Page "Maritimes" Paragraph 69

The Maritimes are the only provinces in Canada which entered Confederation in the 19th century and have kept their original colonial boundaries.

All three provinces have the smallest land base in the country and have been forced to make do with resources within.

By comparison, the former colony of the United Province of Canada ( divided into the District of Canada East, and the District of Canada West ) and the western provinces were dozens of times larger and in some cases were expanded to take in territory formerly held in British Crown grants to companies such as the Hudson's Bay Company ; in particular the November 19, 1869 sale of Rupert's Land to the Government of Canada under the Rupert's Land Act 1868 was facilitated in part by Maritime taxpayers.

The economic riches of energy and natural resources held within this larger land base were only realized by other provinces during the 20th century.