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Just after the rebellions of Upper Canada (1837-1838) and Lower Canada (1837), Lord Durham was made Governor General of British North America and was asked to make a report on the colonies. In his report he suggested that the colonies were ready for responsible government. Responsible government means that there is a certain cabinet that adheres to the elected assembly instead to the ruling monarch.
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On February 2 1848 Nova Scotia became the first colony to adopt responsible government.
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In May 1848 New Brunswick soon followed Nova Scotia to become the second colony to have responsible government
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The political deadlock of 1854-1864 was a huge problem for the government of Canada. A political deadlock is when no party can move or win in government. This time 10 governments were held and none of them were able to give the colony political stability. George Brown ended the deadlock by creating a coalition.
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As the government had fallen again, John.A.Macdonald, the leader of the Conservative Party, was proposed a plan to him by, rather unexpectedly, George Brown, leader of the Liberal Party. The plan was to unite Upper and Lower Canada to form one huge colony.
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On June 22 1864 George Brown, leader of the Clear Grits or Liberals, joined a coalition with John.A.Macdonald, leader of the Conservatives, and George-Étienne Cartier, thus creating a coalition government. A coalition government is a cabinet of government where several parties cooperate, usually in time of a crisis. This coalition government ended the ongoing political deadlock.
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On September 1, 1864, the Liberals and the Conservatives joined the Great Coalition and called forth a meeting in Charlottetown, PEI to work out some conditions so that the Maritime Provinces would join the union.
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In Quebec City, in October 1864, delegates met and agreed on what became known as The Seventy-Two Resolutions,
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In 1865, Canada's Legislative Assembly Approved Confederation with votes 91 to 33: however, none of the Maritime Provinces liked the plan.
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In December 1866, Macdonald took charge of the conference, and was widely applauded for his discussions.
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On March 8, 1867, The British North America Act (BNA) passed, which would be Canada's Constitution for over a century.
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On March 29, 1867, Queen Victoira gave her Royal Assent for the Constitution.
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On this date, it was announced that the Dominion of Canada would come into force on July 1, 1867.
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On July 1, 1867, The Dominion of Canada went into existence and John Alexzander Macdonald was knighted and made the first prime minister of Canada.
