A fictitious Diary Entry from a Canadian High School Student
- Part 3 -

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Sunday, September 3, 1864

After a nice sleep, my father woke me up very early. I was still very tired, and my cold is making my head even drowsier. I feel like my head is spinning most of the time, and when it isn't, it's throbbing in pain. My throat feels like it has been pierced by one hundred thin, sharp spikes, and suddenly moving around in my wheelchair just became five times harder.

My father had to push me all the way to the nearby building where the Charlottetown Conference was being held. Just a few more days, then I will be back home to my mother, who will take care of me (no offense to my father, it is just that he is not very experienced in this field, my mom has a natural curiousity for medicine, so she is an expert).

My father and I make it back to the building, just to find all the politicians and leaders waiting for us. We sit down, my father in the center, able to hear all the different conversations and ideas, while I sit in the back with a bundle of food by my side. As soon as we sat down, the

conversation instantly began. A few small members who were from the East were chatting, and soon presented their ideas. They were all from places very nearby, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. Even though these places were British colonies, they explained they governed themselves. The leaders were worried that they would lose their independent character by joining with Canada East and Canada West.

Similar concerns were shared with the Francophone leaders who worried that the vast government would try to dominate them, and take away their ability to make their own decision. With that, they also expressed another of their concerns. They worried that the new Confederation would be expensive, and given the current state of their economy, it may take years to accomplish Confederation.

George Brown, a very important man, began talking about farmland, which made my father and I both instantly think about my mother who loves gardening, and thought about Rupert's Land. I feel like once he began thinking more about Rupert's Land, he began to soften about the idea of Confederation. My father earlier told me that he was quite stubborn, and believed in 'representation by population' and so looked down on Confederation.

Mr. Brown founded the Globe newspaper in Toronto, which became very popular there, meaning he is a very powerful man with many followers. It would take some real convincing of my father if he was going to accept Confederacy and support it; but do not forget, my father is a lawyer, and that is his job, to convince people. George Brown went on to the subject of expanding west, and if we were to join in Confederation, achieving that goal could be easier.

Every colony had a railway, but we did not have a railway that extended from coast to coast, an intercolonial railway. This would make trading and travelling within British North America much easier and accessible. There was a short break to cool things down, and for people to socialize. I, honestly, felt very lonely because my father was talking to George Brown on his ideas, and probably convincing him of what good Confederation would do for British North America.

The leaders began to discuss the negative sides of the matter. George-Étienne Cartier brought up the idea again of the few people who thought that Confederation would ruin or lose the identity of each colony. And with that, we as a whole should not forget about minority rights, that their voices should be heard as well.

People began murmuring, and decided that the details would be presented another time; the specific date wasn't set yet. Mr. Brown asked what the actual cost to make Confederation happen in British North America would be. With the economy low, who knows how long it will take until Confederation is achieved. Along with the idea of economy, there will be different economy in different colonies; so to make them all pay the same amount would be unfair, but for them to pay different amount of money is also unfair.

If they all pay the same amount of money, the places that aren't getting much income from producing supplies will go broke, while the richer places will be doing fine; and if we make the rich pay more and the poor pay less, than it will be unfair for the rich people.

If British North America goes into Confederation, that would mean that we separate from Britain, which has one of the world's most powerful armies, and that would mean that they are no longer obligated to defend us. This wasn't brought up in the meeting, but I wondered why there were no First Nations people here. There were Anglophone people, Francophone people, British people, etc.

My father told me they were the first people here, so that would technically mean that British North America was theirs. Wouldn't it? Why were they not consulted in this matter? When I think about it, truthfully, if I were the First Nations, I don't think I would want to join Confederation. First of all, they weren't consulted at all, so I would have been quite offended; also their lifestyle and culture is very much different than ours.

How will they ever adapt or accept our ways? It is much different than theirs, and I don't think they want to change how they live, just for a nation of people they do not really even know or to a nation of people that do not really appreciate or respect them. I told my father my thoughts, and he said that he completely agreed with it.

To be continued..

PS: Per the parents: "The article is the diary entry for the class work which is marked as the best in the class and obtained 100% which would be beneficial to young school kids in helping them organizing the articles and how to organized the flow of thoughts.
This is the work of grade 7 in a school in Canada."