1. Key Events
A Master List

2. 1914: For King and Country
Canada went to war automatically with Great Britain
The Canadian Corps was an independent volunteer army within the British Empire
Canadian factories expanded to produce the necessary war materials

3. 1915: Women and the War
Although they could not vote, Canadian women contributed to the war effort as nurses, as factory workers, raising money
The Canadian Corps withstood a gas attack at Yprès
Saskatchewan prohibited the sale of alcohol for the duration of the war

4. 1916: Trench Warfare
There was racism in the army; recruiting officers were reluctant to sign up aboriginal soldiers
The Ross rifle proved to be useless and Sam Hughes was fired as Minister of Militia
Conditions in the trenches were miserable: mud, rats, stale food, stench, fear

5. 1917: The Conscription Crisis
Canada won an important victory at Vimy Ridge a source of pride for decades to come
The government introduced conscription to bring Canadian Corps up to 500,000 men
Although English-Canada supported the government, voters in Quebec opposed conscription; country was divided along racial lines

6. 1918: Canada’s 100 Days
The Canadian Corps was selected whenever a tough objective had to be taken
From 1917 on, the Canadian Corps never lost a gun, never lost ground
During the 100 Days the heavy pressure the Canadians put on the Germans helped bring about the armistice

7. 1919: Adjusting to Peace
The Spanish flu epidemic killed many Canadians
Canada signed the Treaty of Versailles independently of Great Britain
Radicalized workers staged a general strike in Winnipeg

8. 1920: League of Indians
One third of all able bodied Indian men volunteered to fight in the war
Despite loyal wartime service, Indians received no benefits (no vote, conditions on reserves remained grim, no political power)
The League of Indians (modeled on League of Nations) was established to unite all the First Nations and give them more influence

9. 1921: The Progressive Movement
By 1921 women could vote in every province except PEI and Quebec
The Progressive party came in second in the election and ended two-party politics for ever
Progressive politicians (like Agnes Macphail) fought for farmers and workers

10. 1922: The Discovery of Insulin
Canadians were very inventive, discovering such things as radio, telephone, the zipper, insulin and the electric light bulb
Unemployment was high and the jobs people could find didn’t pay well
Prohibition was still in effect, but a man could get a drink of alcohol with a doctor’s prescription

11. 1923: Humiliation Day
Racism was common. Chinese people could not become Canadian citizens
Before 1923, if a Chinese person wished to come to Canada, he had to pay a $500 head tax
The immigration act was changed to prohibit Chinese immigration

12. 1924: Hollywood
Canadians develop a hearty appetite for American pop culture: Hollywood movies, jazz music, fashions
Hollywood celebrities begin to matter more to Canadians than British royalty
Canadian women wear shorter dresses, flatten their chests and smoke scandalously in public

13. 1925: Prohibition
Province after province went dry during the war, but not Quebec
Liquor continued to be sold by creative businessmen who fold loopholes in the prohibition laws
When prohibition ended, provincial governments got into the act selling liquor through government-owned retailers

14. 1926: The King-Byng Affair
Rum-runners were smuggling American merchandise duty-free into Canada on their return trips.
A scandal involving a corrupt customs minister threatened to topple the government
The Governor General triggered a backlash against Britain by denying the prime minister’s request for a new election.

15. 1927: The Group of Seven
Canada developed a distinctive artistic style unique from Europe
Canadian art became fashionable
Because they had something that was first rate, Canadians were beginning to overcome their inferiority complex

16. 1928: Sports Gold
Canada celebrated the Kellogg-Briand Treaty renouncing war
Canadian athletes, especially the women, dominated the IX Olympic Summer Games in Amsterdam
The NHL expanded into the United States and several Canadian teams folded, unable to pay the salaries the Americans offered.

17. 1929: The Persons Case
Male chauvinism made it very difficult for women to break into the professions: medicine, law, journalism, politics
The Famous Five petitioned the Supreme Court to declare women persons and end male chauvinism.
Women had to take their case all the way to Great Britain, but they finally were vindicated.

18. 1930: A Faltering Economy
The Conservatives won the federal election and R.B. Bennett became prime minister
The Canadian economy shrank as factories produced fewer cars, mines closed and farm incomes declined.
The government introduced the “Unemployment Relief Act” dedicating $20 million to help the unemployed.

19. 1931: Life on the Dole
Most Canadians believed unemployment was their fault and felt humiliated going on the dole.
To qualify for the dole, a man had be destitute, have a family to support and do whatever work was offered.
The government raised the sales tax from 1% to 6% but cut the tax rates for high income earners.

20. 1932: Communism
The Communists tried to run in the 1930 election but were harassed and imprisoned.
Section 98 of the Criminal Code made it illegal to be a member of any organization advocating revolution.
A riot broke out at Kingston Penitentiary when prisoners staged a sit-down strike to force some changes.

21. 1933: Cooperative Commonwealth Federation
The strategies of the Conservatives did nothing to end the Depression.
Canadians began to blame Bennett for the continuing misery.
A new socialist political party (the CCF) was formed; its plan was to replace capitalism but it rejected violence.

22. 1934: The Dionne Quintuplets
Canadians began to read stories in the newspapers that fascist parties were gaining power in Europe.
Fewer Canadians were getting married because of the Depression
The Ontario government took the Quintuplets away from the Dionnes and made them a tourist attraction.

23. 1935: Social Credit
Some Canadians worked sixty hours for wages that left them in poverty.
A commission revealed that a seamstress made 9½ cents to sew a dress Eaton’s sold for $1.59.
Albertans elected a new party (Social Credit) into power.

24. 1936: Union Nationale
The Great Depression hit Quebec as hard as the other provinces.
The Union Nationale came to power to save the people from the “evil influences” of communism.
Quebec passed a padlock lock giving the police special powers to arrest anyone the premier disliked.

25. 1937: Spanish Civil War
GM workers went on strike in Oshawa demanding the right to unionize.
The Ontario government sent in the police to punish them.
Some Canadians volunteered to fight against fascism in Spain, but they got no support from the government.

26. 1938: Appeasement
Canada gained the right to set its own foreign policy in 1931 (Statute of Westminster)
Canada prevented its delegate to the League of Nations from recommending punitive measures against the Japanese.
Although its delegate recommended an oil embargo against Italy, Canada’s government refused to support it.

27. 1939: Jewish Refugees Canada declared war on Germany
Government promised there would be no conscription
Canada turned away Jewish refugees

28. 1940: Aerodrome of Democracy
Canada played a crucial role in the air war
Canada manufactured planes
Canadian pilots flew mission during Battle of Britain
Liberals won re-election
Quebec gave women the vote.

29. 1941: Japanese-Canadians
Anti-Japanese hostility increased in Canada after bombing of Pearl Harbour
Canadian troops tried in vain to defend British colony of Hong Kong
22,000 Japanese-Canadians were interned for duration of war.

30. 1942: Grand Strategy Canadians voted in a plebiscite on conscription
English Canada agreed to release government from its pledge of no conscription
French Canada did not
Canada sustained heavy casualties during the failed Dieppe raid

31. 1943: Demanding a Welfare State
Socialism became popular
Liberals and Conservative moved to the left
CCF picked up a lot of votes in Ontario
Many commodities were rationed.
Union membership doubled since 1939.

32. 1944: The Liberation of France
Canadian soldiers helped liberate France.
Despite facing discrimination, 3,000 Aboriginals volunteered to fight for Canada during World War Two.
Some Canadians trained for special missions, parachuting in behind enemy lines to sabotage their installations.

33. 1945: Spy World Canada helped the Allies defeat Germany.
After the Gouzenko Affair, Canada began to arrest people suspected of passing information to the Soviets.
During the war, at Camp X, many Canadians were trained for top secret missions.

34. 1946: Return of the Veterans
A million veterans returned home.
Rationing ended.
War brides came to Canada with the Canadian soldiers they had married.
Canada had a baby boom.

35. 1947: Energy Boom
Canada’s economy remained strong after the war ended.
Oil was discovered at Leduc, Alberta.
During the war Canadian industry expanded and factories began to produce things they’d never made before.

36. 1948: Universal Human Rights
Canada was an important member of the United Nations.
Canadians celebrated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Canada began to change its laws to end racism, but still had a long way to go.

37. 1949: North Atlantic Canada elects a French-Canadian prime minister
Newfoundland joins Confederation
Canada plays a key role in the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

38. 1950: The Jet Age
The AVRO Jetliner shows Canada is a world leader in jet aircraft design
Canada begins producing the CF-100, a long-range all-weather jet fighter for Arctic patrol
AVRO, with 10,000 employees, is the biggest employer in Toronto

39. 1951: Defining Canadian
Canadians are fighting in Korea under an American general
The government is removing the word ‘royal’ from mail trucks and replacing British with Canadian passports
Canadian culture is threatened by American popular culture

40. 1952: Powers of Resistance
French language is threatened outside Quebec
The asbestos strike makes Quebeckers realize American and English-Canadian business owners dominate their economy
Canadian textile workers break with the UTWA to establish the Canadian Textile and Chemical Union

41. 1953: The New Internationalism
25,000 Canadians served in Korea; 312 died
Canada enters a new phase of internationalism
The government is committed to spending $5 billion over three years to build up the military to a permanent peacetime force of 100,000.

42. 1954: Equal Rights Feminism
Women in Quebec still can’t sign mortgages or telephone contracts
Only the CCF campaigns for equal rights feminism
The CCF in Quebec selects a woman as its leader

43. 1955: French-Canadian Nationalism
CBC-TV televises its first hockey game in 1952
Televised sports brings Canadians closer together
Fans in Montreal riot because Rocket Richard was suspended
Anger in Quebec is boiling up after years of frustration

44. 1956: Middle Power Constraints
Expert diplomacy gives Canada real power at the United Nations
Canada invents peacekeeping to end the Suez Crisis
Canada accepts 40,000 Hungarian refugees

45. 1957: Closure
Canadians begin to worry about the extent of American ownership of Canadian industries and resources
The Liberals use closure to cut off debate about the Trans-Canada Pipeline
The Conservatives win the election and form a minority government

46. 1958: Teenagers
The Conservatives win the biggest majority ever, controlling 208 of 265 seats
Canada becomes more diverse: first Ukrainian and Blood Indian Senator
Almost half of the population is under age 25
Teenagers become trendsetters: music, clothing, pastimes

47. 1959: The End of the Arrow
Canada scraps the CF-105 and accepts Bomarc missiles
The St Lawrence Seaway opens
NORAD links Canada closer to the United States

48. 1960: Provincialism Provinces demand more money from Ottawa
Quebec wants to opt out of federal programs to preserve its autonomy
The Liberal Party comes to power in Quebec with plans to modernize the province
The Quiet Revolution begins as power of Catholic Church in Quebec is attacked

49. 1961: The Fight for Medicare
The CCF merges with the Canadian Labour Congress to form the New Democratic Party
Saskatchewan introduces Canada’s first medicare scheme
The medical establishment fights the scheme with a doctors strike

50. 1962: The Commonwealth
Canada and the United States clash over the Cuban Missile Crisis
Canada struggles in vain to find trade partners to reduce dependency on USA
Canada opposes South Africa’s readmission to the Commonwealth unless apartheid is ended

51. 1963: The Nuclear Question Canadian peacekeepers are sent to Cyprus
The branches of the armed forces are unified under a new flag
The Liberals are back in power
Canada accepts nuclear weapons as part of its commitment to NATO and NORAD

52. 1964: The State of the Arts
American civil rights movement draws attention to status of Blacks in Canada
Canada Council is endowed with $100,000,000 to support the arts
There is an explosion in the quantity and quality of all forms of Canadian art

53. 1965: French-English Relations
Auto Pact guarantees Canada a greater share of the North American auto market
English-Canadian intellectuals worry Canada has become a branch plant colony of the USA
FLQ terrorism escalates in Quebec
A Royal Commission recommends bilingualism

54. 1966: The Global Village
Counter culture challenges values and norms of older generation
Canadian television networks begins broadcasting in colour
Television replaces school as primary source of information for teenagers

55. 1967: The Summer of Love
Canada celebrates its centennial, the highlight of which is Expo ‘67
Crowds of separatists cheer Charles de Gaulle’s proclamation “vive le Québec libre!”
Indian culture (long hair, environmental focus, free spirit) is suddenly in fashion

56. 1968: The Voice of Women
Trudeau is elected Prime Minister on a wave of Trudeaumania
Although Canadian businesses profit from arms sales to the USA, most Canadians oppose the Vietnam War
Thousands of American draft dodgers and deserters find refuge in Canada

57. 1969: The Mystery of the White Man
The Official Languages Act is passed, guaranteeing federal services in both official languages.
A White Paper proposes to do away with reserves and treaty rights.
Canada’s armed forces are reduced by a third.

58. 1970: The October Crisis The FLQ kidnaps two men in Montreal.
The government invokes the War Measures Act.
Pierre Laporte is assassinated by the FLQ.

59. 1971: Multiculturalism Canada is declared officially multicultural.
Canada’s immigration policy is now colour-blind (white immigrants are no longer preferred)
Non-European immigration outnumbers immigration from Europe for the first time

60. 1972: Women in Politics The first black woman is elected to office.
Women’s liberation movement is in full swing.
Liberals are reduced to a minority government and NDP hold balance of power.

61. 1973: Land Claims Oil shock sends world price of oil soaring.
Government introduces a national oil policy to make Canada self-sufficient in oil by the end of the decade.
Supreme Court rules that Natives in B.C. can claim ancestral land rights.

62. 1974: The New Left
Anti-American attitudes increase in wake of Vietnam War and Watergate scandal
The Foreign Investment Review Agency is established to block American takeovers of Canadian businesses.
The NDP pressures the government to create Petro-Canada to help Canada achieve energy self-sufficiency.
Trudeau’s Liberals win another majority government.

63. 1975: Survival
Supreme Court denies Irene Murdoch a fair share of marriage property in divorce settlement. (Women are outraged.)
The Canadian Radio Television Commission requires 30% Canadian content
Women’s liberation movement puts strains on many marriages (including the prime minister’s)

64. 1976: Language Wars
One million workers down their tools to protest wage and price controls
Air traffic controllers strike to protest unpopular bilingualism policy
Quebec votes in René Lévesque’s separatist Parti Québécois

65. 1977: The First Nations
Canada claims 200 miles of sea as its territorial limit
First Nations claim they own land where no treaty exists
The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry allows Canadians to hear the Native point of view
The 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement becomes the first modern land-claim settlement

66. 1978: Tomorrow Country
Alberta’s economy and population are expanding while the rest of Canada stagnates
Alberta’s government makes 45% of every barrel of oil sold, allowing it to do away with the sales tax
Ottawa forces Alberta to sell its own below the world price

67. 1979: Joe Who?
Joe Clark’s Progressive Conservatives win a minority government
To tackle the deficit, the government brings down a tough budget which includes an 18% tax on gasoline
The opposition parties vote against the budget and Joe Clark has to call another election after just three months in power

68. 1980: The Centre Must Hold
Pierre Trudeau returns from retirement to lead the Liberals to another majority government
Quebeckers vote in a referendum, rejecting sovereignty association (to separate from Canada) by a margin of 60% to 40%
The Liberal government introduces the National Energy Program

69. 1981: The Provinces Push Back
Albertans are so enraged by the NEP that 49% say they favour separating from Canada
Premiers who oppose Trudeau’s plans to repatriate the constitution form the Gang of Eight
Alberta and Ottawa make a deal to share the oil revenue: Alberta gets 30%, Ottawa gets 25%

70. 1982: The Night of the Long Knives
The BNA Act is repatriated; the new constitution includes a Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Quebec is stripped of its veto power and René Lévesque feels he has been betrayed by English Canada
Despite losing the referendum, the Parti Quebecois continues on in power, using Bill 101 to eliminate English signs in Quebec

71. 1983: Unions on the Defensive
Under Trudeau, the federal deficit grows from $17 to $200 billion
Interest rates skyrocket and many working class families lose their homes
Unions are threatened as robots replace workers at automotive plants

72. 1984: Star Wars Many Canadians criticize Star Wars.
Trudeau lets America test cruise missiles in Canada.
Canadian astronaut flies aboard the space shuttle.
Brian Mulroney becomes Prime Minister. [Trudeau retires (again)]

73. 1985: Open for Business
Mulroney declares Canada is “open for business” (His government axes FIRA and NEP)
Mulroney tackles deficit by cutting funds to military, foreign aid, the CBC, and VIA Rail.
Mulroney begins to consider a free trade deal with USA.

74. 1986: Globalization
Canada continues to attract immigrants from around the globe.
Canada is adapting to a new economy based on the computer and foreign competition.
Magna International Ltd is a Canadian business success story.

75. 1987: The New Federalism
Canada works out a free trade agreement with the United States, but Liberals in the Senate block its passage into law.
A new party (Reform) is formed in western Canada with an emphasis on reforming the Senate.
The Meech Lake Accord is negotiated. It will recognize Quebec as a distinct society.

76. 1988: The Corporate Agenda
The free trade agreement dominates the 1988 federal election.
Country is split down the middle: Liberals and NDP share the anti-FTA vote; PCs get the pro-FTA vote.
Vote splitting gives Mulroney a second majority government and free trade becomes law.

77. 1989: Cultural Imperialism
Montreal Massacre raised awareness of violence against women.
Canadians celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War
Budget cuts to CBC mean Canadian content is squeezed out by powerful American imports.

78. 1990: Distinct Societies
Town of Oka tried to expand its golf course onto sacred Native burial ground, triggering a tense standoff.
The army is sent in to remove the barricades.
The Meech Lake Accord was defeated by Elijah Harper’s opposition.

79. 1991: The National Unity Crisis
Canadian forces participated in Operation Desert Storm (liberation of Kuwait).
Quebec began to reconsider separation from Canada because of failure of Meech Lake Accord.
The federal government established a Citizens’ Forum to examine Canada’s options.

80. 1992: Backlash
The recession was the biggest worry of most Canadians, not national unity. Unemployment is 10%.
Most Canadians rejected the Charlottetown Accord in a national referendum.
Racial tensions increase because a Sikh man wished to serve as an RCMP officer while wearing his turban.

81. 1993: The Slaughter
The torture of a Somali teenager by Canadian peacekeepers shocked the nation.
Canadian peacekeepers serving in Yugoslavia received a rare U.N. citation.
The voters humiliated Kim Campbell’s Progressive Conservative Party, reducing them to just two seats.

82. 1994: Dark Continent
Canada helped bring an end to apartheid in South Africa.
Canadian peacekeepers have served in many African nations: Somalia, Congo and Rwanda.
Despite best efforts of General Romeo Dallaire, Canada did not do enough to prevent the genocide of 1,000,000 Tutsis in Rwanda.

83. 1995: Power from the North
Quebec’s First Nations blocked construction of James Bay II hydro-electric dams on their land.
Federal government recognized inherent right of Native people to govern themselves.
In another referendum, Quebec voters rejected sovereignty association by a narrow margin.

84. 1996: Tackling the Deficit Canada’s debt was out of control.
A tough federal budget slashed spending for each government department by as much as 50%.
Social programs became less generous.

85. 1997: Landmines
Canadians were saddened by the tragic death of Princess Diana.
Canadians worried that social programs were being cut too aggressively
Canada spearheaded the international campaign to ban landmines.

86. 1998: Human Rights
Canada has developed a host of documents to protect human rights.
Canada can play a lead role in prosecuting war criminals.
The Charter of Rights and Freedom was used to strike down the Rape Shield Law.

87. 1999: Our Land
The federal government and the Inuit negotiate the largest land claim agreement in Canada’s history (1993).
The map of Canada is redrawn because Nunavut has been created.
The Inuit try to draw attention to the effects of global warming on the Arctic..

88. 2000: The Clarity Act
Canada has a Governor-General of Chinese descent and BC has a Sikh premier.
200,000 immigrants arrive in Canad each year.
The Clarity Act explains to Quebec the conditions for separation.
Jean Chretien’s Liberals won a third majority and BQ in Quebec is in decline.

89. 2001: World Trade
Team Canada trade missions have negotiated business contracts worth several billion dollars.
Protest against the World Trade Organization builds. Protestors oppose extending NAFTA to include all of South America.
Canadian airports receive 33,000 unexpected visitors when USA closes its airspace following World Trade Center attack.