The Canada Hall is now closed for renovation.[20] The Canada Hall will become the Canadian History Hall, a new signature permanent gallery dedicated to Canadian history that will encompass both the third and fourth floors of the museum, which used to house the Canada Hall and the Canadian Personalities Hall, respectively.[21] The Canadian History Hall will be more comprehensive, inclusive and engaging than its precursor.[22] The new Canadian History Hall will expand the narrative of Canadian history beyond the first contact with Europeans by telling the story of Canada from the dawn of human habitation to the present day, in a multi-perspective exhibition dedicated to the “diverse people, events and experiences that have shaped our country”.[23] It is expected to open on July 1, 2017, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation.[23] Many of the artifacts from the Canada Hall will be integrated into the new exhibition;[24] those that are not used in the Canadian History Hall will be returned to the National Collection for future exhibition and research purposes.Canada Hall occupies most of the building's third level. Presented as a "streetscape," it invites the visitor to stroll through hundreds of years of Canadian history beginning with the arrival of Viking explorers: the first non-Aboriginal people known to have set foot on what is today Canadian soil. The journey starts on the East Coast circa 1000 AD and then moves westward through time, following Canada’s development from coast to coast. Along the way, visitors learn about the various waves of immigration that arrived on Canada's shores, the resources and opportunities that drew the newcomers, the discrimination and hardships that some new Canadians encountered, and the contributions all immigrant groups have made to their new country.
Highlights in Canada Hall include numerous life-size recreations, ranging from the interior of a Basque whaling ship circa 1560, to an airport lounge circa 1970. Other exhibits include a New France farmhouse; a stretch of main street, typical of an early Ontario town; an actual Ukrainian church that once stood in Alberta and was moved in its entirety to the museum; and a 10-metre (33 ft) long fishing boat that once operated off the coast of British Columbia.