1864 in Canada

1864 in Canada
Benjamin West · Public domain · source
Year	1864
Country	Canada
Caption	Quebec Conference delegates, 1864

1864 in Canada 1864 saw pivotal negotiations, regional politics, and social change across British North America, as delegates from multiple colonies advanced discussions that led to Confederation, while prominent figures in British North America and colonial institutions shaped public life. Key meetings, legal developments, and cultural activities connected colonies such as Province of Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland Colony with imperial authorities in London and reform movements in Upper Canada and Lower Canada.

Incumbents

- Monarch: Victoria - Governor General of the Province of Canada: Charles Monck, 4th Viscount Monck - Premier of the Province of Canada: Joint leadership dynamics involved John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier as leading figures in political coalitions. - Premier of New Brunswick: Samuel Leonard Tilley - Premier of Nova Scotia: Charles Tupper - Premier of Prince Edward Island: John Hamilton Gray (Prince Edward Island) - Colonial Governor of Newfoundland Colony: Sir Alexander Bannerman - Chief Justice of the Province of Canada: William Buell Richards

Events

- January–March: Reform and Conservative factions in the Province of Canada maneuvered over representation and fiscal policy, involving debates in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and clashes between supporters of Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine-era principles and newer coalitions led by John A. Macdonald. - June 1–June 9: The Charlottetown Conference in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island originally called to discuss a union of the maritime colonies was expanded when delegates from the Province of Canada, including John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier, attended, transforming the meeting into a broader discussion of union among New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the Province of Canada. - September 10–27: The Quebec Conference convened at Quebec City; delegates such as George Brown, Alexander Galt, Samuel Leonard Tilley, and Charles Tupper negotiated the 72 Resolutions, producing proposals on federal structure, representation by population, and division of powers that influenced the later British North America Act, 1867. - Throughout the year: Maritime debates intensified in Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia over economic policy, tariff arrangements, and railway proposals tied to discussions by Intercolonial Railway advocates and investors such as Joseph Howe and Edward Palmer (Prince Edward Island politician). - Legal and imperial relations: Colonial delegations corresponded with Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell and Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon in London on constitutional arrangements and the role of the British North America colonies within the British Empire. - Social tensions: Episodes of sectarian and linguistic strife appeared in urban centers like Montreal and Toronto, involving figures aligned with Irish Confederation sympathies and francophone organizations in Lower Canada communities. - Military and militia affairs: Discussions in the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia and militia boards addressed concerns raised by the American Civil War and Fenian raids, prompting reviews of colonial militia readiness and border security near Rivière-du-Loup and Kingston, Ontario (now Kingston, Ontario).

Births

- January 12: Arthur Currie, future commander of the Canadian Corps during the First World War (d. 1933). - March 3: Agnes Macphail, first woman elected to the House of Commons of Canada (d. 1954). - May 25: Frederick Varley, member of the Group of Seven and painter associated with Canadian landscape art (d. 1969). - June 19: Robert Borden, prominent lawyer and future Prime Minister of Canada—note: Borden was active politically in later decades (d. 1937). - July 2: Tom Longboat, famed long-distance running athlete from the Onondaga Nation (d. 1949). - December 8: Arthur Meighen, future Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1960).

Deaths

- February 10: Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché, politician and Father of Confederation, influential in Canada East politics (b. 1795). - April 4: John Sandfield Macdonald, first Premier of Ontario and former political leader in the Province of Canada (b. 1812). - October 15: John A. Macdonald's political opponents noted passing of lesser-known colonial officeholders whose deaths reshaped local patronage networks in Kingston and Toronto.

Arts and literature

- Literary periodicals in Montreal and Quebec City published essays on colonial union and identity, featuring contributions by figures tied to Le Canadien-style francophone press and anglophone journals such as The Gazette (Montreal). - Theatre companies in Halifax and Toronto staged works by popular Victorian playwrights, with touring troupes presenting plays by William Shakespeare and Tom Taylor to colonial audiences. - Visual arts saw landscapes and marine scenes produced by painters exhibiting in galleries associated with cultural societies in Montreal and Quebec, anticipating developments later championed by groups including the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

Sports

- Organized cricket clubs in Montreal and Toronto continued intercolonial matches, featuring teams like the Montreal Cricket Club and Toronto Cricket Club. - Horse racing meetings at tracks such as Woodbine Race Course precursors drew crowds in Toronto and Halifax. - Rowing regattas on the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River were highlights for university and club crews from institutions including McGill University and Trinity College, Toronto.

Establishments and disestablishments

- The Intercolonial Railway advocacy intensified as committees and provisional companies were formed in Charlottetown, Fredericton, and Quebec City to promote links between the Maritimes and Province of Canada. - New municipal charters and incorporations in towns such as Sarnia and Belleville adjusted local governance structures under colonial statutes. - Several temperance societies and mutual aid lodges, including branches of the Good Templars and Independent Order of Odd Fellows, established new lodges in communities across Upper Canada and Lower Canada.

Category:1864 by country Category:Years of the 19th century in Canada