Since 1867

This is the new Canadian government’s first major crisis since Confederation.

It promptly discards the official use of French.

Regulation 17 makes English the only language of instruction in Ontario’s public schools after the first two years of school.

This marks the beginning of the Bonne Entente movement, which seeks to improve relations between English- and French-speaking Canadians.

Pierre Veniot is New Brunswick’s first Acadian premier.

The federal government creates the Translation Bureau in large part to improve access to federal services in French.

The 1960–1962 Royal Commission, also known as the Glassco Commission raises the issue of bilingualism in the public service.

The Quebec government passes the Act to promote the French Language in Québec.

This office administers the Government of Ontario’s French-language services.

The Parliament of Canada adopts the Resolution on Official Languages in the Public Service of Canada.

The Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and its regulations on the bilingual packaging of products enter into effect.

The Criminal Code is amended to extend defendants’ rights.

The Government of Canada repatriates the Constitution and entrenches the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms within it.

Section 15 of the Act respecting health services and social services recognizes the right of English-speaking Quebecers to receive health care and social services in their language.

It is the first provincial act to define the status of the French language in Saskatchewan.

The Act supports Canada’s linguistic duality, where English and French are Canada’s official languages.

The Policy is adopted 10 years after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the province’s Official Language Act, which made English Manitoba’s sole official language, was unconstitutional.

The government adopts the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations.

Alberta’s School Act is amended to recognize the right of Francophones to manage their own schools.

The framework encourages federal institutions to actively contribute to the development of official language minority communities.

The province develops a French-first-language program for Franco-Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who want their children to have French-language instruction.

The recommendations in the Chartier Report lead to the adoption of a new French Language Services Policy.

On April 1, 1999, the newly created territory of Nunavut inherits the Northwest Territories’ Official Languages Act.

The federal government assigns responsibility for the interdepartmental coordination of official languages files to Stéphane Dion.