Canadian History

Sir John A. Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of Canada. He became a lawyer and a politician.As a politician, he helped bring the provinces  together to form the Dominion of Canada. He was one of the 36 Fathers of Confederation to make plans to unite the provinces. They made decisions about what system of government they would have. They also made decisions about laws and the legal system.When Canada became a country on 1 July 1867, Sir John A. Macdonald was appointed as the first Prime Minister. He died on 6 June 1891 while he was still Prime Minister, and just a few months after winning an election.

On December 6th 1917, a French ship with a cargo of explosives collided with another ship in Halifax Harbour.  The ship was totally destroyed.  Many buildings in Halifax were destroyed. Two thousand people died  and about 9000 people were injured.

 Halifax is a city in Nova Scotia that doesn’t freeze in the winter.  During World War 1 Halifax was an important harbour and port town. It is large enough for big ships. War supplies such as food, weapons, explosives and soldiers were sent from Canada and the United States to Europe. Many of these supplies were sent by ship from Halifax. The explosives that she was carrying were being shipped to Europe for the world war I .

Casa Loma sits on a hill overlooking downtown Toronto. Casa Loma began to build in 1911. It is a luxury house that has many rooms, fireplaces, stables and undertunnel as well. Sir Henry Pellatt and his wife Mary owned the house. but they did not live in it for very long because they ran out of money and could not afford to live there. They moved out in 1923 and in 1933 Casa Loma was seized by the city of Toronto because of the property taxes on Casa Loma had not been paid. Casa Loma is now a museum and you can tour the buildings and gardens.