Canada's History
Canada's history spans thousands of years — from Aboriginal civilizations to European exploration, Confederation, two World Wars, and the modern nation we know today.
First Europeans and naming Canada
The Vikings from Iceland who colonized Greenland 1,000 years ago also reached Labrador and Newfoundland (L'Anse aux Meadows — a World Heritage site). European exploration began in earnest in 1497 with John Cabot, who was the first to draw a map of Canada's East Coast. Between 1534 and 1542, Jacques Cartier made three voyages across the Atlantic, claiming the land for King Francis I of France. Cartier heard the Iroquoian word kanata, meaning 'village,' and by the 1550s the name Canada began appearing on maps.
New France and the struggle for a continent
In 1604, the first European settlement north of Florida was established by Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain. In 1608 Champlain built a fortress at what is now Quebec City. The French and Aboriginal people collaborated in the fur trade, driven by demand for beaver pelts. In the 1700s France and Great Britain battled for control of North America. In 1759, the British defeated the French in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Quebec City — both commanders (Wolfe and Montcalm) were killed. The Quebec Act of 1774 allowed religious freedom for Catholics and restored French civil law.
Loyalists, democracy and responsible government
In 1776, more than 40,000 Loyalists fled the American Revolution to settle in Nova Scotia and Quebec. About 3,000 black Loyalists also came north. The first representative assembly was elected in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1758. The Constitutional Act of 1791 divided Quebec into Upper Canada (later Ontario) and Lower Canada (later Quebec) and granted elected assemblies. In 1793, Upper Canada became the first province in the British Empire to move toward abolishing slavery. Responsible government (the government must have the confidence of elected representatives) was first achieved in Nova Scotia in 1847–48.
Confederation — July 1, 1867
From 1864 to 1867, representatives of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada worked together as the Fathers of Confederation to establish a new country. The British Parliament passed the British North America Act in 1867. The Dominion of Canada was officially born on July 1, 1867, with four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Sir John Alexander Macdonald became Canada's first Prime Minister. July 1 was known as Dominion Day until 1982; today it is Canada Day. Sir Leonard Tilley suggested the name 'Dominion of Canada,' inspired by Psalm 72.
Building a nation
Manitoba (1870), British Columbia (1871), PEI (1873), Alberta and Saskatchewan (1905), and Newfoundland and Labrador (1949) joined Canada. The Canadian Pacific Railway was completed on November 7, 1885, connecting Canada coast to coast. Louis Riel led the Métis in the Red River uprising (1869–70) and a second rebellion in 1885 — he is seen by many as a hero and the father of Manitoba. Prime Minister Macdonald established the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1873 — today the RCMP. The Klondike Gold Rush brought thousands to the Yukon in the 1890s. Sir Wilfrid Laurier became the first French-Canadian PM since Confederation (portrait on $5 bill).
The First World War (1914–1918)
More than 600,000 Canadians served in WWI (most of them volunteers, out of a total population of 8 million). The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge in April 1917, with 10,000 killed or wounded — April 9 is celebrated as Vimy Day. In 1918, most Canadian female citizens aged 21 and over gained the right to vote in federal elections. In total, 60,000 Canadians were killed and 170,000 were wounded in WWI.
The Second World War (1939–1945)
More than one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders served in WWII out of a population of 11.5 million — 44,000 were killed. On D-Day (June 6, 1944), 15,000 Canadian troops stormed Juno Beach — approximately one in ten Allied soldiers on D-Day was Canadian. The Canadian Army liberated the Netherlands in 1944–45. The Royal Canadian Navy protected convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic — at war's end Canada had the third-largest navy in the world. The government apologized in 1988 for the forced relocation of Japanese Canadians.
Great Canadian inventions and discoveries
Alexander Graham Bell — telephone; Joseph-Armand Bombardier — snowmobile; Sir Sandford Fleming — worldwide standard time zones; Matthew Evans and Henry Woodward — first electric light bulb; Reginald Fessenden — radio; Dr. Wilder Penfield — pioneering brain surgeon; Dr. John A. Hopps — first cardiac pacemaker; SPAR Aerospace — Canadarm; Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie — BlackBerry. Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin, saving 16 million lives worldwide. Basketball was invented by Canadian James Naismith in 1891.
Postwar rights and recognition
After WWII, Canada gradually extended full democratic rights to all citizens. In 1948, Japanese Canadians — who had been forcibly relocated during the war — regained the right to vote. In 1960, the Canadian Bill of Rights was passed by Prime Minister Diefenbaker, and in the same year Aboriginal peoples were granted the federal vote. In 1982, the Constitution Act entrenched the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, providing constitutional protection for individual rights for the first time. In 1988, the Multiculturalism Act was passed. Formal apologies were made: to Japanese Canadians in 1988, to Aboriginal peoples for residential schools in 2008, and to Chinese Canadians for the Head Tax in 2006. These acts of recognition reflect Canada's ongoing journey toward a more just and inclusive society.
Advertisement
Key Facts
- •John Cabot was the first to draw a map of Canada's East Coast (1497)
- •Jacques Cartier made three voyages (1534–1542) and named Canada after the Iroquoian word 'kanata' meaning village
- •Champlain founded Quebec City in 1608
- •The Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759) ended France's empire in North America
- •Confederation occurred on July 1, 1867 — now Canada Day
- •Sir John A. Macdonald was Canada's first Prime Minister (portrait on $10 bill)
- •The CPR was completed November 7, 1885
- •60,000 Canadians killed in WWI; 44,000 killed in WWII
- •D-Day June 6, 1944 — 15,000 Canadians stormed Juno Beach
- •Women gained the federal vote in 1918; Aboriginal peoples in 1960
- •Banting and Best discovered insulin — saved 16 million lives
- •James Naismith invented basketball in 1891