Dominion

Dominion refers primarily to Dominion of Canada (Constitution Act, 1867, preamble and section 3). The Fathers of Confederation wanted to call "the new nation" the Kingdom of Canada. The British Government feared this would offend the Americans, whom, after the stresses of the American Civil War, it was most anxious not to antagonize. It insisted on a different title. Sir Leonard Tilley suggested "dominion:" "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth" (Psalm 72:8). The Fathers said it was intended to give dignity to the federation, and as a tribute to the monarchical principle. The word came to be applied to the federal government and Parliament, and under the Constitution Act, 1982, "Dominion" remains Canada's official title.