July 1st marks the day (in 1867) when several of the separate provences of Canada came together to form a confederation as a "Dominion of the British Empire". This effectively established Canada as a separate kingdom, the date was originally known as "Dominion Day" and "Confederation Day", and later called "Canada's Birthday". Canada would gradually become more autonomous and finally be fully separate from the British Parliament in 1982, when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian constitution.

Canada Day coloring pages are a popular activity for early school children to learn about the history of this day.