Canada Day - Fête du Canada

July 1st is Canada Day, the national day of Canada. In years when July 1 falls on a Sunday, most celebrations still occur on that day, but Monday, July 2 is the public holiday.

Canada Day, or la fête du Canada, celebrates the July 1, 1867 signing of the British North American Act (BNA Act), which united three British colonies into a federal dominion and defined most of the Canadian government. It was originally called Dominion Day (le jour du Dominion), but in 1982, when the British government finally ceded all of its political control over Canada, July 1st was rebaptized Canada Day, and the BNA Act was renamed the Constitution Act.

Canada Day may also be referred to as Canada's birthday or la fête nationale du Canada, and before 1982 was also known as Confederation Day, le jour de la Confédération, or la fête de la Confédération (canadienne).

Like the national holidays in the US (4th of July) and France (14th of July / Bastille Day), Canada Day celebrates the creation of the modern country with outdoor events like parades, fireworks, and picnics. Take a look at French vocabulary related to national holidays and patriotism for a comparison of these national holidays.