Which Canadian provinces were most resistant to Confederation?

We all know Newfoundland was the lone holdout, not joining until after World War II. What other provinces had strong enough regional identities or interests that they didn't want to be subordinated to Ottawa?

I seem to remember either @Dan1988 or @rfmcdonald talking about Nova Scotia at some point.
 
Nova Scotia was the first colony in the British Empire to be granted responsible government (i.e. democracy), and felt a certain distinctness from the rest of British North America. In Canada's first election, Nova Scotia elected overwhelmingly anti-Confederation politicians, and petitioned the British government to allow separation from the Dominion of Canada as a separate colony/political entity. The British refused to let them separate, and that was more or less the end of it.

Manitoba also saw the Red River Rebellion and the North-West Rebellion led by Louis Riel to protect Metis rights, and allow entrance of Manitoba into Canada on its own terms, rather than being dictated terms by the predominantly Anglophone government in Ottawa. Although there were some calls for a republic, the Metis and Francophones in Manitoba weren't necessarily opposed to Confederation as they were opposed to how it was done.

A more contemporary example would be the Quebec separatist movement of the late 20th century and its retroactive opposition to Confederation.
 
Between Nova Scotia and PEI it seems the Maritimes in general were lukewarm on Confederation alongside Atlantic Canada as a whole if one includes Newfoundland holding out as long as it did. I wonder if both human geography via Francophone Quebec blocking them from fellow English-speakers in Ontario westward, or physical geography via Appalachians and maritime status, played the greater role.
 
PEI, IIRC really wanted Canada to build it a railroad, Canada said no because it’s PEI it doesn’t need a railroad. PEI then proceeded to build said railroad independently, bankrupt itself, and join Confederation in exchange for Canada assuming its debt
 
Yes. It was interesting planning, that. Frankly, speaking as an Island expat, I am very glad the Island got bought by Canada. An independent Island citizenship would be very limiting.
 
Manitoba also saw the Red River Rebellion and the North-West Rebellion led by Louis Riel to protect Metis rights, and allow entrance of Manitoba into Canada on its own terms, rather than being dictated terms by the predominantly Anglophone government in Ottawa. Although there were some calls for a republic, the Metis and Francophones in Manitoba weren't necessarily opposed to Confederation as they were opposed to how it was done.
The Northwest Rebellion was in what is now Saskatchewan and Alberta, not Manitoba.
 
PEI, IIRC really wanted Canada to build it a railroad, Canada said no because it’s PEI it doesn’t need a railroad. PEI then proceeded to build said railroad independently, bankrupt itself, and join Confederation in exchange for Canada assuming its debt

Basically that yes. Had Canada built the railroad PEI would have joined quicker, but once they bankrupt themselves they suddenly found it behoove them to join Canada.

But if we don't count PEI or Newfoundland, Nova Scotia was probably the most resistant to Confederation. They felt the closest to the Mother Country, while New Brunswick was at least more land bound in a sense (Campebello Island really spooked them) and they had closer ties via the roads to Canada East/Quebec.
 

Lusitania

Donor
We also need to consider that the primary condition of BC joining was the building of railway from east to west.
 
Between Nova Scotia and PEI it seems the Maritimes in general were lukewarm on Confederation alongside Atlantic Canada as a whole if one includes Newfoundland holding out as long as it did. I wonder if both human geography via Francophone Quebec blocking them from fellow English-speakers in Ontario westward, or physical geography via Appalachians and maritime status, played the greater role.

There's also basic economics to consider. All of the Maritime colonies (PEI, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) had Atlantic based export-driven economies that had to be massively re-oriented to mesh with the economies of Ontario and Quebec with which they had only just recently begun to trade with. MacDonald's National Policy severely damaged the economies of the Atlantic colonies in order to protect burgeoning industries in Ontario and Quebec.

Due to intense interference from Ottawa in the economies of Alberta and Saskatchewan both provinces developed a great deal of resentment towards Ottawa in the early 20th century something that was seized upon in the late 1970s following Trudeau Sr.'s institution of the NEP.
 
PEI, IIRC really wanted Canada to build it a railroad, Canada said no because it’s PEI it doesn’t need a railroad. PEI then proceeded to build said railroad independently, bankrupt itself, and join Confederation in exchange for Canada assuming its debt

PEI wanted the government of Canada to pay out the absentee landlords which Canada initially refused. PEI also was the only one who saw the senate for the sham it was and objected to it. The other Maritime provinces were so hungry for access to western markets they didn't really care (wheich was extremely shortsighted on their part). Newfoundland didn't see much of a point because of the way taxation was going to work and the feds would take everything over and provide a stipend in return. BC wanted a railway, but so did all the provinces so that's pretty moot.
 
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