The British North America Act, 1867, establishes the Dominion of Canada by fusing the North American British colonies of the Province of Canada, the Province of New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

The two subdivisions of the Province of Canada, Canada West and Canada East, are renamed Ontario and Quebec, respectively, and are given equal footing with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the Parliament of Canada, as representation by population is accepted for the Canadian House of Commons, as is a notion of regional equality in the Canadian Senate, with the Ontario, Quebec and Maritime "regions" receiving an equal number of senators.

This creation, or Confederation, is done so Canada could be strong enough to be an independent country without total reliance on Britain.

The British no longer want to pay for Canada's defense, and furthermore, London acts primarily in Britain's interest, and does not put Canadian interests first.

The British North American Act of 1867 entails the original creation of a federal dominion and sets the framework for much of the operation of the Government of Canada, including its Federal structure, the House of Commons, the Senate, the justice system, and the taxation system.

With the birth of the Dominion, Canada East and Canada West become separate provinces, known as Quebec and Ontario.

The Dominion of Canada thus created also includes the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Lord Monck appoints John A. Macdonald as the new nation's first Prime Minister.

Macdonald is knighted on this first observance of what will come to be known as Canada Day, 1 July 1867.