CANADA DAY

formerly (until 1982) Dominion Day, the national holiday of Canada, observed on July 1. It commemorates the formation of the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867. Following the 1982 patriation of the Canadian constitutionwhich until that time had been embodied in the British North America Act (1867), an act of the British Parliamentthe name of the holiday was officially changed to Canada Day. It is celebrated with parades, fireworks, display of the flag, and the singing of the national anthem, O Canada. The possibility of union among the various provinces in British North America had been discussed for many years. In 1864 a meeting was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, by representatives of Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, and after three years of negotiations federation was achieved. Subsequent to the passage of the British North America Act, other provinces joined the union.