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Establishment of Quebec city
In 1608 Samuel de Champlain found Quebec city and made it a permanent settlement for trading. It became a fundamental trading hub for new France and for the French expansion In North America. The establishment of Quebec city laid out foundation for the development of French culture in what we know today has Quebec. It being one of the oldest cities is one of the reasons why Quebec has such a strong French nation and ideals. -
Acadians are exiled from their homes
The French began settling in Arcadia around 17th century. Around that time the British began to take over Arcadia and expelled its Native people in the 1750's because they did not trust them. However, Arcadians were allowed to return in the 1760's. Arcadia remains alive and well today in the Maritimes. Many Canadians are decedents of the Arcadian people, it is a tragedy that we almost completely lost this culture because of ignorance and lack of understanding. -
Battle on the Plains of Abraham
The Plains of Abraham are in what is today known as Quebec City. The battle was between the French and their Indigenous allies against Britain. Unfortunately for France, Britain won. Not long after France lost all of Quebec and officially gave all its Canadian territory to Britain 17163. -
The Royal Proclamation
The Royal Proclamation had two major effects. 1, First Nations people had a designated area land in the west territories where they were not to be bothered or attacked. 2, The Crown established protocols for buying First Nations land, prohibiting colonial governments from taking land freely. This was a great step towards First Nations rights and sovereignty. This was the start of a more healthy relationship between the government and the first nations people. -
Assimilation of Francophones
In 1838 an English politician named Lord Durham was sent to North America to investigate the cause of the recent rebellions in the Upper and Lower colonies of Canada. Durham published a report on the Affairs of British North America. This report led to a series pf changes, including combing the two Canadian colonies into one and becoming "the Province of Canada". This was a crucial step for Canada in asserting it's nationalism and independence from Britain. -
The British North America act
The British North America act was passed by British parliament and united the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Together, they became a self-governing nation state that was under the British empire. The act brought Canada‘s federal system of government which divided federal and provincial power levels. This act was the first foundation of Canada. It ultimately led to the start of Canada as a country and later helped develop the Canadian constitution. -
Manitoba Schools Question
The Manitoba Act was a result of the political battle of the red river Rebellion in 1870, in which Metis people fought for their rights. Section 23 of this act guaranteed Francophone and Anglophone rights in the legislature and courts. Section 22 established a denominational, Catholic and Protestant school system. This separated English speaking Canadians from French speaking ones. -
The Indian Act
The Indian Act sought to assimilate Indigenous peoples into Euro-Canadian ideals, taking away their self-governance, land, language, and cultural practices. With this also came residential schools which to this day cause generational trauma in Indigenous people. The Indian act left a scar on Canadian hearts and history as a reminder of the systematic discrimination it put on Indigenous people. Since then the Canadian Government has apologized and is trying to make up for its mistakes -
Chinese Head Tax
The Chinese head tax began in 1885 after thousands of Chinese people immigrated to Canada to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. After it was finished Canada decided there had been too many immigrants. To reduce this issue they imposed a $50 head tax, equivalent to over $1000 today. This was implemented until 1923 when Chinese immigration became illegal until 1947. This was a huge decline for Canadian history. The Government formally apologized for the head tax in 2006. -
Conscription crisis during World War One
The Reason for the Conscription crisis was that during world War 1, Canada suffered a severe lack of voluntary enlistments for the army. The government's solution to this issue was to make the Military Service act which required Canadian men ages 20-45 to join the army. This was a very significant event as it split Canada with the Anglophones in favor of the act and Francophones opposed as they believed it did not align with their nationalistic ideals and did not benefit them. -
The White Paper
The white paper was proposed to abolish legal documents regarding Indigenous people, including the "Indian Act". It was also meant to assimilate indigenous people under Canadian state. This
meant that the "Indian Status" would be removed and First Nations people would be under the provincial government's responsibility. This caused a lot of controversy which ultimately lead the paper to go through a withdrawal in 1970. -
Quebec Bill 101
Bill 101 made French the official language in Quebec for commerce, courts, work, government, instruction, and etc. It also dictated that children must be educated in French-language schools unless their parents has received an English education in Canada. This limited English schools, focusing on promoting French culture. This bill was highly controversial because even though it promoted the French identity, Anglophone immigrants felt it limited their language rights and opportunities. -
The National Energy Program
The The National Energy Program was implemented to make sure that Canada could manufacture its own oil by 1990. However the program had some controversial aspects that were only revolved in 1981. The program was set to start the following year, however, the Global economic status had changed so much that the program was no longer necessary. -
Quebec refuses to sign the constitution
in 1982 Quebec refused to sign the constitution because there was a clause in the Charter of Rights that protected language minority rights. For Quebec this meant the end of Bill 101 by protecting English rights. Even though it protected French rights in the rest of Canada. Quebec wanted to be a French speaking province, they have always wanted to remain as true to their French identity as possible, that is why they didn't want to sign the constitution. -
Canada Act Signed into Law
The Canada act ended the UK’s legislative authority over Canada. This act granted Canada full sovereignty, which meant it no longer relied on the United Kingdom. This act also brought the constitution under Canada’s full control, which then introduced the charter rights and freedoms which gave fundamental rights for all Canadians. This was one of the key nation-building Moments in Canadian History. -
Multiculturalism act
The Canadian Multiculturalism act emphasized the importance of recognizing that Canada is a nation that has been built on multiple cultures. However, those cultures have not always been treated equally and fairly. This act made sure that the government officially recognized Canada's multicultural heritage, so that those cultures can have equitable participation and rights. -
Reasonable Accommodation for Religious head ware
Baltej Singh Dhillon applied to be an RCMP officer in 1988. However, the Uniform did not accommodate his Turban. Baltej thought it was not right for him to have to compromise his religion for his country. After consulting the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Human Rights Act, the solicitor general ruled in favor of this being a reasonable accommodation. Till today Sikh officers can choose to wear their turbans. -
The Oka Crisis
The Oka crisis was a significant event in Canadian history. It represents the conflicting interests between the Canadian Government and First Nations people. The conflict happened when an expansion of a golf course was set to go into Mohawk land and burial ground. Protesters set up camp in order to stop the expansion from happening. Law enforcement was called but the protesters did not give up. Instead there was a stand off that lasted 78 days. In the end the protesters were successful. -
The Ipperwash Crisis
The Ipperwash crisis was a land dispute in Ontario. Stonypoint First Nations People took over the Ipperwash Provincial Park in demand to return the land which was taken from them During WWII by the federal government. Unfortunately, the event escalated which led to a fatal shooting of an unarmed indigenous man. The crisis further demonstrated the systematic issues and inequality within Canada’s justice system. This led to a formal apology and the eventual return of the land of the First Nations. -
The Quebec referendum
The Quebec referendum of 1995 was the second referendum, as there was a previous one in 1980. The topic being the same, "Should Quebec be able to become an independent country?". Quebec was fighting for its sovereignty, to protect its French identity, culture, and language. The federalist opposing side advocated for Quebec to remain a part of Canada, emphasizing unity and economic stability. In the end the opposition won once again. This event marked a struggle within Canadians national ideals. -
The Creation of Nunavut
Creation of Nunavut gave Inuit people a greater degree of self-determination, which allowed them to govern their own affairs and protect their culture, language and traditions. Nunavut became Canada’s largest territory. This was a significant step towards the reconciliation between indigenous people and the government of Canada. It addressed a long-standing issues of colonization and marginalization, which helped heal some of the wounds of the Inuit People. -
Canada apologizes for Residential Schools
Canada apologizing for residential schools recognized the profound harm it caused survivors, and generations to come. Residential schools are one of the darkest parts of Canadian history. The schools stripped away Indigenous people’s identity and culture, assimilating them to European ideals. This formal apology was a step towards reconciliation. Although much justice and reparations still have to be made, this was a start to a more cohesive future together. -
Quebec charter of Values
In 2013, The Parti Québécois tried to propose a legislation that banded religious symbols and head-wears from being used by public employees. This was an infringement of the charter of rights and freedoms, which sparked controversy among the opposition. People who were in favour argued that it reinforced Quebec‘s secular identity. Although the Parti Québécois lost the provincial election in 2014, this proposed legislation was still an important event in Quebec’s history.