Unit+2+-+Performance+Task

__**Unit 2: Performance Task**__ //Hypothesize what might have happened to Canada if John A. MacDonald would have never succeeded in uniting the colonies of British North America under one flag.//

The road to confederation was a long and hard one. It took many forces, both internal and external, to make the colonies of British North America join confederation. They came across many obstacles to building a nation, but John A. Macdonald, the Father of Confederation, was bound and determined to unite the members of this country. There could have been many times where a decision could have been made that would have stopped confederation from happening, but thankfully, John A. Macdonald succeeded.

So what if confederation never happened? What if John A. Macdonald failed?

First, there were forces that pushed confederation to come to be. External forces, such as the threat of the Americans, frightened small colonies enough that they wanted security for both their economy and their home. The Americans viewed British North America as divided and easily conquered, and that it would not take much for the Americans to gain land and more power by taking it over. The Fenian raids against New Brunswick and Nova Scotia by Irish Catholics made Canadians realize how vulnerable they really were, and strengthened support for confederation.

Internal forces that helped to form confederation revolved around the government and by the diversity of people and culture in Canada. Since we have such a diversity from coast to coast, there had to be a way to unite all of these people in a way that they could feel represented and safe. These colonies also had a lot of debt, and by joining confederation, their debts windled away. Rep by Pop was a way these diverse colonies could keep their distinctiveness while still being part of parliament. Along with that, they were given provincial governments that catered to their individual needs. They were also given a Senate, another check and balance in this government, and it got rid of the 42 vs. 42 deadlock that the old government created.

If no colonies joined together at all, then we may have had a land that was divided much like how Europe is divided. There would be many small countries that may have had different laws, different cultures, and different beliefs. Those differences would most likely lead to wars between countries, possibly be over resources or religion. These separate nations spread out across this land would have been easily taken over by anyone, especially America. Some of these small countries would probably not have the resources they would need for the members living in it, and would have trouble obtaining those resources from the surrounding countries.

In British North America after confederation, they had a way of using the different resources spread out over the vast country to make material goods by National Policy. Even though this policy was not overly beneficial to everyone, it helped to unite the different people with a common goal and gave every part of the country a duty after the Reciprocity agreement was terminated. British North America no longer had a place to trade, so National Policy helped to fix that.

The smaller countries would not have necessarily been bad - the smaller countries of Europe have functioned well and have even flourished. It may have been bad for Canada, since the land is harsher and the land mass much larger. It could have gone either way - it could have strengthened the individual colonies that were in the province, or it could have put so much pressure and stress on them that they would have been worked into the ground.

Another way this could have went would have been America taking over Canada. If British North America did not join confederation, the threat to the south would have easily taken over. America may have taken over at least more lad of Canada's, since Newfoundland had a choice to join Canada or join America. Thankfully, they joined Canada, and have been a nice edition to the country, adding diversity.

Without confederation, there wouldn't have been the creation of many things that helped Canada as a whole. Things such as the railway, provinces, national policy, and the language diversity would not have existed, or existed as early as they had. The railway was a huge creation, making it easier for transportation of people who populate the West, and to get supplies to those people. The railway also helped to send troops and RCMP into the West to handle rebellions that came up later on. Provinces of Canada may have also turned out differently, and they may not have had the provincial government we see in today's society. Canada, today, is a bilingual country. Both French and English are considered official languages, which has made living here, no matter which language is your main, interesting and simple. National Policy was a good implementation that tied the country together economically.

Overall, without confederation, the Canada today would not have been shaped the same way it has been. We may not have had all of the same provinces, the same government system, nor the same unity we see within the borders of all of Canada. We may not have become our own country, and may have become an extension of the States. We are better as Canada, and not part of America. America would not have helped us - it would have harmed the people of Canada and hindered our ability to grow and prosper. They were waiting for the chance to take over this country, but because of confederation, we held up our own.

Some feel confederation was a bad idea. They say that it forced unmeshable cultures and religions together, and forced them to communicate even though they have different languages. We have seen some backlash from Quebec now, since they feel that they should be considered their own nation because of their differing beliefs, language, and religion.

I feel confederation was a good thing - it established a government system that accomodated the diverse cultures and ideals that each colony had, it created the railway which made a link between all provinces, it sent people to the West to harvest the vast amount of resources available there and to gain power of it before the Americans, and it provided a policy, however unbeneficial to the West, that gave all of Canada a stable economy after the termination of Reciprocity,