Which was the last province to enter confederation in Canada?

Newfoundland was the last province to enter Canadian Confederation. It joined Canada on March 31, 1949, becoming the country’s tenth province.

At the time of Confederation, the province was officially called Newfoundland and included the island of Newfoundland and the mainland region of Labrador. Before joining Canada, Newfoundland had been a separate British dominion. It had also rejected joining Canada in an 1869 election, so Confederation was not an inevitable outcome.

After financial difficulties and the suspension of self-government in the 1930s, Newfoundland held referendums in 1948. The first produced no outright majority among three choices. In the second vote, confederation won about 52 percent against a return to responsible government. Newfoundland then entered Canada at the end of March 1949.

The province’s official name changed to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001. “Newfoundland” remains the historically correct answer to this question because that was the province’s name when it entered Confederation. No province has joined Canada since 1949.