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Constitution Act of 1982
In 1982, Queen Elizabeth II signed the proclamation of the Canadian Constitutional Act in order for the approval of new changes changes to be made. This act provided the well known Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to Canadian citizens, which included the accommodation of some of the well deserved rights of aboriginal people living within Canada. As is still in effect to this day, the signing of the Canadian Constitution remains to be one of the most significant events in Canadian history. -
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Canada's Most Significant Events
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Canada-U.S Free Trade Agreement
In 1988, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney signed the Canada-U.S Free Trade Agreement. This event was significant in that trade between Canada and the United States, which has already been rising at a steady rate, increased at a much more accelerated rate after the agreement was signed. -
Canada-U.S Free Trade Agreement Continuation
This trade agreement provided the opportunity for Canadians to partake in cross-border shopping, in which Canadians would make shopping day trips to U.S. border towns in order to take advantage of tariff-free goods and a higher-value Canadian dollar; increased the yearly profits of Canadian manufacturing by 1.2% -
100 Meter Gold
Well renowned Olympic-sprinter Donovan Bailey established a new world record back in the summer Olympics of 1996. Winning one of the few gold medals for Canada in men's 100 meter sprint at the time, Donovan set off an outburst of national pride in winning the most anticipated event of the Olympic Games. -
Canadian Human Rights Act - Changes in 1996
During 1996, in recognition of the discrimination towards people sexually-identifying as homosexual, the Canadian government amended the Canadian Human Rights Act, establishing new rights within this act which protected people within the gay community from any further discrimination. This event is significant in that, it instilled a new sense of pride and hope within people all across the nation, and brought in more immigration from countries who had not provided such rights to it's citizens. -
Women's Hockey Gold
Back in 2002, the Women's Canadian Olympic Hockey Team were facing the Women's Team of the United States. After losing the last eight consecutive games, Jayna Hefford managed to score a historic winning-goal. This event was significant as the confidence boost allowed the men's team to win their own match later that day, as well as serving as an example to all of Canada, that true Canadian spirit can allow you to accomplish anything. -
Canada Says 'No' To Joining The War In Iraq
In 2003, current Prime Minister at the time, Jean Chrétien, stated that Canadian Armed Forces would not be joining the war. One of the defining moments in Canada's political history, and a bold declaration of independence, one that many Canadians supported despite Canada's record of joining previous U.S. military efforts, including the Afghanistan, and Korean War. -
Syrian Refugee Crisis - Justin Trudeau
In 2017, during the Syrian refugee crisis, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau allowed more than 25,000 refugees to enter the country, with proper accommodations. This event further established Canada as a country willing to help anyone in a time of need, and instilled a sense of hope within refugees residing in both Canada and Syria. A Syrian family who had recently immigrated to Canada with the help of Trudeau, even decided to name their son after him. -
'O Canada' Lyric Change
In early 2018, the Senate of Canada passes a bill changing the lyrics in the Canadian anthem from "in all thy sons command", to "in all of us command", making the anthem gender neutral. This push to strike gendered language from 'O Canada', proves to be a good example of a proper democratic government, as they work to expel discriminatory language, by the request of the general public, providing a strong sense of pride for Canadians all across the nation. -
Works Cited
Freeman, Sunny. “Canada's 'No' To Iraq War A Defining Moment For Prime Minister, Even 10 Years Later.” HuffPost Canada, HuffPost Canada, 20 Mar. 2013, www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/19/canada-iraq-war_n_2902305.html. Tasker, John Paul. “'In All of Us Command': Senate Passes Bill Approving Gender Neutral Anthem Wording | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 1 Feb. 2018, www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anthem-bill-passes-senate-1.4513317. -
Works Cited #2
Aubry, Michael. “Canada's Top 10 Moments.” Ottawa Sun, 30 June 2013, ottawasun.com/2013/06/28/canadas-top-10-moments/wcm/036ca320-72f0-419e-bd58-ad258fd9ccca. Kirkup, Kyle. “Canadian Human Rights Act.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-human-rights-act/. Molnar, Petra. “Canadian Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-response-to-the-syrian-refugee-crisis/.
