation" became the battle cry of British Columbia - either the Canadian Government would live up to Carnarvon’s proposals or B.C. would leave confederation.
In 1876, another appeal was made to the Queen by B.C.’s Premier Walkem. Prime Minster Mackenzie’s response to the Queen was "Columbians were a selfish aggregation of persons taking advantage of an improvident bargain."
Two years later, in 1878, Premier Walkem introduced a resolution which was passed unanimously, demanding immediate railway construction or separation. In September of the same year, a third appeal was made to the Queen and the exclusive rights were asked, on behalf of B.C. to collect customs and excise duties themselves, and to withdraw from the Dominion of Canada.
In the same month (September 1878) John A. Macdonald defeated the Mackenzie government with a promise given to the people of a "new vision." He said, "Until a railway is completed, our Dominion is little more than a geographical expression. WE have as much interest in B.C. as in Australia, and no more. The railway, once finished, we become one great united country with a large interprovincial trade and a common interest."
And with that came the return of the Macdonald government and the defeat of the West.