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Constitution Act of 1982
This Act, signed by Queen Elizabeth II in 1982, contained the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as the rights of Indigenous people. -
Meetch Lake Accord
Signed by PM Brian Mulroney in 1987, was a series of suggested amendments to the Canadian Constitution, and was intended to convince the Quebecois government to endorse the Constitution amendments made in ‘82. With lack of support from former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and from other groups in Canada, the Accord failed to be passed. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The wall coming down was funnily enough, purely by accident. An East Berlin government official had accidentally mentioned at the end of a live conference that citizens of East Germany were free to cross the border, immediately. This was meant to go into effect the following day. But, as people stormed the wall, guards had no choice but to let them through. -
Oka Crisis
The Oka Crisis was a land dispute between the Mohawk people and the city of Oka, Québec. Indigenous people protested against the expansion of a golf course that, if made any larger, would go onto sacred native territory. This crisis lasted 78 days, and faced one casualty (Marcel Lemay). -
GST
GST (Goods and Services Tax) was introduced to Canada in 1991 by PM Brian Mulroney. The GST was a replacement of the previous 13.5% manufacturers’ sales tax. -
Desert Storm
Operation Desert Storm began in January 1991 and ended a little over a month later on February 28th. The operation was called as a result of the Iraqi military’s refusal to end the invasion of Kuwait. After 42 days of attacks and bombardement, former president George H. W. Bush called a cease fire. By this time, most of the Iraqi military had fled from Kuwait. -
Collapse of the USSR
The fall of the Soviet Union had started in the late 80s, but wasn’t completed until December of 1991 when the country broke into 15 independent states (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia.) The collapse of the USSR also signaled an end to the Cold War between Russia and the United States. -
NAFTA
NAFTA (North American Free-Trade Agreement) created a free trade zone between Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The goal was to eliminate all tariff and non-tariff blockades between the three countries. This Agreement lasted until 2020, when the USMCA replaced it on July 1st. -
Charlottetown Accord
This was a failed attempt made yet again by Brian Mulroney to amend the Canadian Constitution. Although it had approval from the federal government and all 10 provinces, it was rejected by Canadian voters in 1992. -
Rwandan Genocide
The genocide in Rwanda began in April 1994 and didn’t end until 3 months later on July 15th. An estimated 500,000 - 800,000 people within the Tutsi ethnic group were murdered by the much larger group, the Hutu’s. Groups of armed Hutu people would storm Tutsi villages and violently kill them with guns, spears, or more commonly, were hacked to death with machetes. Despite peacekeeping missions sent in and aid given to the Rwandan people, not one nation took charge in stopping the killings. -
Quebec Referndum
The Quebec Referendum had asked voters from Quebec whether the province should become a separate nation from Canada. The answer was “No”, with 50.58% of the votes. -
Creation of Nunavut
On the first of April, 1999, the North West Territories split to form Nunavut. This change was made due to the amount of Inuit in this region who felt they should be separate from NWT. It is home to only 39,000 people, 85% of which are Inuit. -
Nisga’s First Nation Treaty
The Nisga’s First Nation Treaty came into effect during May of the year 2000. It took place in British Columbia to give the Nisga’a people hunting and fishing rights in the Nass Area of northern B.C. -
9/11
These suicide terrorist attacks occurred on September 11th, 2001, and is one of the most memorable and devastating attacks in American history. 2,996 people lost their lives. -
Canada in Afghanistan
The day of the events of 9/11, Canadian and American troops made their way to Afghanistan in hopes of battling the terrorism which reeked havoc on the nation. First arrived in Kandahar in 2001 were commandos from the elite Joint Task Force 2, then other Canadian soldiers in January 2002. There, they fought alongside American and British troops who had already begun the war to overthrow the Taliban government and lay the groundwork for a durable peace in the troubled country. -
Same-Sex Marriage
In 2005, Stephen Harper passed the Civil Marriage Act. This legalized same-sex marriage in every province and territory in Canada. -
Residential Schools Apology
In 2008, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued an apology to those affected by the Residential Schools in Canada. These schools forced indigenous children away from their families and into schools where they could no longer grow out their hair or speak their native tongue. These schools held thousands of children, and many were never lucky enough to escape. -
Vancouver Olympics
Between February 12th and February 28th, Vancouver held the 21st Winter Olympic Games. 2,693 athletes represented 82 nations. Canada earned 14 gold medals, the most out of every country in the competition. -
Canada and Syrian Refugees
Syria's protracted conflict has caused the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Between November 2015 and December 2016, Canada settled 25 Syrian refugees across the country. Canada has also donated over $1 Billion to aid those in Syria. -
Tragically Hip’s Final Concert
The Tragically Hip’s last concert took place on the 20th of August, 2016. Over 11.7 Million Canadians tuned in to hear them perform at the Kingston Rogers K-Rock Centre.