# On the naming of Canada **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 18, 2024, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443 "2024-04-18T03:35:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/1 "2024-04-18T03:35:36Z")
This question came up in Trivia Dominoes, but I don’t want to hijack a perfectly fine thread game: > [@Trivia Dominoes II — Play Off the Last Bit of Trivia — continued!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-ii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia-continued/846950/8600): > > The official full name of Canada is simply… Canada. That’s it. Charles III is the King of Canada and head of state; Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is head of government. > [@Trivia Dominoes II — Play Off the Last Bit of Trivia — continued!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-ii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia-continued/846950/8602): > > **Aside** > > The rarely used full name of Canada is the “Dominion of Canada”. I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone actually use this, which would seem pretentious in many contexts. > [@Trivia Dominoes II — Play Off the Last Bit of Trivia — continued!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-ii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia-continued/846950/8604): > > I don’t think so, not anymore. See the last two paragraphs here under Etymology here, and the official one-word name over the flag and coat of arms at the top right of the page: [Canada - Wikipedia] > [@Trivia Dominoes II — Play Off the Last Bit of Trivia — continued!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-ii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia-continued/846950/8605): > > **Aside** > > I consider the Canadian Encyclopedia authoritative. The last two sentences of your Wiki article discuss levels of government but not official names. But perhaps @Northern_Piper could weigh in on this trivial point. Trivia?!? Much ink has been spilled, and electrons bent out of shape over this issue. In 1864, when the Fathers of Confederation met in Quebec to lay the framework for the new country, they did not agree on what it would be called. The delegates were from the [Province of Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Canada), Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland, and there was not yet a strong sense of the new nation to settle on a name. [Quebec Resolution](https://primarydocuments.ca/john-a-macdonald-papers-the-quebec-resolutions-as-adopted-in-the-legislature-of-the-province-of-canada-14-march-1865/) 71 therefore provided: > 1. That Her Majesty the Queen be solicited to determine the rank and name of the Federated Provinces. Note that there are two variables there: the “rank” and the “name”. When they met again in London in 1866 (now just delegates from the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick), they passed a similar provision in the [London Resolutions](https://primarydocuments.ca/london-resolutions-final-version-28-december-1866/): > 1. That Her Majesty the Queen be solicited to determine the rank and name of the Confederation. However, by this time, there was general agreement that the name should be “Canada”. One unnamed delegate from the Maritimes proposed that, and it was accepted unanimously by the Conference. That left the “rank”. John A. Macdonald wanted the new country to be the “Kingdom of Canada”, and that name was used in some of the drafts of the _British North America Act_. Until the Colonial Office and the Foreign Office got wind of it. “Will no-one think of the Americans!?” was their anguished cry. You see, our republican neighbours to the south were ticked off at Britain, and the Province of Canada, over various episodes during the Civil War, where they thought that Britain and the Province of Canada had favoured the South. (Indeed, our esteemed Elendil’s Heir can expound on one of those events. May have to ply him with beer.) The mandarins at the Colonial Office and the Foreign Office were concerned that the US, with its republican nature, was already suspicious of this new-fangled British country that was being established, with a monarch, no less! If it was officially named a “Kingdom”, who knew what the consequences might be. What if that Union army, the largest in the world and far better equipped than the British Army units in British North America, were to turn north? Brows were furrowed, lips were pursed, and Whitehall politely told John A. to get stuffed (on this issue, at least). So, back to the drawing board. And, one account is that Leonard Tilley, one of the leading delegates from New Brunswick and a pious man, took refuge in his Bible and came across Psalm 72, verse 8: “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea…” Perfect, Leonard said to himself, and proposed to the conference that the new country, with transcontinental ambitions, should be called a “Dominion”. (It also fit with the pattern of British imperial law, with references to “Her Majesty’s dominions”, as a general term for plantations and other colonies.) Lord Carnarvon, the Colonial Secretary, liked it and gave it his blessing. The Prime Minister advised Her Majesty. She apparently thought it was rather humdrum, but agreed to it. (Neither the PM nor the Queen were advised that John A had wanted “Kingdom”. The power of bureaucrats to squash ideas they didn’t like was well-established in Whitehall, long before Sir Humphrey’s day.) And so, the new country had the rank of “Dominion”, and the name of “Canada”, as set out in s. 3 of the _British North America Act, 1867_: > **3.** It shall be lawful for the Queen, by and with the Advice of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council, to declare by Proclamation that, on and after a Day therein appointed, not being more than Six Months after the passing of this Act, the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick shall form and be One Dominion **under the Name of Canada** ; and on and after that Day those Three Provinces shall form and be One Dominion under that Name accordingly. But you will note that it doesn’t say that the name is “Dominion of Canada”; it says that the new country will be a “Dominion”, but “under the name of Canada”. “Dominion” is a rank; “Canada” is the name. The central government was generally referred to as the Dominion government, and as a result of the Colonial Conference of 1907, and the Balfour Declaration of 1926, the six major self-governing dominions became known as “Dominions” - capital D, to distinguish them from British colonies. The six were: Canada, Australia, the Union of South Africa, New Zealand, the Irish Free State, and Newfoundland. Fast forward from 1926 to 1949, skimming over considerable unpleasantnesses, and we come to the proposal that India become independent. As a transitional stage, it would be a “Dominion” (capital D) but would become a republic. But, it wanted to stay within the British Commonwealth, as the Empire was now being referred to. More furrowed brows in Whitehall, but it was done. Fully independent republics could be part of the Commonwealth. But what did that mean for the Dominions? They decided to abandon that term in favour of “Commonwealth realms”, to highlight their independence, while maintaining the monarch as their sovereign. The change happened gradually. The Irish Free State dropped out and became a republic, the bankrupt Newfoundland became a province of Canada, the Union of South Africa … well, we know what happened there. But, flowing from India’s decision to go republican and stay in the ~~Empire~~ Commonwealth, the concept of a Commonwealth realm was fully established. So, why hasn’t s. 3 of the _British North America Act, 1867_ been amended? Well, that’s another long story, but Prime Minister St Laurent finessed the issue by saying that the rank of the country had changed, in the classic British way, without the need for a constitutional amendment. Canada was now a fully independent realm, no longer a “Dominion”, and s. 3 had been overtaken by more recent constitutional events. Plus, the name is “Canada”, anyway; says so right in s. 3. Skip ahead three decades to 1982, when the British Parliament, at the request of the two houses of the Canadian Parliament, passed the _Canada Act 1982_, which refers to “Canada”, not the “Dominion of Canada”. In Canadian constitutional law, repeals by implication are accepted, so there is a pretty good argument that the _Canada Act 1982_ implicitly changed the rank of the country by dropping all references to “Dominion”, and that part of s. 3 has been amended accordingly. (Canada, like Britain, is much more comfortable with constitutional ~~fudges~~ work-arounds than some other countries.) At any event, since 1982, the federal government has abandoned almost all uses of “Dominion”, in law and in practice. The article that Dr Paprika cites in the _Canadian Encyclopedia_ is a bit of an outlier. It was written by [Eugene Forsey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Forsey), who was a radical-conservative-socialist. He was one of the founding delegates of the Canadian Commonwealth Federation, the socialist party that emerged from the Great Depression, and which eventually came to power in a certain rectangular province. At the same time as he was a radical socialist, he had a tremendous small-c conservative respect for the principles of British constitutionalism, as implemented in Canada via the _British North America Act, 1867_. He rejected any suggestion that the rank of the country could be changed implicitly, which is reflected in the _Canadian Encyclopedia_ article. The issue has never come up in court, and it’s difficult to see how or why a court would rule on it, so there certainly is ambiguity over the issue of implied repeal. But s. 3 says the name of the country is “Canada”, and that’s what the federal government has run with since St Laurent’s time. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/2 "2024-04-18T04:03:36Z")
All of this reminds me of a comment in an old thread from @Kobal2 , whom I fear we lost in the covid time: > [@Why was there a Canadian force on D-Day?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-there-a-canadian-force-on-d-day/690203/89): > > You know, not that I harbour imperial German sympathies or anything, but I could see how they might have figured they were the good guys when they were told “Men, tomorrow we face the soldiers of… The Dominion”. There’s an in-built scare chord to that word. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/3 "2024-04-18T04:08:54Z")
Missed the edit window; meant to add: the _British North America Act, 1867_, is now named the _Constitution Act, 1867_. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/4 "2024-04-18T05:42:21Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > But you will note that it doesn’t say that the name is “Dominion of Canada”; it says that the new country will be a “Dominion”, but “under the name of Canada”. “Dominion” is a rank; “Canada” is the name. Interesting. Next, can you explain “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”? Are we technically wrong to call it “United Kingdom”? ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/5 "2024-04-18T07:36:26Z")
Fascinating stuff, particularly the rank/name distinction. There’s an interesting contrast in the case of Ireland. The 1919-21 War of Independence was concluded by the Anglo-Irish Treaty, an agreement between representatives of the UK government and the (revolutionary) Irish government. It provided that: > Ireland shall have the same constitutional status in the Community of Nations known as the British Empire as the Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa . . . and shall be styled and known as the Irish Free State. This agreement was given the force of law, so far as the UK was concerned, by UK legislation; the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922. However from the Irish perspective it entered into force because it was ratified and approved by a vote of Dáil Éireann (which from the UK perspective was still a revolutionary assembly, whose actions had no legal validity). Either way, the new state didn’t have a rank and name; it had a style and a name, and they were both the same; the Irish Free State (or, in Irish, Saorstát Éireann, which literally means “Free State of Ireland”). The new state had, as provided by the treaty, “dominion status” similar to that of Canada, Australia, etc. Internally, the functions of the head of State were exercised by a Governor-General; internationally, however, the British monarch was regarded as the head of state, and the monarch continued to perform certain international functions on behalf of Ireland. In particular, treaties were signed on behalf of Ireland in the king’s name. But the state did as much as it could to push the boundaries of dominion status, and to diminish the role of the crown. Then, in 1937, the state adopted a new constitution, Article 4 of which provided: > The name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland. So, a new name, and no mention of any “style”. From that point on the term “Irish Free State” was not used. Under the 1937 Constitution (which is still in operation) the state was functionally a republic; it had an elected President who discharged the functions of head of state, and under a transitional provision “all powers, functions, rights and prerogatives whatsoever exercisable in or in respect of Saorstát Éireann” (i.e. the former royal prerogative) were to belong to the people, and to be exercised by or on the authority of the government. Bu the Constitution didn’t explicitly declare or describe the state to be a republic — it didn’t give it any express characterisation. In 1948 parliamentary legislation provided that “the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland”. So, now, the state had both a name, Ireland, and a description, the Republic of Ireland. The UK responded by enacting legislation in 1949 declaring that the state no longer formed “part of His Majesty’s dominions”. This effectively ended Ireland’s membership of the Commonwealth, but this was of symbolic significance only; Ireland had ceased to participate in the Commonwealth many years before. (Just 10 days later after this legislation took effect, the Commonwealth decided in the London Declaration that membership was open to republics but nobody suggested that this heralded the re-entry of Ireland.) Despite the adoption of a legislated description, the state continues to use its name, and not its description, and it requests other states to do the same. So treaties are signed as “Ireland”, for example, and not as “the Republic of Ireland”; the President is the President of Ireland, not the President of the Republic of Ireland; passports have “Ireland” on the cover rather than “Republic of Ireland”; and so forth. In fact the description “Republic of Ireland” has never, since its adoption, enjoyed any official usage. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/6 "2024-04-18T09:41:16Z")
Thank you, @Northern_Piper , for that excellent explanation. I’ve always known (okay, you got me, I’ll change that to “I’ve known ever since I started studying the constitution of Canada”) that _Constitution Act, 1867_ s. 3 never states “the Dominion of Canada,” but it seems that a lot of people don’t. A fine distinction, but a distinction nonetheless. We’ve always been just plain “Canada,” without “Kingdom of” or “Republic of” or indeed “Dominion of,” or similar. I will add that I’ve seen very few federal buildings here in Canada that use the term “Dominion,” and when they do, it’s typically “Dominion Public Building,” etched in the stone lintel of a building that is approaching eighty or more years old, and is typically protected by “historic building” status, so that inscription is not going to be replaced at any time. None that I can recall say, “Dominion of Canada.” Anyway, great post! Can I quote you in a future paper? ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/7 "2024-04-18T10:54:24Z")
On a distant but related side-note, the word ‘Canada’ itself is one of the very few that English borrowed from an Iroquoian language. Ohio, Niagara, sequoia and (possibly) Kentucky are other examples. (Sorry, I thought this thread would about etymology). ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/8 "2024-04-18T11:16:16Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > (Sorry, I thought this thread would about etymology). We even have a documentary about it! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nfKr-D5VDBU/maxresdefault.jpg "Heritage Minutes: Jacques Cartier") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfKr-D5VDBU) ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/9 "2024-04-18T11:39:09Z")
> [@Trivia Dominoes II — Play Off the Last Bit of Trivia — continued!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-ii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia-continued/846950/8602): > > The rarely used full name of Canada is the “Dominion of Canada”. I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone actually use this, which would seem pretentious in many contexts. The first time I have ever heard, “Dominion of Canada”, is RIGHT NOW. LOL Got this from the [**Canadian Encyclopedia:**](https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dominion) “Dominion of Canada is the country’s formal title, though it is rarely used. It was first applied to [Canada](https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada) at [Confederation](https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/confederation) in 1867. It was also used in the formal titles of other countries in the British [Commonwealth](https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/commonwealth). [Government](https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/federal-government) institutions in Canada effectively stopped using the word Dominion by the early 1960s. The last hold-over was the term Dominion Day, which was officially changed to [Canada Day](https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-day) in 1982. Today, the word Dominion is seldom used in either private or government circles.”\* ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/10 "2024-04-18T12:32:21Z")
Plus “Ontario”, according to the federal gov’t: > The word “Ontario” comes from the Iroquois word “kanadario”, meaning “sparkling” water > **[Ontario - Canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/provincial-territorial-symbols-canada/ontario.html#a1)** > > Learn about Ontario’s symbols, which include the eastern white pine, the loon and the trillium. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/11 "2024-04-18T12:34:41Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > meaning “sparkling” water We’re the champagne of provinces! ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/12 "2024-04-18T13:15:57Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > We’re the champagne of provinces! There can be other explanations for bubbles in the water… ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/13 "2024-04-18T14:06:48Z")
LOL. Thank you, **NoPi** , for a characteristically informative, interesting, erudite and witty kickoff for this thread. I particularly enjoyed, “Fast forward from 1926 to 1949, skimming over considerable unpleasantnesses…” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/14 "2024-04-18T14:12:40Z")
So is it correct to say that we are the kingdom of Canada, but not the Kingdom of Canada? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/15 "2024-04-18T14:29:11Z")
> [@](#): > > The last hold-over was the term Dominion Day, which was officially changed to [Canada Day](https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-day) in 1982. I’m old enough to remember Dominion Day. It makes sense that the name was changed in 1982 as that was the year that Canada patriated its Constitution, severing the last vestiges of colonial ties with the British government, though not with the monarchy. Liz herself came over to sign the papers. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/16 "2024-04-18T15:38:29Z")
Hard-line Republicans continued to refer to the Dublin regime as the Irish Free State, implying a refusal to recognise it as the legitimate government of Ireland. This was always a minority view, and even less common these days. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/17 "2024-04-18T15:38:37Z")
Just to add to the discussion of constitutional documents using “Canada” as the name of the “Dominion”, here is what [this Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Canada#Use_of_Dominion) has to say (bold typeface my emphasis): "There are numerous references in United Kingdom Acts of Parliament to “the Dominion of Canada;” and **the _British North America Act, 1867_** referred to the formation of **“one Dominion under the name of Canada.”** Section 4 of the BNA Act also declares that: **“Unless it is otherwise expressed or implied, the Name Canada shall be taken to mean Canada as constituted under this Act;”** this has been interpreted **to mean that the title of the country is simply _Canada_**. The term **“Dominion of Canada”** appears in **the _Constitution Act, 1871_** —the usage of which was “sanctioned”— **and both “Canada” and “Dominion of Canada” appear in other texts of the period** , as well as on numerous Canadian banknotes before 1935. Until the 1950s, the term _Dominion of Canada_ was commonly used to identify the country. As the country acquired political authority and autonomy from the United Kingdom, the federal government began using simply _Canada_ on state documents. Quebec nationalist leaders also objected to _dominion_, arguing that it suggested Ottawa would have control over Quebec. Under Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent, compromises were reached that quietly, and without legislation, “Dominion” would be retired in official names and statements, usually replaced by “federal”. The St. Laurent government thereby ended the practice of using “Dominion” in 1951." So, yes, it’s true - Neither Canada’s founding document, the Constitution [formerly British North America] Act, 1867, nor the Constitution Act, 1982 (which patriates Canada’s constitution) use the title “Dominion of Canada”, and the first says that the new entity’s name is “Canada”, while also describing said entity as a “Dominion”. However, at least one later constitutional law, the Constitution [formerly British North America] Act, 1871, does use the title “Dominion of Canada” within its text. Make of that what you will. One interpretation of that could be that “Dominion of Canada” is an alternative, now disused title for the state. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/18 "2024-04-18T15:39:58Z")
Name still survives in the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/19 "2024-04-18T18:51:57Z")
My naturalization card was issued by the “Government of Canada”. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443/20 "2024-04-18T20:41:36Z")
I thought they got the name from a guy drawing letters out of a bag and saying: “C - ay? N - ay?..” 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-naming-of-canada/1000443.md?page=2)