Summary
Western expansion was a vital platform for the first government of Canada led by John A. Macdonald. In November 1867 he stated: "the colonization of the fertile lands of the Saskatchewan, the Assiniboine and the Red River districts; the development of the mineral wealth which abounds in the region of the North-West; and the extension of commercial intercourse through the British possessions in America from the Atlantic to Pacific."
Implications
This set in motion a concerted effort to colonize the West leading to conflict with Indigneous peoples across the region.
Sources
Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory - Enactment No. 3. Department of Justice. http://canada.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/constitution/lawreg-loire….
Date
1867-11-07