Detail from the defunct 25¢ note, in circulation until 1935. Today, the country is not commonly referred to as the 'Dominion of Canada'.
The name 'Canada' has been in use since the earliest European settlement in
Canada and originates from a
First Nations word ''kanata'' for "settlement", "village", or "land". Today, ''Canada'' is pronounced in
English and in
French. In
Inuktitut, one of the official languages of the territory of
Nunavut, the First Nations word (pronounced ) is used, with the
Inuktitut syllabics ᑲᓇᑕ.
The French colony of
Canada,
New France, was set up along the
Saint Lawrence River and the northern shores of the
Great Lakes. Later the area became two British colonies, called
Upper Canada and
Lower Canada until their union as the British
Province of Canada in 1841. Upon
Confederation in 1867, the name Canada was officially adopted for the new
Dominion, which was commonly referred to as the ''Dominion of Canada'' until after
World War II.
Name origin
The name ''Canada'' originated around 1535 from the
Saint-Lawrence Iroquoian word ''kanata'' meaning "village", "settlement",
[1][ Naming Canada: stories about Canadian place names, , Alan, Rayburn, University of Toronto Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8020-8293-9 ] or "collection of huts";
[2]["Let's call it...Efisga" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''] another contemporary translation was "land".
This
Iroquoian language was spoken by the inhabitants of
Stadacona and the neighbouring region near present-day
Quebec City in the 16th century,
[3] with words having similarities to those in related languages such as
Mohawk (e.g., ''kaná:ta’'', "town").
[4][5] Jacques Cartier was first to use the word "canada" to refer not only to the village of Stadacona but also to the neighbouring region and to the Saint Lawrence River, which he called ''rivière de Canada''. By 1545, European books and maps began referring to this region as Canada.
While the
First Nations origin for the name ''Canada'' is now widely accepted, other possible explanations have been put forward in the past. One theory suggested that the name originated when
Spanish explorers, not having explored the northern part of the continent, wrote ''acá nada'' ("nothing here") on that part of their maps.
:''See also:
List of place names in Canada of Aboriginal origin.''
After the conquest of New France
After the
British conquest of
New France (including ceding of the
French colony, Canada) in 1763, the colony was renamed as the
Province of Quebec. Despite this, in the
American Revolution their
Articles of Confederation (1777) included a clause pre-authorizing the admission of "Canada" as a new state if it wished to join the U.S.
Following the revolution and the influx of
United Empire Loyalists into Quebec, the colony was split on
26 December 1791 into
Upper and
Lower Canada, sometime being collectively known as "
The Canadas", the first time that the name "Canada" was used as the name of a colony. While Cartier used ''canadien'' to refer to the
Iroquois residents of the colony, the term later came to be applied to French subjects born in Canada, and then to inhabitants of both colonies.
Upper and Lower Canada were merged into one colony, the
Province of Canada, in 1841, based on the recommendations of the
Durham Report. The former colonies were then known as Canada East and Canada West, and a single legislature was established with equal representation from each. Underpopulated Canada West opposed demands by Canada East for representation by population, but the roles reversed as Canada West's population surpassed the east's. The single colony remained governed in this way until
1 July 1867, often with coalition governments. A new capital city was being built at
Ottawa, chosen in 1857 by
Queen Victoria, and became a national capital.
Selection of the name ''Canada''
At the conferences held in London to determine the form of confederation that would unite the
Province of Canada (now
Ontario and
Quebec), the Province of
New Brunswick and the Province of
Nova Scotia, a delegate from either Nova Scotia or New Brunswick proposed the name ''Canada'' in February 1867, and it was unanimously accepted by the other delegates. There appears to have been little discussion,
[6] though other names were suggested (see below).
Adoption of ''Dominion''
Canadian post card from 1905.
During the
Charlottetown Conference of 1864,
John A. Macdonald, who later became the first
Prime Minister of Canada, talked of "founding a great British monarchy", in connection with the
British Empire. He advocated, in the fourth Canadian draft of the British North America Act, the name "Kingdom of Canada,"
[7] in the text is said:
:The word 'Parliament' shall mean the Legislature or Parliament of the Kingdom of Canada.
:The word 'Kingdom' shall mean and comprehend the United Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
:The words 'Privy Council' shall mean such persons as may from time to time be appointed, by the Governor General, and sworn to aid and advise in the Government of the Kingdom.
[8]
Canada's founders, led by Sir
John A. Macdonald wished their new nation to be called the "Kingdom of Canada". The
Governor General at the time,
Viscount Monk, supported the move to designate Canada a kingdom,
[9] however, officials at the
Colonial Office in London opposed this potentially "premature" and "pretentious" reference for a new country. They were also wary of antagonizing the
United States, which had emerged from its
Civil War as a formidable military power with unsettled grievances because of British support for the
Confederate cause and thus opposed the use of terms such as ''kingdom'' or ''empire'' to describe the new country.
As a result the term ''
dominion'' was chosen to indicate Canada's status as a self-governing
colony of the
British Empire, the first time it would be so used in reference to a country. This was an old British term for a type of government used in
New England, and presumably resurrected for new purposes. It is reckoned that Sir
Samuel Tilley suggested the term, inspired by
Psalms 72:8 (from the
King James Bible): "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth."
[10] This is also echoed in
Canada's motto: ''A mari usque ad mare'' (
Latin for "from sea to sea").
In a letter to Queen Victoria,
Lord Carnarvon stated, "The
North American delegates are anxious that the United Provinces should be designated as the 'Dominion of Canada.' It is a new title, but intended on their part as a tribute to the Monarchical principle which they earnestly desire to uphold."
[11]
However, in a letter to Lord Knutsford on the topic of the loss of the use of the word kingdom, Macdonald said:
:"A great opportunity was lost in 1867 when the Dominion was formed out of the several provinces.
:"The declaration of all the B.N.A. provinces that they desired as one dominion to remain a portion of the Empire, showed what wise government and generous treatment would do, and should have been marked as an epoch in the history of England. This would probably have been the case had
Lord Carnarvon, who, as colonial minister, had sat at the cradle of the new Dominion, remained in office. His ill-omened resignation was followed by the appointment of the late
Duke of Buckingham, who had as his adviser the then Governor General,
Lord Monck - both good men, certainly, but quite unable, from the constitution of their minds, to rise to the occasion. Had a different course been pursued, for instance, had united Canada been declared to be an auxiliary kingdom, as it was in the Canadian draft of the bill, I feel sure almost that the Australian colonies would, ere this, have been applying to be placed in the same rank as The Kingdom of Canada."
He added as a postscript:
:"P.S. On reading the above over I see that it will convey the impression that the change of title from Kingdom to Dominion was caused by the Duke of Buckingham. This is not so. It was made at the instance of
Lord Derby, then foreign minister, who feared the first name would wound the sensibilities of the Yankees. I mentioned this incident in our history to Lord Beaconsfield at
Hughenden in 1879, who said, 'I was not aware of the circumstance, but it is so like Derby, a very good fellow, but who lives in a region of perpetual funk.'"
[12]
Use of the term ''dominion'' was formalized in 1867 through
Canadian Confederation. In the
Constitution of Canada, namely the
Constitution Act, 1867 (
British North America Acts), the preamble of the Act indicates:
:Whereas the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick have expressed their Desire to be federally united into One Dominion under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with a Constitution similar in Principle to that of the United Kingdom...
and section 3 indicates that the provinces:
:... shall form and be One Dominion under the Name of Canada; and on and after that Day those Three Provinces shall form and be One Dominion under that Name accordingly.
In J. S. Ewart's two volume work, ''The Kingdom Papers'',
[13][14] it is noted that the following names were considered for the union of British North America: "The United Colony of Canada", "the United Provinces of Canada", and "the Federated Provinces of Canada".
[15] Ewart was also an ardent advocate for the formation of "the Republic of Canada", a position which was rarely expressed in those times.
[16]
French terms for ''Dominion''
The French translation of the 1867 British North America Act translated "One Dominion under the Name of Canada" as "''une seule et même Puissance sous le nom de Canada''" using ''Puissance'' (power) as a translation for ''dominion''. Later the English loan-word ''dominion'' was also used in French.
The Fathers of Confederation met at the
Quebec Conference of 1864 to discuss the terms of this new union. One issue on the agenda was to determine the Union's "
feudal rank" (see ''Resolution 71'' of the Quebec Conference, 1864). The candidates for the classification of this new union were: "the Kingdom of Canada" (''le Royaume du Canada''), "the Realm of Canada" (''le Realme du Canada''), "the Union of Canada" (''l'Union du Canada''), and "the Dominion of Canada" (''le Dominion du Canada'').
Use of ''Canada'' and ''Dominion of Canada''
Neither the term ''Dominion of Canada'' nor ''Dominion government'' appear in the 1867 Act; however, the former appears in the Constitution Act, 1871 — usage of which was "sanctioned"
[17]— and both appear in other texts of the period, as well as on numerous Canadian bills before 1967.
Until the 1950s, the term ''Dominion of Canada'' was commonly used to identify the country. As Canada increasingly acquired political authority and autonomy from the
United Kingdom, the federal government increasingly began using simply ''Canada'' on state documents. The government of Prime Minister
Louis St. Laurent enacted a formal policy of removing the word "dominion" from all updated bills and statutes.
The
Canada Act 1982 refers only to ''Canada'' and, as such, it is currently the only legal (as well as bilingual) name. This was also reflected later in 1982 with the renaming of the national holiday from
Dominion Day to
Canada Day. Section 4 of the 1867 BNA Act declares that:
:Unless it is otherwise expressed or implied, the Name Canada shall be taken to mean Canada as constituted under this Act.
and this has been interpreted to mean that the name of the country is simply ''Canada''. No constitutional statute amends this name, and the subsequent Canada Act 1982 does not use the term ''dominion''. However, the Canadian constitution includes the preceding BNA Acts, where the term is used; also, the Canada Act 1982 does not state that Canada is not a dominion. While no legal document ever says that the name of the country is anything other than ''Canada'', ''Dominion'' and ''Dominion of Canada'' remain official titles of the country.
[18][19][20]
In recent years the terms ''Dominion of Canada'' and ''Dominion'' are occasionally used to distinguish modern (post-1867) Canada from either the earlier
Province of Canada or from the even earlier
The Canadas. The terms are also used to distinguish the federal government from the provinces, though in this usage "federal" has become more common than "dominion". Among those who lament disuse of the term was the late
Eugene Forsey, in response to what he and other
monarchists consider increasing
republicanism. However, the federal government continues to produce publications and educational materials that specify the currency of these official titles.
[21]20
Other proposed names
While the provinces' delegates spent little time, if any, in settling on 'Canada' as the name for the new country, others proposed a variety of other names:
[22]
★
Albion
★ Albionoria — "Albion of the north"
★ Borealia – from 'borealis', the Latin word for 'northern'; compare with
Australia
★ Cabotia – in honour of Italian explorer
John Cabot, who explored the eastern coast of Canada for England
★ Colonia
★ Efisga — an acronym of "English, French, Irish, Scottish, German, Aboriginal"
★
Hochelaga – an old name for
Montreal
★
Laurentia
★ Mesopelagia — "land between the seas"
★ Norland
★ Superior
★ Tuponia — derived from 'The United Provinces of North America'
★ Transatlantica
★ Ursalia — "place of bears"
★ Vesperia — "land of the evening star"
★ Victorialand – in honour of
Queen Victoria
Walter Bagehot of ''
The Economist'' newspaper in London argued that the new nation should be called 'Northland' or 'Anglia' instead of Canada.
[23] On these names, the statesman
Thomas D'Arcy McGee commented, "Now I would ask any honourable member of the House how he would feel if he woke up some fine morning and found himself, instead of a Canadian, a Tuponian or a Hochelegander?"
Footnotes
1. Handbook of North American Indians Volume 15, , Bruce G., Trigger, Smithsonian Institution, 1978, OCLC 58762737
2. "New France is ..." Canadian Museum of Civilization
3. Relation originale de Jacques Cartier, , Jacques, Cartier, Tross, ,
4. Native American Place Names of the United States, , William, Bright, University of Oklahoma Press, 2004,
5. The Languages of Native North America, , Marianne, Mithun, Cambridge University Press, 1999, ISBN 052129875X
6. Creighton, Donald. 1956. ''The Road to Confederation.'' Houghton Mifflin: Boston; p. 421.
7. Farthing, John; ''Freedom Wears a Crown''; Toronto, 1957
8. Pope, Joseph; ''Confederation''; pg. 177
9. Hubbard, R.H.; ''Rideau Hall''; McGill-Queen’s University Press; Montreal and London; 1977; p. 9
10. "Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley" Library and Archives Canada.
11. Canadian Heritage: The Prince of Wales Royal Visit 2001, Quiz (Kids)
12. Senator Cools congratulates Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her Forty-Seventh Anniversary of Accession to Throne, Feb 11, 1999
13. Ewart, J. S. 1912–7. ''The Kingdom Papers, Volume I.'' McClelland, Goodchild, and Stewart Publishers: Toronto; p. 331.
14. ''ibid''; p. 393.
15. ''ibid''; pp. 372–393; as per "Rank and Name," pp. 374–381.
16. ''ibid''; ''Imperial Projects and the Republic of Canada,'' pp. 262–393.
17. Martin, Robert. 1993(?). 1993 Eugene Forsey Memorial Lecture: A Lament for British North America. ''The Machray Review.'' Prayer Book Society of Canada. — ''A summative piece about nomenclature and pertinent history with abundant references.''
18. Marsh, James H., ed. 1988. "''Dominion''" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. Hurtig Publishers: Toronto.
19. Rayburn, pp. 19, 21.
20. Canadian Heritage: National Flag of Canada Day, Canada's Digital Collections: Confederation 1867, Canadian Heritage: The Prince of Wales Royal Visit 2001, Quiz
21. Forsey, Eugene A. 2005. ''How Canadians Govern Themselves'' (PDF), 6th ed. Canada: Ottawa; pp. 8–9.
22. http://canadaonline.about.com/od/history/a/namecanada.htm
23. Moore, Christopher. 1997. ''1867: How the Fathers Made a Deal.'' McClelland and Stewart: Toronto; p. 214.
Other sources
★ Choudry, Sujit. 2001(?).
"Constitution Acts" (based on looseleaf by
Hogg, Peter W.). ''
Constitutional Keywords''. University of Alberta, Centre for Constitutional Studies: Edmonton.
★ Forsey, Eugene A. 2005.
''How Canadians Govern Themselves'' (PDF), 6th ed. (ISBN 0-662-39689-8). Canada: Ottawa; pp. 8–9, 23.
★ Hallowell, Gerald, ed. 2004. ''The Oxford Companion to Canadian History.'' (ISBN 0-19-541559-0) Oxford University Press: Toronto; p. 183.
★ Rayburn, Alan. 2001. ''Naming Canada: Stories About Canadian Place Names'', 2nd ed. (ISBN 0-8020-8293-9) University of Toronto Press: Toronto.
★ ''Acte Concenant l'Union et le Gouvernement du Canada, et de la Nouvelle-Ecosse, et de Nouveau Brunswick, Ainsi que les Objets qui s'y Rattachent (30e Victoria, Chap. 3) / An Act for the Union of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick and the Government Thereof; and for the Purposes Contected Therewith (30 Victoria, Cap 3)'', Typographie D'Augustin Cote, Quebec, Canada, pp. 209, (1868). .
External links
★
"Dominion of Canada" FAQ
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