Happy Canada Day! In case you did not know, Canada celebrates its birthday today. As of July 1, 2021, Canada is 154 years old. Because this is a public holiday, Canadians can enjoy this day off of work. However, it is always a good idea to look back and learn about the nation’s history. Today we will take a brief look at Canada’s progress through the years. We will also explain the country’s foundation and why we celebrate it every year.
What Is Canada Day?
Many people think of Canada Day as the country’s birthday. While this is true, Canada Day is technically a celebration of the Canadian Confederation. This event took place 154 years ago on July 1, 1867. It marks the day in which Canada became a country. Now, this does not actually mean that the first Canada Day was in 1867. In fact, Canada Day as we know it only began in 1982. Before that, its name was Dominion Day.
Dominion Day became an official holiday in 1879, 13 years after Canada’s founding. People still celebrated on July 1 before Dominion Day, just unofficially. Dominion Day became more and more popular with Canadians over time. Eventually the holiday became a big deal in 1967, 100 years after confederation. To celebrate Canada’s Centennial, many cities held large televised events.
Ever since Canada’s Centennial, Dominion Day has been a staple celebration among Canadians. So why did the name change to Canada Day? The simple reason is that many Canadians had been calling it that since the 1960s. Eventually, it became so common that the government decided to make it official in 1982. As you can imagine, this was a controversial decision at the time. Despite this, the pressures have settled since then.
Ever since the 1980s, Canada Day celebrations have grown in size. If you are in Canada during July 1, you can expect to hear fireworks in the night sky across the country. Local governments have been given additional funds since the 1980s to hold memorable events on this day. Many important parts of Canada’s history have taken place on July 1 as well. One of these is the day that “O Canada” became the country’s official national anthem in 1980.
How Canada Became a Country
Canada may have become a nation in 1867, but people have been living here for much longer than that. In fact, it is speculated that the indigenous population has lived here for thousands of years. European settlers only began exploring and living in Canada during the 16th century. The first colonizers were mostly British and French. However, after many decades of conflict, France had to give up most of its colonies in 1763. French culture and language remained strong in the area however. Even today this culture remains strong in the province of Québec.
There were many reasons for the pre-confederate colonies to join as one nation. The United States to the south, as well as the financial boost of unification were some of these factors. In March of 1867, Queen Victoria (who Canada also has a holiday for) approved the British North America Act. This essentially stated that Canada would become its own nation on July 1st after unifying three different colonies.
After confederation in July of 1867, Canada held elections. The first elections were held in August and September of the same year. Eventually, John A. Macdonald became the first Prime Minister of Canada. You might notice that this is not the same as a President. When Canada was born, it was still under the UK monarchy’s influence. Canada decided to set up a different government than that of the United States, seeing all the issues that had formed in their neighbour country. This would eventually change, and here is how:
Canada's Growth and the Modern Day
At confederation, Canada only had 4 provinces. These were, from west to east, Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. This is only the eastern part of the country we have today, but soon after other provinces would join. Manitoba and the Northwest Territories both joined Canada in 1870. One year later British Columbia joined as well. Now spanning from coast to coast, Canada’s provinces would continue to divide and expand with the years. Today, we have 10 provinces and 3 territories. The latest addition was Nunavut in 1999, which used to be part of the Northwest Territories.
As you may recall, the monarchy overseas still had power over Canada when confederation occurred. Today, Canada is entirely independent of the United Kingdom, though it still has ties of tradition to it. This change was made possible by two important events. The Statute of Westminster in 1931 gave British dominions like Canada and Australia further legislative independence. The final step to full independence was taken in 1982, when the Canada Act (now known as the Constitution Acts) took away the UK’s ability to amend the Canadian Constitution.
Today Canada is considered one of the best places in the world to live. It has become a multicultural nation thanks to its immigration policies. More importantly, it is a land of opportunity where growth is expected. It is an excellent place to work, and a great place to study. If you would like a future in this country, Gentium Immigration can help you achieve it. Book a consultation with one of our consultants and make a personalized immigration plan. Happy Canada Day!
8 Comments
Ana maria obando
June 30, 2021Que debo hacer para emigrar a canada con mi familia
Mateo Ospina
June 30, 2021¡Hola! El primer paso que puede tomar es pedir una preconsulta gratuita. Con esta preconsulta podemos asesorar su perfil y presentarle las mejores opciones migratorias que tiene disponibles. Lo único que debe hacer es completar esta breve encuesta y esperar la respuesta de un agente dentro de 48 horas. Recuerde que este proceso es gratis!
Además hay varias cosas que puede hacer para mejorar sus probabilidades de entrada a Canadá. Una de las más importantes es aprender inglés o francés. Tenemos aliados que pueden ayudarle con esto. Puede hacer clic aquí para aprender inglés o aquí para aprender francés.
¡Mucha suerte, tiene nuestro apoyo!
Nayibe Diaz
June 30, 2021Buen día, queremos viajar a Canadá, con mi hijo de 3 años y mi esposo, por favor nos informan si aplicamos.
Mateo Ospina
June 30, 2021¡Hola! Nos gustaría ayudarles. El primer paso que pueden dar es una preconsulta gratuita. Con esta preconsulta podremos asesorar su perfil y averiguar las opciones que tienen disponibles. Si desean participar, sólo deben completar esta breve encuesta y esperar la respuesta de un agente dentro de 48 horas. ¡Mucha suerte, tienen nuestro apoyo!
Alejandra Alzate Salazar
June 30, 2021Deseo información sobre la mejor manera de emigrar a Canadá con mi esposo e hijo de 5 años.
Mateo Ospina
June 30, 2021¡Hola! Hay varias maneras de migrar a Canadá y nos gustaría ayudarles a encontrar la correcta. Con una preconsulta gratuita podemos asesorar su perfil y presentarles las opciones que tienen disponibles. Sólo deben llenar esta breve encuesta y esperar la respuesta de un agente dentro de 48 horas. Este es el primer paso que pueden dar y es gratuito. ¡Mucha suerte, esperamos escuchar de ustedes!
Elys del Carmen alzate franco
June 30, 2021Hola estoy muy ,muy interesada en emigrar con mi hijo de Colombia hacia cansa he leído mucho sobre el tema y me gustaría saber más detalles.
Mateo Ospina
June 30, 2021¡Hola, nos gustaría ayudar! El primer paso que puede dar es totalmente gratuito. Se trata de una preconsulta en la cual podemos asesorar su perfil y presentarle las opciones migratorias que tiene disponible. Para hacerlo sólo debe completar esta breve encuesta y esperar la respuesta de un agente dentro de 48 horas. ¡Saludos, esperamos escuchar de usted!