| 1534 |
Discovery of Canada by Jacques Cartier. |
| 1604 |
Samuel de Champlain set up a post on Sainte-Croix Island, then moved to Port-Royal the following year, thus marking the true beginning of French colonization in North America. |
| 1608 |
Founding of Québec by Samuel de Champlain. |
| 1642 |
Founding of Montréal by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve. |
| 1670 |
Founding of The Hudson’s Bay Company in London, England, granting it a large portion of North America, named Rupert’s Land. |
| 1713 |
Under the Treaty of Utrecht, France ceded all claims to Acadia, Newfoundland and the Hudson Bay area to Britain. |
| 1759 |
The British conquer the city of Québec. |
| 1760 |
Montréal surrenders to the British. |
| 1763 |
The Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years’ War, and marked the end of the French Empire in North America. Only the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon along the coast of Newfoundland were retained by France. Acadia is now referred to as Nova Scotia. |
| 1769 |
St. John Island (renamed Prince Edward Island in 1799) separates from Nova Scotia. |
| 1784 |
New Brunswick and Cape Breton Island are created from the territory of Nova Scotia. |
| 1791 |
The territory of the province of Québec is divided to form Upper Canada and Lower Canada. |
| 1837-1838 |
The Russell Resolutions sparked the Rebellions of the Patriotes in Lower Canada and of the Reformers in Upper Canada. |
| 1840 |
The Durham Report leads to the union of Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada. |
| 1866 |
Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia, formerly separate colonies, are now one. |
| 1867 |
The union of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Québec and Ontario, in the united Province of Canada, is achieved under the new name of Dominion of Canada, in accordance with the British North America Act. |
| 1869 |
The Métis of Red River, led by Louis Riel, take up arms against the Canadian government. |
| 1870 |
The Canadian government took over Rupert’s Land and created the province of Manitoba, but retained rights on Crown land. The vast remaining territory now forms the Northwest Territories. |
| 1871 |
British Columbia joins Confederation. |
| 1873 |
Prince Edward Island joins Confederation. |
| 1885 |
Uprising of the Métis and Aboriginal people from the West and execution of Louis Riel. |
| 1905 |
The federal government creates the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan from part of the Northwest Territories, but retains rights to Crown land. |
| 1914 |
Canada enters World War I. |
| 1917 |
The federal government introduces conscription. |
| 1930 |
Ottawa yields rights to Crown land in the Western Provinces to the Prairie Provinces. |
| 1940 |
Canada joins the Allies in World War II. |
| 1944 |
Ottawa restores conscription. |
| 1949 |
Newfoundland becomes the last province to join Canada. |
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