Editing Canadian Confederation (section)

{{short description|1867 unification of Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{lead too short|date=June 2020}}
{{Canadian Confederation sidebar}}

'''Canadian Confederation''' ({{langx|fr|Confédération canadienne|link=no}}) was the process by which three [[British North America]]n provinces—the [[Province of Canada]], [[Nova Scotia]], and [[New Brunswick]]—were united into one [[federation]], called the [[Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion|Dominion]] of [[Canada]], on July 1, 1867.<ref>[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-1.html ''Constitution Act, 1867'', s. 3]</ref>{{sfn|Martin|1995|p=1}} This process occurred in accordance with the rising tide of [[Canadian nationalism]] that was then beginning to swell within these provinces and others. Upon Confederation, [[Canada]] consisted of four provinces: [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]], which had been split out from the Province of Canada, and the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.<ref>[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-1.html ''Constitution Act, 1867'', ss. 5 and 6.]</ref> The province of [[Prince Edward Island]], which had hosted the first meeting to consider Confederation, the [[Charlottetown Conference]], did not join Confederation until 1873. Over the years since Confederation, Canada has seen numerous territorial changes and expansions, resulting in the current number of [[Provinces and territories of Canada|ten provinces and three territories]].