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Residential Schools
From 1902 to 1976, Fort Albany Residential School was one of the worst residential institutions in Canada. Psychological abuse and sexual abuse began when kids were taken away from their families as small children. Residential Schools have also affected family structures, way of life, aggressive behavior, and loss of their language. This is significant because many Canadian Indigenous people have been brutally affected mentally and physically by residential schools which lasted for a long time. -
World War 1
WWI was the bloodiest conflict in Canadian history, taking nearly 61,000 Canadians in four years (1914-1918). Some major battles were the Battle of Ypres and The Somme. Canada entered the war as one of the smallest militaries (3,110 men), but at the end of the war, Canada was one of the largest armies in the world (620,000 people mobilized). The great achievements of Canada’s soldiers ignited a national sense of pride and confidence that Canada could be an independent country from Great Britain. -
Halifax Explosion
The Halifax explosion was one of the largest human-made explosions in history, killing about 2,000 people and leaving 25,000 homeless. There was over $30 million worth of damage from the Halifax explosion. Houses were rebuilt to safer requirements, and public health care, social welfare, and medical treatment improvements were made. Every year, a Christmas tree from Nova Scotia is cut down and assembled in Boston as a thank-you for the city's aid after the explosion. -
Winnipeg General Strike
From May 15 to June 25, 1919, almost 30,000 workers left their jobs due to poor work conditions and the minimum wage. During the Winnipeg General Strike, factories and shops were shut down. Riots broke out, which resulted in arrests, injuries, and the deaths of two people. The strike didn’t immediately improve workplace conditions, but it did help unite the working class in Canada and inspire others to do the same. Over time, employees got fair pay and better workplace conditions. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a worldwide economic shutdown lasting about 10 years that affected many countries, like Canada. In September 1929, the economic crisis led to the Wall Street stock market crash on October 24, causing widespread unemployment and numerous business failures, marking the start of a prolonged economic hardship. It sparked fundamental changes in economic institutions, led the economy to take a more active role in the economy, and triggered the start of social welfare. -
The Persons Case
The Persons Case was a constitutional decision that guaranteed women the ability to be nominated to the Senate. A group of well-known female activists known as the Famous Five started the lawsuit. This was significant in Canada because, for the first time, women were considered "persons.” It gave women the right to be appointed to the Senate of Canada and paved the way for women’s participation in politics and public life. It was a significant milestone for women in the history of women’s rights -
The Holocaust
Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its allies killed six million European Jews, or two-thirds of the Jewish population, during the Holocaust. Jews were imprisoned in concentration camps until 1939 when they were moved to murder camps. Canada was involved in interning 2,300 men as "enemy aliens" in labor camps. As a country, Canada has been profoundly shaped by the 40,000 Holocaust survivors who settled across the country after the war. -
Battle of The Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was a conflict between the Allied and German armies over control of the Atlantic Ocean. Germany attempted to disrupt supply lines, but the Allies needed to maintain the flow of men and supplies between North America and Europe. This was the longest continuous battle of World War II, lasting from 1939 to 1945. Canada's main responsibility was to accompany convoys in Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, and other Canadian ports, housing merchants and navy vessels. -
D-Day
This battle was historically significant because it combined the air, land, and sea forces of the Allies in what became the largest seaborne invasion in military history. This win was key for the Allies because it allowed the Allies to push the Germans out of France. Canadian soldiers played a crucial part in the win on D-Day because they pushed farther inland than the Allies and the Americans. Canada also contributed 10,000 sailors and 109 ships to the enormous fleet of 7,000 Allied vessels -
Atomic Bomb
The Second World War came to an end in August 1945 with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but not before the Japanese civilian population suffered greatly and the nuclear era began. The atomic bomb killed roughly 200,000 people and completely obliterated the cities instantly. This made every other country want its atomic bomb, like Canada. Canada was a part of the Manhattan Project because it contributed raw uranium from the Northwest Territories to produce the atomic bomb's critical mass