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Jacques Cartier Explores the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Jacques Cartier sails into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, mapping coastal areas and making contact with Indigenous peoples during his first voyage to Canada.
Discover what happened in Canada on any date in history.
Jacques Cartier sails into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, mapping coastal areas and making contact with Indigenous peoples during his first voyage to Canada.
Métis leader Cuthbert Grant and his men clash with Hudson's Bay Company governor Robert Semple and 21 of his men near the Red River Settlement. Semple and 20 of his men are killed in the confrontation known as the Battle of Seven Oaks.
Colonial leaders formally propose holding the Charlottetown Conference to discuss political union of British North American colonies, a key step toward Confederation.
The Senate of Canada is officially constituted following Confederation, with 72 senators appointed to represent the four original provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Parliament passes the Alberta Act and Saskatchewan Act, creating two new western provinces effective September 1, 1905, bringing the total number of Canadian provinces to nine.
The Canadian Expeditionary Force begins its mobilization following growing tensions in Europe ahead of the outbreak of World War I, with volunteers flooding recruitment offices.
Richard Bedford Bennett's Conservative Party defeats Mackenzie King's Liberals in the federal election, taking power just as the Great Depression worsens and promising high tariffs to protect Canadian jobs.
RCAF No. 1 Fighter Squadron returns to Canada after distinguished service in the Battle of Britain, becoming the first Canadian fighter unit to achieve aerial victories in World War II.
Canadian authorities continue enforcing the relocation of Japanese Canadians from British Columbia under the War Measures Act, displacing over 22,000 people from their homes.
The Toronto Transit Commission opens Canada's first subway line, running along Yonge Street from Union Station to Eglinton Avenue, transforming urban transit in Canada's largest city.
Canada's second scientific satellite, Alouette II, is successfully launched into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, further establishing Canada as a space-faring nation.
Canada's new Charter of Rights and Freedoms, entrenched in the Constitution Act, 1982, comes fully into force, guaranteeing fundamental freedoms, democratic rights and equality rights.
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announces that Canada will seek a bilateral free trade agreement with the United States, a landmark shift in Canadian trade policy.
Expo 86, the World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, opens in Vancouver, attracting more than 22 million visitors to British Columbia and stimulating major urban redevelopment.
Lucien Bouchard officially takes the helm of the Bloc Québécois, positioning the sovereigntist federal party ahead of the anticipated Quebec referendum on independence.
The Clarity Act receives Royal Assent, establishing the terms under which the federal government would negotiate with a province seeking to separate from Canada following a clear referendum result.