Language/English/Culture/Canada-Timeline

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History of Canada and Quebec - A chronology of key events
Canada-Timeline-PolyglotClub.png

Before leaving for your trip to Canada, it may be interesting to learn some interesting facts about Canada and some of its recent history.

So here's a quick overview:

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Dominica Timeline, Ascension Island Timeline, Baseball & Tokelau Timeline.

Interesting Facts about Canada[edit | edit source]

  • Country : CANADA 🇨🇦
  • Capital: Ottawa
  • Continent: North America
  • Currency: Canadian Dollar
  • Official Language: English & French

1. Canada is the second-largest country in the world with a total land area of 2 million square km.

2. The country’s forests cover 347 million hectares of land, approximately 42% of the country.

3. The country has 1.2 million speakers of Chinese languages and Punjabi speakers around 500,000 people.

4. 71% of the world’s maple syrup comes from Canada.

5. Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest natural park in Canada (second-largest national park in the world).

6. The Trans-Canada Highway is one of the world’s longest highways.

7. Canada is a Polar Bear Capital. It is home to around 15,500 of the world’s 25,000 polar bears.

8. There are 30 million people in Canada.

9. Canada has almost 3 million lakes with 20% of the world’s freshwater.

10. Lake Moraine is one of the most beautiful spots to visit in the country.

11. The world’s biggest underground shopping complex it’s called PATH (comprises 4 million square feet of retail space).

12. The most powerful part of Niagara Falls is in Canada.

13. Canada Has Two National Sports – Ice Hockey and Lacrosse.

14. Basketball was invented by Canadians.

Source[edit source]

  • Content Research - Ms Harshali Dhatavkar

➡ To LEARN & SHARE interesting experiences: Join the WhatsApp group

Canada & Quebec Timeline[edit | edit source]

1534[edit | edit source]

JACQUES CARTIER TAKES POSSESSION OF CANADA

Jacques Cartier Leaving Saint-Malo on April 20, heading for the Labrador coast, Jacques Cartier's expedition reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence and landed in Gaspé.

The French navigator takes possession of the new land in front of an assembly of Indians by planting a huge cross there, in the name of the King of France, François Ier. However, the first settlers did not settle in the bay until a century later.

Jacques Cartier will then undertake other trips, where he will discover the village of Hochelaga, not far from which will be erected, later, the city of Montreal.


1608[edit | edit source]

FOUNDATION OF THE CITY OF QUEBEC

Samuel de Champlain The French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Quebec in Canada.

The village has only a handful of houses surrounded by gardens and intended to house the 28 men who accompany it. 20 of them will perish during the winter.

For years, the French have sought to settle in this territory of North America. The city of Quebec will develop quickly thereafter, until later becoming the capital of New France.

It will not, however, withstand the British assaults for long.


1627[edit | edit source]

FOUNDATION OF THE COMPAGNIE DE LA NOUVELLE-FRANCE (OR OF THE HUNDRED ASSOCIATES)

Richelieu founded the Compagnie de la Nouvelle-France, also called the Compagnie des Cent-Associés.

Then minister of Louis XIII, Richelieu wanted to develop the French colonies on Canadian territory. Thus, for fifteen years, the company was to benefit from the monopoly on the fur trade, very profitable at the time.

It was also to attract new settlers, but this will be in vain, in part because of the British.

The Compagnie des Habitants will take over, also without success. Finally, Colbert will take control of the territory in the name of the King of France Louis XIV, in 1663.


1642[edit | edit source]

MONTREAL FOUNDATION

Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve About fifty French people land in New France (Quebec) to create a Catholic community.

Led by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, they founded the village of Ville-Marie de Montréal, on an island located 1,500 kilometers inland, at the confluence of the St. Lawrence River and the Rivière des Prairies.

In 1535, the explorer Jacques Cartier baptized it "Mons realis" (mount royal in Latin). It will become the hub of the fur trade.

In 1760, the city surrendered to the British crown.

Much later it would become the second largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris.


1670[edit | edit source]

HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY FOUNDATION

A British company is created and holds a commercial monopoly of fur on the surroundings of Hudson's Bay (northern Canada.)

The French see this presence with a bad eye and the conflicts do not take long to resurface. England had already appropriated Quebec from 1629 to 1632, before taking Acadia until 1667.

The conflicts will continue until 1713, date of the Treaty of Utrecht.

Signed in order to put an end to the war of Spanish succession, this treaty will force France to leave to England Hudson's Bay, Newfoundland and Acadia.


1755[edit | edit source]

EXPULSION OF ACADIANS

Expulsion of Acadians In Canada, the Council of Nova Scotia decides to deport the Acadians (colonists of French origin).

In 1713, France had ceded its Canadian colonies to England. Faced with the imminence of a new conflict between the two kingdoms, the French-speaking population was deported to New England (northeastern United States).

More than 7,000 people, out of 13,000, will die during the exodus.

Some will be repatriated to France, others will settle in Quebec and Louisiana.


1759[edit | edit source]

FALL OF QUEBEC

Captain John Knox Bombarded by the British Navy for two months, the besieged French in Quebec surrendered.

Captain John Knox takes possession of the city which is nothing more than a field of ruins. On the previous September 13, the British infantry had defeated the French troops in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, a battle in which Montcalm was killed.

The 15,000 inhabitants of the province become subjects of the English crown.

The French army fell back on Montreal, which in turn fell into the hands of the English a year later.


1760[edit | edit source]

MONTREAL GETS TO THE BRITISH

Shortly after the surrender of Quebec City, Montreal, under the power of Governor Vaudreuil, was in turn forced to surrender.

As early as 1755, the war between the British and the French ravaged Canadian territories, even before the Seven Years' War (1756 - 1763) began, which fueled the conflicts.tality of New France now passes into the hands of the English. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 officially established British power over Canada (except Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.)


1774[edit | edit source]

THE QUEBEC ACT ENSURES FRENCH CANADIANS A CERTAIN FREEDOM

Voted by the English Parliament under the power of George III, the Quebec Act restores French civil laws and allows residents to exercise their Catholic faith.

They also have the possibility of acquiring land and the French language is preserved. The borders of Quebec are even pushed back.

However, the British penal system remains in force. This act will undergo modifications when the Constitutional Act of 1791 is put in place.


1775[edit | edit source]

MONTREAL CAPITULATES BEFORE THE INSURGENTS

American troops under General Montgomery Since September, American troops under General Montgomery have besieged the city of Montreal, Canada.

On November 2, the British forces of Major Charles Preston had no other choice but to capitulate, before withdrawing to Quebec.

The American intervention in Canada comes after the British proclamation of the Quebec Act (1774), by which the United Kingdom granted the inhabitants new freedoms, notably religious, in order to reinforce their loyalty to the Crown.

For their part, the Americans are trying to rally Quebec opinion to their cause and insist that their intervention is not directed against them, but for them. Eventually, General Montgomery died while attempting to occupy Quebec City.


1791[edit | edit source]

CONSTITUTIONAL ACT OF CANADA

The King of England, George III, signs the Constitutional Act of Canada.

He thus divided the colony into two provinces: To the west of the Ottawa River was created Upper Canada, predominantly English-speaking and to the east Lower Canada, which brought together Canadians of French ancestry.

Lower Canada includes New France, which will be annexed by England in 1763, by the Treaty of Paris. In 1840, an Act of Union united Upper and Lower Canada in a single province, called Canada.


1840[edit | edit source]

UNIFICATION OF CANADA Following the failed revolt of Louis-Joseph Papineau in 1837, the British government signed the Act of Union, the "Reunion Act". This legislative union between the provinces of Upper Canada (loyalist) and those of Lower Canada (French-speaking) echoes Lord John Durham's report, which proposes the assimilation of French Canadians.

English becomes the only official language. But this measure also opens the way to the autonomy of Canada, which now benefits from a council of eight deputies chosen by the governor. Almost a century later (1931), Canada will achieve independence.


1858[edit | edit source]

OTTAWA CAPITAL OF CANADA

Ottawa, capital of Canada The Queen of England, Victoria I, designates the city of Bytown (future Ottawa) as the capital of United Canada. Quebec, Montreal or Toronto were also candidates.

But the queen, not wishing to favor any linguistic community, prefers to choose Bytown where 50% French-speaking and 50% English-speaking live. In 1867, Ottawa will be made the capital of the Confederation of Canada.


1867[edit | edit source]

ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT

The Canadian confederation is established by the British Parliament.

The status of Canada is not changed, it remains under the domination of the Crown, but the latter entrusts the authority to a federal government. The confederation then brought together Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Now a dominion, Canada would later have Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island added, thanks in particular to John MacDonald. In addition, the Act will be repatriated in 1982 by Trudeau to undergo some modifications and to ensure a total autonomy to the country. This date will become the National Day of Canada (July 1.)


1939[edit | edit source]

CANADA AT WAR Seven days after Great Britain and more than two years before the United States, Canada entered World War II. The situation remains delicate, however, as the French Canadians reject any human participation in the conflict.

In the early 1940s, the country industrialized very quickly and provided substantial reinforcement to the allies.


1964[edit | edit source]

THE MAPLE LEAF FLAG FOR CANADA

The Maple Leaf Flag for CanadaLiberal Prime Minister of Canada, Leaster B. Pearson, proposes a Maple Leaf Maple Leaf Flag to replace the British Navy Red Ensign with the coat of arms of Canada.

The new national flag offers the advantage for the French-speaking minority of the country of no longer remembering the British occupation. It will be adopted by the Ottawa House of Commons on February 15, 1965.


1967[edit | edit source]

"LONG LIVE THE FREE QUEBEC"

General de Gaulle On an official visit to Canada, General de Gaulle launches from the balcony of the Hôtel dhe city of Montreal a vibrant: "Long live Montreal! Long live Quebec! Long live free Quebec! Long live French Canada! Long live France!"

The 500,000 Montrealers gathered in front of the French Head of State are jubilant.

For the vast majority of French-speaking Quebecers, General de Gaulle's declaration resonates as an encouragement to demands for independence.

But the government of Ottawa, the federal capital of Canada, is deeply shocked and regrets "certain statements made by the president." De Gaulle will have to cut his trip short.


1977[edit | edit source]

QUEBEC ADOPTS FRENCH AS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE

The National Assembly of Quebec adopts the "Charter of the French language". This Charter, proposed by the government of the independentist René Lévesque, makes French the official language of work, education, commerce and business.

The question of language had arisen in Quebec since the Treaty of Paris (1763), following which Great Britain took control of the French possessions in Canada and created the province of Quebec.


1980[edit | edit source]

REFERENDUM ON QUEBEC INDEPENDENCE

On May 20, 1980, a majority of Quebecers rejected the PQ government's sovereignty-association project.

Before making a decision by referendum, several citizens of the province campaign to convince the undecided. On the one hand, the supporters of the "Yes" wish to obtain a mandate to negotiate the sovereignty-association of Quebec with Ottawa.

On the other hand, the "No" team advocates a renewed federalism and seeks to avoid economic instability.


1982[edit | edit source]

TRUDEAU HAS THE CONSTITUTION REPATRIATED

First elected in April 1968 and returned to power in 1980, Liberal Pierre Elliott Trudeau had the Canadian Constitution repatriated to the country, despite Quebec rejection.

Known as the North America Act, it was established in 1867 and until then remained under the control of the United Kingdom. The British Parliament did not oppose it and Queen Elizabeth II sanctioned the necessary law in Ottawa.

Trudeau will add some modifications to this Constitution, including a charter of rights and freedoms. It thus makes Canada, once and for all, an officially and totally sovereign state.


1987[edit | edit source]

SIGNATURE OF THE MEECH LAKE AGREEMENT

In order to have the Canadian Constitution accepted by Quebec, Prime Minister Mulroney proposed an agreement making the province a "distinct society" and granting all the provinces greater power. He then brought together at Meech Lake all the provincial ministers of Canada.

However, for this agreement to be effective, all Canadian parliaments must consent to its implementation within three years. Manitoba will be the first to reject it, followed by Newfoundland, which defeats the project. A referendum will then be organized in Charlottetown in 1992, again with the aim of reforming the Constitution and bringing greater recognition to Quebec.

The "no" will win the majority.


1995[edit | edit source]

ANOTHER REFERENDUM OF QUEBEC SOVEREIGNTY REJECTED

René Lévesque Quebeckers once again reject the sovereignty project of their province as well as the economic and political partnership with the rest of Canada.

A first referendum attempt took place in May 1980, under the government of René Lévesque, and had the same result. But this time around, the "No" is in the majority with only 50.6% of the vote.

This result will lead to the resignation of the Premier of Quebec, Jacques Parizeau. The question of Quebec sovereignty has therefore still not been resolved.

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