This page is meant to provide clarity on the mechanisms and timeline of the transfer of Rupert's Land and

North-Western Territory The North-Western Territory was a region of British North America extant until 1870 and named for where it lay in relation to Rupert's Land. Due to the lack of development, exploration, and cartographic limits of the time, the exact boundarie ...

from the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) back to the Crown and then immediately to the new nation of Canada. {, class="wikitable" , + !Year !Date !Event !Reference , - , 1670 , May 2 , King Charles II of England grants HBC a royal charter for "the sole Trade and Commerce of all those Seas, Streights, Bays, Rivers, Lakes, Creeks, and Sounds, in whatsoever Latitude they shall be, that lie within the entrance of the Streights commonly called Hudson's Streights... which are not now actually possessed by any of our Subjects, or by the Subjects of any other Christian Prince or State... and that the said Land be from henceforth... called ''Rupert's Land''". , , - , 1857 , February 5 , The Parliament of the Province of Canada establishes a committee to investigate the activities of HBC. In particular, whether HBC is effective in promoting settlement of the region. The committee later delivers a report expressing displeasure with the current administrative policies of HBC. The committee recommends transferring land to the Province of Canada, but this is not viewed as appropriate because Canada is still only a province. Little progress is made. , , - , 1864 , January , The

International Financial Society International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, an emerging

investment company An investment company is a financial institution principally engaged in holding, managing and investing securities. These companies in the United States are regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and must be registered under the ...

, purchases a controlling interest in the HBC. The society is more interested in leveraging the vast lands for expansion, stating in their prospectus "It has become evident that... the immense resources of the Company's territory... should be developed in accordance with the industrial spirit of the age, and the rapid advancement which colonization has

een Een ːnis a village in the Netherlands. It is part of the Noordenveld municipality in Drenthe. History Een is an ''esdorp'' which developed in the middle ages on the higher grounds. The communal pasture is triangular. The village developed dur ...

made in the countries adjacent." , , - , 1867 , July 1 , With the Confederation of Canada, Canada becomes a country. The new

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

quickly becomes interested in expanding westward, urged on by American interest in the lands and British desire to maintain a sphere of influence over the region. , , - , 1867 , December 21 , Charles Stanley Monck, 4th Viscount Monck, Governor General of Canada, sends a despatch to

Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos Richard Plantagenet Campbell Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (10 September 1823 – 26 March 1889), styled Earl Temple until 1839 and Marquess of Chandos from 1839 to 1861, was a British soldier, poli ...

, then

Secretary of State for the Colonies The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, British Cabinet government minister, minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various British Empire, colonial dependencies. Histor ...

with a joint address from both the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and House of Commons requesting the annexation of "Rupert's Land and the Red River settlement" to the Dominion of Canada be submitted to The Crown for consideration. , , - , 1868 , October 2 , George E. Cartier, Minister of Militia and Defence and William McDougall, Minister of Public Works are selected by the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

to negotiate on behalf of Canada. , , - , 1868 , October 13 , Cartier and McDougall expected to arrive in the UK for negotiations. , , - , 1868 , March 9 ,

Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, (11 May 181531 March 1891), styled Lord Leveson until 1846, was a British Liberal statesman and diplomat from the Leveson-Gower family. He is best remembered for his service as Secretary ...

, the new Secretary of State for the Colonies, issues an ultimatum to both HBC and the Canadian negotiators. Neither side accepts. , , - , 1868 , July 31 ,

Rupert's Land Act The Rupert's Land Act 1868This short title was authorised bsection 1of the Act. (31 & 32 Vict. c.105) was an Act of Parliament, Act of the 20th Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (as ...

is passed by the parliament of the United Kingdom. The act does not complete the transfer but merely confirms the support of the United Kingdom's parliament for negotiations to occur. , , - , 1869 , May 8 , Cartier and McDougall submit their report to the Canadian Parliament regarding negotiations with HBC and British officials, after their return to Canada. , , - , 1869 , June 21 , Government of Canada resolves to accept loan from the United Kingdom and pay the HBC company upon transferred to the dominion. , , - , 1869 , November 19 , Canadian, HBC, and British negotiators sign the Deed of Surrender. , , - , 1869 , December 1 , The Canadian government ratifies the agreement. , , - , 1870 , May 7 , HBC forwards the finalized deal to the Colonial Office. , , - , 1870 , May 11 , Canada finalizes deposits to HBC. , , - , 1870 , June 23 , Queen Victoria issues an order-in-council, Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory - Enactment No. 3, to take effect on 15 July 1870. , , - , 1870 , July 15 , Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory are combined under the new name of the North-West Territories. Simultaneously, the province of Manitoba is created by the Manitoba Act. , {{Additional citation needed, date=February 2020

References

States and territories established in 1870 Rupert's Land Canadian timelines History of the Northwest Territories