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Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman brings over 700 black slaves to freedom in Canada -
The "Say No to Negros Movement"
By 1909, hundreds of Oklahoma Blacks had moved to the Canadian Prairies, where they met the same wariness and discrimination that had allowed slavery to exist in an earlier time. In February 1911, a few newspapers in Winnipeg even predicted that the Dominion government would move to exclude "Negro immigrants." -
All-Black Battalion
In WWI, due to low numbers in Canadian enlistment, Black Canadians were allowed into the army. However, they were put into an all black battalion segregated from the rest of the army. This army served in France. -
Blacks Accepted into Canadian Services in WWII
Initially, the Canadian military rejected Black volunteers, but as the war continued, many Blacks were accepted into the Regular Army. There was still some segregation in the Canadian forces, hundreds of Black Canadians served alongside Whites in Canada and Europe -
Racial Discrimination Act
Ontario was the first province to respond to pass the Racial Discrimination Act of 1944. This prohibited the publication and display of any symbol, sign, or notice that expressed ethnic, racial, or religious discrimination. It was followed by other sweeping legislation. -
Viola Davis sits in White Section
The Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP) united civil rights forces. The NSAACP supported Viola Desmond, a Black woman from Halifax, in her case against a New Glasgow theatre where she was arrested for sitting in the "White-only" section, even though she was willing to buy the more expensive ticket. She will soon appear on the new Canadian $10 bill. -
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Africville Riots
Encouraged by media attention to Africville's "American-style ghetto," the Halifax City Planning Commission expropriated the land. Residents resisted, citing the community's proud traditions, although Africville lacked basic services such as water, sewage, and good roads. Between 1964 and 1970, residents were relocated and the community razed. -
Klan Activity in Amherstburg
In 1965, racial tension ran high in Amherstburg, Ont. A cross-burning set the tone; the Black Baptist Church was defaced and the town sign was spray-painted "Amherstburg Home of the KKK." Five days of racial incidents threatened to escalate but the situation was saved by an investigation by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. No arrests were made. -
Canada Multicultural Policy
Canada's multiculturalism policy grew partly in reaction to the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, which endorsed a "bicultural Canada," barely recognizing "other ethnic groups." This dilemma was partially resolved in 1971 by Prime Minister Trudeau's assertion that Canada was a "multicultural country with two official languages. -
The Yonge Street Rebellion
A daytime demonstration against the police officers in the Rodney King case in Los Angeles turned into a riot on Toronto's Yonge Street. Ignoring the historical context, the media decried the "America-style violence" of the young Black men. However, the riot prompted Canadians to address the root causes of Black frustration. -
First Black Governor General
Michaëlle Jean was sworn in as Canada's first Black governor general. She emphasized freedom as a central part of the Canadian identity and has suggested that it was time to "eliminate the spectre" of the two solitudes, French and English, which has so long characterized the country's history. -
Canada chided for treatment of black people by UN group
A UN working group on issues affecting black people is raising alarm over poverty, poor health, low educational attainment and overrepresentation of African Canadians in justice and children’s aid systems. The findings were made by the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent after its cross-Canada mission in October. Though their findings were nowhere near as bad as 67% of "Western Cultured countries" the issue has been addressed to the Canadian government.
