OTTAWA – Charlottetown’s recognition as the birthplace of Confederation came one step closer to being official Monday.
Bill S-236, and act to recognize Charlottetown as the birthplace of Confederation, passed third reading without dissent in the House of Commons in Ottawa.
The bill has already passed through the Senate, meaning it now only needs the signature of Governor General Julie Payette for royal assent.
Related: P.E.I. politicians seek to end debate over where Confederation began
Malpeque MP Wayne Easter brought the bill to Parliament following the efforts of P.E.I. Sen. Diane Griffin to move it through the Senate.
“In this year of Canada’s 150th celebration, it seems quite appropriate to do it at this time. I ask the House: let’s get it done and pass Bill 236,” Easter said in the House on Monday.
The Charlottetown Conference of 1864 laid was where the idea of Canada becoming the country it is today first began.
Egmont MP Robert Morrissey and Gatineau, Que., Liberal MP Steven MacKinnon also spoke in support of the bill.
MacKinnon, who was born in Charlottetown, called Bill S-236 “really just a statement of historical fact.”
Earlier this year, the province of New Brunswick announced its theme for Canada 150 celebrations would be “Celebrate where it all began,” sparking a light-hearted tiff with the City of Charlottetown over where Confederation actually began.
Related: New Brunswick’s 2017 slogan not sitting well with some P.E.I. politicians
