• Français
  • Home
  • News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
  •  Browse
  •  Advanced Search
  •  Reader Mode
  •  Printer-friendly
mobile
    • Outline
    facebook sharing button Share
    twitter sharing button Tweet
    • New Biographies
    • Minor Corrections
    • Biography of the Day
      See previous
    • Themes, Essays, and Guides
      • The War of 1812
      • The First World War
      • Confederation
      • Women in the DCB/DBC
      • See complete list
    facebook sharing button Share
    twitter sharing button Tweet

Confederation League

In May 1868, under the leadership of Amor De Cosmos and John Robson, those in favour of uniting the colony of British Columbia with the Dominion of Canada – mainly born or brought up in the British North American colonies to the east – formed the Confederation League; its parallel goal was to bring democratic government to the colony, where there was no elected assembly and where politics and administration were largely in the control of a British-born élite appointed by the governor. As the league’s first secretary, Robert Beaven summoned the Yale Convention, which in September adopted a program for the upcoming “selection” of the “popular” members in the Legislative Council. The league suffered a major set-back when De Cosmos failed to be selected in Victoria, and the Legislative Council resolved that confederation should not be pursued. But pressure from the British government exerted through Governor Anthony Musgrave, coupled with extremely favourable terms from Ottawa (including a transcontinental railway and a dry dock), eventually turned the tide. British Columbia joined the Dominion of Canada on 20 July 1871.

Related Biographies

BEAVEN, ROBERT
DE COSMOS, AMOR (William Alexander Smith)
GIBBS, MIFFLIN WISTAR
MUSGRAVE, Sir ANTHONY
McCREIGHT, JOHN FOSTER
NELSON, HUGH
ROBSON, JOHN
SEYMOUR, FREDERICK
WALKEM, GEORGE ANTHONY

Other Resources

Anti-Confederation Party - Wikipedia
British Columbia and Confederation - The Canadian Encyclopedia. Content archived on 6 Dec. 2024
Canada A Country by Consent: British Columbia Joins Confederation
Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia - Wikipedia
Confederation League. Content archived on 26 Nov. 2019

Image Gallery

We acknowledge the financial support of the Canadian Museum of History through the Online Works of Reference Program funded by the Government of Canada.
Nous reconnaissons l'aide financière du Musée canadien de l'histoire à travers les œuvres du programme de référence en ligne financés par le gouvernement du Canada.

We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada.


Nous reconnaissons l’appui du gouvernement du Canada.

© 2003-2025 University of Toronto/Université Laval

Suggest corrections or additions

Important Notices

Websites of Interest

 
OK Cancel
OK