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Maurice Duplessis
Quebec was led by Premier Maurice Duplessis, who was the leader of the Union Nationale, from 1944 to 1959. He was a Quebec nationalist and believed that Quebec was its own distinctive nation as opposed to being part of Canada. Bribery and corruption typical with Duplessis' government. -
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The Great Darkness
When Premier Duplessis was in power in Quebec, many Quebecois referred to his term as La Grande Noirceur, the Great Darkness. Duplessis favoured old Quebec traditions of farming, families and faith. One of Duplessis' worst cases of corruption and bribery was "Duplessis Orphans". These orphans were falsely identified as mentally ill in order to be moved from the provincially funded orphanages to federally funded insane asylums. -
Ban of the Potlatch repealed
Viewed as an obstacle to assimilation, potlatches were banned by the government in 1884. Changes to the Indian Act in 1951 led to the ban being repealed. -
Aboriginal Peoples Gain Voting Rights
First Nations people were finally able to vote without losing their Indian status. -
Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage and his Liberals took over after Duplessis died in 1959. Lesage and his party put an end to Duplessis and his party's corruption. Lesage raised wages and pensions, awarded government jobs based on merit and removed trade union restrictions. -
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The Quiet Revolution
Lesage began to change and modernize Quebec's economy, politics, education and culture. This became known as the Quiet Revolution. -
Formation of the Bilingualism and Biculturalism Commission
To allow French Canadians feel more at home in Canada and avoid a crisis, Prime Minister Lester Pearson created the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. The commission reported that Canada should be bilingual with English and French as its official languages. -
Canada's New Flag
French Canadians felt that the flag was too British as it had the Red Ensign, so Pearson suggested that Canada adopt a new flag. English Canadians who wanted to keep the Ensign flag felt that Pearson was giving into pressure from the French Canadians. Eventually, a red maple leaf on a white background with red borders on either side was chosen to be the new flag. The new flag was raised for the first time on February 15, 1965 on Parliament Hill. -
Formation of the National Indian Brotherhood
The National Indian Brotherhood was formed to lobby for the rights of the First Nations people. -
White Paper of 1969
The White Paper of 1969 was issued by the Trudeau government to address the issues faced by Aboriginal people. It proposed that the Indian Act was to be repealed and the First Nations would gain ownership and control over their lands just to name a few. This was to encourage the First Nations to move into the cities to find jobs, away from the reserves, to become a part of Canadian society and to be on equal footing with all Canadians -
Official Languages Act
Trudeau passed the Official Languages Act which officially made Canada a bilingual country. This was to assure the Quebec that they had a promising future as a part of Canada. Federal agencies were required to provide services in both French and English, more Francophones were elected into senior government positions, and French and English Canadians were asked to better understand each other's cultures. -
Abandonment of Residential School System
In 1969, the Department of Indian Affairs took over the system and the government began to close down the schools. Aboriginal people took over the education of their children and "band schools" were opened across Canada so First Nations students could learn in their own languages about their traditions, culture and values. -
Red Paper, Citizen Plus
The National Indian Brotherhood demeanded self-government for Aboriginals and control over their own affairs. They later presented their paper, Citizen Plus, later known as the Red Paper, to Trudeau and Chretien, who then abandoned the White Paper -
FLQ Kidnapping of James Cross
British diplomat, James Cross was kidnapped by the FLQ in response to Trudeau's stand against Quebec nationalists. The FLQ demanded that FLQ prisoners be released and a public reading of the FLQ manifesto for the release of Cross. Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa agreed to most demands except the releasing of FLQ prisoners. -
FLQ Kidnappnig of Pierre Laporte
Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte was kidnapped by the FLQ in response to Bourassa's refusal to free FLQ prisoners. This prompted Trudeau to implement the War Measures Act. Despite opposition to the War Measures Act, Trudeau pushed on. Many pro-separatist Quebecois were arrested. Soldiers and officers patrolled the streets of Montreal and Ottawa on October 16, 1970. A day later, Laporte's dead body was found in the trunk of a car. This prompted the government to launch a search for Cross. -
Berger Commission
The Berger Commission was introduce by the government to investigate the concerns of the First Nations of pipelines being built through their lands in Mackenzie Valley. They feared that the pipelines would have an impact on their hunting, fishing and trapping activities. The commission recommended that the construction of the pipeline be suspended for 10 years so an in-depth environmental study could be conducted and negotiations with the First Nations could occur. -
Bill 101 aka Charter of the French Language
The Parti Quebecois won the provincial election in 1976. The party had no interest in bilingualism and passed Bill 101. The Bill specified that French was the province's official language, commercial outdoor signs had to be in French and all children of new immigrants had to be enrolled in French schools. -
Proposal of Sovereignty-Association
The Parti Quebecois and its leader Rene Levesque called for a referendum. He wanted Quebecois to give a mandate to negotiate an agreement with Canada based on sovereignty-association. The agreement was to have political independence while still maintaining economic ties with Canada. Trudeau insisted that Quebec remain united with Canada and promised to negotiate a new constitution where Quebec would be recognized as a distinct society. Only 40% of Quebecois voted yes to sovereignty-association. -
National Energy Program
In response to the oil crisis and rising gas prices, Trudeau and his government introduced the National Energy Program which was aimed to reduce oil consumption, protect Canadians from rising oil prices and make Canada self-sufficient in oil. The program provided funding to Canadian petroleum companies and encouraged Canadians to switch to electrical power sources. -
Patriation of the Constitution
The British North America Act had been in Canada's Constitution, but was under British jurisdiction. Trudeau wanted to patriate the constitution so that the Canadian government could make changes to it without requiring British approval. A clear statement of basic rights all Canadians were entitled to was included in the constitution called the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The nonwithstanding clause allowed provinces and the federal government to opt out of some clauses in the charter. -
Assembly of First Nations is Formed
The Assembly of First Nations was formed by Aboriginal people to represent Aboriginal people in the federal government. (I'm not entirely sure the exact date AFN was formed) -
The Death of the Meech Lake Accord
Prime Minister Mulroney called for a discussion with the premiers on the Constitution at Meech Lake, Quebec, and proposed that Quebec be recognized as a distinct society, giving provinces more power. The proposal had many critics and eventually died in June of 1990 -
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Oka Confrontation
The confrontation occurred when the Oka town council decided to expand a golf course onto sacred Mohawk land near the Kanesatake reserve. To stop the construction, the Mohawks decided to block off the land. Quebec officials called in the provincial police and later the Canadian Forces. Negotiations were tense and members of other First Nations groups persuaded the Mohawks to end the standoff. Eventually, the land was bought by the federal government and given to the Kanesatake. -
Charlottetown Accord is Rejected
The Charlottetown Accord answered Quebec's concerns while also promoting self-governing among the First Nations. It also proposed to reform the Senate and Western provinces would have equal representation when the Senate body is being elected. The Accord was put into National referendum and rejected by over 50% of Canadians. -
Quebec Referendum
The alienation of Quebec led the Parti Quebecois to be reelected and Premier Jacques Parizeau promised a referendum on the separation of Quebec from Canada. The "no" side had a lead in the polls, but when Lucien Bouchard took over the "yes' side from Parizeau, they gained popularity. After the months of campaigning, "no" side won by less than 1%. -
Delgamuukw Case Ruling
The Supreme Court ruled that Aboriginal groups could claim land as long as they could prove that they occupied the land before the Canadian government claimed sovereignty and have continuously and exclusively occupied it. -
Creation of Nunavut
Nunavut separated from the Northwest Territories to become its own territory. The creation of Nunavut was a result of the largest treaty negotiated in Canada. The Inuit received political control over the 2 million square kilometers of land. -
Nisga’a Treaty Receives Royal Assent
As part of an agreement with the Nisga’a, the BC and federal government, the land around the Nass River was officially recognized as Nisga’a. The agreement was signed by Nisga’a officials and BC Premier on May 27, 1998, then the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development signed on May 4, 1999 on behalf of the federal government. The Treaty received Royal Assent on April 13, 2000
