Begin with The Canadian Encyclopedia

"The Dominion of Canada wasn't born out of revolution, or a sweeping outburst of nationalism. Rather, it was created in a series of conferences and orderly negotiations, culminating in the terms of Confederation on 1 July 1867." Read the full article in the Canadian Encyclopedia.
Source Citation: Waite, P.B. "Confederation." in The Canadian Encyclopedia. HIstorica, Canada, 1985. Article published September 23, 2013.

Conduct a Site Specific Search

PictureSir John A. MacDonald. Source: Canadian Illustrated News, Vol. 1, No. 16, 245. Reproduced from the National Library of Canada's website Images Canada (http://www.imagescanada.ca/)
Search all Government of Canada Websites (site:.gc.ca)

"Canadian Confederation." from Library and Archives Canada.  Use the navigation column on the left.  "Towards Confederation" provides information about the economy and politics in specific regions prior to Confederation.  Scroll down to delve deeper with links to specific "Provinces and Territories" and "People."

"First Among Equals."  from Library and Archives Canada, this website profiles the lives and politics of Canadian Prime Ministers.


Search Provincial Websites (site:.????)
Get the URL of a provincial government website and then get to work with a site specific search.  Here's an example:

Search the Databases

Ebsco Host Grade 9 to Adult offers thousands of newspaper and magazine articles.
Search Tip:  Try a limited search for articles on confederation in Canada's History Magazine (formerly The Beaver). Click on "Search Within This Publication."
If you are looking at the West and Confederation, read this:

Sauve, Todd. "Riel may have been crazy, Prof. Flanagan, but he did the West a lot of good."Alberta Report / Newsmagazine, March 02, 1998., 9, Canadian Reference Centre, EBSCOhost (accessed February 7, 2013). http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=355452&lang=en-ca&site=src-can

This article mentions the possibility that without the Canadian Pacific Railway going through from coast to coast,  "the American owned Northern Pacific Railway" would have pulled Manitoba into the United States.  As well it states that the U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant was trying to ensure failure of the CPR.