Canada—rich, booming in industry, vital defense partner to the U.S.A., and one of the coming great powers of the world. What is the background to Canada's new importance, its sudden growth? Who are our neighbors to the north, and how can we understand these peoples who play an ever-growing role in our own lives? Here is the thrilling pageant of Canadian history from the search for a Northwest Passage to the triumph of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Here is the story of a still-wild frontier where pioneers fought jagged mountains, arctic cold, British indifference, and deep cultural rifts to build a proud and strong nation. Ten generations of European invaders went into the making of today's Canadians— a fascinating people as vigorous as the Mounties, as sophisticated as Montreal. Cartier, Champlain, Montcalm and Wolfe, Mackenzie King, Yukon settlers, Yankees in Nova Scotia, Frenchmen in Quebec—these, great and small, made Canada. As the United States and Canada grow closer to each other, we see our mutual interests and the differences we must settle. This book makes it clear that we can discover and understand Canada only if we understand her past.