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ARCHIVED - Confederation for kids
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Provinces
New Brunswick
Entered Confederation: 1867
Source
Before Confederation, 1866
In the 1860s New Brunswick was still a colony of Britain. The people who had settled there were mainly of English, Irish, Scottish and Acadian background. Although the economy was strong, some people, including the leader of the government Samuel Leonard Tilley, believed that joining Canada would be the best thing for New Brunswick. The colony decided to enter Confederation for these reasons:
- Many of the settlers thought that the powerful United States would want to expand northward into New Brunswick. However, if they were part of Canada they would be better able to defend against this threat.
- People thought that Confederation would help the economy by providing a larger market for their goods, and a link to the other colonies through the Intercolonial Railway.
