TOPIC · TIMELINE
Important dates to know
The key years from our Discover Canada notes, in order. Each line gives the guide page so you can check it.
- 1215 Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship (sources of law, Magna Carta, the Charter) — Canada's tradition of ordered liberty goes back to Magna Carta, signed in 1215.
Discover Canada, p. 8 · Read the notes - 1497 The First Europeans / Exploring a river, naming Canada — John Cabot's 1497 expedition produced the first map of the East Coast.
Discover Canada, p. 14 · Read the notes - 1604 English and French — Acadians descend from French colonists who began settling the Maritime region in 1604.
Discover Canada, p. 11 · Read the notes - 1608 Royal New France — Champlain built his fortress at Québec in 1608.
Discover Canada, p. 15 · Read the notes - 1701 Royal New France — After a century of conflict, the French and Iroquois made peace in 1701.
Discover Canada, p. 15 · Read the notes - 1758 The Beginnings of Democracy — The first elected assembly met in Halifax in 1758.
Discover Canada, p. 16 · Read the notes - 1758 The Beginnings of Democracy — After Nova Scotia (1758), P.E.I. followed in 1773 and New Brunswick in 1785.
Discover Canada, p. 16 · Read the notes - 1759 Struggle for a continent / The province of Quebec — The British victory at Québec City in 1759 ended France's empire in America.
Discover Canada, p. 15 · Read the notes - 1763 Aboriginal peoples — Territorial rights were first guaranteed in the Royal Proclamation of 1763.
Discover Canada, p. 10 · Read the notes - 1776 United Empire Loyalists — The 13 colonies declared independence in 1776 and formed the United States.
Discover Canada, p. 15 · Read the notes - 1782 United Empire Loyalists — Carleton, Governor of Quebec, also supervised the Loyalist migration of 1782–83.
Discover Canada, p. 15 · Read the notes - 1785 The Beginnings of Democracy — New Brunswick's first assembly came in 1785.
Discover Canada, p. 16 · Read the notes - 1791 The Beginnings of Democracy — The 1791 Act split the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada and Lower Canada.
Discover Canada, p. 16 · Read the notes - 1793 Abolition of slavery — In 1793 Upper Canada, under John Graves Simcoe, moved first toward abolition.
Discover Canada, p. 16 · Read the notes - 1807 Abolition of slavery — The slave trade was banned in 1807; slavery itself was abolished in 1833.
Discover Canada, p. 16 · Read the notes - 1812 The War of 1812: The Fight for Canada — The Americans launched their invasion in June 1812.
Discover Canada, p. 17 · Read the notes - 1832 A growing economy — The Montreal Stock Exchange opened in 1832.
Discover Canada, p. 16 · Read the notes - 1833 Abolition of slavery — Slavery was abolished across the Empire in 1833.
Discover Canada, p. 16 · Read the notes - 1834 The beaver — The French-Canadian patriotic society adopted the beaver in 1834.
Discover Canada, p. 39 · Read the notes - 1840 Responsible government — The two Canadas were united in 1840.
Discover Canada, p. 18 · Read the notes - 1847 Responsible government — Nova Scotia achieved full responsible government in 1847–48.
Discover Canada, p. 18 · Read the notes - 1854 The Victoria Cross — Dunn earned it in the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854.
Discover Canada, p. 41 · Read the notes - 1857 The Victoria Cross — William Hall of Horton, Nova Scotia, earned it at the Siege of Lucknow in 1857.
Discover Canada, p. 41 · Read the notes - 1857 The National Capital — Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital in 1857.
Discover Canada, p. 44 · Read the notes - 1867 Who We Are — The British North America Act of 1867 was the original constitutional document.
Discover Canada, p. 10 · Read the notes - 1867 Confederation / Dominion from Sea to Sea — The Dominion of Canada was born on July 1, 1867.
Discover Canada, p. 18 · Read the notes - 1867 Canada's First Prime Minister — Sir John A. Macdonald became the first Prime Minister in 1867.
Discover Canada, p. 19 · Read the notes - 1867 The Canadian Crown — Confederation took place in 1867 during Queen Victoria's reign.
Discover Canada, p. 38 · Read the notes - 1869 Challenge in the west — The 12,000 Métis of Red River were not consulted in 1869.
Discover Canada, p. 19 · Read the notes - 1870 Expansion of the Dominion — Manitoba joined in 1870, along with the Northwest Territories.
Discover Canada, p. 19 · Read the notes - 1871 Expansion of the Dominion — British Columbia joined in 1871.
Discover Canada, p. 19 · Read the notes - 1873 Expansion of the Dominion — P.E.I. joined in 1873.
Discover Canada, p. 19 · Read the notes - 1880 National Anthem / Royal Anthem — O Canada was first sung in Québec City in 1880.
Discover Canada, p. 40 · Read the notes - 1885 A Railway from Sea to Sea / Moving westward — The CPR was completed on November 7, 1885.
Discover Canada, p. 20 · Read the notes - 1892 Popular sports — The NHL's Stanley Cup was donated by Lord Stanley in 1892.
Discover Canada, p. 39 · Read the notes - 1898 Expansion of the Dominion — Yukon Territory was created in 1898.
Discover Canada, p. 19 · Read the notes - 1899 The First World War — More than 7,000 Canadians volunteered for the war of 1899–1902.
Discover Canada, p. 21 · Read the notes - 1905 Expansion of the Dominion — Alberta and Saskatchewan both joined in 1905.
Discover Canada, p. 19 · Read the notes - 1916 Women get the vote — Manitoba gave women the vote first, in 1916.
Discover Canada, p. 21 · Read the notes - 1916 Parliament buildings — An accidental fire destroyed it in 1916; it was rebuilt in 1922.
Discover Canada, p. 39 · Read the notes - 1917 The First World War — Vimy Ridge was captured in April 1917.
Discover Canada, p. 21 · Read the notes - 1917 The Victoria Cross — Konowal, born in Ukraine, showed great courage at Hill 70 in 1917.
Discover Canada, p. 41 · Read the notes - 1918 The First World War — The war ended with the Armistice on November 11, 1918.
Discover Canada, p. 21 · Read the notes - 1918 The First World War — Currie commanded the Canadian Corps in 1918.
Discover Canada, p. 21 · Read the notes - 1920 Arts and culture in Canada — The Group of Seven, known for painting rugged wilderness, was founded in 1920.
Discover Canada, p. 25 · Read the notes - 1921 Women get the vote — Agnes Macphail, a farmer and teacher, was elected in 1921.
Discover Canada, p. 21 · Read the notes - 1921 Flags in Canada — Red and white became the national colours in 1921.
Discover Canada, p. 38 · Read the notes - 1934 Between the wars — The Bank of Canada was created in 1934 to manage the money supply.
Discover Canada, p. 22 · Read the notes - 1940 Women get the vote — Casgrain and others led the effort that won Quebec women the vote in 1940.
Discover Canada, p. 21 · Read the notes - 1940 Trade and economic growth — Unemployment insurance, now employment insurance, began in 1940.
Discover Canada, p. 24 · Read the notes - 1947 Trade and economic growth — Oil found in Alberta in 1947 started the modern energy industry.
Discover Canada, p. 24 · Read the notes - 1948 The fleur-de-lys — Quebec adopted its flag, based on the cross and fleur-de-lys, in 1948.
Discover Canada, p. 38 · Read the notes - 1949 Expansion of the Dominion — Newfoundland and Labrador joined in 1949; Nunavut (1999) is a territory, not a province.
Discover Canada, p. 19 · Read the notes - 1950 International engagement — Canada had 500 dead and 1,000 wounded in Korea (1950–53).
Discover Canada, p. 24 · Read the notes - 1960 A Changing Society — Aboriginal people got the vote in 1960.
Discover Canada, p. 25 · Read the notes - 1965 Trade and economic growth — The Canada and Quebec Pension Plans began in 1965.
Discover Canada, p. 24 · Read the notes - 1965 Flags in Canada — The new Canadian flag was first raised in 1965.
Discover Canada, p. 38 · Read the notes - 1967 The Order of Canada and other honours — Canada's honours system began with the Order of Canada in 1967, the 100th year since Confederation.
Discover Canada, p. 40 · Read the notes - 1969 Canada and Quebec — The Official Languages Act (1969) guarantees French and English federal services.
Discover Canada, p. 24 · Read the notes - 1980 Canada and Quebec — Sovereignty was defeated in 1980 and again in 1995.
Discover Canada, p. 24 · Read the notes - 1980 Arts and culture in Canada — Terry Fox began the Marathon of Hope in 1980 to raise money for cancer research.
Discover Canada, p. 26 · Read the notes - 1980 National Anthem / Royal Anthem — O Canada was proclaimed the national anthem in 1980.
Discover Canada, p. 40 · Read the notes - 1982 Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship (sources of law, Magna Carta, the Charter) — The Charter was entrenched in the Constitution in 1982.
Discover Canada, p. 8 · Read the notes - 1982 Confederation / Dominion from Sea to Sea — July 1 was Dominion Day until 1982; it is now Canada Day.
Discover Canada, p. 18 · Read the notes - 1988 A trading nation — Canada and the United States began free trade in 1988.
Discover Canada, p. 42 · Read the notes - 1994 A trading nation — Mexico became a NAFTA partner in 1994.
Discover Canada, p. 42 · Read the notes - 2005 Popular sports — Adrienne Clarkson established the Clarkson Cup for women's hockey in 2005.
Discover Canada, p. 39 · Read the notes - 2006 English and French — In 2006 the House of Commons recognized the Québécois as a nation within a united Canada.
Discover Canada, p. 11 · Read the notes
From Discover Canada, the official study guide. MapleQuiz summary, not official text.
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