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100
9000 BC Natives in North America
Sorry that this event is not actually placed at 9000 BC the timeline editior would not allow me to move it back further then year 100. I chose this time because it marks the beginning of the human race in North America. When Natives first moved from Asia to what is now Canada, they were the first "First Nations" on the continenet. This is extremely importanat as their legacy is the Native American population. -
Jan 1, 1497
John Cabot Claims Newfoundland for Britain
John Cabot claiming Newfoundland for Britain marks the beginning of the colonisation of Canada as a British colony. I included this event because it is clear that this is a very important step in Canada becoming the predominantly English speaking country it is today. -
Jan 1, 1535
Jasques Cartier Claims Land for France
Jacques Cartier claimed land upon the St. Lawrence River in the name of France in 1535. This marks the beginning of the competition between France and Britain over the land in North America, specifically Canada. This also had a large part in the creation of Canada as the bilingual country as it exists now. -
Fur Monopoly Insues
In 1627 the French government granted a royal charter to the Company of New France giving them a full monopoly on all the fur trade in all new French territory in the Americas. However in return for the charter the Hundred Associates Company had to attract 4000 settlers to New France as well as supporting the conversion of Native Canadians to Catholicism. I included this event because those 4000 settlers were some of the first settlers to Canada and the fathers of much of Canada today. -
Hudsons Bay Company is Created
On May 2nd 1670 the British government granted a royal charter to the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson’s Bay –or the Hudson’s Bay Company. This charter gave the company exclusive trading rights on all of the land whose rivers drained into the Hudson’s Bay. This marked the birth of the largest company in Canada at that time and what we know as The Bay today. -
Beginning of 7 Years War
The Seven Years’ War was the official beginning of conflict between European powers over the control of land in Canada. This is a hugely significant event because it solidified land control of the east coast of Canada as well as establishing the British as the main European country controlling North America. -
Royal Proclamation
The Royal Proclamation encouraged british settlers to make homes in Quebec and other provinces. The Proclamation offered land grants to former british soilders as a tactic to attract more settlers. This is a significant event because it sparked the beginning of a great migration of the british population into Canada. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec act solidified Quebec as a governing province and a free Catholic region. This set the groundwork for both religious and language practices in the second largest province in the country. -
Red River Colony
In 1811 HBC granted 300, 000 square kilometers to Thomas Douglas, who then sold the land to new settlers to form what was called the Red River Colony. This marked the beginning of European population in the west and the settlements present contained the first Canadians in the prairies. -
Confederation
Confederation is a fairly obvious choice as it marks the birth of the country we live in today. It also marks the day of the creation of the code of ethics all Canadians live by today. -
Smallpox Outbreak
In 1870 a huge smallpox outbreak killed thousands of First Nations people living in western Canada. I included this because I believe it played a significant role in weakening the morale of the First Nation people and contributed to the success of western settlement. -
Indian Act
The Indian act left the huge legacy of what we know as the reserve system today. This is a very controversial legacy, however it has effected thousands of people since its enactment. -
Residential Schools
During the early 1880’s children of First Nation decent began to be taken from their homes to residential schools across the country. I included this event because I believe this period is one of the darkest of our country’s lifespan, the regret of which has shaped us as the country we are today. -
Multiculturalism
In 1970 the Canadian government introduced a policy of multiculturalism. Coining the phrase, Canada became the first country to adopt the policy of being a society with varied cultural and ethnic groups. Canada’s national identity has always been shaped by the vast amount of different groups living inside its borders. I believe that Canada would be a vary different place today if not for this policy. -
Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Charter of Rights and freedoms is what this countries moral values on based upon. All of our supreme court decisions are based on the interpretation of this charter and therefor leaves a very obvious and important legacy.
