Canada’s History

Aboriginal Peoples

Aboriginal peoples lived off the land: some hunted, others farmed or fished.

The Inuit lived off Arctic wildlife; West Coast natives preserved fish by drying and smoking.

Warfare was common among Aboriginal groups competing for land and resources.

The Vikings reached Labrador and Newfoundland 1,000 years ago.

John Cabot, an Italian in English service, was the first to map Canada’s Atlantic shore in 1497.

Jacques Cartier (1534–1542) explored the St. Lawrence River and named the region Canada, from the Iroquoian word kanata meaning 'village.'

In 1604, French explorers established the first European settlement at Port-Royal, Acadia.

Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City in 1608 and allied with the Algonquin, Montagnais, and Huron against the Iroquois.

The fur trade drove the economy; French leaders like Jean Talon and Count Frontenac expanded New France.

Hudson’s Bay Company was granted trading rights in 1670.

British and French colonies competed in fur trade and for land.

In 1759, the British defeated the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, ending France’s empire in North America.

The Quebec Act of 1774 allowed religious freedom for Catholics and restored French civil law.

During the American Revolution, over 40,000 Loyalists fled to Canada, including diverse cultural and religious groups.

The Loyalists included 3,000 Black Loyalists, who later founded Sierra Leone in Africa.

The United States invaded Canada in 1812 but was defeated.

Key figures: Sir Isaac Brock and Chief Tecumseh defended Canada.

The War of 1812 helped secure Canada’s independence from the U.S.

In 1867, the British North America Act created the Dominion of Canada with four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

Sir John A. Macdonald became Canada’s first Prime Minister.

Canada expanded westward, adding Manitoba (1870), British Columbia (1871), and other regions.

Louis Riel led two Métis uprisings to defend Métis rights and culture.

The Canadian Pacific Railway (completed in 1885) connected Canada from sea to sea.

Canada contributed 600,000 troops to WWI; the victory at Vimy Ridge (1917) symbolized Canada’s national pride.

Women earned the right to vote during this time.

Over 1 million Canadians served in WWII; key events included the D-Day invasion at Juno Beach.

Canada also participated in the Battle of the Atlantic and the liberation of the Netherlands.

Post-war Canada grew economically and socially, developing programs like universal healthcare and employment insurance.

The Quiet Revolution in Quebec in the 1960s led to cultural and political changes.

Canada became a multicultural society, welcoming immigrants and refugees.