Canada marks its 159th birthday today, July 1, as communities from coast to coast celebrate the anniversary of Confederation with parades, concerts, fireworks and family events.

Canada officially became a country on July 1, 1867, when the British North America Act united Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into the Dominion of Canada. Over the following decades, Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation, while the territories evolved into the modern country Canadians know today.

Alberta became a province on Sept. 1, 1905, when Parliament passed the Alberta Act, creating the province from part of the North-West Territories. Saskatchewan became a province the same day. While Alberta gained provincial status at that time, Ottawa kept control of public lands and natural resources until 1930, an issue that shaped Alberta’s political and economic history for decades.

This year's celebrations come during a period of significant national discussion about Canada's economy, trade and sovereignty. Relations with the United States continue to dominate political debate, particularly as negotiations continue over the future of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Rising living costs, housing affordability, defence spending and economic competitiveness have also remained major topics across the country in recent months.

Canada has grown from a federation of four provinces with a population of about 3.5 million people into a nation of more than 41 million residents. It is now the world's second-largest country by land area and one of the world's leading exporters of agricultural products, energy, natural resources and advanced technology.

As Canadians celebrate the country's 159th anniversary, Canada Day remains an opportunity to recognize both the nation's achievements and the challenges that will shape its future.