GoCitizenCan!
FR EN

← Test Prep

Key dates in Canadian history

The key dates in Canadian history to know for the test, from Magna Carta to today, with the page of the Discover Canada guide where each one is found. Pick the vertical or horizontal layout, switch to study mode to test yourself, then try the game at the bottom of the page.

Test yourself: a 20-question topic quiz on the key dates →

Download the printable timeline (PDF, landscape, one page per period) ↓

  1. Exploration and New France

  2. 1215

    Magna Carta is signed in England, the root of Canadian freedoms

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 8

  3. 1497

    John Cabot draws the first map of Canada's East Coast

    Exploration and coloniesDiscover Canada, p. 14

  4. 1534–1542

    Jacques Cartier crosses the Atlantic three times and claims the land for the King of France; the word "kanata" gives the country its name

    Exploration and coloniesDiscover Canada, p. 14

  5. 1604

    Pierre de Monts and Champlain settle on Saint Croix Island (today's Maine), then at Port-Royal: the beginning of Acadia

    Exploration and coloniesDiscover Canada, p. 15

  6. 1608

    Samuel de Champlain founds Quebec City

    Exploration and coloniesDiscover Canada, p. 15

  7. 1670

    King Charles II gives the Hudson's Bay Company a trading monopoly

    EconomyDiscover Canada, p. 15

  8. British rule

  9. 1755–1763

    Great Upheaval: more than two-thirds of the Acadians are deported

    Wars and conflictsDiscover Canada, p. 10

  10. 1759

    Battle of the Plains of Abraham: end of the French empire in America

    Wars and conflictsDiscover Canada, p. 15

  11. 1763

    Royal Proclamation of George III, which secures Indigenous land rights

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 10

  12. 1774

    Quebec Act: the rights of French-speaking Catholics are protected

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 15

  13. 1776

    The 13 British colonies south of Quebec declare independence; more than 40,000 Loyalists move to Canada

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 15

  14. 1791

    Constitutional Act: Upper and Lower Canada are created; the name "Canada" becomes official

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 16

  15. 1793

    Upper Canada is the first colony in the Empire to move to abolish slavery, which is abolished across the Empire in 1833

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 16

  16. 1812–1814

    War of 1812: Canadians and First Nations push back the American invasion

    Wars and conflictsDiscover Canada, p. 17

  17. 1832

    The Montreal Stock Exchange is founded

    EconomyDiscover Canada, p. 16

  18. 1837–1838

    Rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada

    Wars and conflictsDiscover Canada, p. 17

  19. 1840

    Union of Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 18

  20. 1847–1848

    Nova Scotia becomes the first colony with responsible government

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 18

  21. 1848–1849

    Responsible government comes to the Province of Canada, with Baldwin and La Fontaine

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 18

  22. Confederation and expansion

  23. July 1, 1867

    British North America Act: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick form the Dominion of Canada; John A. Macdonald is its first Prime Minister

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 18

  24. 1869–1870

    Louis Riel leads the Métis resistance; Manitoba is created

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 19

  25. 1871

    British Columbia joins Confederation

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 19

  26. 1873

    The North West Mounted Police is created, later the RCMP

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 19

  27. 1873

    Prince Edward Island joins Confederation

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 19

  28. November 7, 1885

    The Canadian Pacific Railway is completed

    EconomyDiscover Canada, p. 20

  29. 1898

    The Yukon Territory is created during the gold rush

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 19

  30. 1905

    Alberta and Saskatchewan become provinces

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 19

  31. The two World Wars

  32. 1916

    Manitoba is the first province to give women the vote

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 21

  33. April 9, 1917

    Capture of Vimy Ridge (Vimy Day)

    Wars and conflictsDiscover Canada, p. 21

  34. 1917–1918

    Women win the federal vote: some of them in 1917, then all those aged 21 and over in 1918

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 21

  35. November 11, 1918

    Armistice: end of the First World War

    Wars and conflictsDiscover Canada, p. 21

  36. 1921

    Red and white become Canada's official colours

    SymbolsDiscover Canada, p. 38

  37. 1929

    Stock market crash: start of the Great Depression

    EconomyDiscover Canada, p. 22

  38. 1934

    The Bank of Canada is founded

    EconomyDiscover Canada, p. 22

  39. 1939–1945

    Second World War: more than one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders serve in uniform

    Wars and conflictsDiscover Canada, p. 23

  40. 1940

    Women win the right to vote in Quebec

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 21

  41. June 6, 1944

    D-Day: Canadians take Juno Beach in Normandy

    Wars and conflictsDiscover Canada, p. 23

  42. May 8, 1945

    Germany surrenders: the war in Europe is over

    Wars and conflictsDiscover Canada, p. 23

  43. August 14, 1945

    Japan surrenders: the war in the Pacific is over

    Wars and conflictsDiscover Canada, p. 23

  44. Modern Canada

  45. 1947

    Oil is discovered in Alberta

    EconomyDiscover Canada, p. 24

  46. 1948

    Japanese Canadians win the right to vote

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 25

  47. 1949

    Newfoundland and Labrador becomes the tenth province

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 19

  48. 1960

    Indigenous peoples gain the right to vote in federal elections

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 24

  49. 1965

    The new Canadian flag is raised for the first time

    SymbolsDiscover Canada, p. 38

  50. 1967

    The Order of Canada is created for Confederation's centennial

    SymbolsDiscover Canada, p. 40

  51. 1969

    Official Languages Act: French and English become the official languages

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 24

  52. 1980

    "O Canada" is proclaimed the national anthem (first sung in 1880)

    SymbolsDiscover Canada, p. 40

  53. 1980

    First Quebec referendum: sovereignty is rejected

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 24

  54. 1982

    The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms becomes part of the Constitution

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 8

  55. 1988

    Canada–U.S. Free Trade Agreement

    EconomyDiscover Canada, p. 42

  56. 1994

    North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

    EconomyDiscover Canada, p. 42

  57. 1995

    Second Quebec referendum: sovereignty is narrowly rejected

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 24

  58. 1999

    Nunavut is created

    Government and politicsDiscover Canada, p. 51

  59. 2008

    Formal apology to former students of residential schools

    Rights and freedomsDiscover Canada, p. 10

Read the summary of Canadian history →

Start the topic quiz on key dates →