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WW1-WW2
The First World War (WWI) was fought from 1914 to 1918 and the Second World War (or WWII) was fought from 1939 to 1945. They were the largest military conflicts in human history. Both wars involved military alliances between different groups of countries. -
Winnipeg General Strike
About 30,000 people walked out to protest for better working conditions and higher pay. The Winnipeg strike was the largest strike in Canada and lasted till June 25, 1919. -
Establishing the League of Nations
January 16, 1920 was the day The League of Nations had their first meeting in Paris. Canada was one of many nations present. This meeting was important in our road to autonomy as we sat separately from Britain. -
Indian Act Amended
The amendment of the Indian act on February 26, 1920 gave first nations people the right to vote. -
Canadian Federal Election
This day marks the day the first woman was elected to Canadian parliament; Agnes Macphail. This was also the first time women voted after the war. A few weeks later, the minority liberal party won the election making the leader, Mackenzie-King, Prime Minister. -
Creation of Insulin
On this day, the new insulin treatment was tested on the first human patient. Dr. Frederick Banting and his associate observed great results from the test and the treatment was used on many more patients. The treatment is still used to this day. They later went on to win a Nobel Prize for their treatment. -
Halibut Treaty
This day marked the day the Halibut Treaty was signed between the United States and Canada. The goal was to establish boundaries around Halibut fishing along the Pacific Coast to help preserve the population of the species. It was the first treaty Canada passed that didn’t involve Britain at all, in fact it didn’t involve Britain’s approval. -
Chanak Crisis
On September 15, 1922, Britain asked its colonies to send men to aid their battle in Turkey. Prime Minister Makcenzie-King denied the request as he claimed that the nation was still recovering from the effects of World War 1. This was an indication that Canada was becoming independent from Britain. -
Chinese Immigration Act
The creation of this act, on July 1, 1923 prevented people of Chinese descent from entering Canada. There were exceptions to this act which were usually called “special circumstances”. One was also exempt from the act if a businessman, student, or diplomat. This act was in consequence of the head tax not functioning as well as the government predicted. -
Formation of Royal Canadian Air Force
On April 1, 1924, The Royal Canadian Air Force was established. While being more focused on Canadian habitants at first, it became more military-like within the first few years. -
Women Are Not Persons
April 24, 1928, was the day that the “Alberta Five” went to court to question who was allowed to be in office. The laws stated that any “person” could, but the question became who was a “person”. The supreme court decided that women were not persons, another major setback in fighting for women’s rights in Canada. On October 18, 1929, the British Privy Council overruled the decision and ruled women as persons. Women were now allowed to sit in the senate. -
Stock Market Crash
On October 29, 1929, Montreal, Toronto, and New York stock markets crashed. This day is known as Black Tuesday and marked the beginning of the Great Depression in North America. -
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The Great Depression in Canada
The worldwide Great Depression of the early 1930s was a social and economic shock that left millions of Canadians unemployed, hungry and often homeless. -
Statute of Westminster
The Statute of Westminster was passed on December 11, 1931. The statute accorded Canada with “full legislative independence from Britain”. A condition was that the nation needed a crown representative; the Governor General. -
Hitler Becomes Chancellor of Germany
On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hilter was appointed the title of Chancellor of Germany. His promises of improvement and reform caused him to gain popularity. Due to this, he became Fuhrer just a year later. -
On-to-Ottawa Trek
Large numbers of unemployed Canadians protest the conditions in federal relief camps. They first went on strike in April and took more action on June 15, 1935. They took the ‘trek’ to Ottawa to fight for better conditions. It was known that the conditions were poor and the pay was even worse. -
Anschluss
The invasion of Austria by Nazi Germany happened on March 12, 1938, and the nation’s annexation was announced the next day. This was known as Anschluss. -
Germany Takes Poland
Nazi Germany continued their invasion of Europe- taking Poland on September 1, 1939. Just like Austria, it was invaded and annexed. -
World War 2
September 10, 1939, was the day that Canada declared war on Nazi Germany. This was one week after Britain had done the same, and ten days after the official start of World War 2.