History History

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

The Inuit arrived from Siberia through the Bering Strait and occupied the Canadian Arctic.

While the first European navigators set foot on the eastern part of the continent a few years ago, several ethnic groups populate northwestern Canada. The Haida and Nootka, coastal communities living mainly from fishing, occupy the Pacific coast, while the Blackfoot, Cree and Athabascan live on the great prairies to the foot of the Rocky Mountains. In the northern Arctic, the Inuit hunt and move nomadically through isolated areas

Settlement in the west came later than in the east. The first Spanish conquistadors landed in Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island, engaging in an episodic trade with the natives, who were fine whale and seal hunters.

The Hudson's Bay Company obtained exclusive rights in Rupert territory, including a large part of Alberta.

Captain George Vancouver disembarked on board the HMS Discovery in place of the future city that would bear his name, commissioned by the Crown of England.

A great British navigator born in Britain in 1757 and entering the navy at the age of 14, George Vancouver embarked the following year (1772) on the sailboat Resolution commanded by James Cook for his second expedition to the Pacific. He also took part in the famous explorer's third expedition, between 1776 and 1780, and spent about ten years on warships before returning to exploration. In 1791, he became captain and embarked on a new sailing ship with the mission of drawing up a detailed map of the region and searching for the famous Northwest Passage, which was supposed to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He also had to assess the political situation in the region, which was then occupied by the Spanish. Crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca, he was the first to reach the site of the city that now bears his name. On behalf of England, he negotiated the ownership of Western Canada with the Spanish Captain Quadra, with whom his friendly relations played an important role in the peaceful settlement of this conflict. Returning to London in 1795, George Vancouver died exhausted at the age of 40 in 1798. His voyage, discoveries and maps are recorded in detail in his journal A Voyage of Discovery to The North Pacific Ocean and Round The World, an original three-volume copy of which is in the Vancouver Maritime Museum.

Alexander Mackenzie crossed the territory overland to the Pacific for the first time. He will carve on a rock "from Canada, by land" when he arrives on the coast

The discovery of these lands rich in beaver furs attracted the interest of the people of Quebec and Ontario. This led to a slow but considerable colonization of the territory. Villages and then towns multiplied in Alberta, pushing the Amerindians into their entrenchments. The pioneers traded guns, ammunition, tools and alcohol for their land and skins. Very quickly, over-hunting of buffalo will lead them to poverty and exclusion within reserves.

A discoverer and fur trader, he explored the rivers of northern Alberta and paved the way to the Pacific through the Rocky Mountains. He reached the coast in 1793 via the Bella Coola River. Most of his exploration missions were carried out by canoe and riverboat.

Fort Edmonton is established as a trading post in Alberta.

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 conclude trade agreements with the coastal nations, so he withdrew further east. The Fraser River, which carves a beautiful valley and canyon east of Vancouver, was named in his honour.

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

Early fur traders established trading posts along the Yukon River.

The deep exploration of the Rockies and the northern part of the territory led to the discovery of natural resources that were far more lucrative than the fur trade, which was losing its growth due to the gradual disappearance of the beavers. After the first gold discoveries in Colorado and California in the United States, prospectors were interested in deposits revealed in northern British Columbia in the bed of a tributary of the Fraser River north of the Fort Langley site. It was the first real gold rush in British Columbia called the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, bringing at least 30,000 gold seekers to the area.

They came from eastern Canada, but also, and especially, from California, which had just finished an unprecedented gold fever (1848-1856). This sudden influx of American population worried the local authorities - particularly James Douglas - who, faced with the fear of an annexation of the region by the United States, made official the colony of British Columbia's membership in the British Crown. This was proclaimed in 1858 by Richard Clement Moody, who founded its capital, New Westminster. It will be administered by Governor James Douglas, also governor of the colony of Vancouver Island and nicknamed "Father of British Columbia". The consequences of the arrival of these tens of thousands of prospectors, mainly from California via the small town of Victoria on Vancouver Island, were obviously an explosion in the population of the young colony of British Columbia and the development of roads and towns. Lillooet, reaching a population of 16,000, was even nicknamed The Largest town north of San Francisco and west of Chicago. The balance that existed between the fur traders of the Hudson's Bay Company and the Amerindian nations was also upset and several serious conflicts broke out (for example, the Fraser Canyon War in 1858) between the Amerindians and the miners who had come from America, where relations with the natives were stormy.

A second rush will begin in the northern part of the province and will last three years. It is the most famous in British Columbia. It attracts many prospectors to the Cariboo Mountains after a gold vein was discovered in the Horsefly River. In 1863, Lillooet became the second largest city in the western part of the continent 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.

Victoria is the port of arrival for many gold seekers who have come from California to try their luck in the Cariboo Country. In one year, the town grows from 500 to about 5,000 people. In March 1862, two ships from San Francisco landed in Victoria with their share of passengers, two of whom were infected with smallpox. Very quickly, the disease spread, particularly among the native population of the Songhees Reserve near the harbour, and to camps near the city where members of other tribes in the area came to trade. Vaccination measures were put in place, but the white population seemed to be favoured by the authorities and doctors, while the native population was left in the care of the helpless missionaries. Worse: instead of confining the sick natives in quarantine to their camps, they are driven out of the city so that they do not infect the healthy population. The result will be catastrophic because each sick person who returns to his village will contaminate the entire tribe. This terrible smallpox epidemic will kill at least 30,000 people, nearly 60% of the indigenous people in the region.

The British colony of Vancouver Island, which was experiencing a crisis, decided to merge with the colony of British Columbia.

Gassy Jack Deighton saw an opportunity to establish himself in the area and created a saloon in the immediate vicinity of the Hastings Mill. Soon an entire village was born, which would later become Vancouver's oldest neighbourhood, Gastown. Meanwhile, in the east end of the continent, Canadian Confederation was created.

The British colony of British Columbia joins Canadian Confederation and becomes a province of Canada after the promise of the arrival of the train that will link the province to the east of the country.

In the new cities, alcohol trafficking, especially of American whiskey, creates conflicts and brawls. The North West Mounted Police and several of its forts in southern Alberta were established in an attempt to bring order. It was an initiative of Sir John A. Macdonald, Prime Minister of Canada from 1867 to 1873 and again from 1878 to 1891. Fort McLeod in Alberta became one of the first permanent North West Mounted Police posts in 1875. The primary purpose of this fort was to ensure respect for the prairie Indians among the newcomers and to keep order in the territory, especially during the construction of the railway but also during the Yukon gold rush that would follow in the years to come.

The Indian Act, which applies only to First Nations, is implemented by the federal government, removing Indian status, denying them the right to vote, denying them the right to justice, prohibiting the celebration of Indian ceremonies or Indian schools. The children are thus transferred to residential schools run by the Church where they will be victims of acculturation (prohibition to speak a single word of Aboriginal language under penalty of exemplary punishment), torture, very often rape, sometimes even medical experiments, up to murder. It is this same law, unfortunately still in force today, that governs the reserves on which they live across the country.

The Canadian Pacific Railway, a rail project linking the east to the west of the country, reaches the city of Calgary.

Métis resistance under the leadership of Métis leader Louis Riel, also known as the North West Rebellion

Creation of the first Banff National Park, the oldest in Canada.

Vancouver's population reaches 1,000. East and West are connected by rail. In 1886, a train left Montreal and arrived at Port Moody Station near Vancouver after travelling 4,655 km in 140 hours.

The construction of the railway marked a historic turning point for Canada, as settlers arrived by the thousands in railway convoys and populated the great prairies, established the first national parks in the Rocky Mountains, and then scattered along the Pacific shores. Alberta was populated by farmers, ranchers and entrepreneurs to whom the government granted vast tracts of virgin land and pasture, known as homesteaders. Meanwhile, after the extension of the line, Vancouver is transforming itself into a metropolis, with its strategic oceanfront location and economic relationship with California. The expansion of the railway played a key role in opening up British Columbia, which was separated from the rest of the country by the Rocky Mountains. The population grew exponentially from 2,500 in 1886 to over 120,000 in 1911.

The railway was also the vehicle for Vancouver's first waves of immigration, with many Chinese coming to America to work on the "Iron Horse" and settling in Vancouver once the work was completed. Thousands of them lost their lives as a result of disease, malnutrition, accidents and explosions along the tracks.

George Carmack discovers the first gold nugget near Dawson Creek. The great last 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 would stop exhausted and unmotivated by their journey. The rush was so great, with 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 province of Alberta joins Confederation and the city of Edmonton is named capital.

Anti-Asian riots in Vancouver.

Creation of the United Farmers of Alberta.

The beginning of the 20th century marked a major turning point in the economy of the western provinces. In 1904 in Alberta, gas was discovered in Medicine Hat and oil was discovered in Turner Valley in 1914. This was the beginning of the development of Alberta's natural resources and the enrichment of the province throughout the 20th century. In the years leading up to the First World War, Canada would welcome many immigrants drawn to a rapidly growing industrial country. In 1913, a record 400,000 people immigrated to the country Between 1914 and 1920, the Canadian West prospered thanks to high commodity and wheat prices.

Women are getting the vote in Alberta.

Mine and railway workers in Alberta are on strike to protest the harsh living conditions. The flu epidemic killed more than 4,000 Albertans that year.

Vancouver surpassed Winnipeg, then the largest city in Western Canada. In its early years, Vancouver was divided between west and east. Its open door to the Pacific made it a natural trading partner with Asia and the Pacific Islands, while its remoteness from the major cities in the east and the barrier of the Rocky Mountains did not help it feel close to the Atlantic provinces.

The powerful socio-economic boom of the 1920s gave way to the 1929 crisis, which put a stop to this economic expansion. This was followed by a policy aimed, among other things, at limiting the foreign workforce and providing for the needs of the most disadvantaged. William Aberhart, Premier of Alberta in 1935, brought anti-capitalist ideas to the West and advocated the liberation of farmers and workers from the economic yoke of government.

Inauguration of the Lions Gate Bridge linking Stanley Park to the North Shore.

Construction of the Alaska Highway begins, hundreds of workers arrive in the Yukon. A true civil feat, its construction was not easy because of the cold, rivers, swamps and other natural conditions.

Discovery of one of Canada's largest oil fields at Leduc. The oil boom that followed in the 1960s gave Alberta a real economic and decision-making weight. Faced with the decline of Ontario and Quebec, the province becomes a socio-economic model with high incomes and near full employment for several years. New waves of immigration followed the end of the Second World War, mostly from Asia to British Columbia.

In 1963, the country was ringed from east to west, from Saint John's, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia, by the 7,821 km long Trans-Canada Highway. Another major highway was completed in 1961, the Alaska Highway. The Alaska Highway passes through British Columbia, southern Alaska and reaches Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. It is an important economic link for trade and resource transportation between Alaska, northern Alaska and the U.S. states bordering British Columbia. This route opens up the north and promotes tourism in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, one of the only other economic drivers in these regions, along with the development of natural resources.

What's more, in the 1960s, the Amerindian peoples finally obtained recognition from the Canadian government, which granted them citizenship. The result was a much-needed multicultural policy that would become Canada's showcase on the international stage.

Exploration of the Athabasca oil sands begins in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

The Canucks are playing their first game in the National Hockey League against the Los Angeles Kings.

After the opening of the SkyTrain line linking downtown to New Westminster, Vancouver is living through six intense months hosting the World's Fair on the north shore of False Creek, which was built for the occasion.

Opening of the Calgary Winter Olympics, which allowed the city to develop considerably and gain notoriety.

Nunavut officially becomes an Inuit territory. It was formerly part of the Northwest Territories.

The number of films produced in Vancouver is estimated at 200 per year, earning the city its nickname of "Hollywood of the North".

Oil Alberta is celebrating its centennial.

The Conservative Party came to power and Stephen Harper, who was educated in Alberta, became Prime Minister of Canada, heading a so-called "minority" government (not having a majority of seats in Parliament).

Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, where Canada distinguished itself by placing first in the gold medal standings with 14, and^third in the medal count with 26.

Vancouver is named the greenest city in Canada and the second greenest in North America. That same year, Mayor Gregor Robertson announced an ambitious goal for Vancouver to become the greenest city in the world by 2020.

Alberta is experiencing very severe flooding in west-central Alberta. The tourist town of Canmore saw one of its sections of highway ripped up while the Stampede Stadium in Calgary was flooded under several tens of centimetres of water.

A major teachers' strike in British Columbia paralyses schools from April to the end of September. The complaints relate to budget cuts in the education sector.

After six years of inquiry, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has released the first comprehensive report on the "cultural genocide" of Indian children from the 1880s to the 1990s in residential schools including Kuper Island (now Penelakut Island), just across from Chemainus on Vancouver Island. However, despite the policy of reconciliation pursued by the Justin Trudeau government, the Aboriginal issue remains a sensitive and much debated one.

Federal election brought Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party to power. In his government, Trudeau chose three ministers from British Columbia and two from Alberta.

Launch of the "Our Homes Can't Wait" movement to assist and house the homeless in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, which is estimated to have a population of more than 1,800 at this time.

Canada blows out its 150th candle, the creation of the Canadian Confederation, the union of the provinces into one state. Numerous festivities are organized across the country.

Legalization of cannabis for recreational use. Canada becomes the second country in the world to allow it after Uruguay. The legal sale of cannabis is regulated according to branches in each province.