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Legend
I&M = Event related to Immigration & Multiculturalism
F.E = Event related to French-English relations
A.I = Event related to Aboriginal issues
W&E = Event related to Workers & the Economy -
Period: to
Canadian Society
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Komagata Maru Incident (I&M)
The Komagata Maru incident involved a Indian steamship, the Komagata Maru, that sailed from Hong Kong, Shanghai, China to Yokohama, Japan and then to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1914, carrying 376 passengers from Punjab, India. Of them 24 were admitted to Canada, but the 352 other passengers were not allowed to land in Canada, and the ship was forced to return to India. The passengers consisted of 340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus, all British subjects. -
Women given the Federal Vote (W&E)
Up until 1917 womens were not allowed federal votes until the Wartime Election Act came into effect, allowing female citizens who had someone serving overseas to vote. A year later, Robert Borden introduced a bill that extended the requirement to all female citizens. -
Persons Case is won (W&E)
The 1929 Persons' Case is one of the major achievements by Canadians for Canadians. The Famous 5 succeeded in having women defined as "persons" in Section 24 of the British North America Act and thereby, eligible for appointment to the Senate. This victory symbolized the right of women to participate in all facets of life, to "dream big" and to realize their potential. -
Winnipeg General Strike (W&E)
With poor working condition and very little labour regulations, 30,000 canadian workers walked off their job, paralyzing the city until their deman for better wages and work condition are met. The strikers returned to work in june 25 1919. -
Agnes Macphail elected as Mp (W&E)
Agnes Macphail was the first female to be elected as MP. As a member of the progressive party she joined a socialist group that later led to the formation to the CCF. -
Chinese Exclusion Act (I&M)
The Chinese Exclusion Act, was an act that banned Chinese immigrants from entering the country except for Diplomats, foreign students, and special exception granted by the Minister of Immigration. The act ended on May 14, 1947, however, independant Chinese immigrants did not freely enter the country until the changes in the immigration policy were made in 1967. -
Stock Market Crashes/ Start of Great Depression (W&E)
Canada was hit hard by the Great Depression. The worldwide Great Depression that started in the United States in late 1929 quickly reached Canada. Between 1929 and 1939, the gross national product dropped 40%. Unemployment reached 27% at the depth of the Depression in 1933. Many businesses closed, as corporate profits of $398 million in 1929 turned into losses of $98 million as prices fell. Farmers in the Prairies were especially hard hit by the collapse of wheat prices. -
On to Ottowa Trek (W&E)
Unhappy about the work condition in work camps hundreds of unemployed mens borded boxcars heading to Ottowa to express themselves to the governemnt. However their trek was halted in Regina by the RCMP, leading to the Regina riot. Only the leaders were allowed to proceed further. -
The St Louis Incident (I&M)
The MS St. Louis was a German ocean liner most notable for a single voyage in 1939, in which her captain, Gustav Schröder, tried to find homes for 937 German Jewish refugees after they were denied entry to Cuba, the United States and Canada, until finally accepted to various countries of Europe. Historians have estimated that, after their return to Europe, approximately a quarter of the ship's passengers died in concentration camps. -
Canadian Labour Congress (W&E)
The CLC was founded on April 23, 1956 through a merger of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada and the Canadian Congress of Labour, representing worker intrests. -
Native people win the right to vote in federal elections (A.I)
In 1960 after John Diefenbaker named James Gladstone, a member a Alberta blood tribe, as the first native senator, aboriginals were given the right to vote in federal elections in 1960. -
The Quiet Revolution (W&E)
The quiet revolution was the sweeping change that took place in quebec by the Liberals under Jean Lesage. The Liberals took control of health care and education from the Roman Catholic Church to improve and expand these public infrastructure. They removed private electric companies and nationalized it, providing the citizen of Quebec reliable and stable source of electricity. -
Trans-Canada highway officially opens (W&E)
The Trans Canada highway was built in response of Canada not having a national highway system as individual provinces are responsible for highway and freeway constructions. The highway span across the country and provides connections to the NWT and the Yukon, to the US. -
Official Languages Act Passed (F.E)
The Official Languages Act is a Canadian law that came into force on September 9, 1969, which gives English and French equal status in the government of Canada. This makes them "official" languages, having preferred status in law over all other languages. Although the Official Languages Act is not the only piece of federal language law, it is the legislative keystone of Canada's official bilingualism. It was substantially amended in 1988. -
Introduction of White Paper (A.I)
The 1969 White Paper (officially entitled Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian policy) was a Canadian policy paper proposal made by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his Minister of Indian Affairs, Jean Chrétien in 1969. This paper would abolish the Indian Act and dismantle the established legal relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the state of Canada in favour of equality. -
Passing of Bill 101 (F.E)
The Charter of the French Language, also known as Bill 101, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the official language of Quebec and framing fundamental language rights. It is the central legislative piece in Quebec's language policy. -
1st PQ Referendum on Sovereignty Association (F.E)
Introduction of White Paper (1969) - The 1969 White Paper (officially entitled Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian policy) was a Canadian policy paper proposal made by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his Minister of Indian Affairs, Jean Chrétien in 1969. This paper would abolish the Indian Act and dismantle the established legal relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the state of Canada in favour of equality. -
One-dollar bills replaced (W&E)
Hoping to increase the circulation of the dollar currency, the one dollar bill was replaced by the loonie with an cost of $31.8 million to produce 300 million coins. Thee years after the loonies enter circulation, the Bank of Canada ceased production of the dollar bill on June 30 1989 -
Canadian Space Agency established (W&E)
The Canadian Space Agency was created to promote peaceful use and development of space and ensure space science and technology provide social and economic benefits to Canadians. -
Oka Crisis (A.I)
The Oka Crisis is a land dispute between the native tribe called the mohawk and the Canadian government. The dispute erupted when the town of Oka planned to build an golf course on native land that has been marked with tombstone by their ancestors. When the mohawk land claim has been rejected the dispute escelated and the mohawk protested. After 78 days the golf course development was canceled. -
GST introduced in Canada (W&E)
Introduced by Brian Mulroney Consertative government, the 7% GST replaced the 13.5% MST to help the manufactors to export conpetitively. Despite the opposition and controversy the tax came into foce. -
Kim Campbell becomes PM (W&E)
Kim Campbell was the first and only female Prime Minister so far to hold office. She was appointed Prime Minister when Brian Mulroney announced his resign as Prime Minister in Febuary 1993. Kim Campbell, the leader of a Liberal party, lost the election in November 4, 1993 due to public relations mistake which lowered her popularity. -
2nd Quebec Referendum (F.E)
The 2nd referendum is an proposal, launched by the parti Quebecois, on if Quebec should proclaim national sovereignty on the bases that it offer a political and economic agreement to Canada. With 50.58% voting no, the proposal was not enacted. -
Residential Schools closed (A.I)
Opened in 1925 the Inuvik Indian Residential School was the last federally runned school to be closed. By the time the last residential school closed about 150,000 first nations children endured through the school system and around 4,000 died due to poor conditions of the school. On June 11, 2008 the Canadian government offered an apology to those who were affected by the residential school. -
Nisga’a Treaty (A.I)
The Nisga'a Treaty is a negotiated agreement between the Nisga'a Nation, the Government of British Columbia, and the government of Canada. The treaty involve the settlement of the Nass River 2,000 square kilometers of land and 300,000 cubic decameter water reservation to be reconized as Nisga'a territory.
