Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island - 19 June 2014
The Government of Canada is committed to commemorating a number of nation-building milestones that will culminate in the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017. Each of these anniversaries represents an opportunity to celebrate the events that have shaped our history and made Canada what it is today: Strong, Proud, and Free.
To this end, on June 19, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited the Confederation Centre of the Arts and Province House in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, to mark the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference and to pay tribute to the important role that the meeting, the city and the province played in the creation of Canada.
He also announced additional support to PEI 2014 Inc. for Phase II of the celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences.
On September 1, 1864, delegates from Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada (now Ontario and Quebec) convened to discuss options for a union or confederation. Over the next eight days, the merits of Confederation were discussed during formal meetings, grand balls and banquets. Although further discussions were required at conferences held in Quebec and London, United Kingdom, the concept of Confederation, which would eventually lead to the birth of Canada, was approved in Charlottetown.
Later in October, the delegates regrouped in Québec City, prepared resolutions and hammered out what the new country would look like: system of government, structure and how power would be shared among the provinces and the new federal government.
As a result of the work done and goodwill generated at the Prince Edward Island meeting, and the subsequent discussions in Quebec and London, United Kingdom, the Dominion of Canada became a reality on July 1, 1867, under the British North American Act.
The $5 million in additional support is being provided to PEI 2014 Inc, a not-for-profit organization whose aim is to create an unforgettable 150th anniversary year that will celebrate and commemorate the historic Charlottetown Conference of 1864 and Prince Edward Island’s role in the formation of Canada. The support will be used for the following activities:
- From July 1 to September 7, 2014, the Celebration Zone will showcase the historic Charlottetown Harbour where the Fathers of Confederation landed in September 1864. The Celebration Zone will be a hub of celebratory activity all summer long.
- Canada Day 2014 celebrations in Prince Edward Island will be enhanced.
- A national marketing and engagement program informing Canadians about the 150th anniversaries of the Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences will take place from coast to coast to coast.
- “Founders Week” (August 28 to September 7) will include:
- Charlottetown and Québec City – The 1864 Connection activity which will commence with the arrival of six tall ships at the Charlottetown Waterfront, complete with a festival atmosphere greeting the ships.
- A bronze statue of Étienne-Paschal Taché, who presided over the Quebec Conference, will be erected in Québec City as well as a statue of William Henry Pope, then Colonial Secretary in Charlottetown.
- A dance collaboration between l'École de danse de Québec (Québec City) and HollandCollege's School of Performing Arts (Charlottetown) will take place at both Tall Ships festivities in Charlottetown and Québec City.
- New Canada Conference: over 100 young Canadians between the ages of 19 and 24 from across the country will participate in a week-long program in Prince Edward Island.
Total federal support being provided to commemorate the 150th anniversaries of the Charlottetown and the Quebec Conferences is over $24 million. In addition to the $5 million announced on June 19, 2014, the Government of Canada has also provided:
- $12.05 million for the remediation of Province House National Historic Site (Parks Canada).
- $6.1 million for PEI 2014 Inc. and the Confederation Centre of the Arts for projects related to the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference, including the development of a state-of-the-art theatre pavilion:
- $4 million from the Commemorate Canada component of the Celebration and Commemoration Program and the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund.
- More than $2 million from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
Provincial and municipal governments are also contributing resources to the celebrations.
