The Colony of Vancouver Island and the mainland Colony of British Columbia were united in 1866 under the name British Columbia. For two years the caapital was in New Westminster, but in 1868 it moved to Victoria where it has remained ever since. This reduced the expense of two separate governments, but heightened the rivalry between the island and mainland. Many islanders wanted to remain in a British Colony, while others demanded more self government or talked of annexation to the United States.

In 1867, just after Confederation of the eastern colonies, a group led by Amor de Cosmos proposed that BC join the new Dominion. In 1868, a Confederation League was formed in Victoria, with strong support from mainland settlers. A Convention was held at Yale with 26 delegates from both the island and the mainland.

Convention outcomes encouraged BC to join Canada, with Canada taking over the colony's debt and paying a grant per head of the population, the introduction of responsible government, and the building of a good wagon road to B.C.

The outcomes from the Convention were heatedly debated by those opposed to Confederation, referring to the meeting as the "Yale Conspiracy". The proposals were voted down in the Legislative Council. Generally mainland members favoured joining Canada, whereas island members did not. In 1870 a delegation of 3 men went to Ottawa to find out what the Canadian government would offer if BC did join the new country. Assuming the debt, providing extra Members of Parliamment, building a drydock in Victoria and constructing a trans-continental railway were al l put on the table and the delegates returned to BC full of enthusiasm. After further debate BC became a province of Canada on July 20th, 1871, and the proposals of the Yale Convention became a reality.