Canada was the first country outside the United States to have a McDonald's restaurant.
McDonald's opened its first Canadian location in Richmond, British Columbia, in 1967. This was the chain's first international expansion and established a pattern later repeated across the world: retain core brand signals while adapting operations and menus to local markets.
The Canadian opening was significant for branding as well as business. The Golden Arches, standardized restaurant presentation, and familiar service model could travel across a national border without losing their identity. Canada also provided a geographically close market for testing international growth.
This question is distinct from asking when McDonald's first expanded internationally: the year was 1967. It is also distinct from asking which country became one of the earliest major European markets. Canada came first, before McDonald's opened restaurants in many other countries.