Although Canada was seen as a colony rather than a nation, they had an incredible war effort and a massive impact on WWI, which began their change from a colony to an independent nation. However upon seeing Canada’s capabilities and power, Canada decided to make a change. They started by making decisions that would benefit Canada on their own. In 1923 the Halibut Treaty was a Canadian-American agreement on fishing rights in the Pacific Ocean. It was the first treaty independently negotiated and signed by the Canadian government. The 1867 British North American Act created self-government, a Canadian Parliament and the position of a prime minister. However, it did not grant full autonomy to Canada as a nation. Certain powers were still maintained by the British Parliament including the right to consent and override laws passed through the Canadian Parliament. The British wished to sign the treaty along with Canada, as they always had. But prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King argued that the matter was solely the concern of Canada and the US and it did not affect any British interest, so they do not need to take part in the agreement. The treaty confirmed Canada’s political and economic place in North America, which advanced Canada politically and economically to an autonomous nation. .Canada was moving towards an independent nation, in 1926 at the Imperial Conference the Balfour agreement was signed, it declared that Britain and its Dominions such as Canada were constitutionally equal to one another. It was a landmark document that confirmed Canada as a fully independent country, united with Britain and other Dominions. However another event occurred at the imperial conference which also pushed Canada towards being an independent nation, the signing of the Statute of Westminster was talked about and in the subsequent 1929 and 1930 Conference continued to work towards agreement of making
Although Canada was seen as a colony rather than a nation, they had an incredible war effort and a massive impact on WWI, which began their change from a colony to an independent nation. However upon seeing Canada’s capabilities and power, Canada decided to make a change. They started by making decisions that would benefit Canada on their own. In 1923 the Halibut Treaty was a Canadian-American agreement on fishing rights in the Pacific Ocean. It was the first treaty independently negotiated and signed by the Canadian government. The 1867 British North American Act created self-government, a Canadian Parliament and the position of a prime minister. However, it did not grant full autonomy to Canada as a nation. Certain powers were still maintained by the British Parliament including the right to consent and override laws passed through the Canadian Parliament. The British wished to sign the treaty along with Canada, as they always had. But prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King argued that the matter was solely the concern of Canada and the US and it did not affect any British interest, so they do not need to take part in the agreement. The treaty confirmed Canada’s political and economic place in North America, which advanced Canada politically and economically to an autonomous nation. .Canada was moving towards an independent nation, in 1926 at the Imperial Conference the Balfour agreement was signed, it declared that Britain and its Dominions such as Canada were constitutionally equal to one another. It was a landmark document that confirmed Canada as a fully independent country, united with Britain and other Dominions. However another event occurred at the imperial conference which also pushed Canada towards being an independent nation, the signing of the Statute of Westminster was talked about and in the subsequent 1929 and 1930 Conference continued to work towards agreement of making