Page 108 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

Prince Edward Island and Confederation

Francis Williain Pius BOLGER. Ph.D.
Sb. Dunslan's University, Charlottelou~n

The ides of Confederation did not receive serious coneideratjon in
Prince Edward Island prior to the year 1863. Ten more years elapsed
before the uubject of union with ihe British North Amerjcnn Colonies
moved into the non-aeademic and practical sphere. The position of the
Island in the Confederation negotiations illnstrated in large m~asure
the eharacteristics of its polilics and ils attitnde to distant administra-
tions. This attitnde rnight Lest be demrihed simply a3 a poliey of
exclusiveness. The history oi ~he Confederation negoliations in Prince
Edward Jsland consisled of the iriterplay of British, Canadian, and
Maritirne infinerices npon thia pulicy. It i.s the pnrpose oi this paper to
tell the stury of Conferleralion in Prince Edward Island from 1863 to
1873.
The ~olicv of exelusiveness. whieh charaeterized Prince Emard
1 ,
Islarid's attitude to ~onfédera tirin', was clearly revealed in the politieaI
arena. The lslanders harl a profound respect Irir local self-government.
They enj riyed their poli tical indeperidence, particularly after the a ttain-
ment of responsihle governrnent in 1951, arid did not wish to see a
rednetiori in the significance of lheir IocaI institutions. They realized,
moreriver. that thev wonld have ail insi~nificant voice in a ceritralized
legislatur& and as 'a resnlt they feared ihat their local iieeds would be
disregarded. Firially, previous irustrating experience with the Imperia1
government with respect LO the settlement of the land question on the
Island had tanght the Islaiidere that it \vas extremely hazardous to trnst
the management of local problems to distarit and possibly unsympathetic
administraiions. For theee reasoiis the lslanders were convinced that
Confederation was tanlamoiint to political enicide.
Prince Edward Island's exclusiveness was also Dresent in the eco-
riomic sphere. The Islanders rnaiiitained that ~onfëderatioii wonld be
financially disastrous to rhe agricnltural, fishing and commereiaI iiiterests
of the Island. The Islarid's eeoriomy depended almost entirely or1 agri-
cnlture and ihe fislieries, ihe products of whieh were exported mainIy
to Europe, the United States and the Wcst Indies, in exchange for
riecessary imports. Since Canada was essentially agricultural a tid also
~ossessed extensive fisheries. it did not nrovide and eould never be
éxpected to provide a market for the $tapie commodilies of the lsland:
Islaiid politicians Ieared union with Canada which wouId include [hem
in the Canadian lariff structure and increase the duties on cotnrnodities