In 1867, Prince Edward Island's stance on Confederation was to:

• A. Reject Confederation
• B. Join Confederation
• C. Seek a different alliance
• D. Decline all relations with Britain

Answer: (A)

In this era of Confederation, provinces weighed whether to join Canada or stay separate. Prince Edward Island in 1867 chose not to join; the colony was anxious about losing control over its affairs and about the financial terms of joining. PEI carried a heavy public debt and feared that joining would saddle them with obligations and give them less say in national policy as a small province. They also wanted to preserve their ties to Britain and manage their own economic future rather than enter into a federation under terms they found unfavorable at that moment. This is why the stance was to reject Confederation in 1867. They did not seek a different alliance or sever all relations with Britain at that time. (PEI did eventually join Confederation in 1873 after terms like debt assumption and railway promises were addressed.)