Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Sunday, June 15, 2014

My wife, Sharon, and I are delighted to be here in Prince Edward Island on this momentous occasion.

The 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference is truly an important milestone for Canadians.

It’s wonderful to think that the Fathers of Confederation made the historic breakthrough that paved the way for Canada right here at Province House, a century and a half ago!

Just imagine the scene, with John A. Macdonald, George-Étienne Cartier, Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Robert Dickey, Charles Tupper and Alexander Galt among the delegates.

Picture them arriving by steamship and disembarking, wearing their silk hats!

For more than a week, the arguments for and against the union of the three Maritime provinces with the Province of Canada were heard. There were meetings, speeches, discussions and reports on the legalities, finances, languages and cultures of the proposed union.  

And when the meetings adjourned each day, the delegates gathered at dinners and dances, and took excursions to the seaside!

I find it so inspiring to imagine those meetings and proceedings. According to the history books the serious business of nation-building was mixed with a wonderful camaraderie and joie-de-vivre.

When the delegates gathered here at Province House, they laid the basis for the creation of something that was so much more than the sum of its parts: Canada.

They had their differences and rivalries, certainly, but they worked together in the spirit of collaboration that is the hallmark of this country at its best.

They were also ambitious and pragmatic. The Fathers of Confederation understood that the provinces would be much stronger if they joined together in a common cause.

Of course, Confederation was not achieved solely here in Charlottetown. The delegates agreed to meet in the City of Québec the following month to continue their discussions.

It took almost three years of negotiations and hard work for Canadian Confederation and our unique system of constitutional monarchy to become a reality.

There was a great deal of debate and deliberation in the colonial parliaments of the day and, perhaps more importantly, in the homes and gathering places of ordinary people.

All were bent on answering a single, overarching question: Canada, yes or no?

That the answer was “yes” is our very good fortune, and truly a cause for celebration.

Let us honour the anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference by rededicating ourselves to working together in a spirit of optimism, tolerance and partnership.

And let us do so with great energy, aspiring to excellence in all that we do.

Together, let us continue the work of building a smarter, more caring Canada.

Happy anniversary, Charlottetown!

Happy anniversary, Canada!