History of Canada and the world
Canada’s history is intertwined with that of the rest of the world. The great wars, human migration and relations with other countries have all shaped its history. Discover how the world has influenced Canada and how Canada has influenced other countries.
Explore a selection of national historic persons, places and events that help illustrate Canada's place in the world.
Featured designations
Liberation of the Netherlands National Historic Event
Canada brought liberty and life to the Netherlands at the end of the Second World War. The bonds of friendship forged between Canada and the Netherlands stand strong to this day.
Location : Commemorative plaque: at the National Liberation Monument to the Canadians, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
Indigenous Military Service in the First World War National Historic Event
During the Great War, Indigenous people from across the country served throughout the Canadian military. It was the first time the Canadian forces integrated a substantial number of Indigenous men into their ranks as individual soldiers.
Canadarm Deployment in Space, 1981 National Historic Event
In the 1970s, a highly sophisticated and manoeuvrable robotic arm was developped and built, and its first voyage into space in 1981 launched the beginning of a new era in Canadian space exploration.
National historic designations by themes
Significant sites
Fortress of Louisbourg
The Fortress of Louisbourg is the largest reconstructed 18th-century French fortified town in North America and played a role at a pivotal moment in our history.
Newfoundland National War Memorial
This imposing monument features a rare combination of allegorical and realistic bronze sculptures designed by British artists Gilbert Bayes and Ferdinand Victor Blundstone.
Crow's Nest Officers' Club
This private social club brought together Allied naval officers and their Merchant Navy counterparts in order to bolster their effectiveness on the high seas.
Signal Hill
Signal Hill was designated a national historic site because it is importantly associated with Canada’s defence and communications history.
Vimy Ridge
For Canadians the taking of Vimy Ridge stands as a great feat of arms, an exceptional example of courage and sacrifice, and an important milestone in the development of their nation.
Remarkable persons
Chloe Cooley
Chloe Cooley was an enslaved woman of African descent living in Queenston, Upper Canada. Her courageous actions exemplify the resistance of enslaved women.
Frederick Gage Todd (1876-1948)
Frederick Gage Todd was Canada's first professional landscape architect. He designed some of the country's most beloved urban parks.
John P. Humphrey (1905-1995)
John P. Humphrey was an International civil servant, a human rights advocate, and law professor. He helped shape new forms of global governance after the Second World War and advance human rights law.
Olivier Le Jeune
First documented person of African descent living on a permanent basis in Canada (New France), Olivier Le Jeune provides a glimpse into the experiences of enslaved people based on historical records.
Richard Pierpoint (c. 1744–c. 1838)
Richard Pierpoint was captured, forcibly transported to the Thirteen Colonies, and sold into slavery. He fought as a free man with Butler’s Rangers, a loyalist unit, during the American Revolution.
William Kennedy (1814-1890)
William Kennedy was an Indigenous leader who participated in search for Franklin and Artic exploration. He contributed to Manitoba politics prior to and after the creation of the province.
Defining events
Canadian War Memorials Fund
Created in 1916 by Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook), the Fund was Canada’s first war art program, establishing a tradition of commissioning artists to depict Canada at war.
Canadians in the Korean War
Between 1950 and 1953, Canada participated in the Korean War as part of a United Nations multinational force to protect South Korea from invasion by North Korea.
The Creation of Canada’s Permanent Military Force (1871–1883)
The creation of a small permanent force marked the beginnings of military professionalization in Canada: A and B Batteries, based at Fort Henry in Kingston and the Québec Citadel.
The Examination Unit (1941–1945)
The Examination Unit (1941–1945) was the first in Canada and the only civilian cryptographic bureau active during the Second World War.
German U-Boat Attacks at Bell Island (1942)
During the Second World War, Newfoundland’s Bell Island was targeted by German U-boats seeking to disrupt the supply of iron ore to Canada’s steel mills.
Service of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) during the Second World War
The Service of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) served in European campaign and all other theatres during the Second World War.
War Brides
Between 1942 and 1948 some 48,000 women, accompanied by 22,000 children, mostly from Great Britain, landed at Pier 21 as wives of Canadian servicemen stationed abroad during the Second World War.
Arrival of Refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in Canada
After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, Canada accepted nearly 200,000 refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos who fled persecution and difficult living conditions, and braved significant dangers.
The arrival of displaced persons in Canada, 1945-1951
After the Second World War, nearly 187,000 people fled from devastated Europe to Canada, including Holocaust survivors, former prisoners of war, and thousands who were unable or unwilling to return to their pre-war homes.
Jamaican Maroons in Nova Scotia
In 1796, more than 500 Maroons from Trelawny Town in the mountains of northwestern Jamaica were forcibly transported to the British colony of Nova Scotia.
The Komagata Maru Incident of 1914
In May 1914, the S.S. Komagata Maru, carrying 376 Punjabi prospective immigrants, was stalled in Vancouver. Travellers were forced to remain on board for two months, with many passengers sent back to India.
West Indian Domestic Scheme (1955–1967)
The West Indian Domestic Scheme was a targeted immigration program through which approximately 3,000 women from the Caribbean came to Canada to work as domestic servants.
Celebrations of Emancipation Day
Emancipation Day celebrations began on 1 August 1834, when Canadians of African descent in Upper and Lower Canada marked the abolition of enslavement.
The Enslavement of African People in Canada (circa 1629–1834)
Between circa 1629 and 1834, there were more than 4,000 enslaved people of African descent in the British and French colonies that became Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick.
Japanese Canadian Soldiers of the First World War and the Fight to Win the Vote
Between 1916 and 1918, 222 Japanese Canadian soldiers overcame barriers to enlistment and prejudice and fought for Canada on the Western Front.
The Establishment of the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom
Canada’s oldest diplomatic posting and the first Commonwealth high commission, its establishment is an important chapter in Canada’s diplomatic history, a symbol and a gathering place for Canadians overseas.
Expo 67
Expo 67, held in Montréal from April to October 1967, was a World’s Fair that formed the centrepiece of Canada’s celebrations for the centennial of Confederation.
1972 Summit Series
The 1972 Summit Series was a hockey series of eight games between Canada and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) held in September 1972.
Sable Island Humane Establishment (1801–1958)
Between 1801 and 1958, this shore-based rescue organization rescued the crews and passengers, and recovered the cargoes from the international vessels that wrecked on Sable Island.
Role of the Canadian Merchant Navy during the Second World War
The Canadian Merchant Navy contributed to the final outcome of World War II by transporting materiel and military personnel throughout the world.
No time to read?
Learn about the role of the French Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site in the history of Black African enslavement in Canada.
Search through over 3,600 designations listed in the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations (DFHD)
The Directory of Federal Heritage Designations offers a complete list of federal designations stemming from various programs. It includes information on districts, buildings, events, railway stations, lighthouses and people who are of historic value or interest.