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British North America Act
The British North America Act was passed by the British Parliament and given royal assent by Queen Victoria on 29 March. It came into effect on 1 July. The Act joined the colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in one federal union. In 1949, Newfoundland becomes Canada’s newest province. In 1999, Nunavut becomes Canada’s newest territory. Its creation establishes self-governance for the region’s Inuit population. -
Red River Resistance
With 120 men,Louis Riel occupied Upper Fort Garry in the Red River Colony to block the transfer of Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) to Canada. Known as the Red River Resistance, the Métis — led by Riel — and First Nations allies defended the Red River Colony from White settlers and government encroachment on their lands. Louis Riel was hanged for treason, and Cree chiefs Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear) and Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker) were imprisoned. -
Treaty of Washington
The Treaty of Washington granted Americans fishing rights in Canadian waters and the use of Canadian canals and the St Lawrence River. Canadians were allowed to navigate Lake Michigan, the St Clair Flats Canal and Alaskan rivers. -
Treaty No. 1
The first post-Confederation treaty was signed at Lower Fort Garry, Man. The first of many “Numbered Treaties,” Treaty No. 1 was signed between the Crown and the Ojibwa and Swampy Cree Nations. The treaty included the provision of livestock, agricultural equipment and the establishment of schools in exchange for ceding large tracts of Aboriginal hunting grounds. -
Treaty No. 2
Treaty Number 2 was concluded with Chippewa of Manitoba, who ceded land from the mouth of Winnipeg River to the northern shores of Lake Manitoba across the Assiniboine River to the United States frontier. -
North-West Mounted Police Established
As Canada assumes control of its newly acquired Western territory, the North-West Mounted Police is established to maintain order and assist settlers. The red-coated “Mountie” becomes a symbol of Canada. The force is renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1920. -
Treaty No. 3
Treaty No. 3 was signed by the Saulteaux (Chippewa) of northwestern Ontario and of Manitoba. For the surrender of a tract comprising about 55,000 sq. miles, the Dominion Government reserved not more than one square mile for each family of five and agreed to pay $12 per head and an annuity of $5 per head. -
Treaty No. 4
Treaty No. 4 was signed at Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask, with Cree, Saulteaux (Chippewa) and other First Nations. -
Treaty No. 5
Treaty No. 5 was concluded at Lake Winnipeg ceding an area of approximately 100,000 sq. miles inhabited by Chippewa and Swampy Cree (Maskegon) of Manitoba and Ontario. -
The Indian Act
The Indian Act is introduced. The Act aims to eradicate First Nations culture in favour of assimilation into Euro-Canadian society. -
Treaty No. 6
Treaty No. 6 was signed at Carlton and at Fort Pitt with the Plains Cree, Woodland Cree and Assiniboine. It ceded an area of 120,000 sq. miles of the plains of Saskatchewan and Alberta. -
First Recorded Japanese Immigrant in Canada
Manzo Nagano becomes the first recorded Japanese immigrant in Canada. He settles in Victoria, BC, and runs several businesses. -
Treaty No. 7
Treaty No. 7 was signed at Blackfoot Crossing in southern Alberta by the Blackfoot, Blood, Peigan, Sarsi and Stoney. Canadian officials understood that by the treaty First Nations surrendered some 35,000 sq miles of land to the Crown in return for reserves, payments and annuities. -
Arctic Sovereignty
British sovereignty over the Arctic Islands passed to Canada. -
Hanlan World Champ
Edward Hanlan defeated E.A. Trichett of Australia for the world's championship of singles rowing on the Thames River course made famous by the Oxford-Cambridge boat race. Hanlan was Canada's first world sports champion. -
Chinese Immigration Act
The Chinese Immigration Act reduces Chinese immigration to Canada following the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Immigrants are charged a punitive head tax to enter the country. A virtual ban on Chinese immigration occurs between 1923 and 1947. The federal government apologizes for the head tax in 2006. -
Last Spike Driven for CPR
The “last spike” of the Canadian Pacific Railway was hammered by Lord Strathcona at Craigellachie, British Columbia. This fulfilled a government promise to connect BC to Eastern Canada via a transcontinental railway. Among the workers who built the railway were 15,000 labourers from China, many of whom died during the railway’s construction. -
Louis Riel Hanged
Louis Riel was hanged for treason at the Regina jail. He had been convicted after a trial held in Regina from 28 July to 1 August. Macdonald's refusal to grant leniency made Riel a symbol of English-Canadian oppression. -
Manitoba School Act
The Manitoba School Act abolished publicly funded support for separate schools for Catholics. The aggrieved French minority argued that the Act violated the agreements under which Manitoba entered Confederation. -
First Stanley Cup Awarded
The Stanley Cup, donated by Governor General Lord Stanley, was first awarded to the Montreal AAA hockey team. Montreal defeated the Ottawa Generals 3-1. -
Sifton Encourages Immigration
Clifford Sifton removed red tape, broadened the selection of potential immigrants and offered incentives to those who would come to settle the Canadian West, "the last, best West." The result was an influx of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe that changed the composition of the Canadian population forever. -
Liberal Victory, Laurier PM
In the federal election, the Liberals defeated the Conservatives with 118 seats to 88. Wilfrid Laurier became Canada's first French-Canadian prime minister and marked a turning point in Canadian politics after years of Conservative Party rule. -
Klondike Gold Rush Begins
George Washington Carmack, Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie discovered gold on Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River. During the Klondike Gold Rush from 1897 to 1899 at least 100,000 people stampeded to the gold fields. -
Treaty No. 8
Cree, Beaver, Chipewyan and Slavey First Nations ceded territory south and west of Great Slave Lake in northern Alberta to the federal government in Treaty No. 8. -
Amundsen Completes Passage
Roald Amundsen, travelling west of King William Island, sighted an American whaling ship that had come from San Francisco. At this point, he knew that he had achieved the Northwest Passage, a quest that had obsessed explorers for nearly 400 years. -
Alberta and Saskatchewan Become Provinces
Alberta and Saskatchewan entered Canada as the 8th and 9th provinces by two federal Acts which received royal assent on 20 July. Alberta's boundary with Saskatchewan was set at 110°, though Albertans wanted 107°. The Acts (Autonomy Bills) declared that the West was to have non-denominational schools. -
Ontario Hydro Created
The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario was created, with Adam Beck as chairman. It was the first publicly owned electric utility in the world. -
Charles Saunders Develops Marquis Wheat
Charles Edward Saunders completed the development of Marquis wheat, a fast-maturing variety suited to the Prairies. It was first distributed to farmers in 1909 and greatly extended the area in which wheat could be grown. By 1920 it comprised 90% of the wheat grown on the Prairies. -
Anne of Green Gables is Published
Written by Prince Edward Island native Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables is a bestseller in North America. Now translated into over 36 languages with over 50 million copies sold worldwide, the novel remains an iconic piece of Canadian literature. -
Silver Dart Flies
John Alexander Douglas McCurdy (1886-1961) flew the aircraft the Silver Dart for about one kilometer at Baddeck, NS. It was the first powered flight of a heavier-than-air machine in Canada and the British Empire. -
Sikh Passengers Denied Entry into Canada
The SS Komagata Maru, a vessel carrying mainly Sikh passengers, arrives in Vancouver. All but 22 of the 376 passengers are refused entry due to restrictive immigration laws. After sitting in harbour for two months, the ship is forced to return to India, where it is greeted with violence; 20 passengers are killed and all but 27 are imprisoned. Canada apologizes for its actions in 2016. -
World War One Begins
Canada participates in the First World War. It takes the lives of more than 60,000 Canadians and impacts virtually every Canadian in some way. At home, the 1917 Halifax Explosion, the largest human-made explosion at that time, kills nearly 2,000 people. -
Battle of Vimy Ridge
On Easter Monday, four Canadian divisions and one British brigade captured Vimy Ridge, near Arras, France, with a loss of 3578 killed and 7000 wounded. It was a brilliant victory for the Canadians, who sensed a new national awareness. -
Borden Announces Conscription
Sir Robert Borden announced his decision in Parliament to implement Conscription. The imposition of conscription on reluctant French Canadians was a failure and bitterly divided the country along French-English lines. -
Women Granted Suffrage
Mothers, sisters, and wives of soldiers, along with women in the military, were granted the right to vote federally under the Wartime Elections Act and Military Voters Act. More women received the right to vote in federal elections the following year. However, racialized women did not begin to receive the right to vote until the late-1940s. -
Canada Declares War on Germany
Canada declared war on Germany, 7 days after Britain and France. The first Canadian troops left for England in December. Although "obliged to go to war at Britain's side," King's delay of a week was a symbolic gesture of independence. -
Canada's First Nuclear Reactors
The NRX reactor, the ancestor of Canada's unique CANDU reactors, "went critical" at Chalk River, Ont. The NRX was based on Canada's first nuclear reactor, ZEEP (1 watt of power), which was built at Chalk River in 1945. -
First Nations Peoples Receive the Right to Vote
Changes to the Indian Act allow First Nations peoples the right to vote without losing their Indian status or treaty rights. Removing these conditions had been previously discussed in 1950 when Inuit received the vote. -
New Flag Adopted
A new national flag of Canada was adopted after much debate. The Senate gave its approval on 17 December. Queen Elizabeth signed the royal proclamation on 28 January and the new flag, with its red maple leaf and side bars, flew officially for the first time on 15 February 1965. -
Terry Fox Begins Run
Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope in St. John's, NL, to raise money for cancer research. The run ended on 1 September in Thunder Bay, ON, after cancer was discovered in his lungs. Within days the marathon had raised over $10 million. -
Gordon's Residential School Closes
The last residential school closes. Demands for recognition and compensation result in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement in 2007 and a formal apology by the federal government in 2008. In total, an estimated 150,000 First Nation, Métis and Inuit children attended residential schools. -
Same Sex Marriage is Legalized in Canada
The Ontario Court of Appeal declares that laws stating marriage must be between a man and a woman violate equality rights. Federal legislation passed in 2005 makes Canada the fourth nation to recognize same-sex marriages. -
Toronto Raptors Win 2019 NBA Championship
After winning the Eastern Conference title in May 2019, the Toronto Raptors advanced to the NBA finals for the first time in history. They defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in game six to become the first Canadian team to win the NBA championship. -
Covid-19
New Virus named covid-19 comes around the world and 97,472 confirmed cases in Canada with 57,144 recovered and 7996 deaths.
