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Battle of Vimy Ridge (positive)
When the Canadian Expeditionary Forced defeated the Germans at the battle of Vimy Ridge, which the British and French had been unable to do, Canada started to grow a strong sense of nationalism. They and the rest of the world started seeing themselves as less than a colony, and more of an independent nation capable of governing and living without the massive influence of the British Empire. -
Winnipeg General Strike (negative)
The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 definitely hindered Canada's sense of self as the striking working were extremely unhappy with the government, and their strike crippled the city of Winnipeg, which was essentially Canada's financial hub in these years. It was hugely damaging to the government and the people, especially veterans who fought and came back to abysmal working conditions. While positive change came out of it, this definitely didn't help with the Canadian sense of National Identity -
Chanak Crisis (positive)
The Chanak Crisis helped Canadian identity because it was essentially the first time that Canada as a nation had openly defied the British Empire. They refused Britain's request for help in a military conflict in Chanak, Turkey, and in turn, asserted their autonomy over that of the British Empire. This sent a powerful message to the world that Canada was not a country tied to Britain and who did their bidding, they were their own power and independent nation. -
Halibut Treaty (positive)
The Halibut Treaty was an agreement between the US and Canada to help protect Halibut overfishing on BC's northern coast. This may not seem like a big deal, but it was viewed as one as Britain was purposefully left out of the deal, having no say in the decisions Canada made. This was a step in the right direction for the growing sense of nationalism in Canada, and definitely contributed positively to their sense of identity as a young nation. -
King-Byng Crisis (positive and negative)
The King-Byng Crisis of 1926 was an event in which Governor-General Julian Byng publicly refused PM King's request to dissolve Parliament and call a fresh election. It showed that Britain still wanted power over the Canadians, but King waited for the next election and won. Since then, no Governor-General has denied a Prime Minister's request, so this is a plus and a minus for identity. It reinforced Canada's autonomy in the long run but having Byng deny the PM would have been bad at the time. -
Persons Case and Famous Five (positive and negative)
The Persons Case when five female suffragists, known as the Famous Five, publicly challenged PM King in the statement that women were not considered persons. However, the Privy Council of Britain gave this to women after the Supreme Court denied it the year before. This is both helping and hindering Canada's identity. It hinders it because the Council overrode the Supreme Court of Canada, but it helps because Canada is very accepting today, and this was a good step in the right direction. -
Stock Market Crash (negative)
This major world event hugely hindered Canada's sense of identity. The stock market crash destroyed the world's economy and hit both North America and Europe hard. It was so bad it triggered the infamous Great Depression, a decade of extreme poverty and hard times, ended only by the start of the Second World War. Canada's identity crumbled during this period, as the government couldn't support everyone, so the people all fell back alone, with millions of people desperately trying to get by. -
Balfour Report and Statute of Westminster (positive)
The Balfour Report was prominent British politician Lord Balfour supporting Canada and the other colonies in their request for complete autonomy from Britain. When this became law in 1931, in the Statute of Westminster, the Commonwealth was created, and Canada and the other British territories became free. This was probably the biggest event for Canadian Identity, as they were fully autonomous and allowed to freely govern themselves without Britain interfering.
