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The Battle of the Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham was one of the deciding battle in the Seven Years War. The French lost Quebec severely impairing their defences. Afterwards, New France became solely a British Colony with French Colonists. The new English rule had several implications on Canada including the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the Quebec Act. -
War of 1812 Ends
After being at war for more than 4 years with the British and the US were exhausted with fighting each other. Delegates from Britain and the US arrived in the Belgian town of Ghent in August 1814 where they spent 4 months negotiating the treaty of Ghent. The final battle was at the Battle of New Orleans in January 8th 1815, a month before the Treaty of Ghent came into effect. -
The Rebellions of Lower and Upper Canada
The Rebellion in Lower Canada was led by Louis-Joseph Papineau. After attempted arrest, Papineau fled to the United States. The Patriotes managed to take some villages but took hard hits in others.The Rebellion in Upper Canada was led by William Lyon Mackenzie. He was one of many people who wanted a better government. After being dejected by the Lord Russell’s Ten Resolutions, he wanted to go to war. This lead to Lord Durham's Report and a path towards responsible government. -
British North America (BNA) Comes into Effect
The BNA Act which was passed by the the Parliament of Britain, created the country of Canada and the union of the colonies. Canada's Birth of a nation was different from that of the United States. Although the BNA Act-which has evolved over time into Canada's constitution, it still recognized the supreme authority of the monarch. Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia were the first to join later then BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Alberta. -
The Red River Rebellion
The Red River Rebellion was created by Louis Riel to fight for Métis rights. Riel decided to make a provisional government to help maintain order and would help the Métis people to leverage an agreement to enter Confederation. Because of a small mistake that the government made, Riel's government was the legal government of the area. Riel took the first move and captured John Schultz and his supporters. This was one of the events that led to Manitoba becoming a province and the death of Riel. -
The Indian Act
The Canadian government introduced the Indian Act in 1876. This act formalized the assimliation of First Nations, providing the government adminstration of reserves and treaty rights across the Dominion. The Act change through time, with new regulations being applied as Canada developed. The paternalistic attitude of the government has caused profound discontent amongst Aboriginals as well as Canada's controversial prejudice against First Nations in trying to assimilate them. -
Sikh Passengers Denied Passengers
In 1908, the federal government passed the Continous Passage Act, a law requiring all immigrants to come to Canada by a non-stop route. This effectively made immigration from countries such as India impossible, since there was not any steamship companies that offered direct routes to Canada. This law was challenged in 1914, when the passenger on the Komagata Maru, a steamer chartered to carry Sikh immigrants from Hong Kong to Vancouver, were refused entry to Canada. -
Canadians Win The Battle of Vimy Ridge
In the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadians troops were fighting for the control of Somme's Vimy Ridges which provided a strong vantage point. Because of Byng's planning, Canadian Corps had gained more ground and had taken more prisoners and captured more artillery than any previous British offensive in the entire war. The success of the Canadian divisions gave them a sense of national pride and separate from Britain. -
Viola Desmond Dragged Out of Nova Scotia Movie
Viola Desmond stopped by Roseland Theatre to watch a movie while she waited for her car to get repaired. She was on her way to Sydney to sell her own hair-care products. Viola Desmond refused to move from her seat downstairs. Although she didn’t know the theatre’s policy when buying the 40¢ ticket. Police officers dragged her out of the theatre and put her in jail demonstrating the underlying issues of racism in Canada during the 20th century. -
First Nations Peoples Receive the Right to Vote
When the Canadian government began drafting the Canadian Bill of Rights, there was an emphasis on equal rights for all Canadians. This meant that First Nation people had the right to vote and could do it without losing their Indigenous status. Although turnout for First Nation people at federal elections were low, it was a turning point in Indigenous people’s history with Canadians and allowed reconciliation to be easier.
