Canada

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - The Canadian Shield
  - The interior plains
  - The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence lowlands
  - The Appalachian region
  - The Western Cordillera
  - The Arctic Archipelago
- Drainage
- Climate
  - Temperatures
  - Rainfall
  - Snowfall
- Soils and plant and animal life
  - Tundra
  - Forest regions
  - Grasslands
People
- Principal ethnic groups
- U.S. immigration
- Indigenous peoples
- Languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
  - Agriculture
  - Forestry
  - Fishing
- Resources and power
  - Minerals
  - Energy
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
  - Roads and highways
  - Railways
  - Waterways
  - Airways
  - Pipelines
  - Telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Provincial government
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
  - Suffrage and elections
  - Political parties
  - The Quebec question
- Security
  - Police
  - Defense
- Health and welfare
- Education
Cultural life
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
  - Literature
  - Visual arts
  - The performing arts
  - Filmmaking
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
  - Press
  - Broadcasting
History
- Prehistory to early European contact
  - Precontact aboriginal history
  - European contact and early exploration
- The settlement of New France
  - Jacques Cartier
  - Samuel de Champlain
  - The Company of New France
  - The character of French settlement
  - Royal control
  - The growth of Anglo-French rivalry
  - The French and Indian (Seven Years’) War
- Early British rule, 1763–91
  - The Quebec Act
  - The influence of the American Revolution
  - The Constitutional Act of 1791
- National growth in the early 19th century
  - Population trends
  - The Montreal fur traders
  - The War of 1812
  - The rebellions of 1837–38
  - The union of Canada
- From confederation through World War I
  - The first Riel rebellion
  - The transcontinental railway
  - Reaction of Quebec
  - The Klondike gold rush
  - The land rush in the west
  - The Laurier era
  - Foreign relations
  - World War I
- The interwar wars
  - Turmoil at home
  - Commonwealth relations
  - The Great Depression
  - Growing international tension
- World War II
- Early postwar developments
  - Domestic affairs
    - Postwar prosperity
    - Ethnic minorities
    - Internal politics
  - Foreign affairs
    - Multilateral commitments
    - U.S.-Canadian relations
    - Canada and the Commonwealth
    - Franco-Canadian affairs
  - Quebec separatism
- The Trudeau years, 1968–84
  - First premiership
    - Domestic policies
    - Foreign affairs
    - Indigenous affairs
  - The interregnum: Progressive Conservative government, 1979–80
  - Second premiership
- The late 20th and early 21st centuries
  - The administration of Brian Mulroney, 1984–93
  - The administrations of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, 1993–2006
  - The administration of Stephen Harper, 2006–15
    - First premiership
    - Second premiership
    - Third premiership
  - The administration of Justin Trudeau
    - First Nations suicide epidemic
    - Legalization of marijuana, environmental protection, and Quebec mosque attack
    - Response to the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump
    - SNC-Lavalin affair
    - Diplomatic dispute with China
    - The 2019 Canadian federal elections
    - The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the 2021 snap elections
    - The “Freedom Convoy” and the NDP-Liberal confidence-and-supply agreement
    - Residential schools apologies
Prime ministers of Canada

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

For Students

Canada summary

Prime ministers of Canada

in Canada

Written by Roger D. Hall, William Lewis Morton•All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jun 14, 2025 • Article History

News •

G7 leaders gather in Canada for summit overshadowed by Middle East crisis and Trump’s tariffs • June 15, 2025, 12:00 AM ET (AP)

As Trump goes to G7 summit, other world leaders aim to show they're not intimidated • June 14, 2025, 9:25 PM ET (AP)

NBA Finals guide: When the games are, how to watch, what the odds are • June 14, 2025, 9:04 AM ET (AP)

What to know about the Group of Seven summit in Canada that Trump will attend • June 13, 2025, 1:30 AM ET (AP)

Air India says people on crashed flight included Indians, British, Portuguese and a Canadian • June 12, 2025, 6:10 AM ET (AP)

The table provides a chronological list of the prime ministers of Canada.

Prime ministers of Canada
	party	term
Sir John Alexander Macdonald (1st time)	Liberal-Conservative	1867–73
Alexander Mackenzie	Liberal	1873–78
Sir John Alexander Macdonald (2nd time)	Liberal-Conservative	1878–91
John Abbott (from 1892, Sir John Abbott)	Liberal-Conservative	1891–92
Sir John Thompson	Liberal-Conservative	1892–94
Mackenzie Bowell (from 1895, Sir Mackenzie Bowell)	Liberal-Conservative	1894–96
Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet	Liberal-Conservative	1896
Wilfrid Laurier (from 1897, Sir Wilfrid Laurier)	Liberal	1896–1911
Robert Laird Borden (from 1914, Sir Robert Laird Borden)	Conservative	1911–20
Arthur Meighen (1st time)	Conservative	1920–21
W.L. Mackenzie King (1st time)	Liberal	1921–26
Arthur Meighen (2nd time)	Conservative	1926
W.L. Mackenzie King (2nd time)	Liberal	1926–30
Richard Bedford Bennett (from 1941, Viscount Bennett)	Conservative	1930–35
W.L. Mackenzie King (3rd time)	Liberal	1935–48
Louis Saint Laurent	Liberal	1948–57
John G. Diefenbaker	Progressive Conservative	1957–63
Lester B. Pearson	Liberal	1963–68
Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1st time)	Liberal	1968–79
Joseph Clark	Progressive Conservative	1979–80
Pierre Elliott Trudeau (2nd time)	Liberal	1980–84
John N. Turner	Liberal	1984
Brian Mulroney	Progressive Conservative	1984–93
Kim Campbell	Progressive Conservative	1993
Jean Chrétien	Liberal	1993–2003
Paul Martin	Liberal	2003–06
Stephen Harper	Conservative	2006–15
Justin Trudeau	Liberal	2015–25
Mark Carney	Liberal	2025–