For 400 years, settlers and immigrants have contributed to the diversity and richness of Canada, which is built on a proud history and a strong identity.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy, a parliamentary democracy and a federal state. Canadians are bound together by a shared commitment to the rule of law and to the institutions of parliamentary government.

The Canadian Constitution was amended in 1982 to include the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

As Canada’s largest east coast port, deep-water and ice-free, the capital, Halifax, has played an important role in Atlantic trade and defence and is home to Canada’s largest naval base.

In 1840, Upper and Lower Canada were united as the Province of Canada. Reformers such as Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin, in parallel with Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia, worked with British governors toward responsible government.

Magna Carta (also known as the Great Charter of Freedoms) was signed in 1215 in England.

The first companies in Canada were formed during the French and British regimes and competed for the fur trade.

Sir John A. Macdonald was a lawyer in Kingston, Ontario, a gifted politician and a colourful personality. Parliament has recognized January 11 as Sir John A. Macdonald Day. His portrait is on the $10 bill.

The Court was originally composed of six judges. In 1927, the number of Supreme Court judges was raised to seven, and the Court reached its present total of nine members in 1949.

Sir Frederick Banting of Toronto and Charles Best discovered insulin, a hormone to treat diabetes that has saved 16 million lives worldwide.

Canadian law is derived from a variety of sources, including laws passed by Parliament and provincial legislatures, English common law, the French civil code, and the unwritten constitution that we inherited from the United Kingdom.

The House of Commons recognized in 2006 that the Quebecois form a nation within a united Canada.

From the 1800s until the 1980s, the federal government placed many Aboriginal children in residential schools to educate and assimilate them into mainstream Canadian culture. The schools were poorly funded and inflicted hardship on the students. Ottawa formally apologized to the former students.

The Métis are a distinct people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry, the majority of whom live in the Prairie provinces. They come from both French and English-speaking backgrounds and speak their own dialect, Michif.

Sir Sanford Fleming, a Canadian engineer, was the first person to propose the use of worldwide time zones.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) enforce federal laws throughout Canada, and serve as the provincial police in all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec, as well as in some municipalities.

Cartier heard two captured guides speak the Iroquoian word kanata, meaning “village.” By the 1550s, the name of Canada began appearing on maps.

Responsible government refers to a government that is responsible to the people. It takes the form of a Cabinet that depends on the support of an elected assembly, rather than a monarch or their representatives.

Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, a champion of French language rights, became the first head of a responsible government (similar to a prime minister) in Canada in 1849.

Canada includes many different geographical areas and five distinct regions.
- The Atlantic Provinces
- Central Canada
- The Prairie Provinces
- The West Coast
- The Northern Territories