What name did Canada use for its 2017 sesquicentennial celebrations?

Canada used the name “Canada 150” for its 2017 sesquicentennial celebrations.

The label marked 150 years since Canadian Confederation in 1867. The federal government used “Canada 150” as the public-facing brand for events, infrastructure projects and commemorations held across the country during 2017. “Sesquicentennial” simply means a 150th anniversary, so the name was a concise celebration title rather than a different constitutional milestone.

The anniversary traced back to July 1, 1867, when the Dominion of Canada was established under the British North America Act, now called the Constitution Act, 1867. The original federation joined Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Alberta and Saskatchewan joined later, while Newfoundland entered Confederation in 1949.

Canada 150 was celebrated with concerts, exhibitions, civic projects and special programming, but it also prompted debate. Indigenous people and organizations criticized celebrations that, in their view, overlooked Indigenous history and continuing colonial harms. That criticism is an important part of the event’s historical context, even though “Canada 150” remains the standard name for the 2017 commemoration.