Which 1864 meeting was the first conference leading to Canadian Confederation?

The Charlottetown Conference was the first 1864 conference in the series that led to Canadian Confederation.

It met in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, from September 1 to 9, 1864. The gathering was originally planned for representatives of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island to discuss a possible Maritime Union. Delegates from the Province of Canada—representing what are now Ontario and Quebec—asked to participate, shifting the agenda toward a much broader federation.

The Canadian delegation presented arguments for a union of the British North American colonies, including a central government, a population-based lower house, and regional representation in an upper chamber. The discussions generated enough interest for the delegates to continue negotiations at the Quebec Conference the following month.

Charlottetown was therefore the opening conference in the immediate Confederation process, not the meeting where the final constitutional plan was completed. The Quebec Conference produced the detailed 72 Resolutions, while the London Conference of 1866 prepared the proposal for approval in Britain. Prince Edward Island itself did not join Canada until 1873.