1497
Giovanni Caboto takes possession of an island named New Found Land on behalf of King Henry IV of England
1504
The first known crossing by a French fishing vessel is made to Newfoundland
1534
Jacques Cartier takes possession of the territory on behalf of King François I of France by planting a cross in Gaspé
1605
The first permanent French colony is founded in Acadia, in Port Royal, on the shores of present-day Bay of Fundy
1608
The City of Quebec is founded
1610
The young Français Étienne Brûlé is the first European to set foot in what is now Ontario
1615
Samuel de Champlain travels to Huronia, Huron-Wendat country, in the middle of what is now Ontario
1631
The first Acadian settlement is built in what is now New Brunswick, at the mouth of the Saint John River
1639
The Augustinians and Ursulines arrive in Quebec City
Details
1639
The Sainte-Marie among the Hurons Jesuit mission is built in Huron-Wendat country, on the shores of Georgian Bay, near what is now the city of Midland
Details
1642
Ville-Marie (Montreal) is founded
1653
Pubnico is founded in the northwestern part of what is now Nova Scotia
Details
1662
A small fort is erected in Placentia, the first true French colony in Newfoundland
Details
1673
Fort Frontenac is built in Kingston, on Lake Ontario
1682
Radisson and Des Groseillers found a trading post on the Nelson River, on the shores of Hudson Bay, which becomes the largest Hudson’s Bay Company trading post
1690
The English attack Placentia
1690
The first cheese production is documented in Île d’Orléans, a cheese still available today
Details
1696
1696 - 1697
Pierre le Moyne d’Iberville and his military men attack the island’s English fishing villages
1701
The Great Peace of Montreal is signed in Montreal between the French and their Aboriginal allies from the Great Lakes
1701
The city of Detroit is founded, whose expansion on the north bank of the Detroit River would later become the city of Windsor
1713
Newfoundland becomes England’s possession upon signature of the Treaty of Utrecht
1713
After the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, France finally cedes Acadia (currently the province of Nova Scotia, excluding Cape Breton Island) to the British
1713
France finally cedes Acadia (located at the time in what is now Nova Scotia) to the British
1720
A contingent of 300 Frenchmen land on Saint-Jean Island—later Prince Edward Island—to settle permanently; they erect a port at Port-la-Joye
Details
1731
Pierre Gaultier de la Vérendrye begins exploring Western Canada from the Kaministiquia fur trading post, today Thunder Bay
1734
The French reach Lake Winnipeg for the first time at the instigation of La Vérendrye
1735
More than a third of the 432 inhabitants of Saint-Jean Island have an Acadian background
1738
The first fort, Fort Rouge, is built on the site of what is now the city of Winnipeg
1740
The Forges du Saint-Maurice begin operating in the Trois-Rivières region
Details
1749
The British found the city of Halifax
1750
Approximately 5,000 Acadians take refuge in what is now New Brunswick, hoping to escape the British threat
1750
Fort Bourbon is built, opening the way to the Rocky Mountains through the Saskatchewan River
1750
The French build a fort, Fort La Biche, facing the Rocky Mountains
1753
Chevalier de La Corne builds the first French fort on the territory that is now Saskatchewan and for the first time sows wheat in the Canadian Prairies
1754
Hudson’s Bay Company employee Anthony Henday makes it to the foot of the Rocky Mountains, in what is now Alberta
1755
1755 - 1763
Over 11,000 Acadians are deported, more than half of whom lived in what is now Nova Scotia
1755
1755 - 1763
Over 11,000 Acadians are deported, including the majority of those who took refuge in New Brunswick
1756
Approximately 5,000 Acadians take refuge on Saint-Jean Island, hoping to escape Deportation, which began in 1755 on territory that is now Nova Scotia
1758
The British conquer Saint-Jean Island and deport roughly 3,000 of its inhabitants; others manage to flee
1759
The British army under Wolfe’s command defeats the French forces under Montcalm’s command on the Plains of Abraham, a defeat that puts an end to New France
1760
1760 - 1780
The first Acadians arrive in the region of Port-au-Port
Details
1763
France cedes all of its North American colonies to the British under the Treaty of Paris
1764
Acadians can again settle in the colony of Nova Scotia, but only in small groups
1764
Acadians are authorized to settle on territory that is now New Brunswick
1768
Two hundred Acadians return to settle on Saint John Island (formerly Saint Jean)
1770
Jacques Beaulieu, an independent trader born in what is now the province of Quebec, settles in the Great Slave Lake region
1774
The Quebec Act grants inhabitants of the former New France the right to practise the Catholic religion, teach French and keep their properties
1774
The first Hudson’s Bay Company fort is built in what is now Saskatchewan, near French territory, on the Saskatchewan River
1778
The North West Company builds the first trading post on the Athabasca River
1782
Acadians settle in the Chéticamp region, on Cape Breton Island
Details
1784
The colony of New Brunswick is founded
1787
The North West Company erects Fort Espérance on the Qu’Appelle River, in the southern part of Saskatchewan
1789
Acadians gain the right to vote in the colony of Nova Scotia
1791
The British colony is split in two: the mostly Francophone Lower Canada (now Quebec) and the mostly Anglophone Upper Canada (now Ontario)
1792
The first deliberative assembly of Lower Canada is established
1793
Six Francophones accompany explorer Alexander Mackenzie on his historic journey from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean
1793
François Beaulieu, son of Jacques Beaulieu and his wife Chipewyan, take part in Alexander Mackenzie’s expedition to the Pacific; he is also the chief of the Yellowknives Nation
1795
The North West and Hudson’s Bay Companies each open a trading post where the current city of Edmonton is located
1798
The North West Company builds the first trading post in the northern part of British Columbia
1799
Saint John Island is renamed Prince Edward Island and becomes a colony separate from Nova Scotia
1800
Many French-Canadian travellers from the North West Company marry Aboriginal women, leading to the creation of the Métis Nation
1800
The North West Company, whose employees are mostly Francophone, dominates the fur trade in the Prairies
1800
1800 - 1900
The number of Francophone Métis families with the last names Beaulieu, Lamoureux, Laferté, Desjarlais, Mandeville, Prud’homme, Giroux, Deschambeault, Sabourin and others is very high in the Northwest Territories
1806
Fort St. James is built near what is now the city of Prince George
Details
1816
The Battle of Seven Oaks, between North West Company and Hudson’s Bay Company rivals, is an event that founds the Métis peoples of the Red River
1818
The first wooden church is built by Abbot Norbert Provencher, the first missionary posted to the Red River colony (now Winnipeg)
Details
1820
North West Company employees are mostly Francophone; this is the only fur trading company in what is now British Columbia
1821
After a period of heated rivalry, the Hudson’s Bay Company acquires the North West Company
1821
The Hudson’s Bay Company takes over its great fur trade rival, the North West Company
1821
The Hudson’s Bay Company takes over the North West Company
1824
1824 - 1829
Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica is built
Details
1826
1826 - 1832
The Rideau Canal connecting Ottawa (Ottawa River) to Kingston (Lake Ontario) is built
1837
1837 - 1838
The Patriots’ War is fought
1840
Lower Canada and Upper Canada are united into the Province of Canada, where English is the only official language
1840
Modeste Demers, a Francophone born in Lower Canada, is the first missionary and the first bishop to work on the territory of British Columbia, in Victoria
1840
French Canadians and Métis accompany Robert Campbell in exploring the Yukon and Pelly Rivers
1842
The first Francophone missionaries arrive in Fort Edmonton
1847
Bonsecours Market opens in Montreal
Details
1848
A bilingual college is founded in Bytown, the future city of Ottawa; the college would later become the University of Ottawa
1849
French is again recognized as an official language of the united Canada
1849
The California Gold Rush begins
1852
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate set up a mission at Lac La Biche
Details
1854
Collège de Saint-Boniface opens (in what is now Winnipeg)
1858
Two scientific expeditions conclude that the vast lands of the Prairies are suitable for agriculture
1858
The gold rush on the territory that is now British Columbia causes the population to explode and puts Francophones in a minority situation
1858
The Sisters of Saint Ann, in Montreal, arrive in Victoria and establish the city’s first school, St. Ann’s Academy
Details
1858
The first missionaries, many of them Francophone, arrive in the Northwest Territories
1859
The first lighthouse is built at Pointe-au-Père to make navigation easier in the St. Lawrence Estuary
Details
1859
1859 - 1866
The Parliament of Canada is built in Ottawa
Details
1860
French Canadians and Francophone Métis make up the majority of the population of European origin on territory that is now Alberta
1860
Charles Pandosy, an Oblate born in Marseille, founds a mission in the Okanagan Valley, near where Kelowna is today; he introduces fruit and livestock farming to the area
Details
1867
Nova Scotia becomes one of the four founding provinces of the Canadian Confederation (with Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick)
1867
Quebec becomes one of the four founding provinces of the Canadian Confederation (with Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick)
1867
Ontario becomes one of the four founding provinces of the Canadian Confederation (with Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick)
1869
The Métis, united behind Louis Riel, block Lieutenant-Governor William McDougall’s passage at St. Norbert to protect their lands
Details
1869
The Government of Canada buys private land from the Hudson’s Bay Company—Rupert Land—which at the time extended across all of what is now Canada west of Ontario
1869
The Government of Canada buys private land from the Hudson’s Bay Company—Rupert Land—which at the time extended across all of what is now Canada west of Ontario
1870
An interim government is established by Louis Riel
1870
Manitoba joins the Confederation of Canada
1871
British Columbia becomes a province of the Canadian Confederation
1872
The first inhabitants of Métis origin settle along the Rat River, around what is today the village of Saint-Pierre-Jolys
Details
1873
Prince Edward Island joins Canadian Confederation
1873
The North-West Mounted Police is created
1874
François-Xavier-Mercier, a French Canadian who dominated the fur trade in Alaska and Yukon, founds Fort Reliance, near what is now the city of Dawson
1875
Hundreds of Métis leave the territory of what is today Manitoba and head west to preserve their way of life
1875
Hundreds of Métis leave the territory of what is today Manitoba and head west to preserve their way of life
1876
Canada passes the Indian Act, which seeks to assimilate Aboriginal First Nations to the Euro-Canadian majority
1880
1880 - 1890
The Catholic clergy recruits 620 Francophone families who settled in Edmonton, Calgary and the regions of Lac La Biche and Peace River
1880
1880 - 1890
The Oblates, the Grey Nuns and other Francophone female congregations open a number of schools and hospitals in Alberta
1880
The first Klondike gold veins are discovered near Fort Reliance
1881
The first National Acadian Convention brings together Acadians from the three Maritime provinces; August 15 is declared National Acadian Day
1881
The first National Acadian Convention brings together Acadians from the three Maritime provinces in Memramcook; August 15 is declared National Acadian Day
1881
The first National Acadian Convention brings together Acadians from the three Maritime provinces; August 15 is declared National Acadian Day
1883
The original Fort William (formerly Kaministiquia at the time of New France) is closed for good; today it stands rebuilt on the outskirts of Thunder Bay
Details
1883
The first residential school is opened for Aboriginal children
1884
At the second National Acadian Convention, the delegates choose an Acadian flag and national anthem
1884
At the second National Acadian Convention, the delegates choose an Acadian flag and national anthem
1884
At the second National Acadian Convention, held in Miscouche, on the Island, the delegates choose an Acadian flag and national anthem
1884
The Parliament of the province of Quebec is inaugurated in the City of Quebec
Details
1885
The first Canadian provincial park, Queen Victoria Park, overlooking Niagara Falls, is created
Details
1885
Louis Riel is hanged for high treason after the Métis revolt of Batoche
1885
The Métis, headed by Gabriel Dumont and Louis Riel, revolt at Batoche to have their rights respected; they are defeated by the Canadian armed forces
Details
1885
Louis Riel, the leader of the Métis, is sentenced for high treason and is hanged in Regina
1890
The private higher education Sainte-Anne college is established, later becoming the University of Sainte-Anne, the only Francophone university in Nova Scotia
Details
1890
The Government of Manitoba decrees English as the province’s only official language
1890
Mass immigration by mostly Anglophone settlers takes place, partly offset by the recruitment of a minority of Francophone settlers
1890
Mass immigration by mostly Anglophone settlers takes place, partly offset by the recruitment of a minority of Francophone settlers
1894
The first edition of the Quebec City Winter Carnival is held
Details
1894
The Métis and French Canadians create the Association Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Boniface
1894
Émilie Tremblay settles in Yukon after pioneering the Chilkoot Trail
Details
1896
The Pulperie de Chicoutimi is founded
Details
1896
The Francophone Métis village of Saint-Paul-des-Métis is created
1896
Joseph Ladue, a French American, founds the city of Dawson
1896
1896 - 1900
Thirty thousand people take part in the Klondike gold rush; 10% of them are Francophones
1897
Monument-Lefebvre, a pavilion of St. Joseph’s College in Memramcook—a bilingual university since 1888—is unveiled
Details
1898
The Government of Canada separates Yukon from the Northwest Territories to better manage the influx of gold diggers
1899
The unofficial name of the Francophone village of Rouleauville is formally incorporated
Details
1900
Fewer than 1,000 bison are left in the North American prairies
1902
The Société historique de Saint-Boniface is created
1904
Captain Joseph-Elzéar Bernier takes possession of the Arctic on behalf of Canada at Île Melville
Details
1905
Saskatchewan becomes a province of the Canadian Confederation
1905
Alberta becomes a province of the Canadian Confederation
1905
1905 - 1920
The large influx of mostly British immigrants puts Francophones in a significant minority situation in Alberta
1908
Canada buys 400 bison from the last herd still roaming free in Montana; they are the ancestors of all the bison that live in the Canadian Prairies today
Details
1909
Approximately 400 people, French Canadian workers and their families, settle in Maillardville, not far from Vancouver
Details
1910
The Oblates establish Collège Saint-Jean in Edmonton, which would become Campus Saint-Jean of the University of Alberta
1912
Regulation 17 prohibits French to be taught beyond Grade 2 in Ontario
1913
The Jesuits found Collège Sacré-Cœur in Sudbury, a Francophone college that would become the University of Sudbury in 1957
1916
French-language education is forbidden by the Government of Manitoba
1919
Mathieu de Gravelbourg classical college is founded
1923
Acadians create the first fishermen’s association in Tignish
1925
The Théâtre Cercle Molière is created in St. Boniface (Winnipeg)
Details
1926
The Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta is created
1927
Regulation 17 is repealed
1928
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada designates the Louisbourg ruins on Cape Breton Island a National Historic Site of Canada
Details
1930
After a long prohibition period, provincial authorities grant Acadians the right to teach in French up to Grade 6
1930
The monumental Gravelbourg church, built in 1919 under Abbot Louis-Pierre Gravel, becomes a cathedral
Details
1931
Acadians account for one-third of New Brunswick’s population
1942
The provincial government recognizes the Mathieu de Gravelbourg classical college
1945
The Fédération des francophones de Colombie-Britannique is founded
1949
Newfoundland is the last province to join the Canadian Confederation (it was renamed Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001)
1949
A Francophone radio station is opened, an important development tool for the Francophone community
1960
An Acadian premier, Louis J. Robichaud, is elected for the first time as head of the provincial government
1960
The Quiet Revolution begins, a period of accelerated modernization in Quebec
1960
1960 - 1970
Many Francophones occupy positions in administration, education and health, particularly in Frobisher Bay, in what is now Iqaluit
1963
The first edition of the Festival acadien de Caraquet is held
Details
1963
The University of Moncton is established
Details
1964
The Association of the Acadian Museum is created in Miscouche
Details
1967
Expo 67 is held in Montreal, an international landmark event
1967
The Théâtre français de Toronto is founded under the name “Théâtre du P’tit Bonheur”
Details
1967
French is again allowed to be taught in public schools part time
1968
The Ontario government agrees to fund free French-language public secondary schools
1968
Bilingual public schools appear under pressure from Francophone parents
1969
The provincial government tests a French immersion program in a single school
1970
A major identity and cultural awareness movement transforms Ontario’s French Canadians into Franco Ontarians
1970
The first edition of the Festival des Voyageurs is held
Details
1971
Antonine Maillet writes her famous theatre play for a character named La Sagouine
1977
The Acadian Historical Village opens in Caraquet
Details
1977
The restoration and revitalization of the Du Petit-Champlain Street in Quebec City begins
Details
1977
The Franco-Ontarian flag is adopted
1977
An entirely Francophone school curriculum is introduced
1978
The first Franco-Ténoise organization is established
1979
After Georges Forest wins his case before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Act of 1890 that made English the only official language is declared unconstitutional
1979
The Fransaskois flag is adopted
1980
The first referendum on the sovereignty of Quebec is held; the people choose to stay in Canada
1980
The Franco-Manitoban flag is adopted
1981
French can now be taught anywhere the population warrants it
1981
The Association francophone de Frobisher Bay is founded
1982
The equality of both of the province’s language communities (English and French) is officially included in the Canadian Constitution
1982
The rights of the Métis are recognized in the Canadian Constitution
1982
The Franco-Albertan flag is adopted
1982
The Franco-Columbian flag is adopted
1982
The Association franco-yukonnaise is incorporated
Details
1983
The Centre d’histoire de Montréal opens
Details
1983
Semaine francophone is created, later becoming Franco-Fête de la Communauté urbaine de Toronto in 1995
Details
1984
The first Francophone school opens in La Grand’Terre, on the Port-au-Port Peninsula
1984
The first Francophone Catholic school, École Saint-Antoine, is opened in Calgary
1985
UNESCO adds the Historic District of Old Québec to its prestigious World Heritage List
Details
1985
La Troupe du Jour is created in Saskatoon
Details
1985
The Franco-Yukonnais flag is adopted
1985
The Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife is created
Details
1986
The Franco-Newfoundland and Labrador flag is adopted
1988
Francophones are given the power to manage the province’s network of Francophone schools
1989
A French-as-a-first-language education program is introduced
1990
The province’s first Francophone school board is created
1990
Ice cider is invented in Quebec
Details
1990
Franco-Albertans are granted the right to manage an entirely Francophone school system
1990
The first edition of the Festival du bois de Maillardville is held
1991
The population of Yukon climbs back up to the gold rush peak
1992
Pays de la Sagouine opens in Bouctouche
Details
1992
The Franco-Ténois flag is adopted
1993
The Centre culturel Aberdeen is founded in Moncton
Details
1993
The first French-as-a-mother-tongue education program is introduced
1994
The heritage route called French Ancestors Route on the Port au Port Peninsula is inaugurated
1994
The Division scolaire franco-manitobaine is created
1995
Collège Boréal opens in Sudbury
1996
The Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon is created
1997
Cité francophone d’Edmonton opens
Details
1997
The organization Canadian Parents for French, which promotes French immersion schools, is created
1997
The Association des francophones de l’actuel territoire du Nunavut is founded
1998
Franco-Ontarians are granted management of the 12 Francophone school boards overseeing all their elementary and secondary schools
1999
May 30 becomes Provincial Francophonie Day
1999
A Francophone school board is granted jurisdiction over all of British Columbia
1999
The Francophone École Allain St-Cyr school opens in Yellowknife
1999
The territory of Nunavut is created from the north and east portions of the Northwest Territories, where Inuit account for 85% of the population
2001
Francophone community radio Radio-Taïga hits the airwaves
2001
The Francophone École des Trois-Soleils school is built in Iqaluit
Details
2002
The first edition of the Calgary Maple Festival is held
Details
2002
The Franco-Nunavois flag is adopted
2003
The Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut is established
2004
Legislation on French-language services is passed by the provincial government
2004
Centre francophone de Toronto is founded
Details
2007
A Francophone provincial school division consisting of 12 schools is created
2008
A monument commemorating the deportation of 3,100 civilians is erected at Port la-Joye–Fort Amherst
2012
UNESCO adds the Landscape of Grand-Pré to its prestigious World Heritage List
Details
2014
Ice canoeing on the St. Lawrence River is designated as intangible cultural heritage
2014
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is unveiled in Winnipeg
Details
2014
Alberta’s 200 French immersion schools have some 40,000 students
