Little League Baseball has been played in Canada since 1951. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and Vancouver, British Columbia were the first leagues outside the United States. Approximately 500 leagues now operate in Canada, making it the second-largest country in Little League participation.[1] In 1952, Montreal, Quebec was the first foreign entry in the Little League World Series.[2] In 1953, Little Mountain Little League of Vancouver advanced to the World Series as representative of the Western Region. In 1958, Canada was given an automatic berth in the LLWS[3] and have since participated in every tournament, with the exception of 1975. Until 1965, the Canadian region consisted of only teams from Ontario and Quebec.[4] Prior to 1966, the western provinces participated in tournament play with American teams in the original West Region, while the Maritime provinces were excluded. In 1965, Canada began play as a full region.
The Prairie Provinces Division has been replaced by two provincial championship tournaments—in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Atlantic Provinces Division continues to have a divisional championship.[5]
Of the provinces in which Little League–affiliated leagues operate, New Brunswick is the only one yet to be represented in the LLWS. The provinces of Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island do not have any leagues affiliated with Little League Baseball; the same holds true for Canada's three territories.
^For a historical timeline of Canada's participation in Little League and the Little League World Series, go toCanadian Region Little League Tournament Historical Results, then scroll down to "The Canadian Region Tournament" section and — at the bottom of that section — click on the hyperlink for "evolution of the Canadian Region Little League tournament structure," for the page entitled "Canadian Region Tournament Milestones." Unpage Publications. September 1, 2015. Retrieved on 2016-12-30.
