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Period: Jan 1, 1500 to
The Fur Trade
The First Nations played a great role in the fur trade by providing animals and transporting the pelts. -
The Hundred Associates
France gave a charter to the Company of New France (also known as the Hundred Associates). This charter granted the company a 15 year monopoly in all French territory. The company had to attract 4000 settlers to New France as well as assimilate First Nation peoples in return. The company was dissolved in 1663 and took more than it gave. I included this event in my timeline because -
The Founding of the Hudson's Bay
The Hudson's Bay Company was granted a royal charter by the British government in 1670. This gave the company trading rights on lands whose rivers drained into the Hudson's Bay. This huge chunk of land was named Rupert's Land by the company.The Hudson's Bay became a hugely successful company. First Nations also traded with the Hudson's Bay and this changed their culture -
Period: to
Conflict between France and Britain
There was many conflict between France and Britain. Battles such as the Seven Years' War occured in this time period. -
Seven Years' War
A war between France and Britain erupted which lasted seven years. North America, West Africa, Cuba, the Phillipines and India also became involved in the war. Britain became the dominant colonial power in North America.I put this in my timeline because this war left legacies in each of the countries involved. -
The Royal Proclaimation of 1763
The Royal Proclaimation was issued to define how Britain's new North American territories would be governed. It limited settlement in eastern North America and reserved the land for First Nations. It failed to limit European settlement as settlers were still getting in. -
The Quebec Act of 1774
The Quebec Act was released by the British Parliament. The act allowed free practice of Catholic faith, allowed churches to impose tithes and restored the use of the French civil law.Distributing and managing land was also restored. -
Founding of the Northwest Company
The Hudson's Bay company became so successful that merchants in Montréal created the Northwest Company. They needed to break the monopoly so they could shift west.Competition between the Hudson's Bay Company and the Northwest Company increased as fur supplies increased in cost. -
Merging of the Hudson's bay and Northwest Companies
In 1821, The Hudson's Bay Company and the Northwest Company merged together. The company was still called the Hudson's Bay Company but its territory became larger. -
The Destruction of the Beothuk
The Beothuk were a small group of Native Canadians. They lived on Newfoundland during European contact. Families were made up of 30 to 55 people. The Beothuk people went extinct due to the scarcity of food and diseases.The last known Beothuk is Shanawdithit aged 27-28. The Beothuk were declared extinct after the death of Shanawdithit. I included this event on the timeline to remind people of the forgotten Beothuk and their culture. -
The Numbered Treaties
The Numbered Treaties are a series of eleven treaties signed between 1871 and 1921. Each treaty was assigned a number. The treaties promised First Nations annual payment in return for their land. The First Nations would have to live on reserves. The First Nations didn't want to give up their land, but simply share it. -
The Indian Act
The Indian Act was a tool used by the government to encourage assimilation. This act controlled the lives of First Nations. Status Indians would be registered First Nations eligible to recieve benifits. The act also interfered with traditional practices and banned them. -
Residential Schools
First Nation children were gathered to live and study in residential schools. The Indian Act made the government responsible for educating these children. These schools were often harsh. Children were punished for following their traditions. This caused children to lose their culture and language. -
The Quiet Revolution
The citizens of Québec started to worry about being assimilated. Lionel Groulx said that Québécois must support Catholicism to prevent being assimilated. In the 1980s, people around the world started to question traditional ways of thinking. This movement started The Quiet Revolution.The province of Québec went through intense change during the revolution -
Policy of Multiculturalism
Canada;s population included people from different cultures. To deal with this, the Canadian government introduced a policy of multiculturalism. Not all Canadians supported this policy. Many believed this would divide Canadians and errode Canada's British heritage.
