1926 Balfour Report: Canada Achieves Greater Autonomy From Britain

The Balfour Report, from the 1926 Imperial Conference, declared the United Kingdom and its Dominions "autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status...and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations," which replaced the principle of hierarchal relationships. Based mainly on the British Commonwealth's acceptance of the principles underpinning the autonomy of the self-governing Dominions, this document represented an important step in Canada's path to complete autonomy. The law affirming these principles …

…would only enact laws applying to a Dominion, if that Dominion's government provided consent. The Balfour Report was accepted in full by the 1926 Imperial Conference, thus, laying down the fundamental principles guiding the internal and external relations of the British Commonwealth. Acceptance of the Balfour Report of 1926 was one of the most important defining moments in Canadian history, as it signified a large step towards full autonomy. Eventually, Canada would achieve complete autonomy from Britain.