Commentary
British Columbians and Vancouver Islanders in the Confederation era, like Maritimers and Newfoundlanders, had three choices: become part of the United States, go it alone in splendid isolation, or join a ragged expansionist sub-empire calling itself Canada. Americans took for granted that B.C. would join the United States. A common refrain was: “When British Columbia belongs to us…” Another was: “when we get Vancouver’s Island…” Both were overheard in 1868 by Sir Henry Pering Pellew Crease, the highly-educated Englishman who served as Attorney-General of B.C., according to “The West Beyond the West: A History of British Columbia” by Jean Barman.
