| Part ofa series on the |
| History of Canada |
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This is a brieftimeline of the history of Canada, comprising important social, economic, political, military, legal, and territorial changes and events inCanada and its predecessor states.
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| to 14,000 BCE | At some unknown time prior to this date,Paleo-Indians moved across theBeringia land bridge from easternSiberia into northwest North America, settling in some areas ofAlaska and theYukon,[1] but are blocked from further travel south into the continent by extensiveglaciation.[2][3] | ||
| 14,000 BCE | Glaciers that covered Canada began melting, allowingPaleo-Indians to move south and east into Canada and beyond. | [4] | |
| 3,000–2,000 BCE | TheIndigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands begin to cultivate different types ofsquash. | [5] | |
| 3,000 BCE | Paleo-Eskimos begin to settle the Arctic regions of North America from Siberia. | [6] |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 796 CE | Council of Three Fires (also known as the Three Fires Confederacy) was formed. | [7] |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 900 | A short-livedNorse settlement is founded atL'Anse aux Meadows. It is possibly connected with the attempted colony ofVinland, established byLeif Erikson around the same period or, more broadly, withNorse colonization of North America. | [8][9] |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1000 | Norsemen arrive from Europe and set up temporary settlements on the northern tip ofNewfoundland. At the time, the land that would become Canada supports 300,000 native people. | [10][11] |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1142 | 31 August | TheIroquois Confederacy (also known as the League of Peace and Power) is formed. | [12] |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1497 | 24 June | Genoese navigatorJohn Cabot lands theMatthew of Bristol somewhere on the northern Atlantic coast of North America, claiming the land forEngland by theDoctrine of discovery. The precise location of Cabot's landing is widely debated but generally believed to be onNewfoundland, already inhabited by theBeothuk people. | [13] |
| 1498-99 | Portuguese explorerJoão Fernandes Lavrador first sights and sails along the coasts of the Labrador Peninsula. | [14][15] |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1534 | 24 July | ExplorerJacques Cartier claims theGaspé Peninsula, already inhabited by IndigenousSt. Lawrence Iroquoians, forFrance under the Doctrine of Discovery. He returns to France with two Iroquois captives. | [16] |
| 1583 | ExplorerHumphrey Gilbert lands in present-daySt. John's and lays claim to the island ofNewfoundland for theKingdom of England under the Doctrine of Discovery. He dies at sea and permanent settlement by the British had to await better planned attempts. | [17] |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1605 | French colonists underSamuel de Champlain establish the first permanent European settlement in the future Canada atPort-Royal, founding the colony that would become known asAcadia. | [18] | |
| 1608 | 3 July | Quebec City founded by Champlain, becoming the capital ofNew France. | [19] |
| 1634 | 4 July | Trois-Rivières founded, becoming the second permanent settlement in New France. | [20] |
| 1642 | 17 May | Fort Ville-Marie -(Old Montreal) founded with the majority of immigrants coming directly from France led byPaul de Chomedey andJeanne Mance, a lay woman. | [21] |
| 1666 | First census of North America released. | [22] | |
| 1670 | 2 May | Hudson's Bay Company formed. It has an exclusive charter for trade in the Hudson's Bay watershed region known asRupert's Land. The company administers the new colony on behalf of the King. | [23] |
| 1690 | 16–24 October | TheBattle of Québec was fought between the colonies ofNew France andMassachusetts Bay, then ruled by the kingdoms ofFrance andEngland, respectively. It was the first timeQuébec's defenses were tested, with the New Englanders hoping to seize Québec, then the capital of New France. They failed to take the city. | [24] |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1701 | 4 August | TheGreat Peace of Montreal, between New France and 39 First Nations, is finalized. | [25] |
| 1710 | October | In theSiege of Port Royal, the capital ofAcadia falls to the British, defeating the French garrison and theirWabanaki Confederacy Indigenous allies. This begins an expansion into present-day Nova Scotia by the British. | [26] |
| 1713 | 11 April | TheWar of the Spanish Succession is ended by theTreaty of Utrecht. France cedes the territory of Acadia toGreat Britain and renounces claims to some British territories in Canada, as well as its claim to a monopoly of trade with theIndigenous population, but retains control ofÎle Royale colony (present-dayCape Breton Island andPrince Edward Island). | [27] |
| 1717 | The Indigenous settlement ofKanesatake is founded at the confluence of theSt. Lawrence andOttawa rivers. It is founded by the Sulpician Order under a royal charter as a home for Catholic converts of the Indigenous peoples of the region, including the Mohawk. The lands' ownership becomes disputed between the Order and the Indigenous residents over the original land grant and title. The settlement would later be the location of theOka Crisis. The land remains disputed. | [28] | |
| 1749 | 21 June | Halifax is founded and settled by the British, marking the first time that public rather than private capital was used to settle a British colony in the Americas. The IndigenousMi'kmaq consider Britain's unilateral action as a violation of treaties signed afterFather Rale's War in 1726, startingFather Le Loutre's War. British colonists would drive French and Mi'kmaq inhabitants from peninsularNova Scotia but are repelled from Acadian settlements further north (present-dayNew Brunswick). | [29][30][24] |
| 1755 | 11 August | British Brigadier-GeneralCharles Lawrence orders theExpulsion of the Acadians. Over the next decade an estimated 11,400 French Catholics are deported to theThirteen Colonies and Europe. Many settle inLouisiana. | [31] |
| 1758 | 8 June – 26 July | The French naval fortress atLouisbourg issieged for a second time by the British, having been returned to the French after a previous occupation in 1745. After being used to stage attacks on FrenchCanada the following year, British soldiers reduce the fortress to rubble to prevent its return to the French a second time. | [32][33] |
| 1759 | 13 September | A three-month British siege ofQuebec City culminates in the pivotalBattle of the Plains of Abraham just outside the city's walls. Both the British and French commanders are killed in the battle. Following a decisive British victory, the French evacuate the city. | [34] |
| 1760-1761 | 10 March 1760 – 12 October 1761 | TheHalifax Treaties are signed between theWabanaki Confederacy and the British Crown to end warring between the Indigenous peoples of the Maritimes and the British. One by one, various First Nations signed treaties to pledge "peace and friendship" with the British. The issue ofaboriginal title is not covered in the treaties. | [35] |
| 1763 | 10 February | TheSeven Years' War is ended by theTreaty of Paris. France cedesNew France to Great Britain, its colonyCanada becoming the BritishProvince of Quebec, and its remaining maritime colonies annexed by Nova Scotia. | [36] |
| 7 October | TheRoyal Proclamation of 1763 is issued byKing George III, forbidding settlement west of theAppalachian Mountains, which was delineated as anIndian Reserve. The document is the first to recognize aboriginal title, a right included in theCanadian Constitution. Its banning of settlements west of the 13 British Colonies would eventually become one of the factors inciting theAmerican Revolution. | [37] | |
| 1764 | 1 August | TheTreaty of Fort Niagara is agreed to by the British Crown and 24 First Nations. It is the first treaty after the 1763 Proclamation, recognizing aboriginal title, and Indigenous recognition of the Proclamation. A strip of land along theNiagara River is transferred to Britain by the Seneca to provide a portage aroundNiagara Falls. The treaty created a newCovenant Chain, or friendship treaty, between Britain and the First Nations of the western Great Lakes. It is recorded inwampum. To the Indigenous peoples, it is a symbol of friendship and the recognition of sovereignty to their First Nations. | [38][39] |
| 1769 | 14 July | St. John's Island is partitioned from Nova Scotia, becoming a separate colony from the mainland. The colony is renamedPrince Edward Island in 1798. | [40] |
| 1774 | Quebec Act of 1774 is passed by theParliament of Great Britain outlining how theProvince of Quebec would be governed as colony, in an attempt to address damage to the economy/society of Quebec. Old boundaries were restored, free practice ofCatholicism was guaranteed, and property and civil laws were to be decided according to traditional Canadian laws (thus preserving theSeigneurial system of New France for land ownership), with other matters of law left toEnglish Common Law. The province was left to be governed by a legislative council, with no provision for an elected assembly. | [24] | |
| 1775-1776 | TheInvasion of Quebec and theBattle of Quebec take place, during theAmerican Revolutionary War againstGreat Britain. These became a failed attempt at seizing military control of the BritishProvince of Quebec and convince the French-speakingCanadiens to join the revolution on the side of theThirteen Colonies. | [24] | |
| 1780s-1860s | AnUnderground railroad, a series of houses where aid and shelter was available, assisted escaped slaves from slave states to the northern U.S. and for some the journey continued into Canada. Slavery was outlawed in Canada with the passage of the British Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. That made entry into Canada even more attractive to escaped slaves, and an estimated 30,00 to 40,000 blacks came to Canada along the Underground Railroad before theend of slavery in the United States in 1865.[41] | ||
| 1782-1783 | A preliminary peace treaty betweenGreat Britain and theUnited States of America is signed. Citing one of the clauses, GeneralGeorge Washington insisted on the return of any present or former slaves. As part of documenting and evacuation of former slaves toBritish North America, theBook of Negroes was compiled inNew York City.Enslaved Africans in America who escaped to the British during theAmerican Revolutionary War became the first settlement ofBlack Nova Scotians andBlack Canadians. | [24] | |
| 1783 | 3 September | TheTreaty of Paris (1783) was signed by representatives ofKing George III ofGreat Britain and representatives of theUnited States of America, officially ending theAmerican Revolutionary War. The treaty set theboundaries between theBritish Empire inNorth America and theUnited States of America. Details included fishing rights and restoration of property andprisoners of war. | [42] |
| 1784 | 22 May | Over 3,000,000 acres (1,200,000 ha) of land is purchased by the British Crown from theMississaugas of the Credit First Nation in present-day Ontario for £1,180. | [43] |
| 18 June | New Brunswick andCape Breton Island are partitioned from Nova Scotia, becoming separate colonies. Cape Breton re-joins Nova Scotia in 1820. | [44] | |
| 25 October | Under the terms of theHaldimand Proclamation, 550,000 acres (220,000 ha) of the lands purchased from the Mississaugas is granted to theMohawks and the other Five Nations of theHaudenosaunee Confederacy. The land is a tract extending 6 miles (9.7 km) on either side of the Grand River from source to mouth. However, it is later determined that the head of the Grand River was outside of the lands purchased from the Mississaugas. In 1792, Governor Simcoe unilaterally reduces the land grant to 270,000 acres (110,000 ha). Later land sales, government actions, and the creation of theSix Nations of the Grand River reserve would reduce the lands under Indigenous possession to a small fraction of the original grant. The land grant and its management is the basis of theGrand River land dispute between the Six Nations and Canada. | ||
| 1790s | Hudson's Bay Company andNorth West Company buildfur trading posts on upper Saskatchewan River. These includeFort Edmonton and forts atRocky Mountain House. | ||
| 1791 | 10 June | TheConstitutional Act 1791 divides theProvince of Quebec intoUpper and Lower Canada (modern-dayOntario andQuebec).[45] Elections held in 1792 in those two colonies. | |
| 1793 | Alexander Mackenzie arrives at Bella Coola on the west coast, being the first person known to cross the North American continent. |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1805 | 1 August | The treaty of theToronto Purchase is made for the lands of present-dayToronto north toLake Simcoe between the Crown and the Mississauga. It was found that the original 1787 agreement only provided a land deed and no description of the lands involved. The treaty would be disputed and settled in 2010. | |
| 1811 | Settlement began of theRed River Colony, a 300,000 square kilometres (120,000 sq mi; 5 times that of Scotland) area, byThomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk via a land grant from theHudson's Bay Company, of which he was a part-owner. The territory later became part ofManitoba and theMissouri Territory. | [24] | |
| 1813 | 27 April | Battle of York. An American task force attacks the garrison atYork, Upper Canada, the capital of Upper Canada. The British are defeated and retreat, blowing up its magazine and killing hundreds of American soldiers. The American soldiers loot the town. | |
| 1813 | 21–22 June | During theWar of 1812,Laura Secord learns of an American plan to launch a surprise attack on British forces and walks 30 kms (20 miles) to warn the defenders. The British defeat the U.S. invaders at theBattle of Beaver Dams on 24 June. War ends with Canada still independent from the U.S. | [46] |
| 1818 | 20 October | TheLondon Convention is signed, setting the boundary between the United States and British North America to the49th parallel from theNorthwest Angle in Minnesota west to the continental divide of theRocky Mountains, and establishing joint control of theOregon Country. | [47] |
| 1821 | Merger of Hudson's Bay Company and theNorth West Company ending thePemmican War, a series of violent skirmishes between the rival fur trading companies. As part of the merger, the monopoly of HBC is extended north to the Arctic Ocean and west to the Pacific Ocean. | [48]: 369–370 | |
| 1829 | 6 June | Shanawdithit, the last known full-blooded member of theBeothuks of Newfoundland, dies at the age of 29. | [49] |
| 1837 | Rebellions of 1837–1838 break out in both Upper and Lower Canada, inspired by republican ideals, against the domination by theChâteau Clique and theFamily Compact, combinations of established business interests and public officials. The rebellions are led byWilliam Lyon Mackenzie andLouis Joseph Papineau. Some of the captured are hanged; a hundred captured Canadian rebels and U.S. sympathizers are sentenced to life inAustralian prison colonies. The rebellions inspire theDurham Report and subsequent reforms. | [50][51][52] | |
| 1837-1838 | Patriot War, where members of theHunters' Lodges make armed incursions into the Canadas. The incursions are met by British regulars and Canadian militia units. Almost a hundred U.S. invaders and 58 Patriot fighters from Lower Canada aretransported to Australian prison colonies. | ||
| 1841 | 10 February | Under the terms of theAct of Union 1840, the British colonies ofLower Canada andUpper Canada are merged into the singleProvince of Canada. | [53] |
| 1846 | 15 June | TheOregon boundary dispute is settled with the signing of theOregon Treaty, extending the boundary between British North America and the United States along the 49th parallel from the Rocky Mountains to theJuan de Fuca Strait, and defining the maritime boundary to thePacific Ocean. | [54] |
| 1850 | 7 September, 9 September | TheRobinson Treaties are signed betweenOjibwa leaders and the British Crown, surrendering the northern shores ofLake Superior andLake Huron for £2,160 and an annual payment of £600. | [55] |
| 1860s | The outbreak of theU.S. Civil War caused issues in Canada. The fear of the large armies encouraged moves towardsConfederation as a defence strategy; theactivities of Confederate spies in Canada and other issues caused problems with the U.S. government. Theend of slavery in the United States in 1865 ended the operation of theUnderground Railroad that had seen 30,00 to 40,000 blacks arrive in Canada. | ||
| 1862 | 18 March | 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic starts with the first reported case of smallpox in Victoria, BC. Smallpox spreads amongst Indigenous populations, and kills an estimated 20,000, two-thirds of the Indigenous population. | [56] |
| 1864 | 1 – 9 September | TheCharlottetown Conference, the first of several meetings to discuss aMaritime Union andCanadian Confederation, is held inCharlottetown. | [57] |
| 1864 | 1 – June 29 | The Beloeil train disaster - aGrand Trunk Railway train carrying hundreds of recently arrived immigrants from Montreal to Quebec City did not stop at an opened swing bridge over theRichelieu River, at the present-day town of Beloeil, Quebec. 99 killed and more than 100 injured. The worst railway accident in Canadian history. | [58] |
| 1866-1871 | Fenian raids into New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba caused more than a hundred Canadian deaths. | ||
| 1867 | 1 July | Confederation -- TheBritish North America Act, 1867, divides theProvince of Canada intoOntario andQuebec and joins them withNew Brunswick andNova Scotia into the newconfederated state of Canada. | [59][60] |
| 1869–1870 | 11 October – 12 May | A group ofMétis led byLouis Riel mount theRed River Rebellion against Canadian intrusion in theRed River Colony. The Canadian government regains control aftera military expedition and accedes to many of Riel's demands. He flees into exile in the United States after the government refuses to grant him amnesty and a bounty is offered for his capture. | [61] |
| 1870 | 15 July | Canada acquiresRupert's Land and theNorth-Western Territory, concluding a series of agreements between Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Hudson's Bay Company. This forms theNorth-West Territories. In the aftermath of the Red River Rebellion, the area aroundWinnipeg, inManitoba, is detached from the new territory and becomes Canada's fifth province. Land rights are granted to Red River Métis. | [62][63] |
| 1871 | 20 July | The colonies ofBritish Columbia andVancouver Island amalgamate and then enter Confederation as the Province ofBritish Columbia, Canada's sixth province. Except for individual treaties for small portions of the territory, the agreement annexes a large area of land into Canada without treaties with the First Nations. | [64] |
| 3 August | Treaty 1 is signed betweenChippewa andSwampy Cree First Nations and the Crown, surrendering lands in Manitoba in exchange for treaty obligations of the Canadian government. | [65] | |
| 21 August | Treaty 2 is signed betweenChippewa Cree First Nation and the Crown, surrendering lands in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in exchange for treaty obligations of the Canadian government. | [65] | |
| 1873 | 23 May | TheNorth-West Mounted Police is established to enforce Canadian sovereignty in the North-West Territories and to stamp out the whisky trade. Accomplish GreatMarch West to southern Alberta and to Fort Edmonton. | [66] |
| 1 July | Prince Edward Island enters Confederation as the seventh province. | [67] | |
| 3 October | Treaty 3 is signed betweenOjibwe First Nations and the Canadian Crown, surrendering lands in Northwestern Ontario (present-day) and Manitoba. | [68] | |
| 1874 | 15 September | Treaty 4 is signed between many Cree First Nations and the Crown of Canada, surrendering lands in present-day Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba in exchange for treaty obligations agreed to by Canada. | [69] |
| 1875 | 20 September | Treaty 5 is signed between Saulteaux and Swampy Cree First Nations and the Canadian Crown, surrendering lands in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario, in exchange for treaty obligations agreed to by Canada. | [70] |
| 1876 | 12 April | TheIndian Act is passed. The Act updates previous legislation of the Province of Canada addressing the relationship between the Government of Canada and officially recognized First Nations. It establishes official definitions of "Indian status" and defines Indigenous government. | [71] |
| 23, 28 August; 9 September | Treaty 6 is signed between Plains and Wood Cree First Nations and the Canadian Crown, surrendering lands in present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan in exchange for treaty obligations agreed to by Canada. | [72] | |
| 1877 | 22 September | Treaty 7 is signed byNakoda andBlackfoot First Nations and the Canadian Crown, surrendering lands in southern present-day Alberta in exchange for treaty obligations agreed to by Canada. | [73] |
| 1880 | 1 September | TheBritish Arctic Territories are ceded to Canada, becoming part of the North-West Territories. | [74] |
| 1885 | 26 March – 3 June | Several hundred Catholic Francophone Métis led byLouis Riel and supported byCree fighters mount theNorth-West Rebellion. They establish theProvisional Government of Saskatchewan. Riel is captured after theBattle of Batoche (9–12 May),tried for treason, and hanged on 16 November 1885. Many Francophones denounce the sentence, and Canada is split along ethno-religious lines. Six First Nations convicted murderers alsohanged in 1885, the largest mass-hanging in Canadian history. | [75][76] |
| 7 November | The transcontinentalCanadian Pacific Railway (CPR), then the longest in the world,is completed. | [77] | |
| 1889 | ThePeasant Farm Policy is brought into force. The Policy restricted Indigenous farmers agricultural practices. Indigenous farmers are allowed only to use hand tools, both in the seeding, harvesting and milling. Indigenous farmers were only allowed small plots and not sell produce in competition with settlers. It is discontinued in 1897. | [78] | |
| 1890s | Calgary & Edmonton Railway built from the CPR station at Calgary to the Edmonton area, spawning the laterCity of Strathcona. | ||
| 1896 | 16 August | Gold is discovered in theKlondike region of theYukon Territory, sparking theKlondike Gold Rush. Tens of thousands flood into the Klondike region in 1897 and 1898, throughEdmonton,the northern Prairies, BC and Alaska seaports. | [79] |
| 1899 | 8 July | Treaty 8 is signed by Cree,Beaver,Chipewyan First Nations and the Canadian Crown, surrendering 840,000 square kilometres (320,000 sq mi) of lands in present-day British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, in exchange for treaty obligations agreed to by Canada. | [80] |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | The United Kingdom and the United States settle theAlaska boundary dispute on the border with British Columbia. Canadians are bitterly disappointed by British betrayal of Canadian interests in order to curry favour from Washington. | [81][82] | |
| 1905 | 1 September | Alberta andSaskatchewan are partitioned out of theNorth-West Territories to become the eighth and ninth provinces of Canada. | [83] |
| 6 November | Treaty 9 is signed by theAnishinaabe (Algonquin andOjibway) andOmushkegowukCree communities and the Crown, surrendering land in Northern Ontario and Northwestern Quebec to James Bay. | [84] | |
| 1906 | 28 August | Treaty 10 is signed between several First Nations, including the Cree and Chipewyan, and the Crown, surrendering 220,000 square kilometres (85,000 sq mi) in northern Saskatchewan and Alberta. Additional nations signed on later in 1906 and 1907. | [85] |
| 1909 | 23 February | The first powered heavier-than-air flight in Canada occurred onBras d'Or Lake at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, whenJohn Alexander Douglas McCurdy piloted theAEA Silver Dart over a flight of less than 1 kilometer. | [86] |
| 1910 | 4 May | Royal Canadian Navy is established. | [87] |
| 1913 | November | The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 killed at least 250 in Ontario. | |
| 1914 | 29 May | RMS Empress of Ireland and Norwegian collier SSStorstad collide in Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. Death toll was at least 1012. | |
| 1914 | 19 June | Hillcrest mine disaster, atHillcrest, Alberta. At least 189 coalminers died. | |
| 1914 | 4 August | Great Britaindeclares war on Germany, bringing Canada into theFirst World War. Seventy-threeCanadians were awarded the Victoria Cross during WWI. | [88] |
| 1916 | June 27 | A German U-Boat torpedoes and sinksHMHS Llandovery Castle, a Canadian hospital ship, off coast of Ireland, killing at least 234 crew, medical officers and other ranks, and nursing sisters. Worst Canadian maritime disaster of WWI. | [89] |
| 1917 | 9–12 April | The four divisions of theCanadian Expeditionary Force fight together for the first time in theBattle of Vimy Ridge, which becomes celebrated as a national symbol of achievement and sacrifice and a formative milestone in the development of Canada's national identity. | [90] |
| 1917 | 6 December | Halifax Explosion -- Accidental collision between two merchant ships, one filled with explosives for the war, occurs inHalifax Harbour. The subsequent explosion caused 2000 people dead and 9000 injured. | [91] |
| 1918 | 1 April | Prohibition in Canada enacted federally by anOrder in Council. | [92] |
| 24 May | Some women gain the right to vote in federal elections. Female suffrage is extended in later years, including to women with Treaty Indian status and women between ages of 18 and 21. | [93][94] | |
| 2 – 3 August | After years of press censorship along with numerous government policies suppressing strikes & lockouts. The1918 Vancouver general strike, the first in Canadian history, takes place after prominent labour activistAlbert "Ginger" Goodwin is shot by police. This sparks the beginning of theCanadian Labour Revolt. | ||
| 2 August | The beginning of a series of labour movements collectively known as the "Canadian Labour Revolt" begin, lasting six years. | ||
| 19 September | Canadian Air Force (after 1924, Royal Canadian Air Force) is established. | [95] | |
| 1919 | Canada sends a delegation to theParis Peace Talks, the conference resolving war issues. Canada signs the Versailles treaty as part of the British Empire, with parliament's approval. | [96] | |
| Prohibition in Canada ends federally. | [97] | ||
| 1919 | May 15 -June 26 | The largest strike in Canadian history; theWinnipeg general strike occurs. Soldiers returning from WW1 & over 30,000 workers walk off their jobs; shutting down the majority of the city's privately owned factories, shops and trains. Public employees joined them in solidarity. These included police, firemen, postal workers, telephone and telegraphoperators & utilities workers. Special constables were hired and laws were passed to immediately deport, without trial, anyone who was not born in Canada that was caught striking. events of this day led to the creation of the "One Big Union". | [98] |
| 1920 | January | Canada is admitted as a full member of theLeague of Nations, independently of Britain. It joins the League Council (governing board) in 1927. Canada plays a minor role and opposes sanctions or military action by the League. | [99] |
| 1921 | 27 June until 22 August | Treaty 11, the last of theNumbered Treaties, is signed by theSlavey,Dogrib,Loucheux,Hare First Nations and the Canadian Crown. It covers a region within the Northwest Territories. | [100] |
| 1926 | 25 June – 14 September | Aconstitutional crisis, known as theKing–Byng affair, is precipitated when Governor GeneralByng refused Prime MinisterKing's request to dissolve parliament and call an election, instead askingopposition leaderMeighen to form a government, which in turn was quickly defeated. King framed the dispute as one of Britain, represented by the Governor General, interfering with Canadian affairs. Consequently, the affair played a role in theBalfour Declaration of 1926, in which each Dominion of theBritish Empire was declared to be of equal status with Britain. | [101] |
| 1927 | 25 November | Canada appointsVincent Massey as its first fully accredited envoy to a foreign capital. | [102] |
| 1929 | Great Depression in Canada begins, resulting in widespread poverty, unemployment, & violent labour protests for the next decade. | [103] | |
| 1930 | January | TheWorkers' Unity League (WUL) is created. The WUL paralleled similar alternative trade union structures elsewhere: theTrade Union Unity League in the US, and theNational Minority Movement in the UK. Some of the unions affiliated with the WUL include theMine Workers' Union of Canada,Lumber Workers Industrial Union of Canada and theRelief Camp Workers' Union. Unlike both theTrades and Labor Congress of Canada (TLC) and theAll-Canadian Congress of Labour (ACCL), the WUL organized the unemployed as well. | |
| 1931 | 7 – 29 September | Estevan riot was a confrontation between members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and striking coal miners from nearbyBienfait, Saskatchewan, TheMine Workers' Union of Canada in Bienfait, established by the national "Workers' Unity League" demanded a wage increase, an end to the company store monopoly, better living conditions, and improved workplace safety. Miners assembled in Beinfait with their families to parade to Estevan in order to draw attention to their demands. As they walked from Beinfait to Estevan, they were met with lines of police officers. RCMP fired on the protesters, killing four. | |
| 11 December | TheStatute of Westminster 1931 is enacted in Britain, officially ending the power of the British parliament to pass and nullify laws in a Dominion without the Dominion's request and consent. The statute formally recognized thede facto independence attained by Canada following the First World War. | [104] | |
| 1933 | September 15 | TheStratford General Strike of 1933 begins with strikes in several local furniture-making factories that theWorkers' Unity League had recently unionized, & Swift's Meat Packing Plant, a poultry company, who had unionized as the Food Workers' Industrial Union. At its height more than 2,000 strikers were involved. The army along with severalCarden Loyd tankettes were sent to quell the violence. Controversy over the use of armoured military vehicles in a management-labour dispute resulted in victory for the strikers. One strike leader, Oliver Kerr, was elected mayor the following year. | [105][circular reference] |
| 1935 | April 4- July 1 | Over 1000 workers under the guidance ofArthur "Slim" Evans join theRelief Camp Workers' Union and begin theOn-to-Ottawa Trek in protest of the conditions & wages of then prime ministerR. B. Bennett's Government relief work camps. After arriving in Regina, Saskatchewan, the trekkers agreed to send only 8 delegates to Ottawa to represent their cause, with the rest remaining at the Regina Exhibition grounds with support provided by private citizens & government of Regina. After discussion between the delegations and the government in Ottawa broke down, RCMP officers hidden in boxtrucks ambush the Trekkers. The police fire pistols and automatic gun into and above the group, causing two deaths and several hundred wounds. Saskatchewan PremierJames Garfield Gardiner accuses the RCMP of "precipitating a riot". | [106][107] |
| 18 June | Battle of Ballantyne Pier, 1000 protesters, consisting of theVancouver and District Waterfront Workers' Association, under influence of theWorkers' Unity League; marched towards Ballantyne Pier to preventscabs from unloading ships in the harbour. Upon arriving at the pier they were ambushed by the Vancouver police, BC Provincial Police, & RCMP who had been hiding behind boxcars. Battle of Ballantyne Pier was one of many conflicts contributing to the creation of theInternational Longshore and Warehouse Union. | [108] | |
| 1938 | 19 June | Bloody Sunday was the conclusion of a month-long "sitdowners' strike" by The Relief Project Workers' Union (an extension of theRelief Camp Workers' Union) inVancouver. 1,200 men split themselves between the post office, the Vancouver Art Gallery & The Georgia Hotel. At 5 o'clock on the morning of 19 June, City Police & RCMP entered the buildings and forcibly ejected the men, Of the 42 hospitalized, only 5 were police and all of those were Vancouver police constables. Later that afternoon, 10,000 to 15,000 turned out to a protest at the Powell Street Grounds against the "police terror" of Bloody Sunday. | |
| 1939 | 10 September | Canada, with its parliament's support, enters theSecond World War bydeclaring war on Germany. TheDominion of Newfoundland hadentered the war as a British colony upon the United Kingdom's declaration of war a week earlier. | [109][110] |
| 1939–1945 | During the war, the government mobilizes Canadian money, supplies, and volunteers to support Britain while boosting the economy and maintaininghome front morale. Canadaplays a military role protecting convoys against German submarines and fighting the German Army in Italy and France, and helping to liberate the Netherlands.Canada expands its small navy into the third largest in the world, after the U.S. and U.K. It had 363 ships (although few battleships and other capital ships) and 100,000 sailors (of whom 6700 were women). | [111][112] [113][114] SixteenCanadians were awarded the Victoria Cross during WWII. | |
| 1945 | 9 November | Canada joins the United Nations, seeking to play a world role as a "middle power", with interest in the UN Charter and in relief agencies. | [115] |
| 1947 | 1 January | TheCanadian Citizenship Act, 1946 comes into force creating a new, separate, Canadian legal citizenship for all British subjects born, raised, or resident in Canada and automatic citizenship for all those born in Canada after this date. | [116][117] |
| 1949 | 31 March | Newfoundland, the last British colony in North America, enters Confederation as the tenth province following a pair of contentiousreferendums on whether the island should remain a British Crown Colony, become fully independent, or join Canada. | [118] |
| 1959 | 27 June | TheSt. Lawrence Seaway, a joint project between Canada and the United States, is officially opened. | [119] |
| 1960 | 1 July | First Nations people are grantedthe right to vote in federal elections without having to give up their status and treaty rights. | [120] |
| 1965 | 15 February | Canada adopts themaple leaf for thenational flag. | [121] |
| 1967 | 27 April | Expo 67 opens inMontreal. | |
| 1970 | 5 October | The government invokes theWar Measures Act to apprehend theFront de libération du Québec (FLQ), a separatist paramilitary group in Quebec that was responsible for over 160 violent incidents that killed 8 people and inOctober 1970 had kidnapped a British official (later released) and Quebec labour ministerPierre Laporte, who they killed. The FLQ collapses in 1971. | [122] |
| 1973 | 31 January | The Supreme Court of Canada rules in theCalder v British Columbia (AG) case that aboriginal title existed prior to the existence of the colonial government and was not a matter of Canadian law alone. The case recognizedNisga'a Nation aboriginal title. The ruling would lead the Government of Canada to update its land claims negotiation process. | [123] |
| 15 November | The Quebec Superior Court blocks theJames Bay Project by ruling that the Indigenous peoples of the region had not extinguished theiraboriginal title to the lands and that Quebec and Canada must negotiate for such title in order to build the project. The final accord is signed 11 November 1975 by Canada, Quebec, Hydro-Quebec and theCree of Quebec. The treaty becomes enshrined in the 1982 Canadian Constitution. | [124] | |
| 1980 | 20 May | Areferendum on Quebec independence is held, resulting in a majority (59.56%) of the province voting to remain in Canada. | [125] |
| 1981 | Workers forBritish Columbia Telephone take over all of the province's telephone exchanges and run them for 5 days. | [126] | |
| 1982 | 17 April | The enactment of theConstitution Act, 1982, by royal proclamation. Canada achieves total independence from Great Britain throughPatriation of itsConstitution. The Constitution includes theCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, guaranteeing individual human rights. The Act also guarantees all treaty rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada. TheGovernment of Quebec refuses to sign the deal and attempts to veto the Act; theSupreme Court of Canadarules that Quebec's assent is not required. | [127][128] |
| 1987 | 3 June | TheMeech Lake Accord is signed by all ten provincial premiers and Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney. The accord is intended to grant further powers to all provinces and grant distinct society status to Quebec, which had opposed the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution. The Accord is not ratified by all provincial parliaments within the required 3 years, heightening national unity tensions. | |
| 1989 | 1 January | TheCanada–United States Free Trade Agreement comes into force. Under the agreement, the countries start to reduce or eliminate trade barriers between the two countries. | [129] |
| 1990 | 11 July – 26 September | TheOka Crisis occurs as IndigenousMohawk activists protest the construction of a golf course on aburial ground, barricading roads and theMercier Bridge. In August, after a series of violent standoffs between protesters and theSûreté du Québec (SQ, Quebec's provincial police) which led to the death of one officer, PremierRobert Bourassa requests aid from theCanadian Armed Forces. In September, facing military invasion of their community, the protesters surrender and many leaders are arrested. Construction of the golf course is later cancelled. | [130] |
| 1992 | 28 August | TheCharlottetown Accord, a second attempt to settle constitutional grievances, is agreed to by leaders of all provincial governments and the federal government and Indigenous groups. However, a 26 October national referendum on the accord is defeated. | [131] |
| 1994 | 1 January | TheNorth American Free Trade Agreement came into force, creating a free trade zone between Canada, Mexico and the United States, superseding the 1988 Canada-US Agreement. | [132] |
| 1995 | 18 August – 17 September | IndigenousShuswap and non-Indigenous supporters exchange fire withRoyal Canadian Mounted Police officers after a British Columbia rancher attempts to evict them from land being used for a traditional ceremony, beginning theGustafsen Lake standoff. After the largest and costliest paramilitary operation in the province's history, the Ts'peten Defenders surrender to police. | [133][134] |
| 4 September | Members of an IndigenousOjibwe band occupyCamp Ipperwash in southwestern Ontario, on land which had been expropriated from the band for a military base duringWorld War II under the War Measures Act, setting off theIpperwash Crisis. Two days later, unarmed Ojibwe protester Dudley George is shot and killed by anOntario Provincial Police officer. The land is transferred to the Ojibwe, but agreements to remove ordinance on the site is not reached, leaving the site only partially habitable. | [135] | |
| 30 October | Anotherreferendum on Quebec independence is held. A majority (50.58%) of the province votes to remain in Canada. | [136] | |
| 1997 | 11 December | TheDelgamuukw v British Columbia decision is rendered by theSupreme Court of Canada, determining that aboriginal title had not been distinguished in British Columbia. This ended the decades-long refusal of the BC government to participate in land claims to settle with First Nations, claiming that aboriginal title had been extinguished. | [137] |
| 1999 | 1 April | Nunavut is partitioned from the Northwest Territories to become Canada's third territory, following a series of plebiscites in1982 and1992, and establishment of theNunavut Land Claims Agreement in 1993. | [138] |
| Year | Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 7 October | Canada joins theWar in Afghanistan. | [139][140] |
| 2003 | 7 December | TheCanadian Alliance andPC Party merged into theConservative Party of Canada. | |
| 2005 | 20 July | TheCivil Marriage Act legalizes same-sex marriage throughout Canada. | [141] |
| 2008 | 1 June | As part of theIndian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, theTruth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is established to document the history and lasting impacts of theCanadian Indian residential school system on Indigenous persons and their families. | [142] |
| 11 June | In the House of Commons, Prime MinisterHarper formally apologizes to the survivors of the Residential School System on behalf of the Government of Canada. | [143] | |
| 2010 | 3 June | TheHaida Gwaii Reconciliation Act establishes in Canadian law the name ofHaida Gwaii over the archipelago formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. Further agreements would re-establish the sovereignty of over 200 islands to theCouncil of the Haida Nation. | [144][145][146] |
| 2012 | 13 February – September | Students in Quebecprotest and stop proposed increases in university tuition. | [147] |
| 4 May | TheRoyal Canadian Mint strikes the last Canadianpenny. The coin is removed fromcirculation a few months later, though existing pennies remainlegal tender. | [148] | |
| 2014 | 12 March | Canada withdraws from theWar in Afghanistan at the end of thefirst phase. | [139][140][149] |
| 2018 | 17 October | TheCannabis Act becomes law, makingrecreational cannabis use legal throughout the country. Canada is the second country (afterUruguay in 2013) to legalize recreationalcannabis use nationwide. | [150] |
| 2020 | 7 January - March | Widespread popular protests occur across Canada after theRCMP forcibly remove peaceful protesters blocking construction of theCoastal GasLink pipeline onWetʼsuwetʼen territory in British Columbia. The protests block several rail lines, forcing the shutdown of much of the Canadian rail network. | [151][152] |
| 25 January | First presumptive case ofCOVID-19 is identified; a man who travelled in China. TheCOVID-19 pandemic spreadswidely in Canada. | [153] | |
| 2022 | January - February | Right-wing protesters protesting vaccine mandates converge in Ottawa, overwhelming local police forces and disrupting residents in an occupation of downtown. After several weeks, theCanada convoy protest group is cleared after the Government of Canada invokes theEmergencies Act. Several police forces participate in a joint effort that forcibly removes the group.[154] Similar groups block Canada-US border crossings inWindsor, Ontario andCoutts, Alberta for days before also being cleared forcibly by police. | [155] |
| 24 February - ongoing | After theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Canada promises $1 billion in aid to Ukraine. Canada assists in training Ukrainian soldiers in third locations, and accepts thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the fighting. | [156] | |
| 24–29 July | Pope Francisvisits Canada to apologize for Catholic Church members' role in theCanadian Indian residential school system. Services were held in Alberta, Quebec City and Iqaluit. | [157] | |
| 8 September | Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning Canadian monarch in history, dies aged 96, after a reign of 70 years.Charles III becomesKing of Canada. | [158] |
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Steenburg made headlines when he posted a Soldiers of Odin logo (a known far-right hate group) on his social media page with captions encouraging Canadians to stand up for their rights.
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