The Conferences Leading to the Creation of Canada as a Nation

Previously published in Examiner
Conclusion of the Viscount Stanley Monck series

To learn more about Canadian or Quebec politics, both McGill University and Concordia University in Montreal offer wonderful political science degrees, that you may want to look into.

Montreal's Concordia University has a wonderful women's studies program at the Simone do Beauvoir Institute

A history of the evolution of Canada is important to the understanding of the role of a governor general. These men made decisions primarily on behalf of men. Women's issues were really not considered with any semblance of respect before the 20th century. Their actions affected the lives of women and that is why they are chosen as a preamble before our women governor generals will be discussed.

The duties of a governor general is to represent the ruling British Monarch in Canada. The governor general carries out administrative duties and also celebratory or festive activities.

Baron Charles Stanley Monck: First Governor General of Canada

The Quebec Conference on Confederation continued

The Provinces of the Canadas (Quebec and Ontario), and the maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island were to decide the type of government they wanted for the new confederation of Canada.

It was decided that some powers would be delegated to a central government and some to the smaller provincial governments. They also agreed on a higher house, the Senate, and a lower house, The House of Commons to be the governing bodies.

The London Conference - 1866

The London Conference held in the UK was the last of the series of conferences for the formation of the Confederation of Canada. The biggest issue the Canadian delegates had was over education. Quebec wanted separate school systems (french and English) so that their cultural rights could be observed, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick did not.

It was decided for separate systems in Quebec and Ontario, but not in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Queen Victoria signed the Bill and the country of Canada was born on July 1, 1867.

Charles Monck, as the Queen's representative in the colonies supported the union of Canada and worked with the the fathers of Confederation: John A MacDonald who would be the first Prime Minister of Canada, George Brown, George-‰tienne Cartier, and ‰tienne-Paschal Tach©.

In 1866, Viscount Monck was raised to Baron Monck and in 1867 he created Rideau Hall which is the home of all Canadian governor generals to this day.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Monck,_4th_Viscount_Monck