Canada — books & literature

The story of Canada

Canada's human story stretches back tens of thousands of years to the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples who developed hundreds of distinct nations and languages across the land. Norse voyagers reached Newfoundland around 1000 CE, the earliest known European contact, but lasting European settlement began with French explorer Jacques Cartier in the 1530s and Samuel de Champlain's founding of Quebec City in 1608. Britain took control of New France after the 1763 Treaty of Paris, and the colony grew into a patchwork of British territories. On 1 July 1867, the British North America Act united Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into the Dominion of Canada, a self-governing federation that expanded coast to coast over the following decades. Legislative independence came with the 1931 Statute of Westminster, and Canada gained full control over its own constitution in 1982 with the Constitution Act and its Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Today Canada is a bilingual, multicultural parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, known for its vast geography, its two official languages, and a literary tradition spanning Indigenous storytelling, English-Canadian, and Québécois voices.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 1000

   Norse voyagers reach Newfoundland (L'Anse aux Meadows), the earliest known European contact.

2. 1534

   Jacques Cartier claims the Gulf of St. Lawrence region for France.

3. 1608

   Samuel de Champlain founds Quebec City, the heart of New France.

4. 1763

   Treaty of Paris cedes New France to Britain after the Seven Years' War.

5. 1867

   British North America Act creates the Dominion of Canada (Confederation), 1 July.

6. 1885

   Canadian Pacific Railway completed, linking the country coast to coast.

7. 1931

   Statute of Westminster grants Canada legislative independence from Britain.

8. 1982

   Constitution Act patriates Canada's constitution and enacts the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Top 10 things to know about Canada

1. Canada is the second-largest country in the world by total area.
2. It has two official languages: English and French.
3. Canada holds one of the largest shares of the world's fresh water.
4. It has the longest coastline of any country on Earth.
5. Canada shares the world's longest international land border with the United States.
6. Ice hockey is the national winter sport; lacrosse is the national summer sport.
7. Canada is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.
8. The maple leaf flag was adopted in 1965 and is a global symbol of the country.
9. Canada is home to the Rocky Mountains, Niagara Falls, and vast boreal forest.
10. Multiculturalism is official government policy, formalised in the Multiculturalism Act of 1988.

Famous people from Canada

Say it in Canada's language

Did you know?

• ★Canada's coastline is the longest of any country in the world, at over 200,000 km.
• ★Canada and the United States share the longest international land border on Earth.
• ★Canada holds one of the largest shares of the planet's renewable fresh water.

Canada culture

• Multiculturalism is official government policy, celebrated through festivals nationwide.
• Ice hockey is deeply woven into national identity, from backyard rinks to the NHL.
• Poutine , fries, cheese curds, and gravy , originated in Quebec and is a beloved comfort food nationwide.
• Canada Day on 1 July marks Confederation with fireworks and celebrations across the country.

Why read Canada's books

Canadian literature spans Indigenous oral storytelling traditions, English-Canadian fiction, and a distinct Québécois literary voice in French , a bilingual bookshelf as vast as the country itself.