Constitutional history of Canada
History of Canada
This article is part of a series
Pre-Columbian era
New France
Canada under British Imperial control (1764-1867)
Post-Confederation Canada (1867-1914)
Canada in the World Wars and Interwar Years
(1945-1960)
(1960-1981)
(1982-1992)
(1992-Present)
Military history
Economic history
Constitutional history
History of the monarchy
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The constitutional history of Canada begins with the
1763 Treaty of Paris, in which France ceded most of New
France to Great Britain. Canada was the colony along the
St Lawrence River, part of present-day Ontario and Que-
bec. Its government underwent many structural changes
over the following century. In 1867 Canada became the
name of the new federal Dominion extending ultimately
from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the Arctic coasts.
Canada obtained legislative autonomy from the United
Kingdom in 1931, and had its constitution (including a
new rights charter) patriated in 1982. Canada’s constitu-
tion includes the amalgam of constitutional law span-
ning this history.
Treaty of Paris (1763)
On February 10, 1763, France ceded most of New France
to Great Britain. The 1763 Treaty of Paris confirmed the
cession of Canada, including all its dependencies, Acadia
(Nova Scotia) and Cape Breton Island to Great Britain. A
year before, France had secretly ceded Louisiana to
Spain to avoid losing it to the British. (See the Treaty of
Fontainebleau).
At the time of the signing, the French colony of
Canada was already under the control of the British
army since the capitulation of the government of New
France in 1760. (See the Articles of Capitulation of
Montreal.)
Royal proclamation (1763)
The policy of Great Britain regarding its newly acquired
colonies of America was revealed in a Royal Proclama-
tion, issued on October 7, 1763. The proclamation re-
named Canada "The Province of Quebec", redefined its
borders and established a British-appointed colonial
government. Although not a constitutional text, the pro-
clamation expressed the will