Beginning in the late 15th century [[French colonization of the Americas|French]] and [[British colonization of the Americas|British]] expeditions explored, and later settled, along the [[East Coast of the United States|Atlantic coast]]. France ceded nearly all of [[New France|its colonies in North America]] to Britain in 1763 after the [[Seven Years' War]]. In 1867, with the union of three [[British North America]]n colonies through [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]], Canada was formed as a [[federalism|federal]] [[dominion]] of four provinces. This began an [[Territorial evolution of Canada|accretion of provinces and territories]] and a process of increasing autonomy from the [[British Empire]], which became official with the [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]] of 1931 and completed in the [[Canada Act 1982|Canada Act]] of 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British parliament]]. |
Beginning in the late 15th century [[French colonization of the Americas|French]] and [[British colonization of the Americas|British]] expeditions explored, and later settled, along the [[East Coast of the United States|Atlantic coast]]. France ceded nearly all of [[New France|its colonies in North America]] to Britain in 1763 after the [[Seven Years' War]]. In 1867, with the union of three [[British North America]]n colonies through [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]], Canada was formed as a [[federalism|federal]] [[dominion]] of four provinces. This began an [[Territorial evolution of Canada|accretion of provinces and territories]] and a process of increasing autonomy from the [[British Empire]], which became official with the [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]] of 1931 and completed in the [[Canada Act 1982|Canada Act]] of 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British parliament]]. |