CHARLOTTETOWN -- Five key things you should know about the Charlottetown Conference:

  • The conference was supposed to focus on the idea of uniting the three Maritime provinces, but an unofficial delegation from the province of Canada derailed the agenda.
  • Delegates to the conference agreed to the broad outline of a federal union that would eventually include Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in 1867.
  • The conference did not include any delegates from Newfoundland, but a more formal conference weeks later in Quebec City did.
  • There were no women among the delegates, no Acadians and no members of First Nations.
  • The meetings were held in secret inside the Legislative Council chamber in Charlottetown, which served as the upper house for the provincial legislature.

Source: Canadian Encyclopedia