Canadian History in Brief

Canada is a relatively young country that gained independence from Britain in stages over the course of a century. It started on its path as a self-governing nation in 1867, when the British Parliament passed the British North America Act. This legislation formed Canada's written constitution until 1982, when Britain formally relinquished its authority over the Canadian constitution.

As its roots might suggest, Canada is a parliamentary democracy based closely on the British form of government. It has established two levels of government - a federal authority that governs matters of national interest, and the 10 provinces that govern matters of a more local interest. The Canadian Constitution also sets out the specific powers and jurisdictional limits for each level, with the intended result that each should have exclusive domain over certain aspects of government.

For example, the federal government has been allotted authority over the regulation of trade and commerce, banking, patents, copyright and taxation. The provinces have authority over property and civil rights and the administration of justice on a provincial level. As would be expected, there are areas of overlap. Indeed, the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments has been a long-standing source of contention among those who govern Canada.

The evolution of Canada's history has been greatly influenced by three world powers — Britain, France and the United States. That said, while Canada's two official languages are English and French, the country is decidedly and increasingly multicultural, attracting talented new immigrants from all corners of the world.