On Canada Day 2017, Canada marked which anniversary of Confederation?

On Canada Day 2017, Canada marked the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Confederation began on July 1, 1867, when the Dominion of Canada was created through the British North America Act. That act united the Province of Canada—later divided into Ontario and Quebec—with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. July 1 was originally called Dominion Day and became Canada Day in 1983.

The 2017 milestone was therefore a sesquicentennial: 150 years after 1867. It was commonly branded “Canada 150,” the name used for a year of national events, public art, infrastructure projects and commemorative programming. The anniversary did not mean that every present-day province joined Canada in 1867. Several entered later, including Manitoba in 1870, British Columbia in 1871, Prince Edward Island in 1873, and Newfoundland in 1949.

The date also has a deeper historical context. Confederation expanded over time and occurred within a colonial framework that profoundly affected Indigenous peoples. As a result, Canada 150 celebrations were accompanied by criticism and calls to acknowledge Indigenous histories and ongoing inequities. The anniversary answer remains 150th, while the meaning of the commemoration is more contested.