It’s one of the first things you see in the original 1997 Fallout. Two soldiers in T-51b power armor stand over a bound Canadian rebel. One of them pulls out a 10mm pistol and shoots the man in the back of the head. Then, they wave at the camera. It’s grisly. It’s meant to be. That single grainy newsreel footage set the tone for the entire series, yet the fallout annexation of canada often gets treated as a footnote compared to the Great War or the New California Republic’s rise.
Honestly, if you look at the timeline, the United States didn't just walk in one day. It was a slow, agonizing process of resource depletion and political bullying that lasted over a decade.
By the time the bombs actually dropped in 2077, Canada didn't really exist as a sovereign nation anymore. It was basically a giant backyard for the American military-industrial complex. We're talking about a history defined by the "Resource Wars," where the collapse of the European Commonwealth and the Middle East's oil fields left the North American continent as the last scrap of land worth fighting over.
The Alaska Problem and the Road to Occupation
Everything started because of the oil. It always does in Fallout.
In 2066, the People's Republic of China invaded Alaska. The U.S. was suddenly in a desperate spot. They needed to move troops, heavy equipment, and massive amounts of supplies up to the front lines to defend the Anchorage pipeline. Canada was in the way. At first, the U.S. government asked nicely for "cooperation." They wanted access to Canadian airspace and land for a trans-continental pipeline.
Canada said no. Or at least, they tried to.
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The Canadian government was rightfully worried about their sovereignty. They didn't want to become a battlefield or a highway for a foreign superpower. But the U.S. didn't take "no" for an answer. They started pressuring the Canadian economy, basically strangling their trade until the government in Ottawa buckled. This period, roughly between 2067 and 2069, is when the term "Little America" started popping up in internal military memos.
By 2072, the pre-war United States had essentially abandoned any pretense of being a friendly neighbor. They needed Canada’s timber, minerals, and space. Resistance began to brew among the Canadian populace, which the U.S. labeled as "terrorist activity." This gave the American military the excuse they needed to officially begin the fallout annexation of canada. It wasn't a liberation; it was a hostile takeover hidden behind the guise of continental security.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Resistance
You might think the Canadian resistance was some small, disorganized group of farmers. It wasn't. It was a full-scale insurgency.
Sabotage was everywhere. Rebels blew up sections of the trans-Alaskan pipeline. They ambushed supply convoys. This led to the U.S. military declaring martial law across several Canadian provinces. If you read the terminals in Fallout 3 or Fallout 4, you catch glimpses of the propaganda. The American media portrayed the annexation as an act of "uniting the continent," but the reality on the ground was a nightmare of checkpoints and public executions.
The U.S. military used Canada as a testing ground for power armor. Imagine being a regular guy with a hunting rifle, and suddenly a ten-foot-tall steel giant walks through your front door. There’s no winning that fight. By 2076, the annexation was officially "complete." Canada was gone. The U.S. had swallowed its neighbor whole, and the American flag now flew with additional stars representing the new territories.
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Life in Occupied Canada Before the Bombs
Life sucked. That’s the simplest way to put it.
Resources were diverted south or to the Alaskan front. Canadian cities were stripped of their infrastructure to support American war efforts. While people in the U.S. were dealing with the "New Plague" and food riots, Canadians were dealing with all of that plus an occupying army that viewed them as second-class citizens.
- The U.S. military seized all major private property.
- Canadian currency became worthless overnight.
- Protesters were often disappeared into "re-education" camps or used for military experiments.
Specific lore from the Fallout Bible (though its "canon" status is sometimes debated by fans, the events are backed by in-game terminals) mentions that by January 2077, the occupation was so brutal that even some American soldiers were starting to desert. They couldn't stomach what they were being asked to do to civilians who, just a few years prior, had been their closest allies.
The Vault-Tec Presence in the North
Did Canada get Vaults? Sort of.
Since Canada was technically part of the United States by 2077, Vault-Tec did have some operations there. However, most of the "official" Vaults were reserved for American citizens or high-value Canadian collaborators. There are rumors in the lore about "sub-Vaults"—hastily built, inferior bunkers that were never intended to actually save anyone.
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If you look at the geographic layout of the Fallout world, locations like Ronto (the post-war remains of Toronto) suggest that some people survived, but they didn't do it thanks to the generosity of the U.S. government. They survived in spite of it. Ronto is mentioned in The Pitt DLC for Fallout 3 as a major regional power, implying that the Canadian spirit of resilience outlasted the American empire that tried to erase it.
Why This Matters for the Future of the Franchise
We’ve seen the Mojave, the Capital Wasteland, and the Commonwealth. But we haven't seen a full game set in the ruins of the fallout annexation of canada.
The narrative potential is huge. You have a setting where the "old world" isn't just a memory of 1950s kitsch, but a memory of a brutal occupation. The conflict between the descendants of the American occupiers and the descendants of the Canadian resistance could provide a totally different political flavor than the Brotherhood of Steel vs. Enclave trope we’ve seen a dozen times.
How to Deep Dive Into the Lore Yourself
If you want to see the evidence of the annexation for yourself, you don't have to look far.
First, go back to the intro of the original Fallout. That’s the primary source. Then, head to the Museum of Technology in Fallout 3. There are murals and exhibits that gloss over the brutality of the annexation, presenting it as a heroic necessity. It’s a great example of how the Fallout universe uses environmental storytelling to show the gap between government propaganda and reality.
In Fallout 4, check the terminal entries in the Fraternal Post 115. You’ll find mentions of veterans who served in the "Canadian theater." Their logs often reflect a sense of guilt or trauma that differs from those who fought the Chinese in Alaska. Fighting a "red menace" is one thing; shooting a protester in Edmonton is another.
Actionable Next Steps for Lore Hunters:
- Re-watch the Fallout 1 Intro: Look closely at the background details. The "Our Neighbors, Ourselves" propaganda poster is a chilling touch.
- Explore the Museum of Freedom in Fallout 4: The mural at the beginning shows the history of the U.S. military. Canada is there, if you know what to look for.
- Read the Fallout Bible: Specifically sections 0, 1, and 2. While Chris Avellone has said it’s not 100% canon anymore, it contains the most detailed timeline of the Canadian occupation ever written.
- Listen to NPCs in The Pitt: Pay attention when they mention "Ronto." It’s the biggest hint we have about what happened to Canada after the bombs.
The annexation is a reminder that in the Fallout world, there were no "good guys" before the war. The United States was a crumbling, fascist state long before the first nuke left the silo. Canada was just the first victim of a superpower that had run out of time and resources.