History of Canada (1960–1981) facts for kids
The history of Canada from 1960 to 1981 was a time of big changes. It started after a time of growth in the 1950s and ended just before Canada got a new constitution in 1982. This period saw Canada become more independent and deal with important issues like rights for Indigenous peoples, a new flag, and challenges in Quebec.
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Voting Rights for Indigenous Peoples
In 1960, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's government made a big change. They allowed all Status Indians to vote in federal elections. Before this, Status Indians could only vote if they gave up their treaty rights or if they had fought in the First World War or Second World War. The Inuit and Métis people could already vote.
A new law was passed on March 31, 1960, which removed the unfair parts of the old voting rules. In the 1968 election, Leonard Marchand became the first Status Indian to be a member of parliament. It wasn't until 1969 that Status Indians could legally vote in all provincial elections, when Quebec finally allowed them to.
Canada Gets a New Flag
After Diefenbaker, Lester B. Pearson became Prime Minister in 1963. At this time, there was a lot of political change, especially in Quebec. People in Quebec wanted more control and a stronger identity. Pearson understood that Quebec was a "nation within the nation." To help unite Canada and show it was moving away from its British past, Pearson wanted a new flag.
The old Red Ensign flag didn't really show what Canada was becoming. Pearson believed a new flag would help bring French and English Canadians together with symbols that were truly Canadian. After many discussions about different designs, the famous maple leaf flag was chosen in 1965. Most people quickly accepted it. Some war veterans felt sad about the change because they had fought under the old flag. But by the end of Pearson's time as Prime Minister, most of the arguments had stopped.
Fifteen years earlier, Quebec had already changed its provincial flag to the current flag of Quebec, which Quebecers quickly loved.
The Quiet Revolution in Quebec
The Quiet Revolution (or Révolution tranquille) started in Quebec in 1960 when Jean Lesage became premier. It was a peaceful movement to make Quebec a modern, non-religious state. During this time, Quebec quickly became less religious, created a system to help its citizens, and French-speaking Quebecers started to see themselves as "Québécois" instead of "French Canadian."
Expo 67 and Canada's 100th Birthday
In 1967, the World's Fair was held in Montreal, Quebec. This happened at the same time as Canada's first 100th birthday. The fair, called Expo 67, opened on April 28, 1967, with the theme "Man and his World." It became the most popular World's Fair up to that time. Expo 67 made Montreal and Canada famous around the world and gave many Canadians a feeling of hope and national pride.
The October Crisis
Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who was French Canadian, became Prime Minister in 1968. In Quebec, a more extreme group called the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) had been using violence since 1963 to try and make Quebec an independent country.
In October 1970, the FLQ kidnapped James Cross and Pierre Laporte. Sadly, Laporte was later killed. Trudeau used the War Measures Act, which allowed the government to take special powers and declare martial law in Quebec. By the end of the year, all the kidnappers were arrested.
Trudeau and the 1970s
Pierre Trudeau was a different kind of Prime Minister. He was almost like a celebrity, and in the 1960s, people were very excited about him, a time called "Trudeaumania." He didn't always agree with the United States, especially about the Vietnam War and relations with China and Cuba.
In Canada, Trudeau had to deal with the effects of the October Crisis. Even though the FLQ was violent, the idea of Quebec separating from Canada still existed in a less extreme way. René Lévesque became the premier of Quebec in 1976 as the leader of the Parti Québécois. This party wanted Quebec to be at least more independent within Canada, or even a completely separate nation. In 1977, Quebec passed Bill 101, which made French the only official language in the province.
Canada and the Vietnam War
Canada did not officially fight in the Vietnam War, unlike the Korean War. Canada focused on diplomatic efforts to prevent the conflict from getting worse.
Many Canadians did not support the war. Anti-war groups in Canada encouraged Americans who didn't want to fight to move north. Canadian officials generally accepted these "Draft dodgers" as immigrants. As many as 125,000 Americans moved to Canada because they were against the war, and at least half of them stayed permanently. This group of young people helped Canada grow.
Meanwhile, thousands of Canadians joined the U.S. military and served in Vietnam. After the war, many Vietnamese refugees moved to Canada, creating large communities in cities like Vancouver and Toronto.
National Energy Program
In 1973, world oil prices went up a lot because of an oil crisis. Canada's province of Alberta had a lot of oil, but American companies mostly controlled it. Some people in Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's government felt that these companies were sending most of the oil and profits to the United States, meaning Canadians weren't getting enough benefit from their own oil.
In 1973, a plan was made to create a government-run oil company. This idea fit with Trudeau's goal of making Canada more economically independent. Petro-Canada was created with a lot of money and quickly grew. It became a symbol of Canadian nationalism outside of Alberta.
When the Liberals returned to power in 1980, they created the National Energy Program (NEP). This program expanded Petro-Canada and aimed to make Canada self-sufficient in oil, keep oil prices lower, and increase Canadian ownership in the energy industry. However, the NEP was very difficult for Alberta's economy. It caused Alberta to lose a lot of money. The program started to be phased out when world oil prices dropped in the early 1980s.
The 1980 Quebec Referendum
In 1980, the Parti Québécois held a referendum asking if Quebec should negotiate for sovereignty. The question was a bit confusing for many voters. Trudeau, even though it was a provincial vote, supported the "no" side, promising to change the constitution if Quebec stayed. The "no" side won with 60% of the votes on May 20.
Marathon of Hope
Three years after losing his right leg to cancer at age 18, Terry Fox decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He called it the Marathon of Hope. His goal was to raise $1.00 from every Canadian. Terry started by dipping his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean in St. John's, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980. He hoped to dip it again in the Pacific Ocean in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Terry planned to run about 42 kilometers (26 miles) every day, which is the distance of a typical marathon. Sadly, Terry couldn't finish his run. The cancer had spread to his lungs, and he had to stop on September 1, 1980, near Thunder Bay, Ontario. He had run 5,373 kilometers (3,339 miles) through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. Terry Fox became a national hero. He was given the Companion of the Order of Canada award, and his efforts have raised millions of dollars around the world for cancer research through Terry Fox Run events that continue to this day.
See also
- Heritage Minutes
- History of Canada
