London Conference
The
London Conference was held in the
United Kingdom in December
1866 and was the final in a series of conferences that led to
Canadian confederation in
1867. Delegates from the
Province of Canada,
Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick met with officials of the British government to draft the
British North America Act. A major issue of contention was education with
Roman Catholic bishops lobbying for guarantees protecting the
separate school system. This was opposed by delegates from the
Maritimes, and the compromise reached was Section 93 of the BNA Act, which guaranteed separate school systems in
Quebec and
Ontario but not in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick.