#OnThisDay ... in Canada's history! On this page, you'll discover significant events that shaped our society. Subscribe to Library and Archives Canada's Facebook and Twitter pages or use the #Canada150 and #OnThisDay hashtags for today-in-history vignettes. Above all, join the conversation as we share 150 years of history, one day at a time!
March 1, 1927
The boundary between Labrador and Quebec is established by the Privy Council in London. The Privy Council decides in favour of Newfoundland in its dispute with Canada. The two Dominions are former British colonies.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Canadian Encyclopedia
The new border established by the Privy Council in London in 1927 will be confirmed in 1949 when Newfoundland joins Confederation.
One-cent stamp showing a map of Newfoundland and Labrador, 1928.
March 2, 1945
Celebrated painter Emily Carr dies at the age of 73. Born in 1871, in Victoria, British Columbia, Carr was fascinated by Indigenous culture. She had her first solo exhibition when she was 67. The scope of her work, focusing mainly on forest landscapes and totemic art, will not be recognized until after her death.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
National Gallery of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
- Watch this documentary about Emily Carr, one of Canada’s most-recognized and best-loved artists
Self-portrait drawing made by Emily Carr in England in 1899.
March 3, 1875
A group including several students from McGill University play the first organized ice hockey game at the Victoria Rink in Montréal. The event was arranged by James George Aylwin Creighton, originally from Halifax.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Hockey match, Victoria Rink, Montréal, Quebec, composite, 1893.
March 4, 1971
Montréal experiences the worst snowstorm in its history. The “Storm of the Century” buries the city under 47 cm of snow (some say 80 cm), and it causes the deaths of 17 people. Wind damage will leave some areas without electricity for 10 days.
To learn more:
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Archives Radio-Canada
During the previous century, in 1888, residents of the city of Québec endured a storm on Great Market Day.
March 5, 1982
Canada’s Steve Podborski becomes the first non-European to win the World Cup season title in downhill skiing. Two years earlier, the Toronto athlete had captured the bronze medal in the same event at the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games. During his prolific career, he posted 44 top-10 finishes, winning 20 medals and 8 World Cup victories.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Canadian Olympic Team
Stamp showing the downhill skiing event at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games.
March 6, 1997
The House of Commons passes Bill C-71, the Tobacco Act, to limit access to tobacco and enhance public awareness of its hazards. The act strengthens restrictions on sponsorships and advertising by tobacco companies at sports and cultural events.
To learn more:
Health Canada
Library of Parliament of Canada
Ontario Ministry of Health anti-smoking poster, 1950–1978.
March 7, 1913
Mohawk poet, writer, artist and interpreter Emily Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake) dies. One of the most remarkable North American artists of the late 19th century, she was born on March 10, 1861, on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario. A talented writer and eloquent speaker, she captivated Canadian and American audiences with her tremendous acting abilities. A few days before her death, Vancouver honoured her with a monument in Stanley Park, to commemorate her work and heritage.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Status of Women Canada
Emily Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake) is recognized for poetry that celebrates her First Nations heritage.
March 8, 1872
Painter Cornelius Krieghoff dies at the age of 57. His work reflects his love of traditional French-Canadian culture, landscape, everyday lives and Indigenous cultures. Born in Amsterdam in 1815, he married French Canadian Émilie Gauthier. Struggling to sell his paintings in Montréal, Krieghoff decided to try his luck in the city of Québec. He moved there with his family in 1853 and finally had some success.
To learn more:
National Gallery of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
Cornelius Krieghoff in Canadian costume, between 1850 and 1872.
March 9, 1901
Japanese Canadians gain the right to vote in British Columbia, after a court challenge. However, the decision will be overturned the following year. In 1914, 10,000 people of Japanese descent will be living in Canada. By the late 1930s, there will be more than 23,000. Japanese Canadians will regain the right to vote in 1949.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Elections Canada
Canadian Encyclopedia
Japanese immigrant families, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1924.
March 10, 1915
The Canadian Expeditionary Force takes part in the Battle of Neuve-Chapelle, during the First World War. This is the first real offensive in which Canadians participate. About 100 Canadians lose their lives in the engagement.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Canadian War Museum
Poster showing British soldiers at the Battle of Neuve-Chapelle. “At Neuve Chapelle Your Friends Need You. Be a Man,” London, 1914–1918.
March 11, 1935
The Bank of Canada launches its first banknote series. These notes are unilingual, with matching versions available in either English or French. The fronts of the bills feature portraits of members of the Royal Family and former Canadian prime ministers. The backs show allegorical figures symbolizing Canada’s growing agricultural, industrial and commercial prosperity.
To learn more:
Bank of Canada
Canadian Encyclopedia
A $20 bill from the 1935 banknote series, issued on March 11. It shows Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II), granddaughter of King George V and Queen Mary.
March 12, 1879
Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald introduces his “National Policy” in response to the economic crisis of 1873. This strategy involves linking the various regions by rail, encouraging settlement in western Canada and protecting the country from American competition.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Historica Canada
As this electoral campaign poster from 1891 shows, the National Policy will be a key issue in Sir John A. Macdonald’s election campaigns for many years.
March 13, 1927
Parliament passes legislation establishing the country’s first old-age pension. The $20 monthly pension is financed by the federal and provincial governments. It goes to British subjects 70 years of age or older who have lived in Canada for 20 years or more.
To learn more:
Employment and Social Development Canada
Statistics Canada
Canadian Encyclopedia
Premiers sign the Dominion-Provincial Agreement on Old Age Pensions, in Ottawa on May 18, 1928.
March 14, 1946
Communist Member of Parliament Fred Rose is arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. His arrest follows revelations by Igor Gouzenko, who defected from the Soviet embassy in Ottawa. The Kellock-Taschereau Royal Commission will confirm that a vast Soviet spy network in Canada is working to obtain secret information about the atomic bomb.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Canadian War Museum
Parks Canada
Photo of Fred Rose, taken between 1942 and 1948.
March 15, 1990
Sergeant Baltej Singh Dhillon, a Sikh, is the first Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer allowed to wear a turban. The decision will be challenged three years later, and the Canadian Human Rights Commission will uphold the right of Sikh RCMP officers to wear turbans.
To learn more:
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Learn about important dates in the history of the RCMP
Canadian Human Rights Commission
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Photo of Sergeant Baltej Singh Dhillon, the first RCMP officer to wear a turban.
March 16, 1916
Canada and the United States adopt the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds and regulate hunting seasons. The aim of the Convention is intended to preserve both useful and harmless species of migratory birds and save them from indiscriminate killing. It therefore establishes seasons when hunting is permitted or banned for certain species.
To learn more:
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Global Affairs Canada
Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, boasts some of the best bird hunting in the Maritimes. These hunters from Pennsylvania, like many American visitors, return each fall to hunt.
March 17, 1955
Maurice Richard’s suspension leads to a violent riot at the Montreal Forum. The Montreal Canadiens star player was suspended for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs by National Hockey League President Clarence Campbell. Windows are broken and stores looted. The “Rocket” appeals for calm on the radio.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Canadian Museum of History
National Film Board of Canada
YouTube
- These images of the Forum riot of 1955 make you feel as if you were there (in French only)
Did you know that the Campbell Soup Company bought advertising in French-language newspapers to let hockey fans know that the company had no connection to NHL President Clarence Campbell, who had suspended the “Rocket”?
March 18, 1990
Canadian singer Maureen Forrester is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The internationally recognized contralto has performed on five continents, appearing with the world’s leading symphony orchestras and giving an average of 120 concerts a year.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Canadian Music Hall of Fame
Canadian Encyclopedia
Photo de Maureen Forrester, 5 octobre 1989.
March 19, 2004
The Quebec Court of Appeal dismisses a motion by the Catholic Civil Rights League to uphold the traditional definition of marriage. With this decision, Quebec becomes the third Canadian province, after Ontario and British Columbia, to allow same-sex unions. The following year, in 2005, the Parliament of Canada will pass the Civil Marriage Act.
To learn more:
Government of Canada
Global Affairs Canada
Parliament of Canada
Photo of Steve Pageau and Dave Sabourin during their wedding ceremony. Canadian Museum of History, June 8, 2013.
March 20, 1970
Canada becomes a founding member of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (the actual International Organisation of La Francophonie). The global French-language community is active in many fields, including international affairs and trade, sports, youth, and culture.
To learn more:
Global Affairs Canada
Canadian Heritage
International Organisation of La Francophonie
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
A 45-cent stamp commemorating the 25th anniversary of La Francophonie, 1995.
March 21, 1985
Three-time Paralympic gold medalist Rick Hansen leaves Vancouver on his Man In Motion World Tour. The Tour will become an epic two-year circumnavigation of the world in his wheelchair. Rick and his team will travel through 34 countries, and over 40,000 kilometres. The Tour will raise $26 million for accessibility awareness and become a catalyst for enormous change in the removal of physical barriers and in how people with disabilities are perceived.
To learn more:
Canadian Olympic Team
Rick Hansen Foundation
Rick Hansen at the Peace Arch Canada–United States border crossing on March 21, 1985, getting ready to cross the border.
March 22, 1997
More than 10,000 Franco-Ontarians show their support for the Montfort hospital. Premier Mike Harris's government had decided to close Ontario's only French-language health institution. The courts will rule in favour of the SOS Montfort committee led by Gisèle Lalonde. The Government of Ontario will not appeal the decision, and the hospital will remain open.
To learn more:
Centre for Research on French Canadian Culture
Montfort hospital
Photo of SOS Montfort demonstration in the streets of Ottawa, March 1997.
Madeleine Meilleur (future Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs and Attorney General of Ontario), Gisèle Lalonde, Mauril Bélanger (federal Liberal MP for Ottawa-Vanier) and Bernard Grandmaître (in second row).
March 23, 1994
Wayne Gretzky scores his 802nd career goal against the Vancouver Canucks. With this goal, he beats Gordie Howe’s record and becomes the highest-scoring player in National Hockey League history.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Hockey Canada
YouTube
Caricature of Wayne Gretzky playing hockey, 1983.
March 24, 1975
The beaver becomes an official symbol of Canada. The Act to provide for the recognition of the Beaver (Castor canadensis) as a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada receives Royal Assent.
To learn more:
Canadian Heritage
Parks Canada
Justice Canada
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
National Film Board of Canada
Photo of Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney) feeding a beaver (possibly “Jellyroll”), Ajawan Lake, Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan, 1932.
March 25, 1880
George Brown, one of the Fathers of Confederation, is shot in the offices of the Toronto Globe and Mail. The shooter, George Bennett, is an employee who had been fired by Brown. A few weeks later, on May 9, Brown will die after his wound becomes infected. Bennett will be hanged.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Public Services and Procurement Canada
Photo of George Brown, 1818–1880.
March 26, 1921
The schooner Bluenose is christened in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Designed for international racing events, the famous vessel shown on the 10-cent piece will not lose a race in 17 years. Today, its successor, the Bluenose II, is docked in Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Canadian Museum of History
National Film Board of Canada
RDV2017 – Canada150
Photo of the first Bluenose, which, after many years of sailing the seas, ran aground off Haiti in the 1940s.
March 27, 1913
The Ottawa newspaper Le Droit publishes its first edition. The daily’s motto is “The future belongs to those who struggle.” The newspaper emerges during the fight against Regulation 17, which would have banned teaching in French in Ontario schools. Le Droit’s first offices are located above a garage on York Street in Ottawa.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Centre for Research on French Canadian Culture
Le Droit
Eugène Beaudry, David Gravelle, Edgard Labrie and Brother Georges Courtemanche pose beside the newspaper Le Droit's presses in 1923.
March 28, 1950
Country music singer Hank Snow, records his song "I'm Movin' On." It will top the American charts for 29 consecutive weeks. Clarence Eugene Snow (his real name) was born in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, in 1914. He will record 45 albums over the course of his prolific career.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Hank Snow Home Town Museum
YouTube
Workman checks to make sure railway cars are running smoothly as the trains leave the railway yard.
March 29, 1867
The British Parliament passes the British North America Act, creating the Dominion of Canada. The act’s 147 sections establish Canada’s constitution and set out the powers of the central and provincial governments.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
Parliament of Canada
Image showing the Fathers of Confederation at the London Conference (December 1866 to 1867), which led to passage of the British North America Act by the British Parliament.
March 30, 1954
It’s a big day for Torontonians, as the city opens the first subway system in Canada. The network initially consists of four lines, including the 7.4-kilometre Yonge Street line. The subway is built to address significant expansion by the Queen City.
To learn more:
National Film Board of Canada
Historica Canada
Transport Canada
An enthusiastic crowd is on hand for the official opening of the Toronto subway.
March 31, 1949
Newfoundland becomes Canada’s 10th province. A majority of Newfoundlanders had voted, in a second referendum, in favour of joining Confederation. Fifty-two years later, the province will change its name to Newfoundland and Labrador.
To learn more:
Library and Archives Canada
National Film Board of Canada
Joseph Smallwood, provincial premier from 1949 to 1972, signs the agreement admitting Newfoundland into Confederation, December 11, 1948.
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