Significant Events of the 20th Century

Marquis Wheat Developed, 1907

• Charles Edward Saunders completed the development of Marquis wheat, a fast-maturing variety suited to the Prairies. It was first distributed to farmers in 1909 and comprised 90% of the wheat grown on the Prairies by 1920

Battle of Vimy Ridge, 1917

• On Easter Monday, four Canadian divisions and one British brigade captured Vimy Ridge, near Arras, France, with a loss of 3578 killed and 7000 wounded. It was a brilliant victory for the Canadians, who sensed a new national awareness.

Canada Elections Act, 1918

• The Canada Elections Act first enfranchised all Canadian women over the age of 21 for federal elections.

National Film Board Created, 1939• The National Film Act

created the National Film Board, headed by Scots film producer John Grierson. The NFB pioneered developments in social documentary, animation, documentary drama and direct cinema. Its films have won hundreds of international awards

Newfoundland Becomes a Province, 1949

• Newfoundland entered the Dominion of Canada as the 10th province through an Act of Westminster. The first session of the legislature was held at St John's on July 13.

First Medical Plan, 1961• The Saskatchewan

Medical Care Insurance Bill, the first plan in North America providing universal coverage, was introduced in the Legislature. It received royal assent on 17 November 1961, to come into effect April 1 (later delayed to 1 July 1962).

Charter Comes Into Effect, 1982

• The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into effect. The Charter guarantees all Canadians fundamental rights, democratic rights, mobility rights, legal rights, equality rights and linguistic rights.

GST Introduced, 1990

• In the House of Commons, the federal government introduced legislation to impose its controversial Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Oka Standoff, 1990• A standoff began at Oka,

Québec, when police attempted to storm a barricade erected by the Mohawk to block the expansion of a golf course onto land claimed by the Mohawk. The protesters surrendered to soldiers on September 26, after a 2-month-long siege.

Quebec Referendum, 1995

• Québec held its second sovereignty referendum in 15 years. The “no” side won, with a 50.6% majority, in a vote that saw 93.2% of the population participating