On July 1, 1867 the enactment of the Constitution Act, 1867 (then called the British North America Act), united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire.
An interesting side note— Greeks had emigrated to Canada decades before the country was even established.
According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, immigrants from islands like Crete, Syros, Skopelos and poor villages in the Peloponnese had settled in Montreal as early as 1843.
By 1871— four years after Canada became a unified country, 39 Greeks were registered as living in Canada. By 1901 that number had increased to 213 Greek immigrants and by 1911 there were more than 2500.
Today, there are hundreds of thousands of Canadians of Greek descent, many of whom have left their mark on the country’s social, political, cultural and business landscape.
The country is also noted for its innovation cultural and there is a new generation of young leaders making a huge impact on society, many of whom are inspired by their ancestral connection to Greece.
The celebration is known as “Canada’s Birthday” and we decided to celebrate with some of our favorite images from Canada’s rich Greek history from past and present.