He worked as a schoolteacher from 1968 until 1974 and was Assistant Head of Holy Rood High School Edinburgh at the time of his first election to Parliament.

In 1975, he tried introducing a bill to abolish corporal punishment in schools and his efforts formed part of the case presented to the European Commission of Human Rights which led eventually to abolition.

He voted against the Blair Government's proposals to cut benefits for children of lone parents, abolish student grants and introduce tuition fees.

In his book The Final Whistle?, Harry Reid claims that Canavan took part in the 1977 Wembley pitch invasion after Scotland beat England and ripped up a patch of the turf.

As a member of the European and External Relations Committee of the Scottish Parliament, he was author of a report on the potential for co-operation between Scotland and Ireland.

When Labour was in opposition under James Callaghan, Michael Foot, Neil Kinnock, John Smith and Tony Blair, he led a nationwide consultation about devolution, on behalf of the Scottish Group of Labour MPs, leading to the publication of a bill to establish a Scottish Parliament with revenue-raising powers.

[11] In April 2010, Canavan declared his support for John McNally, the Scottish National Party candidate for Falkirk in the 2010 general election.

[13] He has been a patron of Bonnybridge Driving Force, a charity involved with the organisation of volunteer drivers transporting patients to and from hospital.

[14] In 2018, the Scottish Government commissioned an independent review into the impact of policing on communities during the miners strike and Canvan was appointed a member of the advisory panel.

In recognition of his public service, Falkirk Council launched the Dennis Canavan Scholarship to encourage young people to go on to further or higher education and to use their talents to help others.