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Timeline

Important events sorted by time

  • 1215

    The signing of Magna Carta in England (also known as the Great Charter of Freedoms)
  • 1604

    The Acadians began settling in what are now the Maritime provinces.
  • 1670

    King Charles II of England granted the Hudson’s Bay Company exclusive trading rights over the watershed draining into Hudson Bay.
  • 1758

    The first representative assembly was elected in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
  • 1759

    The British defeated the French in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Québec City — marking the end of France’s empire in America.
  • 1774

    To better govern the French Roman Catholic majority, the British Parliament passed the Quebec Act of 1774
  • 1791

    The Constitutional Act of 1791 divided the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada. The Act also granted to the Canadas, for the first time, legislative assemblies elected by the people. The name Canada also became official at this time and has been used ever since.
  • 1793

    Upper Canada became the first province in the Empire to move toward abolition.
  • 1812

    The War of 1812: The Fight for Canada (VS the United States of America)
  • 1832

    The Montreal Stock Exchange opened in 1832.
  • 1833

    The British Parliament abolished slavery throughout the Empire.
  • 1840

    Upper and Lower Canada were united as the Province of Canada.
  • 1847-48

    Nova Scotia became the first British North American colony to attain full responsible government.
  • 1857

    Ottawa, located on the Ottawa River, was chosen as the capital in 1857 by Queen Victoria, the great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.
  • 1867 July 1

    The British Parliament passed the British North America Act in 1867. The Dominion of Canada🍁 was officially born on July 1, 1867. July 1st is officially known as Canada Day🇨🇦
  • 1867

    Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick joined Canada🍁
  • 1870

    Manitoba, Northwest Territories Joined Canada🍁
  • 1871

    British Columbia Joined Canada🍁
  • 1873

    Prince Edward Island Joined Canada🍁
  • 1880

    Transfer of the Arctic Islands (to N.W.T.)🍁
  • 1885

    The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway
  • 1898

    Yukon Territory Joined Canada🍁
  • 1905

    Alberta, Saskatchewan Joined Canada🍁
  • 1916

    Manitoba became the first province to grant voting rights to women
  • 1917, April

    The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge during World War 1
  • 1918

    In 1918, most Canadian female citizens aged 21, and over were granted the right to vote in federal elections.
  • 1921

    In 1921 Agnes Macphail, a farmer and teacher, became the first woman MP
  • 1940

    Due to the work of Thérèse Casgrain and others, Quebec granted women the vote in 1940.
  • 1940

    Unemployment insurance (now called employment insurance) was introduced by the federal government
  • 1949

    Newfoundland and Labrador Joined Canada🍁
  • 1963

    In 1963 Parliament established the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. This led to the Official Languages Act (1969), which guarantees French and English services in the federal government across Canada.
  • 1965

    The current Canadian flag 🇨🇦 was raised for the first time
  • 1969

    The Official Languages Act (1969), which guarantees French and English services in the federal government across Canada
  • 1970s

    The term First Nations began to be used.
  • 1980

    The movement for Quebec sovereignty gained strength but was defeated in a referendum in the province in 1980.
  • 1982

    The Constitution of Canada was amended to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
  • 1988

    The Government of Canada apologized for wartime wrongs and compensated the victims (Canadians of Japanese origin)
  • 1995

    Though sovereignty was again defeated in a second referendum in 1995, the autonomy of Quebec within Canada remains a lively topic—part of the dynamic that continues to shape our country.
  • 1999

    Nunavut Joined Canada🍁
  • 2006

    The Government of Canada apologized for discriminatory against the Chinese labours (who contributed to the building of Canadian Pacific Railway
  • 2008

    Ottawa formally apologized to the former Aboriginal students