Cheat sheet
Canada's History
From Indigenous peoples and early settlers to Confederation, the World Wars, and modern Canada.
The facts to remember, in one place. Drill them with mock exams and spaced repetition in Canadian Citizenship Test 2026.
Download on theApp StoreConfederation and key dates in Canadian history
- ◆ 1867 -- Confederation; the British North America Act united Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
- ◆ 1885 -- the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, linking Canada from coast to coast.
- ◆ 1914--1918 -- First World War; over 600,000 Canadians served.
- ◆ 1939--1945 -- Second World War; Canada declared war independently for the first time.
- ◆ 1982 -- the Constitution Act patriated the Constitution and added the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Indigenous peoples of Canada
- ◆ The three Aboriginal groups are First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.
- ◆ Many First Nations peoples live on lands called reserves.
- ◆ The Inuit live mainly in the Arctic; "Inuit" means "the people".
- ◆ The Métis are a distinct people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry.
- ◆ The government has apologised for the residential school system that harmed Aboriginal children.
The fur trade and early explorers
- ◆ Jacques Cartier was the first European to explore the St. Lawrence River, in the 1530s, and named "Canada".
- ◆ Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City in 1608.
- ◆ The fur trade, especially in beaver pelts, was central to the early economy.
- ◆ The Hudson's Bay Company was a major force in the fur trade and western exploration.
- ◆ The beaver became an official emblem of Canada because of the fur trade.
The War of 1812
- ◆ In 1812, the United States invaded Canada, which was then part of the British Empire.
- ◆ British soldiers, First Nations, and Canadian volunteers together repelled the invasion.
- ◆ Major-General Sir Isaac Brock and the Shawnee chief Tecumseh were key leaders.
- ◆ Laura Secord made a famous trek to warn of a planned American attack.
- ◆ The war ended in 1814 and the present-day Canada--U.S. border was confirmed.
The Fathers of Confederation
- ◆ The Fathers of Confederation met at conferences in Charlottetown and Quebec in 1864.
- ◆ Sir John A. Macdonald became Canada's first Prime Minister in 1867.
- ◆ Sir George-Étienne Cartier was a key French-Canadian leader of Confederation.
- ◆ The British North America Act united four provinces into the Dominion of Canada.
- ◆ Confederation took effect on July 1, 1867.
New France and early settlement
- ◆ Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City in 1608.
- ◆ The colony of New France grew along the St. Lawrence River.
- ◆ The Catholic Church and the fur trade were central to New France.
- ◆ Britain gained control of New France after the fall of Quebec in 1759.
- ◆ The 1774 Quebec Act protected French civil law, language, and religion.
Canada in the Second World War
- ◆ More than one million Canadians served in the Second World War (1939--1945).
- ◆ Canada declared war on Germany independently in September 1939.
- ◆ Canadian forces landed at Juno Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
- ◆ Canada had one of the largest navies and air forces in the world by 1945.
- ◆ The sacrifices are remembered each year on Remembrance Day, November 11.