Canadian History Lecture Notes

Flashcards for Canadian History Review

Vimy Ridge

WWI battle (1917) where Canadians won a key victory—became national symbol.

D-Day

June 6, 1944: Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France during WWII.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 peace treaty that ended WWI, punished Germany, and set stage for WWII.

Holocaust

Nazi genocide of 6+ million Jews and others during WWII.

MS St. Louis

1939: Ship of Jewish refugees denied entry by Canada; many later died.

Komagata Maru

1914 ship of Indian passengers refused entry into Canada due to racist laws.

Japanese Internment

WWII: 22,000 Japanese Canadians relocated and had property confiscated.

Chinese Exclusion Act

1923–1947 law banning most Chinese immigration to Canada.

Residential Schools

Assimilationist schools that harmed generations of Indigenous children.

60s Scoop

1960s–’80s: Indigenous children taken from families into non-Indigenous homes.

Truth and Reconciliation

Effort to address residential school harms via Calls to Action.

Nunavut

1999: Inuit territory established for self-government.

Viola Desmond

Challenged segregation in a N.S. theatre in 1946; civil rights icon.

Sleeping Car Porters

Black railway workers who fought racism and formed unions in Canada.

Christie Pits Riot

1933 anti-Semitic riot in Toronto during a baseball game.

Multiculturalism Policy (1971)

Government initiative celebrating cultural diversity in Canada.

Formal Apologies

Official government acknowledgments of past injustices (e.g., schools).

Charter of Rights & Freedoms (1982)

Constitutional law protecting Canadians’ fundamental rights and freedoms.

War Measures Act

Gave government emergency powers (WWI, WWII, FLQ Crisis).

Quebec Referendums (1980, 1995)

Votes where Quebec chose to stay within Canada (both national 'No' wins).

United Nations

Founded in 1945 to prevent war and promote international cooperation.

Lester B. Pearson

PM and Nobel Peace Prize winner for Suez Crisis peacekeeping initiative.

2 Construction Battalion

All-Black unit in WWI that served despite racism; first in Canadian history.

Cold War

1945–1991 ideological tension between capitalist U.S. and communist USSR.

War on Terror

Post-9/11 global military effort, including Canada’s mission in Afghanistan.

Feminism

Movement pushing for gender equality in law, work, and society.

Quiet Revolution

1960s Quebec movement for secularism, education reform, and nationalism.

Points-Based Immigration (1967)

System measuring applicants by skills and education, not by country of origin.

Social Justice in Canada

Efforts to address inequality across race, gender, and class.