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1606 - First recorded appearance of a Black person. 

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1606 - First recorded appearance of a Black person. 

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Samuel de Champlain at Port Royale carried Mathieu DeCosta to Bay of Fundy. He was the ship’s translator from Portugal and his job is to assist the ship and the Mi’kmaq Indians in trading. This is the beginning of Black history in Canada.

Fields of Endless Day

- Lok Ki Rocky Wong

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Samuel de Champlain brought over less than 100 settlers to New France. These 100 people were the first to arrive in Canada as colonists.

Fields of Endless Day

- Lok Ki Rocky Wong

Isajiw, Wsevolod W. 1999. "Immigration to Canada: New Faces in the Crowd"

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1620 - The massacre of indigenous peoples by the Spanish.

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1620 - The massacre of indigenous peoples by the Spanish.

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Incas’s population fell from 6000000 to 600000 since 1620 Spanish arrived. The indigenous population was nearly exterminated; some were killed by the Spanish, some committed suicide, some died from malnutrition, and some succumbed to disease. This demonstrates that the colonizers did not regard the indigenous people as human beings. They forced them into labor and killed them at will.

- Lok Ki Rocky Wong

Colonialism in the Americas

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1660 - 1672 Jean Talon’s immigration policy

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1660 - 1672 Jean Talon’s immigration policy

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The early days of French colonization were falling into difficulties, the population kept decreasing. To successfully control the new areas, Jean Talon made the immigration policies and encouraged marriages between French settlers and indigenous peoples. This policy was succeeded, resulting the population of New France increased from 2000 to 6000.

Isajiw, W. W. (1999) Immigration to Canada: New Faces in the Crowd in 'Understanding Diversity: Ethnicity and Race in

- Lok Ki Rocky Wong

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1700 – Population of New France Reaches 15,000

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1700 – Population of New France Reaches 15,000

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“In 1700, there were about 15,000 settlers,” showing the continued growth of New France after earlier slow migration and natural increase. (Isajiw, 1999)

- Negar Mehrtash

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“The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, fought September 13, 1759… ending a three-month siege of Quebec City and British victory.” (Isajiw, 1999; Wikipedia, 2006)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1760 – Population of New France Reaches 60,000–70,000

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1760 – Population of New France Reaches 60,000–70,000

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By 1760, Britain had defeated France and gained control over New France, altering immigration regulation and labour systems in the colonies (Ontario’s Black Pioneers Reading, n.d., p. 4).

Relevance: This shift marked the start of centralized British immigration control and the establishment of racialized systems of land and labour dominance.

- Negar Mehrtash

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At the end of the Seven Years’ War, the native people began to realize that the victorious English were different to deal with than the defeated French. To help clear the air, King George III of Britain issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763:

“I reserve for the Nations or Tribes of Indians all lands and Territories lying to the westward of the Sources of the rivers which fall into the sea from the west and northwest.” (Gage, 1991)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1780 – Jose Gabriel Condorcanqui’s Rebellion

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1780 – Jose Gabriel Condorcanqui’s Rebellion

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Jose Gabriel Condorcanqui, after the last of the Inca leaders, stirs up a massive rebellion of the Indian and Black people of Peru. They join with common people of Spanish and Mestizo (mixed) blood, who have risen in a tax revolt. (Gage, 1991)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1781 – Julian Apaza Proclaims Himself of El Salvador

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1781 – Julian Apaza Proclaims Himself of El Salvador

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Julian Apaza proclaims himself of El Salvador, raises 3,000 men to fight against the colonialists. He proclaims that Indians will never again be slaves, nor soldiers, nor famished, nor drunk. Betrayed by his lieutenant, he is captured and beheaded. (Gage, 1991)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1783–1784 – Loyalist Refugees Move to Canada After the American Revolution

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1783–1784 – Loyalist Refugees Move to Canada After the American Revolution

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“About 30,000 refugees migrated to Nova Scotia, and about 10,000 to Quebec,” forming the first large political immigration to Canada. The group included “farmers, soldiers, government employees, teachers, lawyers, and clergymen.” (Isajiw, 1999)

- Negar Mehrtash

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The province of Upper Canada (what is now Ontario) was officially established. (Gage, 1991)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1793 – John Graves Simcoe Passes the Anti-Slavery Act

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1793 – John Graves Simcoe Passes the Anti-Slavery Act

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John Graves Simcoe passed an act to prevent the introduction of slaves into Upper Canada, thereby giving Upper Canada the distinction of being the first British possession to legislate against slavery. (Gage, 1991).

- Negar Mehrtash

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During the early to mid 19th century, Black individuals were still attempting to escape the horrors of slavery, therefore, many settlements formed in southwestern Ontario. These safe locations offered a place with many Black individuals could finally start to live as free people which resulted in communities that began to celebrate and provide the basic living conditions. Black individuals used a system named the "Underground Railroad" that was a series of routes and safe houses for assisting Black individuals to escape slavery in America to Canada. According to the video "Field of Endless Days", 40,000 escaping slaves arrived in Canada in the 1850s an additional 10,000 in 1860s.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Isajiw, Wsevolod W. 1999. "lmmigration to Canada: New Faces in the Crowd" in Understanding Diversity: Ethnicity and Race in the Canadian Context, pp. 77-91 . © 1999 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc

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Hunted as animals, extermination, and theft, 1829

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Hunted as animals, extermination, and theft, 1829

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Native people were hunted as animals for the expansion of European colonization and its needs. As a result, many native people had their land and children stolen and the adult natives were killed. For example, the Beothuk people of Newfoundland had their last member killed in 1829.

- Ricardo Alvear

Colonialish in the Americas: A Critical Look. By Susan Gage

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Beginning of equality and overcoming racial discrimination, 1837 

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Beginning of equality and overcoming racial discrimination, 1837 

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To improve Black education and to overcome the disadvantages of slavery and racial discrimination, schools started to open in Black communities which the first time that Ontario started with a level for black communities to be educated and begin their path to equality. One of the first schools was opened in Brantford in 1837.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Ontario's Black Pioneers

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Black individuals taking arms in the defence of freedom, 1837

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Black individuals taking arms in the defence of freedom, 1837

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Due to fears that if the United States was succesful in defecting the loyalist in the North, then the horrors of slavery will return to all Black individuals within Canada. Therefore, approximately 1,000 Black men volunteered for service in defence of the British monarchy. This is lead to black individuals taking command into defence of certain areas and later after the rebellion, doing community services.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Ontario's Black Pioneers

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1841 – British American Institute Established

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1841 – British American Institute Established

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Henson and a group of abolitionists purchased land in Dawn Township and established the British American Institute, a vocational school for fugitive slaves. (Riendeau, 1984)

- Negar Mehrtash

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The “famine” in Ireland in 1846–1847 sent 110,000 Irish immigrants across the ocean; some would go on to the US, and many died on ships. (Isajiw, 1999)

- Negar Mehrtash

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15,000 Mayans of the Yucatan rise up and attack the colonialists. The battles continue for years, at a cost of over 150,000 dead. (Gage, 1991)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1849 – Buxton or Elgin Settlement Established

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1849 – Buxton or Elgin Settlement Established

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Just outside Chatham in Raleigh Township, the Buxton or Elgin settlement was established by Rev. William King. Within a decade, it grew into a thriving village of 1,200 with its own educational and industrial facilities. (Riendeau, 1984)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1850s – Black Settlement and Rescue Efforts

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1850s – Black Settlement and Rescue Efforts

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Harriet Tubman made nineteen trips into the South to guide hundreds of Blacks to freedom. John Mason, a fugitive slave from Kentucky, rescued over 1,300 Blacks during the 1850s and eventually settled in Hamilton.

St. Catharines became a major centre of Black settlement, with about 800 Black residents out of a total population of 7,000 by the end of the decade. Windsor also grew, with over 700 Black residents out of 2,500. (Riendeau, 1984)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1850s – First Chinese and Polish Settlers in Canada

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1850s – First Chinese and Polish Settlers in Canada

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“With the advent of the Gold Rush in the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, the first Chinese migrants to Canada came from the United States.”

“In 1858, the first small group settlement of Polish families was established in the Renfrew, Ontario, area.” (Isajiw, 1999)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1858–1859 – John Brown’s Raid and Its Impact

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1858–1859 – John Brown’s Raid and Its Impact

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Many Blacks in Chatham felt the plan was ill-conceived and doomed to failure, and they were proven right when Brown was captured at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia in October 1859 and subsequently executed for treason. (Riendeau, 1984)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1860–1864 – Black Population Census & Polish Settlement

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1860–1864 – Black Population Census & Polish Settlement

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A census taken in 1860 in Upper Canada showed a total of about 50,000 Blacks, which by 1864 had increased to about 500 (due to growth of the Polish settlement in Renfrew). (Isajiw, 1999)

- Negar Mehrtash

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The 1861 census showed 1,254 Black residents, although perhaps as many as 2,000 of a total population of 6,000 were Black. (Riendeau, 1984)

- Negar Mehrtash

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1867 – Chatham Black Business District Fire

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1867 – Chatham Black Business District Fire

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The black business district of Chatham was destroyed by fire in 1867. (Riendeau, 1984)

- Negar Mehrtash

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The Indian act written along with previous policies to restrict the land and control that the indigenous population could retain. Additionally, this law restricted the rights reduce the economic independence, and force the Indian people to surrender land to settlers.

- Lok Ki Rocky Wong

(Ontario’s Black Pioneers Reading, n.d., p. 18).

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1880 – Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway

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1880 – Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway

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Chinese labourers that were immigrants to Canada were used in the construction of the railway in 1880. Relevance: Canada's dependency on the exploitation of unfortunate immigrants led to these Chinese workers, encountering, dangerous, environments, abusive pay, and intentional and racism that went unpunished.

- Lok Ki Rocky Wong

(Ng, 2020).

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1885 – Chinese Immigration Act (Head Tax)

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1885 – Chinese Immigration Act (Head Tax)

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After the establishment of the railway system that were primarily developed by Chinese immigrants, the Canadian federal government produced a tax which place a $50 head tags on Chinese immigrants. Relevance: In the efforts to reduce the huge amount of Chinese immigrants travelling to Canada, This bill was introduced.

- Lok Ki Rocky Wong

(Ng, 2020)

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The Canadian arm forces encountered an uprising by the Métis and Cree that was head by Louis Riel with intentions to produce a recognition of their land and rights that were stolen from them. Relevance: the failure of the rebellion and subsequent execution of the leader, led to indigenous populations further receive threats to their native land and rights.

- Lok Ki Rocky Wong

(Ontario’s Black Pioneers Reading, n.d., p. 19)

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A English only policy first many public institutes to lose federal funding, particularly catholic and French language schools.

- Lok Ki Rocky Wong

(Ontario’s Black Pioneers Reading, n.d., p. 20).

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Vancouver anti-Asian riots, September 7–9, 1907

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Vancouver anti-Asian riots, September 7–9, 1907

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The increasing amount of anti-Asian hate due to organizations that blamed Asian people for labor competitiveness and attempting to prevent and remove nativism, grew to a point where thousands of largely white rioters that included small-business workers and labor activists, started to assult and damage many Asian-owned shops during their riots. As a result, provinical and federal governments started to enact policies that discriminated against Asian people.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Wobblies and Blanketstiffs: The Constituency of the IWW in Western Canada. A. Ross McCormack

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"Continuous Journey (Passage)" policy, 1910

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"Continuous Journey (Passage)" policy, 1910

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Immigration from India completely stopped due to an the Canadian council in 1910 that passed an order stating all ships that carries Indian immigrants must be on a one-way journey to Canada, however, zero ships made such a journey.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Wobblies and Blanketstiffs: The Constituency of the IWW in Western Canada. A. Ross McCormack

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Arrival of Black immigration in Alberta, 1911

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Arrival of Black immigration in Alberta, 1911

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As Alberta's population started to become a Black majority in 1910, immigration inspectors delivered a message to Ottawa that requested Canadian government sent a message to the American government alerting them that Canada were no longer accept Black immigrants. Also, an organization named IODE, Imperial Order of daughters, stated that due to the rising level of Black immigration, White women will begin to feel unsafe in their communities. However, due to machinery technology reaching a level that needs more workers, many Black families moved to the cities and become important figures such as William Hubbard who was the acting mayor of Toronto.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Isajiw, W. W. (1999) Immigration to Canada: New Faces in the Crowd in 'Understanding Diversity: Ethnicity and Race in Canada

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At the start of World War l, discrimination against black soldiers still existed and they were also declared as incompetent soldiers and attempting for any equality between white soldiers and Black soldiers would only reduce Canada's effort in the war. However, due to White officers protesting that Black soldiers were necessary. the Canadian military started to enlist Black individuals as soldier and kept them in teams that also contained the other Black soldiers.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Isajiw, W. W. (1999) Immigration to Canada: New Faces in the Crowd in 'Understanding Diversity: Ethnicity and Race in Canada

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As approximately 30,000 immigrant workers which included construction and railroad workers, started to demand more fair wages, working conditions, and union recognition across Winiipeg which put the economy in a six-week delay. As a result, the Canadian government declared these workers as being influenced by foreign radicalism which pose a threat to national security. Therefore, race and migrant status were used against the organizations by arrest and deportation.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Wobblies and Blanketstiffs: The Constituency of the IWW in Western Canada. A. Ross McCormack

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Due to Canada's reluctant to introduce more immigrants since the aftermath of World War l, the amount of immigrants and their capabilities were severely hampered but if a immigrant came from a specific social status or economic class, then that immigrant was allowed to enter Canada. This lead to Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 and Canada's growing hatred against immigrants.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Isajiw, W. W. (1999) Immigration to Canada: New Faces in the Crowd in 'Understanding Diversity: Ethnicity and Race in Canada

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Appreciation and Acceptance of Black Individuals, Toronto 1928

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Appreciation and Acceptance of Black Individuals, Toronto 1928

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During the late 1920s, the raise of Black pride and heritage started to occur which resulted in a individual named Marcus Garvey who was a prominent figure in the Black pride movement and started the U.N.I.A (Universal Negreo Improvement Association) to furthor the reach of his objective.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Field of endless days

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Total elimination of immigration from other minorities, 1931.

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Total elimination of immigration from other minorities, 1931.

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A massive drop from approximately 1.6 million immigrants to 140,000 arriving to Canada between 1932 - 1940 was due to the Canadian Council passing a order that only allowed American and British immigrants to enter Canada during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Isajiw, W. W. (1999) Immigration to Canada: New Faces in the Crowd in 'Understanding Diversity: Ethnicity and Race in Canada

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Canada's negative stance against immigration started to turn around when approximately 8000 Jewish people were allowed to enter Canada due to Germany's horrible treatment of Jewish people in the 1930s.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Isajiw, W. W. (1999) Immigration to Canada: New Faces in the Crowd in 'Understanding Diversity: Ethnicity and Race in Canada

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Internment, dispossession and forced relocation of Japanese Canadians under wartime measures, 1942

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Internment, dispossession and forced relocation of Japanese Canadians under wartime measures, 1942

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When Japan was declared a enemy of the allies during World War II, approximately 22,000 Japanese Canadians had their property taken or sold and this treatment continued through throughout the late 1940s. Additionally, any communities that were considered a security threat, had their rights temporarily suspended and were treated as a enemy.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Wobblies and Blanketstiffs:

The Constituency of the IWW in Western Canada

A. Ross McCormack

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The strength of the union and Black railway workers rising, February 1946

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The strength of the union and Black railway workers rising, February 1946

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After the end of the second world war, Stanley G. Grizzle, a worker for the sleeping car porter on the Canadian Pacific Railway, returned to his work as a porter in Canada, where a union was formed due to Black porters struggling for the years during the war. As Grizzle's advocating skills showed throughout the union and his demands for fair pay and workers' rights, he went through the ranks of the union while receiving surveillance and discrimination from management. Regardless of the problems, the union provided pride and unity to Black communities. This is important because a union was a limited amount of methods that Black workers could demand equality in a unfair labor system.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: My Name's not George, The story of the brotherhood of sleeping car porters in Canada, Personal Reminisences of Stanley G. Grizzle

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Allowing for refugees of war to enter Canada, 1946

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Allowing for refugees of war to enter Canada, 1946

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A system called the "merit-point system" was introduced Best intentions to make immigration policies transform into the needs of the Canadian economy since it was in need for labour workers in aftermath of World War II. This transformation offered safe living in Canada, but preference will still provided to immigrants of British heritage. But regardless of the preference over 100,000 refugees from Eastern Europe entered Canada, this led to Canada's view of immigration changing and how future policies can make life better for everyone living in Canada.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Isajiw, W. W. (1999) Immigration to Canada: New Faces in the Crowd in 'Understanding Diversity: Ethnicity and Race in Canada

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Black Identity and Unity in Post-War Canada, 1947

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Black Identity and Unity in Post-War Canada, 1947

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Life as a Black railway porter in post-war Canada was a period of opportunities to gain improvements for Black communities through unionization. Stanley refered to leaders such as A. Philip Randolph, the creating of Montreal's Black community life, and the demands for a fairness in the workplace and soon in other parts of life. This is important because social spaces such as Balck cultural centers and churches assisted in the improvements of Black identity and unity during a period in Canadian society that usually prevented Black workers to gain civil service or professional jobs.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: My Name's not George, The story of the brotherhood of sleeping car porters in Canada, Personal Reminisences of Stanley G. Grizzle

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 Introduction of the points-based selection system, 1967

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 Introduction of the points-based selection system, 1967

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Another push for equality for immigration was the 1967 plan named "Point System" which determined an immigrant's potential contribution to the Canadian economy rather than the immigrant's race, country of origin, and the language they spoke. The plan focused more on abilities, education, and employment potential and as a result of this plan, the labor market was performing exceptionally well and reshaped how the labor market functions.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Wobblies and Blanketstiffs:

The Constituency of the IWW in Western Canada

A. Ross McCormack

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The immigration act of 1976 resulted in Canadian acceptance of immigrations and immigrants protection, family reunification which moved away from decades of policies that discriminated against immigrants.

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Wobblies and Blanketstiffs:

The Constituency of the IWW in Western Canada

A. Ross McCormack

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Canadian Multiculturalism Act (federal law), July 21, 1988

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Canadian Multiculturalism Act (federal law), July 21, 1988

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The Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1988 resulted in a set of steps to ensure that future policies do not have discriminated conditions within education, employment, and settlement and influence how social organizations employers, and a federal government are supposed to manage the labour and immigration of minorities

- Ricardo Alvear

Reference: Wobblies and Blanketstiffs:

The Constituency of the IWW in Western Canada

A. Ross McCormack