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A Timeline Of Canadian History
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Air India Flight 182 Explodes
Air India Flight 182 exploded while above the Atlantic Ocean, south of Ireland; all 329 passengers on board were killed, and of whom 280 were Canadian citizens. Before the September 11, 2001 attack, the Air India bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack involving an aircraft. It is also currently the largest mass murder in Canadian history. -
Abortion Gets Struck Down From the Criminal Code
The Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada's abortion law as unconstitutional. The law was found violating Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it interferes with a woman's right to "life, liberty and security of person." Canada had become one of the small numbers of countries in the world without a law restricting abortion. Due to this event, abortion is now treated like any other medical procedure and is readily available to women all around Canada. -
The Oka Crisis
The Oka crisis was a land dispute that took place between the Mohawk inhabitants of Oka (a small town within Quebec) and government officials in 1990. This showdown resulted in the First Nation Policing Policy being created. This event also caused the Canadian government to establish the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. More recently, in 2007, Stephen Harper and the Assembly of First Nations came to an agreement to change the federal land claim procedure. -
Quebec Referendum - October 30th 1995
On October 30th 1995, a referendum was issued asking Quebecois if they wanted Quebec's sovereignty. The final answer was “No”, but by a low margin of 50.58%. Though Quebec did not get its sovereignty, it did get more independance. Quebec got recognized as a distinct society within Canada, and Quebec got granted a veto over all future constitutional changes to national instututions. Quebeccis culture is now a large part of Canadian identity. -
'Sexual Orientation' is added to the Canadian Human Rights Act
On May 1, 1996, the House of Commons approves changes to the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination against gay persons by adding ‘sexual orientation’ to it. The change in the Canadian Human Rights Act paved the way to gay marriage being legalized in Canada on July 20th, 2005, making it the fourth country in the world to legalize same sex marriage. Due to these changes in our law, Canada is now recognized as a major supporter of LGBTQ rights. -
Canada Commences its Mission in the International Anti-Terrorism Efforts in Afghanistan
Prime Minister Jean Chretien announced Canada’s participation in an international anti-terrorism mission in Afghanistan. Canada had many victories in Afghanistan: the Taliban were driven out of position, Al-Qaida fled, security around the nation began to stabilize, and Canadian troops helped build the Afghan National Army, amongst many other achievements. Canada’s mission came to an end on March 12, 2014. This mission showed that Canada cares for affairs that do not directly impact them. -
The Kyoto Protocol
On February 16, 2005, Canada officially commited to the Kyoto protcol.The previous Canadian government had made a plan to help combat global warming in accordance to the Kyoto Protocol, however when the Harper government came into power, the environment became less of a priority. In December 2011, Canada became the first country to officially withdraw from the Kyoto Accord, sending the unfortunate message that one of te top ten climate pollutors in the world did not care for the environment. -
Dextre Gets Launched - March 11, 2008
On March 11, 2008, Dextre got launched in to space. Dextre is the world’s most sophisticate robot, and is used as a handyman on the International Space Station (ISS). This Canadian made robot is used to do maintenance work and repairs all across the ISS. It is still currently active today and often works with the Canadarm2 to accomplish tasks. Canada is recognized for its large role in maintaining the station. -
The Keystone XL Pipeline Project
The Keystone XL pipeline was first proposed in 2008. The XL pipeline would allow for an increased supply of oil from Canada, making our oil a bigger player on the international market. However since the pipeline goes through America, it needs the US governments approval. This event displays a major Canadian-American relation and if approved could largely impact Canadian economy.
