Timeline of Canada

Chronology

47 events spanning the history of Canada. BCE/CE dating.

1. 1000

   Viking Explorations

   Leif Ericsson and other Vikings visit Newfoundland and Labrador.

2. 1497

   Cabot Explorations

   Italian-born navigator John Cabot reaches the coasts of Newfoundland and Cape Breton.

3. 1534

   Cartier-Champlain Explorations

   Jacques Cartier explores the St Lawrence river, claims the shores of the Gulf of St Lawrence for France.

4. 1605

   Port Royal is established in Nova Scotia by the French under Samuel de Champlain.

   Port Royal is established in Nova Scotia by the French under Samuel de Champlain.

5. 1670

   Hudson’s Bay Company formed

   Hudson’s Bay Company established by London traders. The company holds trading rights for regions whose rivers drain into Hudson Bay.

6. 1672

   Frontenac becomes the Governor of Quebec

   New France Expansion Under Frontenac.

7. 1758

   British capture Ft. Louisburg & french power declines.

   British capture Ft. Louisburg & french power declines.

8. 1759

   Battle on the Plains of Abraham: New France Ends--British North America Begins.

   Battle on the Plains of Abraham: New France Ends--British North America Begins.

9. 1763

   Treaty of Paris: Britain Claims French Lands

   Under the Treaty of Paris, Britain acquires all French colonies east of the Mississippi including New France, which becomes the colony of Quebec.

10. 1771

    Samuel Hearne to the Arctic.

    In December 1770 Samuel Hearne began his third and most important journey. In this he had a good guide, Matonabbee, and did his own planning. On July 15, 1771, Hearne reached the Arctic Ocean at the mouth of the Coppermine River, traveling en route via Artillery, Aylmer, and Contwoyto lakes. He was thus the first European to reach the Arctic Ocean overland from Hudson Bay.