Part 1 - Pre-Confederation
Canada began as the result of a desire of Britain to avoid the problems that had resulted in the American revolution, well aware that the Quebec Act had been considered by many of the American Revolutionaries alongside the four 'Intolerable Acts' that had been a primary catalyst to the Revolution. Well aware of the actions of William Lyon Mackenzie and Louis-Joseph Papineau and seeking to assimilate the French-Canadian population of Quebec, Britain's attempt at first establishing control of Canada in the Union Act of 1840 had indeed had the opposite effect, as it became obvious that both complete anglicization of the French-Canadian population was unlikely and ultimately resisting integration into the United States was dependent on a form of political independence.
But what started Canada's evolution even beyond the need to find accommodations between English and French speaking peoples in Canada was the problems that Canada's native population, who had been supporters of the British during the War of 1812 and had fought alongside those who had sought to repulse the Americans. While America was defeated in the war, it was obvious almost immediately after the War that the Americans had absolutely no intention of treating Native Americans with respect, and it showed in their movements, particularly after the war - thus forcing the British to either accept what amounted to cultural genocide or allow the Natives to establish themselves in Canada. By the time of the Rebellions of 1837 Native Canadians had moved into Canada in numbers, and the knowledge of the problems that Washington had inflicted on the Six Nations Confederacy and the Shawnee in particular resulted in huge numbers of the Native Canadians migrating into Canada, forming nearly an outright majority in portions of southern and eastern Upper Canada. The Six Nations, wedged between a rock and a hard place with the British (many of whom had open disdain for them) and the Americans (widely seen as far worse than the British), found themselves becoming adamant supporters of the reform efforts, seeking to peacefully carve themselves out a place among the groups of Canadians, and doing so in many cases by both trading with European colonists and also through their own systems of collective defense. The Indian Removal policy of the United States, passed in 1830, accelerated this trend, somewhat to the disdain of some but the support of the reformers and those opposed to the Americans, well aware of the efforts of Tecumseh and his efforts to rouse the tribes to the defense of their land during the War of 1812. The knowledge of the very poor relationship between America and the native tribes led to more than a little bit of gamesmanship by the British. While eventually relations between London and its colony grew to be fairly cordial, America's past wasn't forgotten and in more than a cases forgiven, particularly with the Fenian Raids. The Native Canadian influence would be seen in the Oregon Treaty, which became a problem to the Americans as news of the actions of the Americans further east would ultimately cause the 1846 Oregon Treaty to come apart as Native tribes, in no small part agitated by British colonial authorities, would not accept American authority over the territory north of the Columbia River. Facing upheaval and the difficulty in controlling territory, the British and Washington ratified the new Oregon Treaty, which established the boundary as the Columbia River west of the crossing of the Columbia River and the 49th parallel, thus giving the entire Salish Sea region to the British. The discovery of gold on the banks of the Thompson River in 1858 forced a major change in the way the region was governed, and the colony of British Columbia was formed in 1858 as a result. Recognizing that the United States was likely to push for complete ownership of the Pacific Coast, both British colonists and Natives pushed for entry into the new Canadian federation, and British Columbia's representatives were among those who were the signatories of the Seventy-Two Resolutions.
By the 1850s, movement towards confederation was seen as inevitably, as men like John A. MacDonald sought to unite factions behind the idea of Canada as a federation, seeking the support of the likes of George Brown and Georges-Etienne Cartier - and to the initial surprise of MacDonald, both Cartier and Brown were publicly supportive of the Six Nations' involvement in Canadian affairs. While the relationship here would remain rocky for many years to come, the tactics of negotiation honed by those seeking to establish Canada as a federation were indeed assisted by the involvement of Native Canadians, and while racism against them would not by any means sink away, in the aftermath of the Indian Removal policies Canada came to be seen as something of a haven for some tribes of North American Indians, an image which would prove to be a massive benefit to Canada's future expansion. Indeed British Columbia's entry into Canada would come to pass in large part because of the Natives of the West Coast, who while plenty suspicious of the British had even less love for the United States. Confederation of the British North American colonies was seen by London as a way of allowing Canada to defend itself against the Americans, while the British in North America saw it as a way of forever establishing a loyal to Britain nation on the North American continent, the French saw it as a way of increasing their own political power and resisting creeping Anglicization of their culture and for Native Canadians of providing themselves a real safe haven from the Americans. Entry into Confederation for British Columbia came with the promise of safety, but their isolation was such that their primary stipulation was that they be connected to the rest of Canada by rail by 1877 - a tall order, but noting the rapid construction of the Transcontinental Railroad in the United States, Victoria felt it was a stipulation that they could make, particularly with their desire to give the British Ocean a connection to the Pacific Ocean.
The American Civil War added to the impetus for Confederation. Britain had not officially supported the Confederacy in America's brutal civil war, but American politicians in the aftermath of the war were more than willing to call for America to expel the British from North America, and problems with everything from population pressures (an increasingly-acute problem in the St. Lawrence River Valley and parts of the Maritime Provinces) to desires to exploit the resources that many felt existed in the Rupert's Land territories controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company pushed confederation along. The American purchase of Alaska in 1867 added to it, even though Confederation had been agreed to before the purchase was completed, it was seen by the Fathers of Confederation (and indeed Queen Victoria, who was more than happy to give assent to the move) as a way of heading off America's expansionism. The entry of British Columbia into the constitutional delegation was followed by those of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, but while the former would join Confederation, the latter chose not to. (This decision would change later on.) On March 29, 1867, the British North America Act was given assent by Queen Victoria, with the Federation of Canada (the 'Dominion' name was rejected out of consideration for the many diverse populations of the country and a desire to seem in control of its own affairs) becoming a reality on July 1, with John A. MacDonald as the first Prime Minister of Canada, with six provinces as part of Canada - Ontario, Quebec,
Part 1 - Pre-Confederation
Canada began as the result of a desire of Britain to avoid the problems that had resulted in the American revolution, well aware that the Quebec Act had been considered by many of the American Revolutionaries alongside the four 'Intolerable Acts' that had been a primary catalyst to the Revolution. Well aware of the actions of William Lyon Mackenzie and Louis-Joseph Papineau and seeking to assimilate the French-Canadian population of Quebec, Britain's attempt at first establishing control of Canada in the Union Act of 1840 had indeed had the opposite effect, as it became obvious that both complete anglicization of the French-Canadian population was unlikely and ultimately resisting integration into the United States was dependent on a form of political independence.
But what started Canada's evolution even beyond the need to find accommodations between English and French speaking peoples in Canada was the problems that Canada's native population, who had been supporters of the British during the War of 1812 and had fought alongside those who had sought to repulse the Americans. While America was defeated in the war, it was obvious almost immediately after the War that the Americans had absolutely no intention of treating Native Americans with respect, and it showed in their movements, particularly after the war - thus forcing the British to either accept what amounted to cultural genocide or allow the Natives to establish themselves in Canada. By the time of the Rebellions of 1837 Native Canadians had moved into Canada in numbers, and the knowledge of the problems that Washington had inflicted on the Six Nations Confederacy and the Shawnee in particular resulted in huge numbers of the Native Canadians migrating into Canada, forming nearly an outright majority in portions of southern and eastern Upper Canada. The Six Nations, wedged between a rock and a hard place with the British (many of whom had open disdain for them) and the Americans (widely seen as far worse than the British), found themselves becoming adamant supporters of the reform efforts, seeking to peacefully carve themselves out a place among the groups of Canadians, and doing so in many cases by both trading with European colonists and also through their own systems of collective defense. The Indian Removal policy of the United States, passed in 1830, accelerated this trend, somewhat to the disdain of some but the support of the reformers and those opposed to the Americans, well aware of the efforts of Tecumseh and his efforts to rouse the tribes to the defense of their land during the War of 1812. The knowledge of the very poor relationship between America and the native tribes led to more than a little bit of gamesmanship by the British. While eventually relations between London and its colony grew to be fairly cordial, America's past wasn't forgotten and in more than a cases forgiven, particularly with the Fenian Raids. The Native Canadian influence would be seen in the Oregon Treaty, which became a problem to the Americans as news of the actions of the Americans further east would ultimately cause the 1846 Oregon Treaty to come apart as Native tribes, in no small part agitated by British colonial authorities, would not accept American authority over the territory north of the Columbia River. Facing upheaval and the difficulty in controlling territory, the British and Washington ratified the new Oregon Treaty, which established the boundary as the Columbia River west of the crossing of the Columbia River and the 49th parallel, thus giving the entire Salish Sea region to the British. The discovery of gold on the banks of the Thompson River in 1858 forced a major change in the way the region was governed, and the colony of British Columbia was formed in 1858 as a result. Recognizing that the United States was likely to push for complete ownership of the Pacific Coast, both British colonists and Natives pushed for entry into the new Canadian federation, and British Columbia's representatives were among those who were the signatories of the Seventy-Two Resolutions.
By the 1850s, movement towards confederation was seen as inevitably, as men like John A. MacDonald sought to unite factions behind the idea of Canada as a federation, seeking the support of the likes of George Brown and Georges-Etienne Cartier - and to the initial surprise of MacDonald, both Cartier and Brown were publicly supportive of the Six Nations' involvement in Canadian affairs. While the relationship here would remain rocky for many years to come, the tactics of negotiation honed by those seeking to establish Canada as a federation were indeed assisted by the involvement of Native Canadians, and while racism against them would not by any means sink away, in the aftermath of the Indian Removal policies Canada came to be seen as something of a haven for some tribes of North American Indians, an image which would prove to be a massive benefit to Canada's future expansion. Indeed British Columbia's entry into Canada would come to pass in large part because of the Natives of the West Coast, who while plenty suspicious of the British had even less love for the United States. Confederation of the British North American colonies was seen by London as a way of allowing Canada to defend itself against the Americans, while the British in North America saw it as a way of forever establishing a loyal to Britain nation on the North American continent, the French saw it as a way of increasing their own political power and resisting creeping Anglicization of their culture and for Native Canadians of providing themselves a real safe haven from the Americans. Entry into Confederation for British Columbia came with the promise of safety, but their isolation was such that their primary stipulation was that they be connected to the rest of Canada by rail by 1877 - a tall order, but noting the rapid construction of the Transcontinental Railroad in the United States, Victoria felt it was a stipulation that they could make, particularly with their desire to give the British Ocean a connection to the Pacific Ocean.
The American Civil War added to the impetus for Confederation. Britain had not officially supported the Confederacy in America's brutal civil war, but American politicians in the aftermath of the war were more than willing to call for America to expel the British from North America, and problems with everything from population pressures (an increasingly-acute problem in the St. Lawrence River Valley and parts of the Maritime Provinces) to desires to exploit the resources that many felt existed in the Rupert's Land territories controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company pushed confederation along. The American purchase of Alaska in 1867 added to it, even though Confederation had been agreed to before the purchase was completed, it was seen by the Fathers of Confederation (and indeed Queen Victoria, who was more than happy to give assent to the move) as a way of heading off America's expansionism. The entry of British Columbia into the constitutional delegation was followed by those of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, but while the former would join Confederation, the latter chose not to. (This decision would change later on.) On March 29, 1867, the British North America Act was given assent by Queen Victoria, with the Federation of Canada (the 'Dominion' name was rejected out of consideration for the many diverse populations of the country and a desire to seem in control of its own affairs) becoming a reality on July 1, with John A. MacDonald as the first Prime Minister of Canada, with six provinces as part of Canada - Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and British Columbia.
The original plan of building Canada in the minds of many of its founders was that Confederation, which while granting Canada a wide degree of autonomy was far from complete independence from the United Kingdom, would allow Canada to both satisfy demands for more local control of its own affairs while at the same time remaining a devout member of the British Empire. Within a generation, however, new minds and ideas would arise which would change everything about Canada and its future as a nation....
EDIT: I had Alaska go both ways. Whoops.
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and British Columbia.
The original plan of building Canada in the minds of many of its founders was that Confederation, which while granting Canada a wide degree of autonomy was far from complete independence from the United Kingdom, would allow Canada to both satisfy demands for more local control of its own affairs while at the same time remaining a devout member of the British Empire. Within a generation, however, new minds and ideas would arise which would change everything about Canada and its future as a nation....
EDIT: I had Alaska go both ways. Whoops.
Canada's primary ASW job will stop the building of aircraft carriers until at least mid-1942, but by that time the reduction of the U-boat threat will reduce the priority of the carriers. They will have two or three light carriers by mid-1944, but these won't live long after the war. Canada will have a lot of questions about what to do about its naval forces after the war - them getting into the carrier business is a given, though what form that will take I'm not sure yet. 
