British North America Act 1867

加拿大 Dominion 成立於 1867 由殖民地 變成 Dominion of Canada. （高度自治的殖民地） 並不是獨立。 因為這個法案是英國國會制定，由維多利亞女王簽字生效。原因是1866 美國爆發南北戰爭 在 1775 ，1812 年美國因為獨立戰爭的仇恨 一直找機會要攻擊加拿大。1866 南北戰爭爆發之後英國擔心美國又找藉口打進加拿大，所以就由英國國會制定法案，讓加拿大分離出來成為新的 dominion 讓美國沒有藉口來調起戰爭。一般加拿大教科書說加拿大是 1867年建國，但是很少國家獨立是宗主國制定法律叫你獨立 ，這是比較罕見的情況。

The British North America Act received Royal Assent on 29th March 1867 and went into effect 1st July 1867. The Act united the three separate territories of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into a single dominion called Canada. Provision was made for other colonies and territories of British North America to negotiate their entry into the Union. The Act divided the province of Canada into Quebec and Ontario. A new federal government and Parliament was established in Ottawa together with provincial governments' legislatives. The Act established that the dominion remained under the sovereignty of the British Monarch and served as Canada's constitution until 1982.