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Please note that the Canadian History Hall will be closed to visitors on Wednesday, April 8. The rest of the Museum will remain open as usual.

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The Canadian Museum of History is located on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg. This land has held, and continues to hold, great historical, spiritual and sacred significance. Read the full land acknowledgement.

Admission Getting here Accessibility
Admission Getting here Accessibility

What’s on

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A wooden sculpture
Temporary exhibition

Pizandawatc / The One Who Listens

Until Sept. 8, 2026
Five women
Temporary exhibition

River of Dreams – Impressionism on the St. Lawrence

Until Aug. 30, 2026
A man
Temporary exhibition

Wi’k+palu’k Sam Glodeo’q ta’n wetapeksitaq: Honouring the Belonging of Sam Glode

Until Nov. 29, 2026
The Canadian Museum of History, located in Ottawa, is home to numerous exhibits.
Ongoing exhibition

The Canadian History Hall

Meet the peoples, cultures and stories that shape Canada

A view of the lower body of the Monument, lying on its side. The large cylindrical shape is covered with carved faces set within a bright orange grid.
Ongoing exhibition

Indian Residential School Memorial Monument

An invitation for all of us to bear witness

A man and a woman standing in front of a door at the Canadian Museum of History, in Ottawa.
Ongoing exhibition

The Canadian Stamp Collection

Experience Canada in miniature through an outstanding collection of more than 3,000 stamps — every stamp ever issued in Canada! — and the fascinating stories behind them.

See what’s on at the Children’s Museum
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Magnetic Fun

Transform our Studio into a dream factory using thousands of colourful magnets! We’re celebrating Earth Day all month long by highlighting the sustainability of magnetic tiles. Drop in and use your imagination to create endless masterpieces from thousands of magnetic tiles in every shape and colour. A mini fortress? Done! Castles, flying cars, monsters, and magic kingdoms — the ideas are almost limitless. Our Studio assistants are here to help you realize your creations. Perfect for family fun! April 1 to 29, 2026

Magnetic tiles

Digital on demand

A drawing of a group of people playing a game at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa.
Online exhibition

Picturing Arctic Modernity: North Baffin Drawings from 1964

Collections

Hot looks and Heated Rivalry: Team Canada fashion statements

A screen shot showing several faces
Online exhibition

Shaping Canada

A woman with straight black hair partially up in a bun looks at the camera
Resource

Artifactuality podcast

A model of a mechanical clock on a wooden base displayed at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa.
Collections

The Forerunner of Text Messaging: The Telegraph

Long before the invention of cellular telephones, our forebears sent one another instant messages by telegraph. Beginning in 1846, coded messages could be sent in Canada in the Morse alphabet: a code made up of short and long impulses (also known as “dots and dashes”). These messages were transmitted over long… Read More

A stone cairn with a carved plaque stands between two flagpoles, one flying the Canadian flag, and the other the flag of the United States.
Museum research

Between neighbours: What the International Peace Garden reminds us about Canada