 the constitutional history of canada begins with the 1763 treaty of paris, in which france ceded most of new france to great britain. canada was the colony along the st lawrence river, part of present-day ontario and quebec. its government underwent many structural changes over the following century. in 1867 canada became the name of the new federal dominion extending ultimately from the atlantic to the pacific and the arctic coasts. canada obtained legislative autonomy from the united kingdom in 1931, and had its constitution (including a new rights charter) patriated in 1982. canada's constitution includes the amalgam of constitutional law spanning this history. == treaty of paris (1763) ==  on february 10, 1763, france ceded most of new france to great britain. the 1763 treaty of paris confirmed the cession of canada, including all its dependencies, acadia (nova scotia) and cape breton island to great britain. a year before, france had secretly signed a treaty ceding louisiana to spain to avoid losing it to the british. at the time of the signing, the french colony of canada was already under the control of the british army since the capitulation of the government of new france in 1760. (see the articles of capitulation of montreal.) == royal proclamation (1763) ==  thumb|a portion of eastern north america; the 1763 "proclamation line" is the border between the red and the pink areas. the policy of great britain regarding its newly acquired colonies of america was revealed in a royal proclamation, issued on october 7, 1763. the proclamation renamed canada "the province of quebec", redefined its borders and established a british-appointed colonial government. although not a constitutional text, the proclamation expressed the will of the british sovereign to make statutes for its new possessions. the proclamation was thus considered as the de facto constitution of quebec until 1774. the new governor of the colony was given "the power and direction to summon and call a general assembly of the people's representatives" when the "state and circumstances of the said colonies will admit thereof". the governor was also given the mandate to "make, constitute, and ordain laws, statutes, and ordinances for the public peace, welfare, and good government of our said colonies, and of the people and inhabitants thereof" with the consent of the british-appointed councils and representatives of the people. in the meantime, all british subje
Constitution_of_Canada Legal_history_of_Canada