Key dates for the Canadian citizenship test

Many citizenship test questions ask “In what year…?” or give you a year and ask what happened. This page puts the most important dates from every chapter of Discover Canada on one timeline, grouped by era. After the timeline you will find the dates that people mix up most, some memory tips, and the dates of national holidays.

You do not need to learn every year on the first day. Start with the years in bold. They are the anchor dates, and most other dates are easier to place once you know them. For the full story behind each date, read the Canada’s History primer and the Modern Canada primer.

Before 1759: rights, explorers and New France

1759–1814: British rule, Loyalists and the War of 1812

1815–1866: reform and responsible government

1867–1913: Confederation and a growing country

1914–1945: two world wars and the Depression

1946 to today: modern Canada

Dates people mix up

• 1867 vs 1982. 1867 is Confederation: four provinces, the Dominion of Canada, the British North America Act and the first Prime Minister. 1982 is the Constitution Act, 1982, which added the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If a question talks about the Charter or “rights and freedoms”, the answer is 1982, not 1867.
• 1791 vs 1840. 1791 divided one colony into two (Upper and Lower Canada). 1840 joined those two back into one (the Province of Canada). Divide first, unite later.
• 1916, 1918 and 1940. Three different votes for women: Manitoba was first (1916), most women won the federal vote (1918), and Quebec women won the provincial vote last (1940). Do not confuse these with 1921, when Agnes Macphail became the first woman MP.
• 1759 vs 1763 vs 1774. 1759 is the battle on the Plains of Abraham. 1763 is the Royal Proclamation. 1774 is the Quebec Act. If 1763 appears as an answer for the battle, it is wrong.
• 1604 vs 1608. 1604 is the first settlement in Acadia; 1608 is Quebec City.
• 1965 vs 1980. 1965 is the flag. 1980 is O Canada becoming the national anthem; it was first sung 100 years earlier, in 1880.
• 1980 vs 1995. Quebec’s first and second referendums. Both were defeated.
• 1857 vs 1867. Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital in 1857, ten years before Confederation.
• 1949 vs 1999. Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949; Nunavut was created in 1999.
• 1948 vs 1960. Japanese Canadians gained the vote in 1948; Aboriginal people in 1960.
• 1988, 2006 and 2008. Three apologies: to Japanese Canadians (1988), for the Chinese head tax (2006), and to former residential school students (2008).
• 1847–48 vs 1848–49. Nova Scotia had responsible government first; the Province of Canada followed.

Memory tips

1. Learn the anchors first. Know 1215, 1759, 1791, 1867, 1914–1918, 1939–1945 and 1982 very well. Then place every other date before or after one of them.
2. Count the gaps. From 1759 to 1774 is 15 years, and from 1774 to 1791 is 17 years. O Canada was first sung in 1880 and became the anthem exactly 100 years later, in 1980. The Order of Canada (1967) was created 100 years after Confederation (1867).
3. Learn who joined, in order. 1867: four provinces. Then Manitoba (1870), British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island (1873), Alberta and Saskatchewan (1905) and Newfoundland (1949). The territories: Northwest Territories (1870), Yukon (1898) and Nunavut (1999).
4. Link a date to a place or a person. 1608 is Champlain in Quebec City. 1885 is the last spike. 1917 is Vimy. A picture in your head is easier to remember than a number.
5. Read the question word by word. Words like “first”, “most” and “last” change the answer, especially for the vote and for responsible government.
6. Review a little every day. Put the dates you miss into the flashcards, and read the one-page cheat sheet the night before your test.

National holidays and their dates

Some of these are public holidays with a day off work, and some are days to remember an event. Questions usually ask for the date or for what the day marks.

Ready to check what you remember? Take Practice Test 1 and note every date you get wrong.