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Start of WW1
Scale: -2
Theme: Political
During this time we were still under Britain's control, and this meant that Sir Robert Borden, our prime minister, had to declare that Canada would join Britain and the Triple Entente in the war too. This led to tens of thousands of Canadians dead, permanently wounded, or without the ability to reintegrate into society, due to a lack of accommodations. The repercussions of WW1 were felt years after it ended, and impacted people all around the world. -
Battle of Vimy Ridge
Scale: +1
Theme: Political
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a brutal, but necessary moment in Canadian history because it was the first battle led by a Canadian general, and as an independent troop. It proved that Canada can lead on its own and that when they worked together they were far more powerful and effective, which helped lead to Canada's independence. It did come at a heavy cost though, with thousands of Canadians dying or severely wounded. -
Influenza
Scale: -2
Theme: Social
The influenza killed over 50,000 people in Canada alone, and destroyed the economy and health care, claiming up to 5% of the world's population. No one was safe from this deadly virus, especially with inadequate quarantine and safety measures across the country. The effects of the influenza virus on society are not unlike that of Covid - it impacted families, businesses, jobs, society - everyone was negatively impacted in one way or another and knew someone who had died. -
Winnipeg general strike
Scale: +1
Theme: Economic
The strike had happened because Canadians everywhere had enough and wanted better pay and working conditions, This had caused over 30,000 people to join the strike, leading to businesses and factories everywhere to come to a sudden stop. These strikes could also get violent, and a lot of the time they never actually made any progress. Some good did come from it though, as it united working class Canadians and eventually led to fairer and safer work. -
Treaty of Versailles
Scale: +1
Theme: Political
Once WW1 had ended, this treaty was used set peace terms for the Germans. It essentially put all the blame on Germany, and took away almost all of their army, and a decent amount of territory. What was monumental about this, is that although Canada didn't get much say at the conference, they did get a seat. Canada getting a seat was a huge step towards independence since it showed that Britain acknowledged what we did as a separate entity. -
Residential School Mandate
Scale: -2
Theme: Social
Residential schools had been around since the 1800's, and became mandatory for Indigenous children in 1920. The Canadian government, along with the Church, had wanted to assimilate Indigenous people into society and tried to strip them of their culture, beliefs and languages. The children at these schools were mistreated and abused, and it was a traumatizing and unjust experience. The government treated them horribly and the effects of these schools are still felt today. -
Technological Advances
Scale: +2
Theme: Economic
Throughout the Roaring 20's, Canada had a lot of technological advances and inventions which are still used today. Sir Frederick G Banting and Charles H Best discovered injectable insulin, which can be used to help diabetics, and has saved millions of lives. Safer and more affordable vehicles made for easier transportation, and quickly changed the transportation industry and road infrastructure. The group of 7 also made a huge difference in Canadian identity and art. -
The Balfour report
Scale: +2
Theme: Political
This report declared us constitutionally equal to Britain and could then make decisions on our own without having to get permission from Britain first. We're still linked to the British commonwealth politically, but we could govern ourselves and had almost complete legal control, and could make our own laws, which allowed us to depend less on Britain. This was incredibly important to Canadians and Canada, because this meant that we had nearly full independence. -
The Great Depression
Scale: -2
Theme: Economic
The Great Depression impacted Canadians everywhere, and a huge cause of it was the Stock Market crash. With dried up crops and no money in the economy, partly because people couldn't pay back their credit, thousands were laid off, couldn't get jobs, or just didn't make enough to get by. With no one able to buy a lot of goods, even more workers got laid off, which then in turn spiraled to the point where all of the economy and Canada suffered for 10 long years. -
The Persons Case
Scale: +2
Theme: Social
This date marks the day that women in Canada were finally declared as "Persons" in law and could then be in the Senate. Activists Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louis McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards, who we now call the Famous Five, had seen the injustice and decided to act, so women could finally be legal persons. It was a long battle, but they eventually won once they took it to the Privy Council, and this led the way for women to gain equality.