Place:Canada East, United Province of Canada

Quebec, then known as New France, was a colony of France until 1763 when it was won by the British. Quebec was recognized as covering the whole of Quebec Province as seen on maps today, plus the mostly unsettled lands to the west. These lands attracted English-speaking settlers after the end of the American Revolutionary War and in 1791 a political division established the separate provinces of Lower Canada and Upper Canada.

A further re-arrangement of government occurred in 1841 and the two provinces were then named Canada East and Canada West, respectively. As an entity Canada East and Canada West were called the United Provinces of Canada.

In 1867 Canada East and Canada West joined with the maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to become the Dominion of Canada. At this point their names were once again altered to the Province of Quebec and the Province of Ontario. The other six provinces of Canada joined the confederatiion at different dates between 1871 and 1949.