Confederation of Canada

Confederation of Canada, union of British colonies established by the British Parliament in the British North America Act of 1867. This act provided for the formation of the Dominion of Canada and served as its constitution. It defined a self-governing community within the British Empire, not an independent country, with 2 levels of government, provincial and national. The dominion, which initially consisted of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec, eventually developed into the Canada of today.