在1775 年,美国革命者试图将他们的起义推向魁北克。魁北克的神职人员和地主普遍反对革命者,而说英语的商人和来自北美十三个殖民地的移民普遍支持革命運動,這導致群體中出現矛盾。某些地区(特别是蒙特利尔和圣让之间的地区)更提供了大量支持,更成立民兵公司以支持詹姆斯·利文斯顿( James Livingston )為首的革命者。
居住在五大湖区堡垒中的魁北克人也大量支持革命者,并對革命者夺取堡壘方面貢獻良多。在 1781 年,七百多名魁北克民兵加入了革命者,并在约克镇圍城戰役中击败英国人。在此戰役中,法属加拿大最后一位法国总督沃德勒伊侯爵(Marquis de Vaudreuil)的侄子路易斯-菲利普德沃(Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil)协助阻止英国海军獲取补给,亦在在切萨皮克河战役中解救了康沃利斯的军队。
改革者所说的“問責”意味着政府最终将对殖民地人民的意志负责,而不是对伦敦当局负责。 問責政府運動在1846 年至 1850 年间迈出了关键一步。实际上,这意味着每个殖民地的行政局(Executive Council)在立法部门的协助下制定政策。立法机关投票赞成或反对,任命的總督颁布立法机关批准的政策。而舊有做法是總督听取行政局的建议,而立法機關的職能主要是筹集资金。 [30]激进的改革者,如威廉·麦肯齐( William Lyon Mackenzie)和路易斯·帕皮诺要求平等或完全摆脱英国统治并建立一個共和国。
路易斯·帕皮诺在1815年被選為殖民地議會的議長,而英国政府無視他的改革尝试。1834 年,议会通过了“九十二项决议”,概述了对立法部門的不满。帕皮诺组织杯葛和公民不服从運動,殖民政府非法下令逮捕帕皮诺。革命者诉诸武装抵抗,并在 1837 年秋天策划了下加拿大叛乱。殖民地的英国军队迅速镇压了叛乱,并迫使帕皮诺逃往美国。一年后,罗伯特·纳尔逊 ( Robert Nelson ) 的兄弟会猎手爆发了第二次叛乱,但英国人也能将其镇压,造成大量人员伤亡和财产损失。
在政治层面上,希望擴大問責政府并消除上加拿大和下加拿大之间的立法僵局,并以联邦中的省级立法机构取而代之。上加拿大的自由改革运动和下加拿大的法裔加拿大紅黨尤其推动了这一点,与上加拿大保守党和某种程度上赞成中央集权联盟的法裔加拿大藍黨相比,他们赞成分散的工会。 [41]甚至维多利亚女王也表示支持,并指出“……我们靠自身能力不可能保存加拿大,但我们必须为之奋斗;到目前为止,最好的解决办法是让它成为英国王子统治下的独立王国。” [42]最后,加拿大成为英国王室统治下的一个自治领。这是一个全新的开始,但未受到普遍欢迎。虽然一些人设想英属北美殖民地联合会是一种共同前进的方式,但新魁北克省的一份报纸La Minerve支持该联合会,因为它提供了提供给我们实现政治独立的唯一途径(“ la seule voie qui nous soit offerte pour arriver à l'indépendance politique”)。 [43]在新斯科舍省的哈利法克斯,对联邦的态度发生了明显的变化, 《纪事晨报》在其 1867 年 7 月 1 日版的头版宣布了“自由和开明的新斯科舍省”的死亡。 [43]
^METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS AT THE FOREIGN AND COLONIAL STATIONS OF THE ROYAL ENGINEERS AND THE ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT 1852—1886.. London: Published by the authority of the Meteorological Council. PRINTED FOR HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE BY EYRE AND SPOTTISWOODE, East Harding Street, Fleet Street, London E.C. 1890.
^Stranack, Royal Navy, Lieutenant-Commander B. Ian D. The Andrew and The Onions: The Story of The Royal Navy in Bermuda, 1795–1975. Bermuda: Island Press Ltd., Bermuda, 1977 (1st Edition); Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, Royal Naval Dockyard Bermuda, Ireland Island, Sandys, Bermuda, 1990 (2nd Edition). 1977. ISBN 9780921560036.
^May, CMG, Royal Artillery, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Edward Sinclair. Principles and Problems of Imperial Defence. London and New York: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., Limited, London; E. P. Dutton & Co., New York. 1903: 145. In the North American and West Indian station the naval base is at the Imperial fortress of Bermuda, with a garrison numbering 3068 men, of whom 1011 are Colonials; while at Halifax, Nova Scotia, we have another naval base of the first importance which is to be classed amongst our Imperial fortresses, and has a garrison of 1783 men.
^MacFarlane, Thomas. Within the Empire; An Essay on Imperial Federation. Ottawa: James Hope & Co., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 1891: 29. Besides the Imperial fortress of Malta, Gibraltar, Halifax and Bermuda it has to maintain and arm coaling stations and forts at Siena Leone, St. Helena, Simons Bay (at the Cape of Good Hope), Trincomalee, Jamaica and Port Castries (in the island of Santa Lucia).
^Gordon, Donald Craigie. The Dominion Partnership in Imperial Defense, 1870–1914. Baltimore, Maryland, USA: Johns Hopkins Press. 1965: 14. There were more than 44,000 troops stationed overseas in colonial garrisons, and slightly more than half of these were in imperial fortresses: in the Mediterranean, Bermuda, Halifax, St. Helena, and Mauritius. The rest of the forces were in colonies proper, with a heavy concentration in New Zealand and South Africa. The imperial government paid approximately £1,715,000 per annum toward the maintenance of these forces, and the various colonial governments contributed £370,000, the largest amounts coming from Ceylon and Victoria in Australia.
^Willock USMC, Lieutenant-Colonel Roger. Bulwark Of Empire: Bermuda's Fortified Naval Base 1860–1920. Bermuda: The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press. ISBN 9780921560005.
^Grove, Tim. Fighting The Power. Chesapeake Bay Magazine (Annapolis: Chesapeake Bay Media, LLC). 2021-01-22 [2021-08-08]. (原始内容存档于2022-12-03).
^Kennedy, R.N., Captain W. R. An Unknown Colony: Sport, Travel and Adventure in Newfoundland and the West Indies. Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine (William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh, Scotland, and 37 Paternoster Row, London, England). 1885-07-01: 111. As a fortress, Bermuda is of the first importance. It is situated almost exactly half-way between the northern and the southern naval stations; while nature has made it practically impregnable. The only approach lies through that labyrinth of reefs and narrow channels which Captain Kennedy has described. The local pilots are sworn to secrecy ; and, what is more reassuring, by lifting buoys and laying down torpedoes, hostile vessels trying to thread the passage must come to inevitable grief, So far Bermuda may be considered safe, whatever may be the condition of the fortifications and the cannon in the batteries. Yet the universal neglect of our colonial defences is apparent in the fact that no telegraphic communication has hitherto been established with the West Indies on the one side, or with the Dominion of Canada on the other.
^VERAX, (anonymous). The Defense of Canada. (From Colburn's United Service Magazine). The United Service: A Quarterly Review of Military and Naval Affairs (LR Hamersly & Co., 1510 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; subsequently LR Hamersly, 49 Wall Street, New York City, New York, USA; BF Stevens & Brown, 4 Trafalgar Square, London, England). 1889-05-01: 552. The objectives for America are clearly marked,—Halifax, Quebec, Mon- treal, Prescott, Kingston, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. Halifax and Vancouver are certain to be most energetically attacked, for they will be the naval bases, besides Bermuda, from which England would carry on her naval attack on the American coasts and commerce.
^Dawson, George M.; Sutherland, Alexander. MacMillan's Geographical Series: Elementary Geography of the British Colonies. London: MacMillan and Co., Limited, London, England, UK; The MacMillan Company, New York City, New York, USA. 1898: 184. There is a strongly fortified dockyard, and the defensive works, together with the intricate character of the approaches to the harbour, render the islands an almost impregnable fortress. Bermuda is governed as a Crown colony by a Governor who is also Commander-in-Chief, assisted by an appointed Executive Council and a representative House of Assembly.
^Our History. Anglican East NL. Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador. [2021-08-17]. (原始内容存档于2021-09-28).
^Piper, Liza. The Church of England. Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site. 2000 [2021-08-17]. (原始内容存档于2021-08-17).