History Browser

Wilfrid Laurier's penchant for compromise allowed him to remain in power for 15 years, earning him the nickname of the "Great Conciliator". But in 1911, this talent proved inadequate to the task of winning elections.

Throughout his career, compromise would remain the main political strategy Laurier used to settle conflicts. A staunch defender of national unity, he was called on to solve a series of major controversies which set Canadians against one another.

Louis Riel was born in Saint Boniface in 1844 and was educated in Montréal. When he returned to the Red River Settlement in 1868, he found the community anxious and divided over its political future.

The Sir Wilfrid Laurier National Historic Site of Canada is located in Saint-Lin-Laurentides, a town 50 km north of Montreal. The site commemorates one of the most important figures in Canadian political history, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the man often referred to as the father of modern Canada.

Île aux Noix has been occupied for nearly 6000 years. During the prehistoric period, the region just to the north of the island was visited by Amerindian nomads. Following the arrival of the Europeans, the trade route formed by Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River became the theatre of military activities. However, it was during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) that the island truly earned its place in history books. Website includes a map of the forts of New France.

The term Métis, like the 'mestizo', has its origins in the Latin word 'mixticius' which means a person of mixed racial ancestry. Métis, however, describes more than race-it refers to a culture and a nation that played a significant role in the history of the Canadian West and is now a proud part of the Canadian mosaic.

Families from France first settled in Acadie in the 1630s. In the early 1680s, Pierre Melanson and Marguerite Mius d'Entremont and their children moved from Port-Royal to found Grand-Pré ...

One of the principal features of his vision was a strong sense of national unity. As a young man, he asserted that "The unity of the people is the secret of the future", ["L'union entre les peuples, le secret de l'avenir"] ...

A guarded peace was reached between the British forces and the United States after the War of 1812. This agreement, signed on April 29, 1817, by President James Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, discusses the number of ships and how they were to be armed.

The Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site tells the tale of over three centuries of Québec's military past. The visitor's guide contains links and contact information for the old fortifications as well as several surrounding historical attractions.