This guide offers a strategic deep dive into leading Canada under Wilfrid Laurier, revealing the most effective paths to Diplomatic and Cultural victory. Backed by insights from seasoned players and expert forums, it explores how to harness Canada’s unique strengths—from tundra mastery to tourism dominance—to quietly shape the world stage. Whether you’re building alliances or crafting National Parks, this versatile civilization proves that peace can be just as powerful as war.
Understanding Canada’s Core Mechanics
Analysis of Canada’s design reveals a civilization geared towards peaceful development and late-game dominance. Success hinges on a thorough understanding of its unique abilities, which provide a powerful defensive and economic foundation.
Four Faces of Peace: The Diplomatic Shield
Canada’s cornerstone ability, “Four Faces of Peace,” is a powerful defensive tool. It prevents the declaration of surprise wars on Canada and, in turn, prevents Canada from declaring them. This immunity from sudden attacks provides a critical early-game advantage, allowing for uninterrupted development of infrastructure and economy. This ability also generates one Diplomatic Favor for every 100 tourism per turn and doubles the Diplomatic Favor earned from emergencies and scored competitions, directly fueling a Diplomatic Victory path.
The Last Best West: Taming the Tundra
Wilfrid Laurier’s leader ability, “The Last Best West,” transforms the often-ignored tundra into a strategic asset. The ability to build farms on tundra tiles from the game’s outset, and on tundra hills after researching Engineering, is a game-changer. Furthermore, mines and lumber mills on tundra and snow tiles gain +2 production, while camps and farms on these tiles yield +2 food. This not only makes tundra settlements viable but highly profitable, offering a secure and uncontested area for expansion. The 50% reduction in the purchase cost of snow and tundra tiles further incentivizes this strategy.
Unique Unit: The Mountie
The Mountie, a Modern-era light cavalry unit, is a key component of Canada’s cultural strategy. Its unique ability to create two National Parks without the Faith cost associated with Naturalists is a significant advantage. This allows for a massive surge in tourism in the late game, often catching opponents off guard. The Mountie also receives a +5 combat strength bonus when fighting near a National Park, making it a formidable defensive unit.
Unique Improvement: The Ice Hockey Rink
The Ice Hockey Rink is a versatile unique improvement that provides a wealth of bonuses. It grants +1 Amenity and +2 Appeal to its tile and all adjacent tiles, boosting the appeal of your cities for National Parks and neighborhoods. It also provides +1 Culture for each adjacent tundra and snow tile, which translates directly to tourism after researching the Flight technology. The Professional Sports civic further enhances the rink, adding +2 Food and +2 Production, and its culture output is boosted when built next to a stadium.
Early Game Strategy (Ancient to Classical Era)
A strong early game is crucial for setting up Canada’s late-game victory push. The focus should be on rapid expansion, economic development, and establishing a cultural and religious foundation.
Settlement and Expansion
Community consensus suggests a strategy of settling the first few cities in fertile, resource-rich areas, and then expanding into the tundra. This “breadbasket and tundra” approach ensures a strong economic base before committing to the specialized tundra economy. Look for locations with a mix of food, production, and luxury resources to fuel early growth.
Technology and Civics
Prioritize technologies and civics that unlock essential early-game components. Researching Animal Husbandry and Mining early allows for the improvement of strategic and luxury resources. The “Foreign Trade” civic is a high priority for establishing trade routes, which provide a crucial source of income and diplomatic visibility.
Pantheon and Religion: The “Tundra Production Powerhouse”
A popular and powerful strategy involves leveraging a specific combination of religious beliefs to turn the tundra into a production powerhouse.
- Pantheon: “Dance of the Aurora” is the undisputed best choice for Canada. It provides +1 Faith from adjacent Tundra tiles to your Holy Sites, setting the stage for a massive Faith and production engine.
- Follower Belief: If you found a religion, “Work Ethic” is the essential follower belief. It provides production equal to the Holy Site’s Faith adjacency bonus.
By combining these two beliefs with the “Scripture” policy card (which doubles Holy Site adjacency bonuses), a single Holy Site can generate enormous amounts of both Faith and Production. This allows for the rapid construction of wonders, the purchase of Great People, and even the acquisition of districts with Faith through the governor Moksha’s “Divine Architect” promotion.
Mid Game Strategy (Medieval to Industrial Era)
The mid-game is where Canada’s strategy begins to crystallize. With a solid economic and religious foundation, the focus shifts to wonder construction, cultural development, and preparing for the late-game victory push.
Wonder Construction: Pillars of Victory
Canada’s high production capacity, especially when employing the “Tundra Production Powerhouse” strategy, makes it a formidable wonder-building civilization.
- For a Diplomatic Victory: Prioritize wonders that generate Diplomatic Favor and provide diplomatic advantages. The Apadana, Potala Palace, and Statue of Liberty are all excellent choices.
- For a Cultural Victory: Focus on wonders that provide tourism, Great Work slots, and appeal. The Eiffel Tower, Broadway, and Cristo Redentor are all high-priority wonders for a cultural game.
Policy Cards for Success
Strategic use of policy cards is essential for maximizing Canada’s strengths.
- Diplomatic Victory: The “Machiavellianism” and “Gunboat Diplomacy” cards provide significant advantages in espionage and influence over city-states.
- Cultural Victory: The “Aesthetics” and “Cultural Heritage” cards provide a direct boost to tourism from Great Works and artifacts.
Late Game Strategy (Modern to Atomic Era)
The late game is where Canada’s victory machine kicks into high gear. The combination of Mounties, National Parks, and Ice Hockey Rinks creates a perfect storm for either a Diplomatic or Cultural Victory.
The National Park Rush: A Tourism Tsunami
The “National Park Rush” is Canada’s signature cultural victory strategy. The key is to plan for National Parks early in the game by creating diamond-shaped areas of four tiles with high appeal, all owned by the same city. Once the Conservation civic is unlocked, a wave of Mounties can be produced to create a large number of National Parks in a short period. Aiming for 10 to 20 National Parks is a common benchmark for securing a Cultural Victory. A Modern era Golden Age with the “Wish You Were Here” dedication, which doubles tourism from National Parks, can be a decisive factor.
The Diplomatic Game: A Path of Peace and Influence
Canada’s “Four Faces of Peace” ability provides a steady stream of Diplomatic Favor throughout the game. To win a Diplomatic Victory, it is crucial to actively participate in the World Congress, build alliances, and complete emergencies. The high production capacity of tundra cities can be used to quickly build units to assist in military emergencies, further boosting Diplomatic Favor.
Managing International Relations
As a peaceful civilization, maintaining positive relationships with other civilizations is paramount.
- Diplomacy: Send delegations and establish embassies early. Maintain active trade routes and make favorable trade deals to foster goodwill.
- Alliances: Form alliances with other peaceful civilizations to create a powerful voting bloc in the World Congress.
- Defense: While Canada cannot declare surprise wars, it is not immune to aggression. Maintain a credible defensive force to deter potential attackers. The Mountie, with its combat bonus near National Parks, is an excellent defensive unit.
Conclusion: The Quiet Powerhouse
Analysis of high-level play demonstrates that Canada is a civilization that rewards careful planning and a long-term strategic vision. By embracing its unique strengths, particularly its affinity for the tundra and its powerful late-game cultural and diplomatic tools, players can guide Canada to a peaceful yet decisive victory. The ability to turn a perceived weakness—the tundra—into a source of immense strength is the hallmark of a skilled Canada player. By following the strategies outlined in this guide, you will be well-equipped to lead the Great White North to its rightful place as a world leader.