The History of Canada
From the First Peoples and the Norse at L'Anse aux Meadows to New France, Confederation, the World Wars, and the Charter — trace Canada's story through the places where it still stands.
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I was never into history in school. Then I stood inside the walls of Old Quebec for the first time and felt how much story was packed into one small city — Champlain, the Plains of Abraham, the only fortified town left in North America. After that I started seeing it everywhere we travelled in Canada: the Norse sod houses in Newfoundland, the railway that stitched the country together, the war memorials in nearly every town. History is part of how we plan our trips now, and we hope it becomes part of yours too.
— Scott
A Thousand Years of Canada
From the First Peoples and the Norse to New France, the Conquest, Confederation, the railway, the World Wars, and the Charter — these are the milestones that built Canada, and the places where that history is still visible today.
The First Peoples
Across what is now Canada
Indigenous peoples have lived across the land for thousands of years before European contact — hundreds of distinct First Nations, the Inuit of the Arctic, and later the Métis. Nations such as the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy), Anishinaabe, Cree, Mi'kmaq, Haida, and many more developed rich languages, governance systems, trade networks, and cultures long before any newcomer arrived.
Confederation
Ottawa / Charlottetown
The British North America Act united the colonies of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into the new Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867. Sir John A. Macdonald became the first prime minister. The path had begun three years earlier at the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 on Prince Edward Island — celebrated today as the "Birthplace of Confederation."
Province House in Charlottetown hosted the 1864 conference. Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the chosen capital, is where the country has been governed ever since.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge
France (Canadian National Memorial)
In the First World War, all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together for the first time and captured the heavily fortified Vimy Ridge in France — a victory that had eluded other Allied armies. Often called a defining moment in the birth of Canadian national identity, it came at a cost of nearly 3,600 Canadian dead.
The Dieppe Raid
France (Second World War)
On August 19, 1942, a force of nearly 5,000 Canadians led the Allied raid on the German-held French port of Dieppe. The operation was a costly failure — more than 900 Canadians were killed and nearly 2,000 taken prisoner — but the bitter lessons learned shaped the planning for the D-Day landings two years later.
D-Day — Juno Beach
Normandy, France
On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Canadian soldiers stormed ashore at Juno Beach in Normandy — one of five Allied landing beaches and the only one assaulted primarily by Canadians. By day's end Canadian forces had pushed further inland than any other Allied troops, a pivotal step in the liberation of Western Europe.
Reconciliation & Residential Schools
Across Canada
For over a century, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in church- and government-run residential schools, where many suffered abuse and thousands died. In 2008 the federal government formally apologized, and in 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission delivered 94 Calls to Action. Reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples remains one of the defining tasks of the country today.
The Heritage That Remains
All Destinations
From the Norse sod houses of Newfoundland to the walls of Old Quebec, from the Plains of Abraham to Parliament Hill, from Juno Beach to the living cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities — Canada's history is still visible, still debated, and still worth understanding when you visit. The places remain.
Plan a Heritage Trip
Tell our AI planner you want to follow Canada's history and it will build an itinerary around the landmarks — Old Quebec, the Plains of Abraham, Parliament Hill, L'Anse aux Meadows, and more.
Start Planning →Frequently Asked Questions
Modern Canada was created by Confederation on July 1, 1867, when the British North America Act united the colonies of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into the Dominion of Canada, with Sir John A. Macdonald as the first prime minister. But human history in Canada is far older: Indigenous peoples have lived here for thousands of years, the Norse settled Newfoundland around 1000 CE, and the French founded Quebec City in 1608.
Indigenous peoples were the first inhabitants, living across the land for thousands of years before European contact. They include hundreds of distinct First Nations (such as the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Cree, Mi'kmaq, and Haida), the Inuit of the Arctic, and the Métis, who emerged from the mixing of Indigenous and European peoples. Their languages, governance, and cultures predate any European arrival.
New France was the French colony established along the St. Lawrence River and beyond, beginning with Samuel de Champlain's founding of Quebec City in 1608. It centred on the fur trade and grew to include Montreal (founded 1642) and a vast interior territory. New France fell to Britain after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, but its language, law, and Catholic faith were preserved under British rule and still define Quebec today.
On September 13, 1759, during the Seven Years' War, British forces under General James Wolfe defeated the French army of the Marquis de Montcalm just outside Quebec City in a battle lasting under an hour. Both generals died of their wounds. The British victory led to the conquest of New France, confirmed by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The battlefield is now a public park in Quebec City.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 9–12, 1917) was the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together, capturing a French ridge that other Allied armies had failed to take. It is often described as a defining moment in the birth of Canadian national identity. Nearly 3,600 Canadians died, and the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France honours them and the more than 66,000 Canadians killed in the First World War.
The Charter is the part of Canada's constitution that guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms. It was entrenched when the constitution was patriated on April 17, 1982 — meaning Canada gained full authority to amend its own constitution instead of relying on the British Parliament. Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau signed the proclamation on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.