Highlights of the day

  • 1985 Rick Hansen embarks on his 26-month Man in Motion World Tour
  • 2004 Stephen Harper elected leader of the new Conservative Party of Canada

List of Facts for March 20

  • 1622 Trade - King Louis XIII gives Emery de Caen and his brother control of the merged Compagnie de Montmorency and the older Compagnie des Marchands. Paris, France
  • 1686 Military - Pierre de Troyes plans expedition to expel English and capture traders in Hudson Bay working for Pierre Radisson; ordered by Governor Denonville. Québec, Québec
  • 1793 Politics - Samuel Hart elected First Jewish MLA in Nova Scotia; representing Liverpool. Liverpool, Nova Scotia
  • 1800 religion - First Baptist Association in Canada founded in Granville, Lower Canada. Granville, Québec
  • 1800 Settlement - John Graves Simcoe grants 3,237 hectares (8,000 acres) in York County to Timothy Rogers; to settle Quaker community in King and Whitchurch Townships. Uxbridge, Ontario
  • 1846 Politics - Opening of second session of second Parliament of Canada; meets until June 9, 1846; Ryerson School Act creates a Board of Education; common schools. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1851 Engineering - Edward Serell’s Queenston-Lewiston suspension bridge formally opened this day; a 318m span supported by stone towers. Queenston, Ontario
  • 1862 Politics - Opening of First session of 7th Parliament of Canada; meets until June 9, 1862; Grand Trunk Railway allowed to issue $500,000 in bonds with government guarantee, and postpone debt; line almost bankrupt. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1869 Territory - Canadian government finally accepts terms of Rupert’s Land Act of 1868; will acquire the territory. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1870 Religion - John Joseph Lynch consecrated First Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1878 Communications - Postmaster-General John Delaney and meteorologist John Higgins install Newfoundland’s First telephone. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1889 Mining - Crown sells 1,350 acres of Elk valley coal lands to Edward Bray, J.E. Humphries, F.W. Aylmer, and Valentine Hyde Baker. Victoria, BC
  • 1900 Fire - Settlement of Kuskonook burns. Kuskonook, BC
  • 1901 Manufacturing - General Electric starts construction of a large Canadian factory in Toronto. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1902 Rail - CPR bridge at Castlegar opened to traffic after 2 years construction. Castlegar, BC
  • 1910 Trade - Laurier’s Finance Minister William Fielding meets secretly with US President Taft to discuss reciprocity. Washington, DC
  • 1914 Figure Skating - Canadian skaters attend the world’s First international figure skating championships. New Haven, Connecticut
  • 1924 Hockey - Montreal Canadiens sweep Vancouver Millionaires in 2 games for the Stanley Cup. Montréal, Québec
  • 1929 Communicatioins - British Columbia Telephone Company sets up subsidiary, North-West Telephone Company; world’s First radiotelephone company. Vancouver, BC
  • 1939 Second World War - Mackenzie King tells Parliament that Canada will consider any attack on Britain as an attack on the Commonwealth. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1943 Second World War - UK destroyer commissioned into RCN as HMCS Griffin; 3 weeks later, renamed HMCS; second of name. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1944 Second World War - Lt. Gen. Harry Crerar appointed to command of 1st Canadian Army; largest field formation ever formed by Canada; includes British, Dutch, Belgian, and Polish units. Aldershot, England
  • 1952 Agriculture - At least 1,300 cattle are killed in the Regina area to stop an epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1957 Strike - Start of seven month long Murdochville mining strike. Murdochville, Québec
  • 1964 Labour - BC the first province in Canada to pass a law prohibiting workplace discrimination based on advanced age. Victoria, BC
  • 1965 Politics - Calgary lawyer Peter Lougheed is elected leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party; grandson of Premier James Lougheed; in 1971, he will lead his party to victory over the Social Credit government. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1968 Music - Toronto rocker Neil Young arrested on drug charges; later fined. Los Angeles, California
  • 1970 External Afffairs - Canada signs treaty with 19 other countries to found La Francophonie; body for cultural and technological exchange among French-speaking nations. Paris, France
  • 1974 Labour - Hydro Québec workers on James Bay project riot; destroy millions of dollars of equipment; project closes down. La Grande, Québec
  • 1980 Sovereignty - Québec National Assembly approves wording of referendum question on Sovereignty Association. Québec, Québec
  • 1981 Energy - Alberta Court of Appeal rules federal oil and gas export tax (the Lougheed Levy) ultra vires. Alberta
  • 1985 Sport - Rick Hansen embarks on his 26-month Man in Motion World Tour from Oakridge Mall in Vancouver; the wheelchair athlete attracted international media attention as he logged more than 40,000 km through 34 countries on four continents before crossing Canada; will return to Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium May 22, 1987; will raise $26 million for spinal cord research and quality of life initiatives. Since then, the the Rick Hansen Foundation has generated more than $200 million for spinal cord injury related programs and initiatives.Vancouver, BC
  • 1986 External Affairs - Sondra Gotlieb, wife of Canada’s then-ambassador to the USA Alan Gotlieb, slaps an aide in public during a reception for Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Washington, DC
  • 1989 Alberta Election - Don Getty leads PCs to a sixth consecutive majority in the provincial election. Alberta
  • 1990 Cinema - Denys Arcand big winner at 11th Annual Genie Awards; 12 of 14 awards including Best Movie (Jesus of Montréal), Best Director (Arcand); Best Actor (Lothaire Bluteau), Best Supporting Actor (Rémy Girard). Toronto, Ontario
  • 1990 Banking - Government to pass law forcing financial institutions to keep records of large cash transactions; so criminals cannot launder money; urged by Canadian Bankers Association. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1990 External Affairs Minister Joe Clark says Canada will open High Commission in Namibia; pledges $4 million in aid, assistance for army, police; on day of Namibian independence. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1990 Constitution - New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna proposes a parallel accord in an attempt to salvage Meech Lake Accord; to be approved intact with concessions to its opponents in a companion agreement. Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • 1990 Constitution - Pierre Trudeau publishes a book of speeches attacking the Meech Lake Accord. Montréal, Québec
  • 1990 Environment - Provincial environment ministers agree to cut use of disposable packaging by 50%; also tougher controls on pulp mill polluters; at Globe ‘90 Conference. Vancouver, BC
  • 1991 Finance - Consumer and Corporate Affairs reports that personal and business bankruptcies reached their highest level ever; up 68% from 1990. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1991 Keith Spicer issues interim report of Citizen’s Forum on Canada’s Future, called What We Have Heard So Far; the Spicer Commission talked to 75,000 Canadians. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1995 Crime - Immigration Department starts legal proceedings against Erichs Tobias; former Latvian accused of war crimes. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1995 Military - Keel of the new Halifax-class frigate HMCS Winnipeg is laid. Saint John, New Brunswick
  • 2002 Politics - Stephen Harper defeats Stockwell Day to become leader of the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance Party of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2004 Politics - Stephen Harper wins on the first ballot to become leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition. Ottawa, Ontario