Before 1867 Canada consisted of autonomous provinces, some of which issued their own postage stamps. Stamps were issued for the Dominion of Canada which comprised mostly of the central part of the country; separate provinces on the coast issued their own stamps. The Atlantic provinces are called the “Maritime Provinces” by collectors and consist of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. The West Coast province issued stamps that are listed in the Scott catalog under the heading British Columbia and Vancouver Island.
The provinces of Canada have always been some of my favorite stamps to collect. They have everything a small specialty needs. There are not too many stamps. Some are easy to find, but with most it is a bit difficult to obtain nice specimens. Even most of the very high catalog value stamps can be had at deep discounts from catalog value in less than perfect condition. The stamps served a legitimate postal purpose, are well designed and printed, and have great geopolitical interest. The small number of stamps issued by British Columbia and Vancouver Island make for good collecting. Even though the value of a complete collection would be under $10,000, it has been a long time since I saw a complete holding.