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1497
John Cabot
John Cabot landed in Newfoundland in search of the Northwest Passage. While he did not find the Northwest Passage, he did find plenty of cod fish. This brought European fisherman to the cost of Newfoundland to fish off the Grand Banks. -
Acadians
The Acadians are the descendants of French colonists who began settling in what are now the Maritime provinces. Under Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, the first French settlement was made in the region of New France known as Acadie on Isle Sainte-Croix in the Bay of Fundy. -
Discovery of New France (Quebec)
Samuel de Champlain was the first man to establish a permanent resident in Canada after discovering New France, now known as Quebec, in 1608, during his search of a destination for settlement. -
The Arrivals of Jesuits
Jesuits, also known as Black Robes, were missionaries that came to New France (Quebec) in 1625 with the goal of converting First Nation people to Catholicism/ Christianity. -
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Seven Years War
The Seven Years’ War, which was fought in Europe, India and North America. Was the first global war, fought in Europe, India, and America, and at sea. In North America, imperial rivals Britain and France struggled for supremacy. -
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Loyalist
Loyalists were American colonists, of different ethnic backgrounds, who supported the British cause during the American Revolutionary War. Tens of thousands of Loyalists migrated to British North America during and after the war. This boosted the population, led to the creation of Upper Canada, and heavily influenced the politics and culture of what would become Canada. -
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Underground Railroad
The underground railroad was a term used for a secret network of abolitionists who helped African- Americans escape from enslavement in the American south to canada. Largest anti-slavery movement in North America. -
Irish Canadians
Main waves of Irish immigrants that arrived during the first half of the 19th century. By the 1850s, over 500,000 Irish had immigrated to British. Simultaneously the economy of the mainland colonies of British North America expanded, offering better opportunities for immigrants. -
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman, ardent abolitionist and heroine wass a conductor with the Underground Railroad, she made 19 secret trips to the American South and guided more than 300 slaves to freedom in Canada. -
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American Civil War and Canada
Thousands of enslaved people escaped and endured perilous journeys to what would become Canada in order to enjoy freedom where slavery had been abolished. Canadian and Maritime soldiers and sailors fought in nearly every battle of the American Civil War. -
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Japanese Canadians
The first known immigrant from Japan, Manzo Nagano, settled in Victoria, BC. The first wave of Japanese immigrants, arrived between 1877 and 1928. By 1914, 10,000 people of Japanese ancestry had settled permanently in Canada. -
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Post-Confederation Immigration
During these years immigrants, primarily from Great Britain, Continental Europe, and east Asia came to Canada due to the availability of farmland, the rising price of wheat and railway linked western Canada to Eastern Canada. -
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Chinese Canadians
Chinese people were brought directly from China to Canada, when workers were needed for the Canadian Pacific Railway. They helped build the difficult and dangerous British Colombia section of the railway. -
Chinese Head Tax
Chinese migrants were obligated to pay a $50 entry or "head" tax before being admitted into Canada, under the Chinese Immigraction Act. The Chinese were the only ethnic group required to pay a tax to enter Canada. By 1903, the head tax was increased to $500; the number of Chinese who paid the fee in the first fiscal year dropped from 4719 to 8. -
Komagata Maru
376 people from India aboard the immigrant ship Komagata Maru languished in Vancouver Harbour. Canada's new navy, in action for the first time, escorted the ship from Canadian waters on July while many Vancouver residents cheered approvingly from shore.
