Since

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominio ...

in 1867, there have been several proposals for new Canadian provinces and territories. Since 1982, the current

Constitution of Canada The Constitution of Canada (french: Constitution du Canada) is the supreme law in Canada. It outlines Canada's system of government and the civil and human rights of those who are citizens of Canada and non-citizens in Canada. Its contents a ...

requires an

amendment An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change for better. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. The ...

ratified by seven provincial legislatures representing at least half of the national population for the creation of a new province while the creation of a new territory requires only an

act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliame ...

. Because opening up the constitution to amendment could entice provinces to demand other changes too in exchange for such support, this is seen to be a politically unfeasible option. The newest province,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, joined Canada in 1949 by an act of the British Parliament before the 1982

patriation Patriation is the political process that led to full Canadian sovereignty, culminating with the Constitution Act, 1982. The process was necessary because under the Statute of Westminster 1931, with Canada's agreement at the time, the British parl ...

of the constitution.

Movements within Canada

There have been movements to create new provinces and territories within the borders of Canada. In late 2004,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son ...

surprised some observers by expressing his personal support for all three territories "eventually" gaining provincial status. He cited their importance to the country as a whole and the ongoing need to assert sovereignty in the Arctic, particularly since

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

could make that region more open to exploitation and lead to more complex international waters disputes.

Movements outside Canada

British overseas territories

In 1905, Ian Malcolm suggested in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 65 ...

that the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

might benefit from transferring one or more isles of the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

to Canada for national defence. In 1919, Canadian Prime Minister

Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I. Borde ...

and his delegation to the Paris Peace Conference discussed transferring parts of the West Indies as territories, sub-dominions, or

League of Nations mandates A League of Nations mandate was a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I, or the legal instruments that contained the internationally agreed-upon terms for administ ...

, including the possibility of exchanging some to the United States for the

Alaska Panhandle Southeast Alaska, colloquially referred to as the Alaska(n) Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia (and a small part ...

Current British overseas territories

Former British overseas territories

Former British territories have expressed interest in joining Canada:

United States

European outer regions

Europe

Other

Two small border exclaves of the United States have also been the subject of proposals to secede from the United States and join Canada. Neither would become its own standalone province or territory if it joined Canada, however, but rather both would simply be added to the existing provinces that they adjoin.

Sources

* Carmichael, Dr. Trevor A. 2001. ''Passport to the Heart: Reflections on Canada Caribbean Relations''. Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston 6, Jamaica.
forwardsynopsis

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Proposals For New Canadian Provinces And Territories * Lists of proposals

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...