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Data
Important Dates
Early History
c. 10,000 BC
First Peoples Arrive
Early descendants of Canada's aboriginal people cross the Bering land bridge from east Asia into North America.
c. 900 AD
Early Viking visitors
Viking explorers are believed to be the first Europeans to visit North America and establish L’Anse aux Meadows settlement on the island of Newfoundland.
c. 1400s
Iroquois Confederacy
Foundation of the Iroquois Confederacy, considered the high point of "pre-contact" aboriginal civilization.
June 24, 1497
First British claim
Italian explorer John Cabot claims the island of Newfoundland for England.
July 24, 1534
First French claim
French explorer Jacques Cartier sails into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and claims the Gaspé Peninsula for France. Early attempts to found permanent French settlements fail.
1604
French settlement begins
Explorer Samuel de Champlain establishes first French settlement on St. Croix Island. In 1605, the colony is relocated to Port-Royal.
May 13, 1607
British settlement begins
British explorer Christopher Newport establishes Jamestown as first permanent British colony in North America.
July 3, 1608
Founding of Quebec
Founding of Quebec City on the St. Lawrence River heralds first permanent French settlement in North America.
May 17, 1642
Founding of Montreal
The city of Montreal, then known as Ville-Marie, is founded by Paul de Chomedey Sieur de Maisonneuve.
Sep. 24, 1663
New France
New France becomes a royal colony of the French Empire.
May 2, 1670
Hudson's Bay Company founded
The Hudson's Bay Company is founded by Britain's King Charles II. The company is given control of a vast new territory known as Rupert's Land, comprising much of northern North America.
18th Century
1702-1713
Queen Anne's War
The North American front in the War of the Spanish Succession sees French and British forces battle for control of Atlantic colonies on the east coast of North America.
July 13, 1713
British take Atlantic Canada
The signing of the Treaty of Utrecht ends Queen Anne's War. France cedes the island of Newfoundland, the colony of Acadia, and its settlements on Hudson's Bay territory to England.
1755
Expulsion of the Acadians
British expel French settlers from Acadia.
Sep. 14, 1752
Calendar switch
Colonies of the British Empire begin using the Gregorian calendar, abandoning the old Julian calendar.
1756-1763
French and Indian War
The North American front in the Seven Years War sees France and England battle for control of New France.
Sep. 13, 1759
Victory on the Plains of Abrahams
The decisive Battle of the Plains of Abraham results in British victory in the French and Indian War.
Feb. 10, 1763
British conquest of New France
Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years War. France surrenders New France, now known as Quebec, to Britain.
Oct. 7, 1763
Royal Proclamation on Indians
A Royal Proclamation by Britain's King George III establishes general procedures for obtaining British control of aboriginal land.
June 22, 1774
Quebec Act
Britain passes the Quebec Act, which permits the the continuation of the French language, legal system and Catholic religion in the former New France.
July 1, 1776
Founding of the United States
13 British colonies in eastern North America revolt against colonial rule and form an independent country known as the United States of America. Loyalists flee to Quebec and Britain's Atlantic colonies.
Dec. 26, 1791
Establishment of Upper and Lower Canada
Britain passes Constitution Act, dividing Quebec into two colonies: Upper Canada (English) and Lower Canada (French).
July 22, 1793
British claim Pacific coast
British explorer Alexander Mackenzie crosses the Rocky Mountains and claims the Pacific coast of North America for Britain.
19th Century
1805
British settle the west
British explorer Simon Fraser founds the Rocky Mountain settlement of Fort McLeod (in modern-day British Columbia) as the region's first permanent white settlement.
1812-1815
War of 1812
War of 1812: Britain and the United States battle for control of eastern North America.
Dec. 24, 1814
U.S. and Britain make peace
The Treaty of Ghent ends the War of 1812. Both Britain and the United States agree to re-establish the "status quo ante bellum" and return to the pre-1812 state of affairs.
March 6, 1834
Toronto founded
The City of Toronto is incorporated.
Aug. 1, 1834
Slavery abolished
Britain's Slavery Abolition Act takes effect, emancipating all slaves within the British Empire.
Feb. 4, 1839
Durham Report
In response to growing unrest in the Canadian colonies, Governor Lord Durham releases a report recommending the merging of Upper and Lower Canada.
Feb. 10, 1841
Upper and Lower Canada reunited
Britain passes an Act of Union unites Upper and Lower Canada into the United Province of Canada with a single parliamentary-style government.
Feb. 19, 1858
Founding of British Columbia
The British Crown Colony of British Columbia is established on the Pacific coast.
Sep. 1, 1864
Confederation talks
Charlottetown Conference sees politicians from the United Province of Canada and Britain's Maritime colonies begin talks over a possible political union.
July 1, 1867
Dominion of Canada established
The British North America Act takes effect, uniting the former United Province of Canada (now split into Quebec and Ontario) with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and forming a new self-governing colony, the Dominion of Canada. The modern constitution of Canada takes effect.
Nov. 19, 1869
Canada annexes Rupert's Land
Negotiations between Canada, Britain, and the Hudson's Bay Company conclude with the HBC signing a "deed of surrender" that transfers control of their massive Rupert's Land and North West Territories to Canada.
1870
Canadian money introduced
The Dominion Notes Act is passed establishing a uniform Canadian currency (the Canadian Dollar) across Canada.
July 15, 1870
Manitoba joins Canada
Manitoba is carved from the Rupert's Land territory to become the fifth province of Canada. The remaining land becomes known as the Northwest Territories.
May 8, 1871
British army leaves North America
Britain and the United States sign the Treaty of Washington, solidifying peace between their nations and removing all remaining British troops from North America.
July 25, 1871
British Columbia joins Canada
British Columbia becomes the sixth province of Canada.
July 1, 1873
PEI joins Canada
Prince Edward Island becomes the seventh province of Canada.
May 23, 1873
Mounties founded
The Northwest Mounted Police, precursor to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, are founded.
April 12, 1876
Indian Act
The Indian Act is passed by the Parliament of Canada, founding the modern system of Indian reservations.
Feb. 15, 1881
CPR starts
The federal government authorizes the construction of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway.
Dec. 21, 1883
Canadian armed forces established
A militia known as the Royal Canadian Regiment is founded as the first permanent regiment of what will become the Canadian Army.
Nov. 7, 1885
CPR completed
The symbolic "last spike" is driven in Craigellachie, British Columbia, completing the Canadian Pacific Railway.
April 6, 1886
Vancouver founded
The city of Vancouver is incorporated.
June 13, 1898
Yukon joins Canada
The Yukon is separated from the Northwest Territories to become Canada's second territory.
1899-1902
South African War
Canadian troops are sent to fight for the British in the second South African Boer War.
20th Century
July, 1904
First Olympics
Canada sends its first-ever national team to the 1904 summer Olympics in St. Louis.
Sept. 1, 1905
Alberta and Saskatchewan created
Alberta and Saskatchewan are separated from the Northwest Territories to become the eighth and ninth provinces of Canada.
May 4, 1910
Canadian navy founded
Passage of the Naval Service Act creates the Royal Canadian Navy.
1914-1918
World War I
Canadian troops fight under British command during the First World War. Fighting officially ends on November 11, 1918.
June 7, 1917
First women elected
Roberta MacAdams Price of Alberta becomes the first woman elected to sit in a Canadian provincial parliament.
May 24, 1918
Women get the right to vote
Women are granted the right to vote in Canadian federal elections. Provinces follow suit at different times between 1916 and 1940.
Jan. 10, 1919
Canada joins League of Nations
Canada becomes one of the founding members of the League of Nations.
1923
First Nobel Prize for a Canadian
Dr. Frederick Banting becomes the first Canadian to win a Nobel Prize for helping discover insulin.
April 1, 1924
Canadian air force founded
The Royal Canadian Air Force is established.
Oct. 29, 1929
Great Depression
A stock market crash in the United States triggers a worldwide "Great Depression"
Dec. 11, 1931
Canadian gets full independence
The Statute of Westminster grants Canada political independence from Britain, including the right to an independent foreign policy.
Sep. 10, 1939
Canada enters WWII
Canada declares war on Germany and sends troops to fight in World War II.
June 6, 1944
D-Day
Canadian troops participate in the decisive D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.
May 8, 1945
V-E Day
The European theatre of World War II ends with the surrender of Germany.
Sep. 2, 1945
V-J Day
The Pacific Theatre of World War II ends with the surrender of the Japanese Empire. Canada is one of the signatories on the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.
1946
Canadian army founded
The Canadian Army is founded, incorporating previous militias and regiments under a single land force command.
April 1, 1949
Newfoundland joins Canada
Newfoundland becomes the 10th and (to date) final province of Canada.
April 4, 1949
Canada joins NATO
Canada becomes one of the founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
1946
Supreme Court gains supremacy
Canadians can no longer make appeals to British courts. The Supreme Court of Canada becomes Canada's highest judicial body.
1950-1953
Korean War
Canadians fight in the Korean War under United Nations command.
Feb. 28, 1952
First Canadian GG
Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born governor general of Canada.
May 12, 1958
NORAD founded
Canada and the United States co-found the North American Aerospace Defense Command to jointly protect the security of North American airspace.
Jun. 22, 1960
Quebec's Quiet Revolution
The election of Liberal Jean Lesage as prime minister of Quebec heralds the beginning of Quebec's "quiet revolution" of secularization and modernization.
1963
Nuclear weapons
American nuclear weapons begin being stationed in Canada.
Feb. 15, 1
A new flag
The Maple Leaf becomes Canada's official flag.
Jul. 1, 1967
Canada turns 100
Canada celebrates its centennial.
1969
Bilingualism
The passage of the Official Languages Act makes Canada an officially bilingual country with French and English as its two official languages.
Oct. 16, 1970
October Crisis
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau evokes the martial law powers of the War Measures Act to crack down on separatist terrorists in Quebec following the assassination of vice-premier Pierre Laporte.
Jul. 17, 1976
Montreal Olympics
Montreal becomes the first Canadian city to host the summer Olympic games.
May 20, 1980
Separatism voted down
Quebec voters reject a referendum on separation from Canada.
April 17, 1982
Constitutional independence
Queen Elizabeth II signs the Canadian Constitution Act, transferring control of the former British North America Act — Canada's constitution — to Canada, thereby ending any remaining British political power over Canada. The revised version contains a new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
June, 1984
Removal of nuclear weapons
The last American nuclear weapons are removed from Canada, ending a denuclearization phase.
Oct. 4, 1984
First Canadian in space
Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in outer space.
Oct. 3, 1987
Free Trade
A free trade agreement between Canada and the United States is approved. Mexico later joins the free trade bloc, forming the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.
Jan-Mar, 1991
Gulf War
Canadians participate in the first Persian Gulf War to expel Iraq from Kuwait.
Mar. 29, 1993
First female premier
Catherine Callbeck of Prince Edward Island becomes the first woman to be elected premier of a Canadian province.
Oct. 30, 1995
Second referendum fails
Quebec voters narrowly reject a second referendum on separation from Canada.
Apr. 1, 1999
Nunavut founded
Nunavut is separated from the Northwest Territories to become Canada's third (and final) territory.
March, 1999
Yugoslavia war
Canada participates in NATO air strikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
The 21st Century
Feb. 3, 2001
Afghan War
Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Canadian troops are deployed to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban regime and Islamic terrorists.
Jul. 7, 2011
End of Afghan War
Canada ends its combat mission in Afghanistan.
July 1, 2017
Canada turns 150
Canada celebrates its 150th birthday.
Feb. 2020-
Coronavirus Pandemic
The deadly respiratory disease known as COVID-19 wreaks havoc around the world, and kills nearly 30,000 Canadians.
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