Canada House: A History
Early in 1922, a Canadian tea merchant named Peter Larkin arrived in London. He was a natural marketer who had created Canada’s iconic Salada Tea brand and he set out to put a new face on Canada in the UK. From the time he was appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom on 10 February, by Prime Minister Mackenzie King, he was charged with consolidating all of Canada’s activities in Britain → view the story
Story Archive
Even the Stone Needs Care and Attention
Stone seems so immutable, but in London it can take a beating. Soot, exhaust and just the wear and tear of the elements mean ongoing care and attention is essential → read the story
Canadian Roots in the Heart of London
From the 18th-century traders who met in Garraway’s coffee shop, to the poutine shops of Shoreditch, to the Governor of the Bank of England, and the CEO of the Royal Mail, Canadians have always been present in London → read the story
Yukon
Yukon comes from the Gwich’in word Yu-kun-ah, meaning ‘great river’ — the Yukon River that flows through the territory. It’s the westernmost of Canada’s territories, bordering Alaska and the icy Beaufort Sea, and a region of extremes — extreme temperatures and extreme beauty. The lowest temperature ever officially recorded in Canada and in North America is -63°C (-81.4°F) on 3 February 1947 at Snag, Yukon → read the story
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a founding province of Canada. Along with its neighbours Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, it is one of the three Maritime provinces → read the story
Manitoba
In the language of the Cree First Nation, Manitoba means ‘where the spirit lives’. The province started to take its modern form when Thomas Douglas, the fifth Earl of Selkirk, used his money and political connections to purchase land and settle poor Scottish families in British North America. First, in 1803 he helped settlers from Scotland find homes in Prince Edward Island. In 1804, he focused on Upper Canada → read the story
British Columbia
Queen Victoria named British Columbia when it became a British colony in 1858. In 1871 it reached an agreement to join Canada as a province. Part of that agreement was the establishment of a transcontinental railway → read the story
The Meeting Rooms of Canada House
In the autumn of 1864, three British Crown colonies — New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada — came together, first in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and then in Quebec City, to forge a new country. They sought protection from US invasion and the creation of more stable commercial markets. They were driven by their historic and cultural relationship with the UK and their mutual interest and respect → read the story
Artist Profile: Arthur Lismer
The Government of Nova Scotia, on behalf of the people of Nova Scotia, has graciously presented the High Commission with a long term loan courtesy of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, of Lismer’s 1943 oil-on-canvas board Docks on the Bay of Fundy → read the story