A concise, accessible exploration of the historical and contemporary figures, events and ideas that forged a nation--and continue to define Canada today. Why did French survive in Canada when it disappeared almost everywhere else in North America? Why did Canada become a federation rather than a republic? Why does the North loom so large in our imagination? And why, despite recurring tensions and the powerful influence of the United States, does this country endure? Canada emerged from the interaction of history, politics, and cultures against the backdrop of spectacular and challenging landscapes. It is a country that refused Benjamin Franklin's revolution, preserved the French language when Americans howled "intolerable," resisted threats and invasions, built a transcontinental railway against impossible odds, enshrined Indigenous rights in its constitution, and continues to imagine itself by looking North. Drawing on a lifetime of travel, reporting, and historical research, award-winning author Ken McGoogan explores the people, events, ideas, and landscapes that shaped Canada. Why Canada Is Canada offers readers a lively and deeply informed perspective on one of the world's most improbable countries and a timely reminder of why it remains worth defending.