History History

Arrival of the first Asians in America through the Bering Strait, then an isthmus.

The Inuit arrive from Siberia and occupy the Canadian Arctic.

The Viking Leif Eriksson was one of the first Europeans to explore the eastern seaboard of the continent, including the areas that today make up the Atlantic Provinces and the Canadian Arctic.

Sent by King Henry VII of England, John Cabot set sail to find the route to India. He made three voyages, including one in 1497, which took him along the coasts of Labrador and the island of Newfoundland, where he discovered large shoals of cod.

On July 24, 1534, Jacques Cartier left Saint-Malo with three ships: the Grande Hermine, the Petite Hermine and the Emerillon. He disembarked at Gaspé, explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence, sailed upriver to Hochelaga (Montreal) after stopping at the village of Stadaconé (Quebec), made contact with the Iroquois during three expeditions that lasted until 1542, and took possession of all these territories on behalf of the French king, François ^Ier. It was he who gave Canada its name (from Kanata, meaning "village"). But he was soon disappointed by the land, which he found inhospitable, cold and uninteresting. France therefore neglected Canada until the end of the ^16th century.

By the time the first European navigators set foot on the eastern side of the continent, several aboriginal nations were already populating western Canada. The Haida and Nootka occupy the Pacific coastline, the Blackfoot, Cree and Athabaskan live on the great prairies to the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and the Inuit are a nomadic people of the Arctic.
The first Spanish conquistadors landed in Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island, engaging in episodic trade with the aboriginal whale and seal hunters.

In the absence of spices, Europeans discovered another source of wealth: furs. France decided to create a vast network of trading posts (places where the natives could be traded) on the shores of the St. Lawrence. In 1599, the first temporary trading post, known as a tabagie, was set up in Tadoussac. Throughout the ^17th century, the fur trade remained the colony's main economic activity.

Founding of Port-Royal in Acadia (today Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia). Acadia becomes the first French colony.
To organize the French fur trade, Samuel de Champlain lands on the north shore of the St. Lawrence on July 3, 1608 and establishes the first permanent trading post at Kebek, an Algonquin word meaning "place where the river narrows". A slow process of colonization then began.
The first European explorers ventured into present-day Ontario: Henry Hudson explored the James Bay coast, while Étienne Brûlé and Samuel de Champlain traveled along the Ottawa River to central Ontario. Brûlé, considered the first Franco-Ontarian European, lived among the natives until his death.

Born in Brouage, Saintonge, this explorer and colonizer was sent by Louis XIII on a reconnaissance mission to Canada in 1603, where he explored the St. Lawrence as far as the Lachine Rapids. On a second voyage, he explored Canada's Atlantic coast (1604-1607), before establishing a French colony at Québec in 1608, allying himself with the Algonquins and Hurons against the Iroquois. During his stay in Canada, he explored part of the Great Lakes (lakes Nipissing, Huron, Ontario and Champlain) in 1615-1616, but devoted most of his time to organizing the colony, of which he was appointed lieutenant-governor by the Duc de Montmorency in 1619.

To promote colonization, Richelieu founded the Compagnie de la Nouvelle-France, or the Hundred Associates, which held a monopoly on the fur trade. Meanwhile, the English were trying to colonize Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

The English wanted to take the new colony of the Americas from France. The first conquest was led by the Kirk brothers. They first occupied Tadoussac before laying siege to Québec, forcing Champlain to surrender and leave the colony. They occupied Québec for three years until the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye between the kings of France and England, which returned the land to the French Crown.

The various First Nations tribes allied themselves with the Europeans in the fur trade, leading to a series of attacks between the different nations as they sought to profit from this lucrative commercial activity. The result was the decline of the fur trade and of the fledgling French colony.

The English occupied Acadia (Nova Scotia), which they considered an illegitimate possession of the French. It was returned to France in exchange for islands in the West Indies following the Treaty of Breda.
In 1663, by decision of Louis XIV, New France became a French province attached to the royal domain.

The Hudson's Bay Company is founded and becomes an important rival to the trappers of New France. Created to explore the interior of the continent via Hudson's Bay, the company also obtained the exclusive right to trade in the vast Rupert's Land, then representing one-third of present-day Canada. The Hudson's Bay Company still exists, known as The Bay.

Motivated by scientific curiosity, commercial concerns and evangelism, the French explored the heart of the continent.

On August 4, the Great Peace of Montreal treaty was signed by Louis-Hector de Callière and 39 First Nations, putting an end to the intermittent wars of the ^17th century and improving Franco-Aboriginal relations.

The Franco-British conflicts in Europe had repercussions on the colonies: the Treaty of Utrecht, which put an end to the War of the Spanish Succession, allowed the British to annex the territories of Hudson Bay, Newfoundland and Acadia, renamed Nova Scotia.
The Franco-British war of 1741-48 ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which restored the status quo.

In 1755, British colonel Sir Charles Lawrence ordered the deportation of the Acadians, farmers from Poitou, Touraine and Berry who had been settled around the Bay of Fundy (present-day Nova Scotia) since 1604. In their place, he planned to settle English farmers: the Grand Dérangement, which took place from 1755 to 1763, affected more than 10,000 Acadians. The Acadians dispersed throughout the country, many eventually settling in Louisiana.

The French, led by General Montcalm, were defeated in Quebec City by General Wolfe's British at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759), which led to the surrender of Quebec City and, in 1760, the capitulation of Montreal. At the time, New France had only 80,000 inhabitants of French descent, while the British, who numbered two million, had only one idea: to drive out the French.

The Treaty of Paris cedes New France to Great Britain. France definitively lost its Canadian possessions, except for the archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.

Britain recognizes the independence of the United States, its former American colonies. The first American Loyalists, loyal to the British Crown, arrive in Canada.

The Constitutional Act establishing a representative government divided the country into two provinces: English-speaking Upper Canada (Ontario) and French-speaking Lower Canada (Quebec).

Captain George Vancouver disembarked aboard the HMS Discovery in the place of the future city that would bear his name, on a mission from the Crown of England.

A great British navigator, he is renowned for his exploration of the Pacific coast, from Alaska through British Columbia to the state of Oregon. In particular, he sought to prove the existence of a maritime corridor along the northern coast of North America, the famous Northwest Passage. The city of Vancouver and Vancouver Island are named after him.

Alexander Mackenzie crosses the territory to the Pacific for the first time by land. The discovery of these lands, rich in beaver furs, attracted the interest of the eastern populations. What followed was a slow but considerable colonization of the territory. Villages and then towns sprang up across Alberta, pushing the natives to their limits. Pioneers traded guns, ammunition, tools and alcohol for land and hides. Excessive buffalo hunting soon led to poverty and exclusion on the reserves.

The first explorer to reach the area of the future Vancouver from the east was Simon Fraser, a wealthy fur trader. However, his visit was also short-lived, as he was unable to reach trade agreements with the coastal nations and retreated further east.

The Anglo-American war broke out and was concluded by the signing of the peace treaty in Ghent which restored the status quo.

Every year, fishermen from France (Normandy, Basque Country, Brittany), Spain, Portugal and England set sail from continental Europe to fish for cod off the coast of Newfoundland. Known as Terre-Neuvas, they set out on fishing expeditions lasting several months. Between 1820 and 1840, over 10,000 made the crossing for this great adventure. The Terre-Neuvas were also responsible for the colonization and development of the Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon archipelago, which is still part of France. But overfishing by trawlers took its toll, depleting cod stocks in the ^20th century. The cod moratorium imposed by Canada in June 1992 (finally lifted in 2024), due to the virtual disappearance of the resource, deprived thousands of people of their livelihood in the east of the country.

Hudson's Bay Company establishes Fort Langley trading post, the first permanent European settlement on the Vancouver site.

Rebellions against the British Crown broke out in Upper and Lower Canada. The political situation was also at the heart of the matter, particularly in Lower Canada where the uprising was much more violent. The whole thing ended in failure.

The first fur traders set up trading posts along the Yukon River.

Following the suspension of the Constitution of 1791, British Governor General Lord Durham proposed the union of Lower and Upper Canada, known as the Act of Union, creating the United Province of Canada.

In-depth exploration of the Rockies and the North led to the discovery of natural resources that were far more lucrative than the fur trade, which at the time was losing ground due to the gradual disappearance of the beaver. After the first gold discoveries in Colorado and California (USA), prospectors turned their attention to deposits in northern British Columbia, in the bed of a tributary of the Fraser River. This was the first real gold rush in British Columbia, known as the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, bringing at least 30,000 gold seekers.
The balance between the Hudson's Bay Company fur traders and the native nations was upset, and several conflicts broke out (such as the Fraser Canyon War) between the natives and the miners from America, where relations with the First Nations were stormy.

A second rush will begin in the northern part of the province and will last three years. It is the most famous rush in British Columbia. It attracted many prospectors to the Cariboo Mountains after a vein of gold was discovered in the Horsefly River. In 1863, Lillooet became the second largest city in the west after San Francisco. This Cariboo Gold Rush led to the construction of the Cariboo Road (or Cariboo Wagon Road), a major road project to open up the region and its gold deposits.

The British North America Act created the Canadian Confederation, which included the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and later Manitoba and the Northwest Territories (1870), British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island (1873), Yukon (1898), Saskatchewan and Alberta (1905), Newfoundland and Labrador (1949), and finally Nunavut (1999). The new state, also called the Dominion of Canada, gained complete control over its foreign affairs, but the British Crown was still represented.

In the new towns of western Canada, liquor trafficking, particularly of American whisky, led to conflicts and brawls. In an attempt to restore order, the North West Mounted Police was established, along with several forts in southern Alberta. Fort McLeod, Alberta, became one of the first permanent North West Mounted Police posts, in 1875. Its primary purpose was to ensure that the new arrivals respected the First Nations of the Prairies, and to maintain order in the territory, particularly during the construction of the railroad, but also during the Yukon gold rush of the years to come.

The Indian Act, which applies only to First Nations, was introduced by the federal government with the aim of eradicating aboriginal culture and promoting their assimilation into Euro-Canadian society. It is this same law, unfortunately still in force today, that governs the reserves on which they live across the country.

Métis resistance under the leadership of Métis leader Louis Riel, also known as the Northwest Rebellion. Louis Riel was charged with high treason and hanged in Regina in 1885.
Banff National Park, Canada's oldest national park, is established.

A French-speaking Métis and considered the "father of Manitoba," he incited his people to revolt against the Anglophone hegemony, notably by seizing Fort Garry in 1869, the Hudson's Bay Company's main settlement. This act of resistance earned the Métis a special status, enshrined in the Manitoba Act in 1870. Their language was then recognized in the same way as English. But Louis Riel, accused of the murder of Scott, leader of the Ontario Half-Bloods (English-speaking), was sentenced to five years' exile. In the early 1880s, he returned to Canada to lead the rebellion. On March 19, 1885, he seized the Batoche church and formed a provisional government. But, unlike in 1869, the federal government fought back. He was defeated, charged with treason and sentenced to death. He was hanged on November 16, 1885 in Regina.

The construction of the first transcontinental railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway, triggered a huge movement of immigration to the West. It played a key role in opening up British Columbia, which was separated from the rest of the country by the Rocky Mountains.

George Carmack discovers the first gold nugget near Dawson Creek. The last great gold rush was in full swing, the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon. This gold rush opened up the Yukon Territory and developed cities such as Vancouver and Edmonton, where many prospectors stopped, exhausted and demotivated from their journey. The rush was so great - more than 100,000 prospectors - that a railway was even built in 1898, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, linking Skagway (Alaska) to Bennett (Yukon) and classified as a civil engineering heritage site.

The beginning of the 20th century marked a major turning point in the western economy. In Alberta, gas was discovered in Medicine Hat and oil in Turner Valley. This marked the beginning of the exploitation of Alberta's natural resources and the enrichment of the province throughout the century.
During the First World War, Canada unhesitatingly sided with the United Kingdom. The signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, by delegates from the Dominion, gave Canada the status of a sovereign state. In the post-war years, Canada attracted a million immigrants. Wheat growing became a major source of wealth, while industry developed rapidly.

From May 15 to June 25, the Winnipeg General Strike took place. It was the largest in Canadian history, with 30,000 workers from all walks of life demonstrating for better conditions, bringing the city to a standstill.

With the Imperial Conference, Canada broke its subordinate ties with Britain. The Statute of Westminster, which abolished the last colonial ties, gave Canada full sovereignty, but there were still limits. For example, the right to amend the Constitution remained exclusive to the British Parliament until 1982.

Eight days after Britain, Canada declares war on Germany. Participation in the Allied effort was considerable.

Construction of the Alaska Highway begins, with hundreds of workers arriving in the Yukon. A true civil engineering feat, its construction was no simple matter, due to the cold, rivers, swamps and other natural conditions. It would be completed almost 20 years later, and would become an important economic link for trade and resource transportation between Alaska, northern Canada and the U.S. states bordering British Columbia.

Canada is a founding member of the United Nations (UN). The country also adopts a Canadian Citizenship Act, although its inhabitants are still British citizens.

Discovery of one of Canada's largest oil fields, at Leduc. The oil boom that followed in the 1960s gave Alberta real economic and decision-making clout. As Ontario and Quebec lost ground, the province became a socio-economic model, with high incomes and near-full employment for many years.

Canada signs the North Atlantic Pact.
Foreign Minister L. B. Pearson receives the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in resolving the Suez Crisis.

The Quiet Revolution begins in Quebec: the provincial government takes major economic, social and cultural measures.
Aboriginal people finally win the right to vote in federal elections.
In 1964, the national flag is chosen, and the same year, exploitation of the Athabasca oil sands begins in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
In 1967, General de Gaulle, then on an official visit to Quebec, uttered the famous "Vive le Québec libre!" at the end of his speech in Montreal, triggering a political crisis between Canada and France. On the other hand, this also had the effect of making Quebec and its political situation known to the four corners of the globe, especially as the World's Fair was held in Montreal from April 28 to October 29.

Founded in the early 1960s, the Front de libération du Québec - or FLQ - is an underground movement working for Quebec independence, often violently. As early as 1963, it committed a number of terrorist acts, including the kidnapping in October 1970 of British Trade Commissioner James Richard Cross, who was released two months later, and Quebec Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor Pierre Laporte, who was found dead a week after his abduction. These events became known as the "October Crisis".

Montreal is hosting the Games of the XXIst Olympiad of the modern era, from July 17 to August¹.

First referendum on Quebec sovereignty, organized on the initiative of the PQ government. The result was a "no" vote of 59.56%. A second referendum was held in 1995 and suffered the same fate, with the "no" vote winning by only a few tens of thousands.

The patriation of the Constitution(Constitution Act, 1982), which finally gave Canada the right to amend its fundamental texts without Westminster's approval, marked full independence (with the addition of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms). Having been excluded from the negotiations, Quebec never officially approved the Constitution.

Vancouver hosts the World's Fair.

Failure of the Meech Lake Accord: the Canadian provinces refuse to grant Quebec a distinct status and Quebec maintains its refusal to adhere to the 1982 Constitution.

Canada joins the G7 and Calgary hosts the country's first Winter Olympics.

NAFTA comes into force: free trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico. It was renegotiated and renamed the ACEUM in 2020.

The federal government legislates same-sex marriage with the Civil Marriage Act.

Vancouver hosts the Winter Olympics.

Quebec is experiencing a real social crisis that began with the student strike against the huge increase in tuition fees. It was nicknamed the "Maple Spring". The images of the demonstrations were seen around the world for several months.

On October 17, Canada became the second country in the world to legalize and regulate the recreational use of cannabis.

At the beginning of the year, the Canadian rail network was paralyzed by numerous blockades by aboriginal protesters in support of the Wet'suwet'en community, which is contesting the passage of a gas pipeline through its ancestral territory in British Columbia.

The remains of hundreds of children are found on the sites of former residential schools. The country was shocked, and searches were launched from coast to coast for the bodies of Aboriginal schoolchildren. The following year, the Pope visited the site for a "penitential pilgrimage", apologizing for the Church's role in the tragedy.

At the end of January, Canada's capital, Ottawa, was besieged for almost a month by the Freedom Convoy, a protest movement against health measures, including mandatory border vaccinations for truckers. The sieges spread to several provinces, with the movement finding an echo almost everywhere in the country, and even internationally.

From July 24 to 29, Pope Francis visits Canada as part of a reconciliation between the Catholic Church and aboriginal peoples. He will visit Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut.

Forest fires reach an all-time high in 2023 across the country, burning an area equivalent to 18.4 million hectares, about 2.5 times the historical record set in 1989. If 2024 is a more moderate year, the iconic town of Jasper and its national park fall prey to the flames for weeks on end, damaging or destroying a third of the town.