Is July 1 Canada’s ‘Independence Day’?

Crowds gather on Parliament Hill to celebrate Dominion Day on July 1, 1927, the 60th jubilee of Canadian Confederation. Public Domain

Commentary

The first thing to know about the July 1 holiday is that it does not celebrate Canada’s independence. The first of July is the anniversary of Confederation in 1867, the refounding of the Province of Canada and two older provinces as a federal union of four provinces—a Dominion that would expand from sea to sea.