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Constitution Act of 1982 (Charter of Rights and Freedoms)
The Canadian Charter of Rights promises the rights and freedoms of society. This allows inclusion and for everyone to have their space within reasonable limits. There are several significances, such as the protection of rights for the Aboriginal people and so on. The Canadian Charter also states the power of Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments. These rules apply to everyone in Canada, but there are special rules for Canadian Citizens like election voting etc. -
Meech Lake Accord
This was an agreement between the federal and provincial governments to alter the Constitution. Since Quebec is a part of Canada, they were automatically assumed to be a part of the Constitution. However, Quebec wished to be a distinct society. The Meech Lake Accord is a failed attempt to add Quebec (with their consent) to the Constitution. All of Canada believed it would make everyone a lot more powerful! -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was created to prevent its population from leaving East Berlin for West Berlin which was controlled by the Soviet Union. The Berlin Wall fell because of a mistake made by East German spokesman Günter Schabowski, who declared that they immediately take down the wall, and not in a few days or so. Finally, everyone who was trapped behind the walls was able to pass the wall. -
Desert Storm (The Gulf War)
1990-1991, the Desert storm, otherwise known as “The Gulf War”, was a war between Kuwait and Iraq. Iraq invaded Kuwait but surrendered later because the U.S. also joined and attacked its army. Hussein, the leader of Iraq, was also required to destroy his chemical and biological weapons. The significance of this event was that America was able to state that they are the most powerful. -
Oka Crisis
Jul 11, 1990 – Sep 26, 1990, a golf course expansion was taking place near Indigenous Mohawk ground, which had the last remaining pines and graveyards. The Indigenous started to campaign to stop this expansion. The city wouldn’t listen to them, and they started to bring out weapons. The Police brought out armed forces and went to get rid of the peaceful blockade. The policy to prevent future incidents like this was the main significant event and people were finally heard. -
G.S.T (In Canada)
In Canada, G.S.T stands for Goods and Service Tax. This is a single tax that is applied on goods and items, from the creator to the buyer. GST can be beneficial and can simplify the usage of tax into one straightforward system. The roadmap of taxes and GST were formulated by The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers. -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union collapsed and was replaced by a smaller Russian Federation. After WW2, The Soviet Union found that their economy and military were growing weaker, and their government was corrupt, so the Soviet Union president loosened the economic and political policies, which caused them to crash. Other incidents that caused them to crash were Chornobyl, the fall of the Berlin Wall and oil prices increasing after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. -
Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord was the second failed attempt to gain Quebec’s acceptance in the Canadian Constitution. This accord was initiated because of the failed attempt of the Meech Lake accord. This accord was also created because of certain circumstances with Aboriginal inclusion, the reformation of the Senate and the House of Commons. The federal government and the 10 provinces all approved of this accord. However, this accord was rejected by a public political vote on October 26, 1992. -
NAFTA
NAFTA stands for “North American Free Trade Agreement.” The purpose of NAFTA is to get rid of all tariffs and non-tariff barriers between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. when trading and investing. NAFTA is also considered the largest trading relationship in the world! Canada is also one of the largest suppliers of oil to the U.S. because of NAFTA. -
Rwandan Genocide
From April 7, 1994, to July 15, 1994, many Hutu civilians assumed that all the Tutsi civilians were secretly a part of the military threat created by the Rwandan Patriotic Front. The Hutu fanatics had killed around 800'000 to 1 million Tutsi civilians. The rest of the world looked at this conflict as an "internal conflict" so they ignored this. General Dallaire--the commander of the UN peacekeeping in Rwanda--pleaded for help again, and it was still ignored. -
1995 Quebec Referendum
The Quebec Referendum was a vote taken in 1995. The purpose of the Quebec Refrenderum was to ask the voters in Quebec to stay a province in Canada or to become an independent country. Quebec found the idea to leave because it wished to promote its own economic, ecological, economic and cultural development. The side to stay a province won with the smallest margin and Quebec was able to stay a province in Canada. -
Creation of Nunavut
On April 1st, Nunavut was created and was known as the land of the Inuit. The people of Nunavut had a desire for their own government. The significance of this event was that Nunavut was able to become their own territory and hold their identity as Indigenous people. It is also one of the biggest territories in Canada. -
Nisga’s First Nation Treaty
On May 11, 2000, in British Colombia, this was the first treaty to be signed to provide essential respect to all Indigenous peoples in Section 35 right to self-government. This became the first ever modern-day treaty in British Colombia and left many relieved of such a treaty. -
Canada in Afghanistan
2001-2014
After 9/11 had happened, NATO allies including Canada and the U.S. went to Afghanistan. They invaded Afghanistan and commenced a firefight with the al-Qaeda members. Canada mainly fought against the Taliban forces and al-Qaeda forces and they provided protection for humanitarian operations. Canada also sent warships to southwest Asia. Even if Afghanistan does not have any ocean borders, they still patrolled the area and searched for civilian vessels for wanted terrorists. -
9/11
On September 11, 2001, around four passenger planes were hijacked by terrorists, and they destroyed a few monuments of the U.S. The twin towers, or “The World Trade Center” was destroyed and only one tower was left standing. And the U.S. military headquarters was also hit. This attack killed around 2’977 civilians and around 441 first responders were killed as well. -
Same-Sex Marriage
Same-Sex Marriage is when two partners are married of the same sex/gender. This would help reduce some forms of discrimination and prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community and would allow them to feel more open to society. -
Residential School Apology
In the 1880s, Residential schools took place in Canada where Indigenous children were taken from their families and put into westernized schools. From the 1990s forward, an apology was made by the Canadian churches, and they admitted that their behaviour in residential schools was incorrect. In 2008, Stephen Harper made a formal apology to former students at those residential schools. -
Vancouver Olympics
The Winter Vancouver Olympics had Canada win 14 gold medals! This was considered the most ever won by any country at these Winter Games. There were around 2566 athletes participating, and 82 teams. This event continued from February 12th to 27th. Around 3.5 billion people viewed this event on television. This Olympics is also considered the third Olympics to be hosted by Canada. -
Canada and Syrian Refugees
In 2015-2016, In Syria, there were many rebels and fighters from the Nusra Front that captured many borders. This is when Syria launched air strikes. Many Syrian refugees were fleeing to nearby countries for help. The Canadian government shifted around 25’000 Syrian refugees to help and support those who were losing hope. -
Tragically Hip’s Final Concert
Tragically Hip was a rock band from 1984-2016. They ended their 33-year career in music and rock by holding their last show in Kingston Ontario. The Olympics were also going on at the time, and the broadcasters even spent some time to broadcast the concert. This concert was mainly held for all their fans to pay their respects to Gord Downie. Gord Downie was battling brain cancer and died around 14 months later.