McDonald's opened its first Canadian restaurant in 1967.
The restaurant opened in Richmond, British Columbia, on June 1, 1967. Canada was McDonald's first international market, making the opening a major milestone in the company's branding history and global expansion.
The Canadian launch showed that McDonald's could transfer its restaurant identity beyond the United States while retaining recognizable elements such as the Golden Arches, quick counter service, and a tightly controlled menu. Canada later became one of the company's most important markets outside the United States.
This date is sometimes confused with McDonald's first restaurant in a European or Asian market. The Netherlands became McDonald's first European market in 1971, while Japan opened its first McDonald's in 1971. Canada's 1967 opening came earlier than both.