How did Great Britain participate in creating the BNA Act?

• A. It was drafted by Canadian scholars and enacted by Parliament in Ottawa in 1867.
• B. The BNA Act was drafted and implemented entirely by Canadian lawmakers in 1867.
• C. It was a decision by the provinces without British involvement in 1867.
• D. The BNA Act was passed by the British Parliament and took effect in 1867.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that the BNA Act was a British statute. Canadian leaders negotiated the terms, but the actual law was drafted in Britain and passed by the British Parliament, then receiving royal assent and taking effect in 1867. This is why Britain’s participation was through enacting the act in London, creating the Dominion of Canada starting July 1, 1867, with the new constitutional framework for federal and provincial powers.