Ottawa is Canada’s federal capital and a focal point for national Canada Day ceremonies.
The city became the seat of government after Queen Victoria chose it as the capital in 1857. Its position on the Ottawa River, near the boundary between what are now Ontario and Quebec, gave it symbolic importance in a country shaped by both English- and French-speaking communities. The Constitution Act, 1867 later confirmed Ottawa as the seat of Canada’s federal government.
Canada Day celebrations have long centred on Parliament Hill and the surrounding downtown area. National ceremonies typically include speeches, concerts, cultural performances, the singing of “O Canada,” military pageantry and fireworks. Ottawa’s role is national rather than provincial: Toronto is Ontario’s capital, Montreal is Quebec’s largest city, and Vancouver is a major British Columbia city, but none is the federal capital.
Ottawa is part of the National Capital Region, which includes neighbouring Gatineau in Quebec. That cross-river setting helps make the capital’s July 1 celebrations bilingual and distinctly national in character.