When did the term “Dominion of Canada” officially stop being used?
A. There is no specific date. Instead, the phrase was gradually phased out during the late 1940’s, 50’s, and early 60’s. There was no particular event which triggered change, such as the signing of a particular statute or the coronation of a new monarch. Instead, the decline of the term “Dominion” from popular use during the post-war era was largely a result of growing post-colonial Canadian nationalism, which triggered a desire to downplay terms and symbols that were considered excessively imperial in nature. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent (1948-1957) was the first government to formally make the elimination of the term “dominion” government policy. Rising in the House of Commons on November 8, 1951 he declared: “I can say at once that it is the policy of this government when statutes come up for review or consolidating to replace the word ‘dominion’ with the word ‘Canada.'” The efforts of his government were very successful, as we can see in the timeline a
