A brief history of Canada per http://main.torontoandtheworld.com/a-brief-history-of-canada/
First the ancestors of the modern-day indigenous population came (First Nations people). They crossed over from Northeast Asia/Siberia, and probably migrated south through Alaska and British Columbia into what is now the USA. Most of Canada was covered by glaciers when the first people came to the Americas, so most indigenous groups would have migrated into Canada later, as the glaciers started to melt. Over time various distinct indigenous cultures developed to exploit the resources of different environments.
The second wave of migrants were Europeans. French settlers landed in the Maritimes and St. Lawrence Valley in Quebec, while the British claimed Newfoundland. Britain also established colonies along the eastern seaboard of the USA, and became involved in a long struggle with France for control of North America. First Britain conquered the Maritimes, and then, in the mid-18th century, took Quebec as well.
The American Revolution led to Britain losing its American colonies. It also led to an influx of Anglo-American Loyalists into what is now Canada. British Canada had originally been mostly made up of French-speakers in Quebec. But because of the arrival of lots of Loyalists and other American immigrants, it gained a large English-speaking population as well in Ontario.
During the War of 1812, the Americans tried, and failed, to conquer Canada. The Americans burned the Ontario (Upper Canada) capital of York (modern-day Toronto), and the British burned the Whitehouse in Washington, D.C., in retaliation. But the war ended without any side winning a clear victory, and after that the USA and Britain, and Canada and the USA, enjoyed peaceful relations.
Some English and French speaking radicals tried to drive the British out by force and declare independence in the 1830s but these revolts failed. Instead, Canada won independence peacefully and gradually. In 1867 the Canadian Confederation was formed. Canada became a self-governing dominion within the British Empire. Britain maintained control of foreign and military affairs while Canada handled domestic policy.
During World War I, Britain declared war on Germany on behalf of Canada and British officers commanded Canadian troops fighting in Europe. But after the war ended, Canada began to push for full control over foreign and military affairs. By the time World War II began, Canada had asserted its independence and declared war on Germany for itself.
After World War II ended, Canada enjoyed the same post-war economic boom that the US did. The 1950s in Canada were characterized by the same growth in highways, automobile usage, and suburban sprawl as they were in the USA. During the next decade, the 1960s, Canada underwent a social revolution similar to that of the USA and other western nations. Many Canadians embraced “hippie” or “counterculture”, and laws began to be changed to reflect new values.
After World War II Canada was opened up to immigration once again thanks in part to the new economic prosperity- immigration had been restricted during the Great Depression era. Large numbers of immigrants arrived from Britain and war-ravaged Europe. Then in the late 1960s, Canada began to accept non-white immigrants- non-whites had traditionally been deterred from coming to Canada. This led to a demographic shift, especially in bigger cities, where growing “visible minority” communities began to emerge.