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Manitoba women became the first in Canada to win the rights to vote and to hold provincial office
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All female citizens aged 21 and over became eligible to vote in federal elections in Canada.
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Women in Canada gain the right to stand for the House of Commons.
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The Dominion Elections Act gives the right to vote in federal elections to all adult Canadians, male and female.
At first, the federal vote was not given to Aboriginal peoples, not to visible minorities barred from provincial voters' lists, such as persons of Asian decent. -
Establishment of the League of Nations, with Canada as one of the original members.
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Women in Canada gain the right to hold a seat in the Senate.
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Manitoba passes a Libel Act that allows legal action to stop personal attacks based on race or religion that expose people to hatred, contempt, or ridicule.
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Women in Quebec obtain the right to vote
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British Prime Minister Winston Churchil and U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt meet in Newfoundland to sign the Atlantic Charter, a declaration on the purposes of the war in fighting against fascism
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Ontario enacts the Racial Discrimination Act, prohibiting the publication or display of any notice, sign, or symbol indicating racial discrimination
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Tommy Douglas becomes premier of Saskatchewan and enacts a "humanity first" policy in government, making available free health care to the poor and to senior citizens.
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The B.C. Social Assistance Act of 1945 prohibits discrimination based on color, creed, race or political affiliation in social assistance programs
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End of World War II and founding of the United Nations "to save future generations from the scourge of war"; Canada is one of the original members.
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The Saskatchewan Bill of Rights, Canada's first general law prohibiting discrimination, is passed under Tommy Douglas.
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The federal Elections Act is changed so that race is no longer a ground for exclusion from voting in federal elections
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Japanese Canadians receive the right to vote in federal elections.
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is signed by the United Nations members. Canadian John Humphrey plays a large role in drafting the declaration, and Canada is among the signing nations.
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Wartime restrictions and the War Measures Act are ended
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The Indian Act is revised and some of the more repressive features of the act are removed.
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Doukhobours are given the right to vote in federal elections
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Equal Pay for Equal Work law is adopted by Manitoba, preventing discrimination in salary based on gender.
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Aboriginal people receive the unrestricted right to vote in federal elections
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The barring of immigrants based on nationality, citizenship, ethnic group, occupation, class or region of origin is ended in Canada
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Prime Minister John Diefenbaker brings in the Canadian Bill of Rights
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The last executions take place in Canada
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Laws requiring separate schools for blacks in Ontario are executed
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The first anti-age discrimination law in Canada is passes in B.C.
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Capital punishment in Canada is limited to the killing of on-duty police officers and prison gaurds
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The Criminal Code is amended to decriminalize homosexuality
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Ontario becomes the first province to pass a law guaranteeing a blind person the legal right to be accompanied by a specially trained dog guide in all facilities open to the public
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The Red Paper is written by Harold Cardinal in response to the 1969 White Paper
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The Criminal Code makes it a crime to advocate genocide or publicly incite hatred against people because of their colour, race, religion, or ethnic identity
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As a result of the Calder case involving the Nisga'a, Native title to land is proclaimed to exist under English law, predating colonization. This is seen to be the basis for contemporary Aboriginal law in Canada.
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Nova Scotia amends its Human Rights Act to prohibit employment discrimination against the physically handicapped, unless the handicap prevents an acceptable job performance
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Quebec passes its Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms
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Capital punishment is removed as a penalty for crime in Canada. (However, it is still permitted in the military for serious offenses.)
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The federal government passes the Canadian Human Rights Act and sets up the Human Rights Commission
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The Immigration Act removes all restrictive regulations based on "nationality, citizenship, ethnic group, occupation, class or geographical area of origin."
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The Constitutional Act specifically recognizes Aboriginal rights and the Metis as an Aboriginal people
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The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms becomes part of Canada's constitution and the Canadian identity. Since that date many landmark decisions have ben made by the Supreme Court to uphold the human rights provisions of the Charter.
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Bill C-31 changes the Indian Act to end some forms of discrimination that had existed since the 1860s. Prior to Bill C-31, Indian women who married non-Indian men were no longer considered to be Indian, nor were their children.
They were now allowed to reclaim their status under the Indian Act. Other First Nations people were also allowed to reclaim their status as Indians under the Act: e.g., people who had lived outside of Canada for more than five years. -
The federal Employment Equity Act comes into force
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A motion to reintroduce capital punishment is debated in the Canadian House of Commons and defeated on a free vote
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Prime Minister Brian Mulroney acknowledges Canada's wrongful actions against Japanese Canadians during WWII and offers a compensation program
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Federal-Provincial Relations Directorate is created to coordinate federal and provincial activities regarding Aboriginal self-government.
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Elijah Harper, an Aboriginal Member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, is instrumental in the defeat of the Meech Lake Accord, as it neglected to acknowledge Aboriginal Canadians' significant role in shaping Canada's future.
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The Sparrow case affirms that the constitutional rights of Aboriginal people cannot be infringed without justification.
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The federal government announces a five-year national plan to help bring persons with disabilities into society's mainstream
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The Anglican church apologizes to residential school victims
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The Canadian government establishes a policy to move Aboriginal self-government policy forward
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The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples report is issued
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The Van der Peet, Gladstone, Smokehouse decisions by the Supreme court affirm that Aboriginal rights existed prior to The Constitution and are not extinguishable
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Sexual orientation is added as a grounds for discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act
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The Canadian Race Relations Foundation, on organization to promote racial harmony, opens its doors.
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The Delgamuukw decision of the Supreme Court of Canada confirms the existence if Aboriginals title in B.C.
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Capital punishment is removed from Canadian military law
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The Canadian government releases Gathering Strength: Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan, which expresses regret for damaging actions that have been committed against Aboriginal people, and sets out a plan to fully implement treaty terms,
strengthen Aboriginal self-government, and to provide resources to promote social, cultural, and economic development for Aboriginal communities. -
The Canadian government issues a statement of reconciliation to residential school survivors and victims and establishes the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
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The Marshall decision of the Supreme Court of Canada affirms treaty rights of Mi'kmaq to fish commercially
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Canada's Extradition Act states that Canada will refuse to forcibly return anyone to a country that wants to punish that person because of race, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, language, colour, political opinion, sex, sexual orientation, age,
mental or physical disability or status. -
The Powley case establishes that the rights of a particular Ontario Metis community to hunt for food were infringed by provincial law.
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The Canadian government announces a $1.9 billion compensation package to benefit tens of thousands of survivors of abuse at native residential schools
