The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 (23 attendees), the Quebec Conference of 1864 (33 attendees), and the London Conference of 1866 (16 attendees), preceding Canadian Confederation. Only eleven people attended all three conferences.
The following table lists the participants in the Charlottetown, Quebec, and London Conferences and their attendance at each stage.[1] [2]
| Participant | Portrait | Province (Current) | Charlottetown | Quebec City | London | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Scotia | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| George Brown | Ontario | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Sir Alexander Campbell | Ontario | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Sir Frederick Carter | Newfoundland | No | Yes | No | ||
| Sir George-Étienne Cartier | Quebec | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Edward Barron Chandler | New Brunswick | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Jean-Charles Chapais | Quebec | No | Yes | No | ||
| James Cockburn | Ontario | No | Yes | No | ||
| George Coles | Prince Edward Island | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Robert B. Dickey | Nova Scotia | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Charles Fisher | New Brunswick | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt | Quebec | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| John Hamilton Gray | Prince Edward Island | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| John Hamilton Gray | New Brunswick | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Thomas Heath Haviland | Prince Edward Island | No | Yes | No | ||
| William Alexander Henry | Nova Scotia | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Sir William Pearce Howland | Ontario | No | No | Yes | ||
| John Mercer Johnson | New Brunswick | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Sir Hector-Louis Langevin | Quebec | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Andrew Archibald Macdonald | Prince Edward Island | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Sir John A. Macdonald | Ontario | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Jonathan McCully | Nova Scotia | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| William McDougall | Ontario | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Thomas D'Arcy McGee | Quebec | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Peter Mitchell | New Brunswick | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Sir Oliver Mowat | Ontario | No | Yes | No | ||
| Edward Palmer | Prince Edward Island | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| William Henry Pope | Prince Edward Island | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| John William Ritchie | Nova Scotia | No | No | Yes | ||
| Sir Ambrose Shea | Newfoundland | No | Yes | No | ||
| William H. Steeves | New Brunswick | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché | Quebec | No | Yes | No | ||
| Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley | New Brunswick | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Sir Charles Tupper | Nova Scotia | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Edward Whelan | Prince Edward Island | No | Yes | No | ||
| Robert Duncan Wilmot | New Brunswick | No | No | Yes |
Four other individuals have been labelled as Fathers of Confederation. Hewitt Bernard, who was the recording secretary at the Charlottetown Conference, is considered by some to be a Father of Confederation.[3] The leaders most responsible for bringing three specific provinces into Confederation after 1867 are also referred to as Fathers of Confederation.[1]