Events from the year 1871 in Canada.

Incumbents

Crown

Monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

– Victoria

Federal government

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

–

John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar (31 August 1807 – 6 October 1876), known from 1848 to 1870 as Sir John Young, Young baronets, 2nd Baronet, was a British diplomat and politician who served as the second governor general of Canada from 1869 to 187 ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

– John A. Macdonald *

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

–

1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the representative of the monarch in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in the p ...

– Joseph Trutch (from July 5) *

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba The lieutenant governor of Manitoba (, (if male) or (if female) ) is the representative in Manitoba of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada. The lieuten ...

–

Adams George Archibald Sir Adams George Archibald (May 3, 1814 – December 14, 1892) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, and a Father of Confederation. He was based in Nova Scotia for most of his career, though he also served as first Lieutenant Governor of Man ...

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick The lieutenant governor of New Brunswick (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the representative in New Brunswick of the monarch, who operates distinctly within ...

– Lemuel Allan Wilmot *

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia The lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia () is the representative in Nova Scotia of the monarch, who Monarchy in Nova Scotia, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Canadian federalism, ten other jurisdictions of ...

– Charles Hastings Doyle *

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the representative in Ontario of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but i ...

–

William Pearce Howland Sir William Pearce Howland, (29 May 1811 – 1 January 1907) was a Canadian politician who served as the second Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, from 1868 to 1873. As a member of the Executive Council of the Province of Canada from November 1 ...

Lieutenant Governor of Quebec The lieutenant governor of Quebec (; , ) is the representative in Quebec of the monarch, who Monarchy in Quebec, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Canadian federalism, ten other jurisdictions of Canada. T ...

– Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau

Premiers

Premier of British Columbia The premier of British Columbia is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s, the title ''prime minister of British Columbia'' was often used. The word ''premier'' is derived ...

– John Foster McCreight (from November 14) *

Premier of Manitoba The premier of Manitoba () is the first minister (i.e., head of government or chief executive) for the Canadian province of Manitoba—as well as the ''de facto'' President of the province's Executive Council. In formal terms, the premier rec ...

– Alfred Boyd (until December 14) then

Marc-Amable Girard Marc-Amable Girard (April 25, 1822 – September 12, 1892) was the second premier of Manitoba, and the first Franco-Manitoban to hold that post. The ''Canadian Parliamentary Guide'' lists Girard as having been Premier (or ''Chief Minister ...

Premier of New Brunswick The premier of New Brunswick ( (masculine) or (feminine)) is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The premier of a Canadian province is much like the prime minister of Canada. They are normally ...

– George Edwin King (until February 21) then George Luther Hathaway *

Premier of Nova Scotia The premier of Nova Scotia is the first minister to the lieutenant governor of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and presides over the Executive Council of Nova Scotia. Following the Westminster system, the premier is normally the leader of t ...

– William Annand *

Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario () is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincia ...

–

John Sandfield Macdonald John Sandfield Macdonald, (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the joint premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first premier of Ontario from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at Can ...

(until December 20) then

Edward Blake Dominick Edward Blake (13 October 1833 – 1 March 1912) was a Canadian politician and lawyer who was the second premier of Ontario from 1871 to 1872 and leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 1880 to 1887. He is one of three federal perm ...

Premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( (masculine) or eminine is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec, sworn in on October 18, 2018, following tha ...

– Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau

Territorial governments

Lieutenant governors

* Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories –

Elections

*March 21 – The 1871 Ontario election:

's Liberals win a majority, defeating J. S. Macdonald's Liberal-Conservatives *May 16 – The 1871 Nova Scotia election: William Annand's Liberals win a second consecutive

majority A majority is more than half of a total; however, the term is commonly used with other meanings, as explained in the "#Related terms, Related terms" section below. It is a subset of a Set (mathematics), set consisting of more than half of the se ...

*Oct 16 – Dec 15 – The 1871 British Columbia election

Events

January to June

*March 15 – Beginning of the first session of the 1st Manitoba Legislature *April 2 – The first Canadian census finds the population to be 3,689,257 *May 8 – The Treaty of Washington reaches agreements on fishing rights and

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

trade between Canada and the United States *May 17 –

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

abandons separate schools.

July to December

*July 15 – Phoebe Campbell murders her husband with an axe. She is hanged the next year. *July 20 –

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

joins Confederation. *July 25 – Treaty 1, the first of a number of treaties with western Canada's First Nations, is signed *August 17 – Treaty 2 is signed *November 11 – The last of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

leaves Canada *November 13 – John McCreight becomes the first premier of British Columbia *December 14 –

becomes the first

Franco-Manitoban Franco-Manitobans () are French Canadians or Francophone Canadians, Canadian francophones living in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Manitoba. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, 40,975 residents of the province stated that ...

of premier of Manitoba, replacing Alfred Boyd *December 20 – Edward Blake becomes premier of Ontario, replacing J. S. Macdonald.

Full date unknown

Meteorological Service of Canada The Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC; ) is a branch of Environment and Climate Change Canada, which primarily provides public meteorological information and weather forecasts and warnings of severe weather and other environmental hazards. ...

is formed *Parliament legalizes the use of the

metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that standardization, standardizes a set of base units and a nomenclature for describing relatively large and small quantities via decimal-based multiplicative unit prefixes. Though the rules gover ...

Goldwin Smith Goldwin Smith (13 August 1823 – 7 June 1910) was a British-born academic and historian who was active in both Great Britain and North America. From 1856 to 1866, he was a professor of modern history at the University of Oxford. Smith taught a ...

immigrates to Canada *Ontario Schools Act is passed in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, requiring all students aged 7 to 12 to attend school. *The 1871 Quebec election : Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau's

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

win a second consecutive

Births

*January 30 –

Wilfred Lucas Wilfred Van Norman Lucas (January 30, 1871 – December 13, 1940) was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Lucas was born in Norfolk County, Ontario on January 30, 1871,US ...

, actor, film director and screenwriter (d.

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...

) *May 14 –

Walter Stanley Monroe Walter Stanley Monroe (May 14, 1871 – October 6, 1952) was a businessman and politician who served as Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1924 to 1928 as leader of the Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party. He was born in Ireland in 1871, ...

, businessman, politician and Prime Minister of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

(d.

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

) *July 16 – George Stewart Henry, politician and 10th

(d.

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

) *July 25 – Richard Turner, soldier and recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

(d.

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

) *August 4 – Robert Hamilton Butts, politician (d.

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 � ...

) *September 8 –

Samuel McLaughlin Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin, (September 8, 1871 – January 6, 1972) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He started the McLaughlin Motor Car Company in 1907, one of the first major automobile manufacturers in Canada, which e ...

, businessman and philanthropist (d.

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

) *September 9 – Hugh Robson, politician and judge *October 31 – Alexander Stirling MacMillan, businessman, politician and Premier of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

(d.

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

) *December 2 – Stanislas Blanchard, politician (d.

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

) *December 13 – Emily Carr, artist and writer (d.

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...

)

Deaths

*January 29 –

Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé (; 30 October 1786 – 29 January 1871) was a Canadian lawyer, writer, and seigneur. He is known chiefly for his novel '' Les Anciens Canadiens'', considered the first classic of French Canadian fiction. Biograp ...

, lawyer, writer, fifth and last seigneur of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli (L'Islet County) (b.

1786 Events January–March * January 3 – The third Treaty of Hopewell is signed between the United States and the Choctaw. * January 6 – The outward bound East Indiaman '' Halsewell'' is wrecked on the south coast of Englan ...

) *January 31 – John Ross, lawyer, politician, and businessman. (b.

1818 Events January–March * January 1 ** Battle of Koregaon: Troops of the British East India Company score a decisive victory over the Maratha Confederacy, Maratha Empire. ** English author Mary Shelley publishes the novel ''Frankenstein ...

) *February 20 –

Paul Kane Paul Kane (September 3, 1810 – February 20, 1871) was an Irish-born Canadian painter whose paintings and especially field sketches were known as one of the first visual documents of Western indigenous life. A largely self-educated artist, P ...

, artist (b. 1810) *March 11 – John Heckman, political figure (b.

1785 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Burmese Konbaung Dynasty annexes the Mrauk U Kingdom of Arakan. ** The first issue of the '' Daily Universal Register'', later known as ''The Times'', is published in London. * January 7 &nd ...

) *July 28 – Modeste Demers, missionary (b.

1809 Events January–March * January 5 – The Treaty of the Dardanelles, between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Ottoman Empire, is concluded. * January 10 – Peninsular War – French Marshal Jean ...

) *September 23 –

Louis-Joseph Papineau Louis-Joseph Papineau (; October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reform ...

, lawyer, politician and reformist (b.

) *November 18 – Enos Collins, seaman, merchant, financier, and legislator (b. 1774)

Historical documents

Editorial says Confederation is

's chance to remake itself Canada should refuse to permanently share its inshore fishery with U.S.A. Manitoba Lieutenant Governor Archibald agrees to release four Indigenous prisoners before negotiating Treaty 1 Archibald urges Indigenous people to " adopt the habits of the whites" (farming) for more comfort and safety from famine and sickness Commissioner Simpson says in Manitoba's " immense cultivable acres," large reserves are not allowed, and treaty terms are "a present" Treaty terms with large reserves are demanded by Indigenous leaders, with one calling himself "the lawful owner" of his people's land Indigenous leaders continue to make "extravagant demands" and Commissioner Simpson says take it or leave it,

settler A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

s are coming Fenian raid on Manitoba stopped at the border Manitoba Lieutenant Governor thanks residents for rising to resist the Fenian invasionHouse of Commons, Report of the Select Committee on the Causes of the Difficulties in the North-West Territory in 1869–70 (1874)
pgs. 147-9
Accessed 11 September 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1871 In Canada Years of the 19th century in Canada

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

1871 in North America