Grade 8 · Social Studies · Unit 2 of 15
Making a Country
Why and how Canada began in 1867
What your child practises
The conferences and the British North America Act, the reasons the colonies joined (railways, trade, defence and political deadlock), who could vote, why some people opposed Confederation, and how Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island joined.
Ontario Curriculum expectation: History A1.1, A1.3, A2.4, A3.1, A3.5, A3.8 · factors in the creation of the Dominion of Canada and its expansion, who was and was not at the table, and key people and political changes
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Who could vote in most places in 1867?
- everyone over 16
- only women
- mostly men who owned property
- every adult
Show answer
mostly men who owned property
Hint: Women could not vote, and most Indigenous people and many workers could not either.
Question 2
Which Nova Scotian leader campaigned against Confederation?
- Joseph Howe
- Charles Tupper
- Sir John A. Macdonald
- George-Étienne Cartier
Show answer
Joseph Howe
Hint: Howe feared Nova Scotia would lose control over its own affairs.
Question 3
Which groups were NOT invited to the Confederation conferences?
- delegates from Nova Scotia
- delegates from the Province of Canada
- delegates from New Brunswick
- First Nations, Métis and Inuit leaders, and women
Show answer
First Nations, Métis and Inuit leaders, and women
Hint: The decisions were made by colonial politicians who were almost all men.
Question 4
The Fenians were Irish-American groups who raided across the border in 1866. How did this affect Confederation?
- It made Britain take over defence completely.
- It increased fears for security and the desire for joint defence.
- It ended all talks.
- It had no effect on anyone.
Show answer
It increased fears for security and the desire for joint defence.
Hint: Fear of attack made some people more willing to unite.
Question 5
Why did the threat of American expansion help push the colonies toward Confederation?
- They wanted to join the United States.
- They hoped that a larger union would better defend British North America.
- They hoped to end the monarchy.
- They wanted to stop all trade.
Show answer
They hoped that a larger union would better defend British North America.
Hint: The U.S. had just finished its Civil War, and many Americans talked about Manifest Destiny.
Question 6
Which four provinces made up the Dominion of Canada in 1867?
- Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
- Quebec, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Nova Scotia
- Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland
- Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia
Show answer
Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
Hint: The Province of Canada split into Ontario and Quebec, and joined Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.