2018 – Anniversaries of significance in Canada

Learn more about the women’s suffrage movement which was a decades-long struggle intended to address fundamental issues of equity and justice and to improve the lives of Canadians. Although not all women were enfranchised because other barriers remained, the elimination of gender reflected a change in attitude and was an important step toward equality for women in Canadian society.

Did you know? The Spanish flu is the most devastating pandemic in recorded world history. Spanish influenza appeared during the First World War, and made its way into even the most remote communities in Canada.
An estimated 50 million people died worldwide, including an estimated 50,000 Canadians. The establishment of the federal Department of Health in 1919 was a direct result of the epidemic. It also contributed to the Improvement of public health care systems and vaccine development, of which Canada is now a world leader.

On June 11, 2008, in moving towards healing, reconciliation and resolution of the sad legacy of Indian Residential Schools, the Government of Canada made a Statement of Apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools. Years of work by survivors, communities, and Aboriginal organizations culminated in an agreement that gives us a new beginning and an opportunity to move forward together in partnership.

Did you know? The Convention of 1818 was a treaty between the United States and Britain that set the 49th parallel of latitude as the boundary between British North America and the US across the West. This remains the boundary today between the two nations.