Meanwhile, the July 1 holiday to commemorate Canada’s Confederation became official in 1879, and was originally called Dominion Day. The late Queen Elizabeth II, seen here joining the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa in 1997, visited Canada 22 times during her reign. Some early Dominion Day celebrations featured a ‘Dominion Salute’ of one gun for each province. Cole Burston/Getty ImagesIt wasn’t until 1982 that Dominion Day officially became Canada Day. For more information on the event, visit the official Canada Day website.

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