Key Events

Key events in the history of human rights in Canada. Consider the following material as a beginning. Each link will offer a brief introduction to the event in the context of the human rights movement. For further research on these and other topics, visit the Archives and Readings.

Confederation

1914, World War One

1914, Komagata Maru

1919, Winnipeg General Strike

1937, Padlock Act

1939, World War Two

1940s, Japanese Canadians

1945, Gouzenko Affair

Royal Commission on Espionage

1949, International Year for Human Rights

1949, Privy Council Appeals

1950s, Supreme Court of Canada and Civil Liberties

1959, IWW Strike, Newfoundland

1965, Allan Gardens Riot

1969, Montreal Bylaw 3926

1969, White Paper on Indian Policy

Censorship

1970, October Crisis

1970, Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women

1971, Gastown Riot

Gay Alliance Towards Equality vs the Vancouver Sun

1976, Montreal Olympics

1977, Task Force on Canadian Unity

1981, Bathhouse Raids (Toronto)

1982, Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Rebellion

The Task Force on Canadian Unity was established in July 1977 in response to the election of the Parti québécois in 1976. Its mandate was to travel across the country to promote Canadian unity and to provide advice to the government on unity issues. In its first report (1979), the Task Force recommended that fundamental freedoms and human rights be entrenched in the constitution, including language rights. According to the report, a “sense of individual and collective confidence in the security of their rights would contribute positively to Canadian unity.”

Technical Notes

Site Map