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History 1982-present
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Charter of Rights and Freedom
The Charter of Rights and Freedom is the act that gives Canadian citizens Political rights and everyone in Canada civil liberties from actions of the government. It is significant because it made the constitution of canada fully under the canadian governments control. -
Meetch lake accord
The Meetch lake accord was an attempt to bring Quebec together with all the other constituted provinces. Quebec was the only state not currently signed to the Constitution. It is a significant and controversial part of our history because many provinces rejected the amendments. This helped with showing the need for national unity and has changed the way canada has addressed issues. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was a wall that separated East and West Germany to stop people fleeing to west germany. The fall happened because a government speaker accidentally stated that anyone could cross the wall at any time so people swarmed the wall going in and out making the wall useless. It is significant because it shows the possibility of Germany being united again. It also shows the power of democracy and the weakness of communism. -
Oka Crisis
The Oka crisis is when the town of Oka near montreal wanted to extend a golf course and residencies on the land of the Mohawk Nation. The Mohawk Nation opposed this and set up a barricade preventing the expansion, soon the police force was ordered to take it down which led to violent disputes and eventually the military being involved. This showed the rest of Canada the issues indigenous people had to go through. This was a pivotal moment in the recognition and appreciation of Indigenous people. -
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Gulf War (Desert War)
In 1991, a coalition of countries led by the United States liberated Kuwait from Iraq after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Iraq wanted to take control of Kuwait's oil reserves. It was the first conflict after the cold war and defined the U.N's role in international conflicts. It also showed the action that is being taken to stop and ease conflicts. -
G.S.T
G.S.T was put into place in 1991, it is a tax on services and items served by consumers. It was put to replace indirect taxing and taxing on manufacturing. It has greatly improved the government as from 2017-18 it supplied around 12% of their income. -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
This is when the Soviet Union's government finally ended. The constitution republic quickly went into power and transitioned the governmental system more liberal. It is very important because it signifies the independence from the 15 republics. It also gave hope for the elimination of communism in the world. -
Charlotte accord
This was a failed attempt by the PM Mulroney to change the constitution. It was proposed to win Quebec for the Charter of Human Rights and Freedom. Some Canadians felt left out of the constitution and felt that it would put their rights at risk. It was the second time amendments to the constitution failed and showed the government that had to figure out others ways to amend the constitution. -
NAFTA
NAFTA is the north american free trade agreement. It erases all tariff and non-tariff barriers and investment between the three main north american countries (Canada, America, and Mexico). It is significant because it grew the middle class and helped the countries thrive. It was the worlds largest free trade area. -
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide is one of the most traumatic moments in recent history. 500,000-1,000,000 people died during the mass slaughterings in Rwanda. Canada played a role in peacekeeping by sending military personnel and also contributed financially to the cause. Some Rwandans have decided to come to Canada and this has widened our eyes and enriched the country with perspective. -
1995 Quebec referendum
The Quebec Referendum was the ability for French speaking Canadians to vote for quebec in being an independent nation. It was the third time that quebec wanted to become independent and shows that the citizens of Canada don't want quebec to be independent. Quebec was always trying to seperate and this has caused some strains in the Quebec-Canada relations. -
Creation of Nunavut
Nunavut was established as a territory on April 1st, 1999. This is still the biggest territory/province in Canada. It is aboriginal territory of the Inuit people. It is the first major geographical change on Canada since Newfoundland was established. It shows the appreciation and respect becoming more profound between the indigenous community and the government. -
Nisga'a Treaty
The Nisga'a treaty is a treaty between B.C's government and the Nisga'a that was implemented on May 11, 2000. The treaty gave them power over their territory which included forestry and fishing. This is the first modern treaty in B.C. It is also shows the respect and the forgivingness that Canada has for the aboriginal demographic. -
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Canadians in Afghanistan
During Afghanistan's lingering conflicts Canada sent as many as 40,000 soldiers to Afghanistan. Canadians served many years in Afghanistan to fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. It is significant because of the amount of time and soldiers that were sent over and the biggest Canadian deployment since the end of the second world war. It showed how Canada has helped countries abroad and shows the strong connections are military has with others. -
9/11
On September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda had men hijack planes and fly them into America's important buildings (Pentagon, Twin towers). This was a terrorist attack to show America that if they keep sanctioning Iraq there would be consequences. It is one of the most significant moments in history because it killed almost 4,000 people and showed that terrorism is a major problem and something to look out for. It has also resulted in major developments in air security. -
Same Gender Marriages
For many years two people of the same gender weren't allowed to get married but all this changed for Canada on July 20, 2005. It shows that this country is open for change and supporting all lifestyle choices. It also proves that this country has taken a step in the right direction regarding inclusion and support form the government on certain demographics. -
Residential School Apology
The PM Stephen Harper apologized on the behalf of all of Canada for the treatment of the students that were taken to residential schools. It is great that Canada isn't hiding and not sharing it's dark past and that we are moving forward as a country and owning our mistakes. We had done great damage to the children and hurt their language, culture, and history. -
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Vancouver Olympics
The Vancouver Olympics were in 2010 and had the whole world's attention. It was a great time for western Canada as it helped their economy. It was a great olympics for Canada as they set a record for most gold medals by one nation at the winter olympics (14). It is amazing to have your country host the olympics and even better when they come out on top for gold medals. -
Syrian Refugees
In November on 2015 Canada took on around 25,000 refugees from Syria. They settled down here and started new, more optimistic lives. It was important because it showed that canada wanted to play a part in resolving the political conflicts held in the middle east. Now more than 40,000 Syrian refugees in Canada. -
Tragically Hips Final Concert
Tragically Hip is one of Canada's most famous bands and one of the best of all time. Around a third of Canadians were watching the concert. This shows how patriotic our nation can be and how much a band can bring a country together. It shows that Canada will always love the Tragically Hip and we will always remember Gord Downie. R.I.P.