Canada was McDonald's first international market outside the United States, opening in 1967.
McDonald's opened its first Canadian restaurant in Richmond, British Columbia, in June 1967. The expansion marked the beginning of the company's international restaurant network and placed the brand in a neighboring country with geographic and cultural links to the United States.
International growth required more than copying an American sign. McDonald's had to establish local franchise and supply systems while preserving recognizable elements such as the Golden Arches, restaurant format, service model, and core menu identity. Canada later became one of the chain's largest and longest-established markets.
The first Canadian opening is sometimes confused with the first McDonald's in other major overseas markets. Japan opened in 1971, and Australia opened in 1971 as well, several years after Canada. The 1967 Canadian restaurant therefore represents the start of McDonald's international expansion, even though the company later became far more globally distributed.