Which act created the Dominion of Canada and set up its constitutional framework?

• A. British North America Act
• B. Constitution Act, 1982
• C. Canada Act
• D. Statute of Westminster

Answer: (A)

The main idea is identifying the moment when Canada first formed as a country with its own federal constitutional framework. The British North America Act of 1867 unified Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into the Dominion of Canada and laid out a federal system with powers divided between the national government and the provinces, along with a constitutional structure that followed the British Westminster model—with a Governor General representing the Crown and a parliament. This act essentially created the country’s governing framework that lasted for many decades.

The other options relate to later changes. The Constitution Act, 1982, patriated Canada’s constitution and added the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but it did not create Canada. The Canada Act refers to the 1982 law that completed patriation, not the initial creation. The Statute of Westminster granted Australia-like legislative independence to the Dominions and expanded self-government, but it did not establish Canada or its constitutional framework.