When did Canada become a country?

Canada became a country on July 1, 1867. The British North America Act joined the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into the Dominion of Canada. With this act, the dominion remained a British colony but was self-governing. Canada became increasingly autonomous over the next century.

Canada ceased to be a colony in 1931, with the passage of the Statute of Westminster. This document meant that Britain could no longer control laws in Canada and that British law did not apply to the country. Later, in 1982, the Canada Act ended Canada's last legal ties to Britain. The last province to join Canada was Newfoundland, which joined the federation in 1948.