Lets imagine that various issues gets unresolved or that Canada simply doesn't get invited to the charlottetown conference and that confederation never occurs. What then would be the aftermath ?
- Newfoundland: History would remain largely unchanged until the 1940s. Assuming they faced the same problems as in OTL, they might have decided to join the Maritime Union (see below), assume full sovereignty or remain administered by the UK ending up like the Falklands.
- New Brunswick & Nova Scotia: Since the idea of the Maritime Union was the reason for the charlotetown conference which started the confederation movement, the 3 colonies (NB, NS & Prince Edward Island) might have formed their dominion with each keeping some level of autonomy within it.
- Prince Edward Island: PEI did not join confederation right away *here*, until the 1870 it remained a separate colony and it is only when the USA showed too much interest that the Canadian government intervened so *there*, either PEI might have joined the Maritime Union or the USA.
- United Canada: 3 possibilities comes to mind:
1- Split off into 2 dominions
2- Stay together as 2 provinces
3- Stay together without into real internal divisions
The first one would appear to be the easiest and the politicians in Canada-west would probably prefer it but the anglophones in Canada-east might reject the idea as giving too much autonomy to the french-canadians. There could be a call for an autonomous Montreal (the suggestion occured in OTL) either as a territory with a special status within the dominion or a fully independent one.
The second option might work and the 2 communities would be almost evenly split population wise. In the long term though you would probably see the same call for independence as in OTL.
The last option would probably not work since you would need to either harmonise 2 different legal systems (the francophones would object) or keep both with overlaping jurisdictions.
- British Columbia: would probably have formed a Dominion of its own.
- Rupert Land and North West Territories: Without a central government to buy it, either parcels were sold to the various dominions (which could mean very different borders for the dominions then their OTL counterparts) or the UK might have decided to buy it from the Hudson's Bay Company and administer it until such time as enough settlers inhabit part of it to create new dominions out of it.
- Newfoundland: History would remain largely unchanged until the 1940s. Assuming they faced the same problems as in OTL, they might have decided to join the Maritime Union (see below), assume full sovereignty or remain administered by the UK ending up like the Falklands.
- New Brunswick & Nova Scotia: Since the idea of the Maritime Union was the reason for the charlotetown conference which started the confederation movement, the 3 colonies (NB, NS & Prince Edward Island) might have formed their dominion with each keeping some level of autonomy within it.
- Prince Edward Island: PEI did not join confederation right away *here*, until the 1870 it remained a separate colony and it is only when the USA showed too much interest that the Canadian government intervened so *there*, either PEI might have joined the Maritime Union or the USA.
- United Canada: 3 possibilities comes to mind:
1- Split off into 2 dominions
2- Stay together as 2 provinces
3- Stay together without into real internal divisions
The first one would appear to be the easiest and the politicians in Canada-west would probably prefer it but the anglophones in Canada-east might reject the idea as giving too much autonomy to the french-canadians. There could be a call for an autonomous Montreal (the suggestion occured in OTL) either as a territory with a special status within the dominion or a fully independent one.
The second option might work and the 2 communities would be almost evenly split population wise. In the long term though you would probably see the same call for independence as in OTL.
The last option would probably not work since you would need to either harmonise 2 different legal systems (the francophones would object) or keep both with overlaping jurisdictions.
- British Columbia: would probably have formed a Dominion of its own.
- Rupert Land and North West Territories: Without a central government to buy it, either parcels were sold to the various dominions (which could mean very different borders for the dominions then their OTL counterparts) or the UK might have decided to buy it from the Hudson's Bay Company and administer it until such time as enough settlers inhabit part of it to create new dominions out of it.