Crisis Chronology

CANADA

09/18/2023

Canada accuses India of assassinating a Sikh separatist living in British Columbia. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was an activist with the Khalistan movement, which seeks to form a breakaway state that would be named Khalistan in the Punjab region. India denies responsibility. The two countries subsequently expel diplomatic personnel.

06/15/2023

Canada says it will lead a “joint security coordination cell” to coordinate aid to Haiti, mostly from the Dominican Republic. Critics point out that the Dominican Republic has deported tens of thousands of Haitians fleeing their country.

05/09/2023

China expels Canadian diplomat.

05/08/2023

Canada expels Chinese diplomat for allegedly putting pressure on a Canadian member of parliament about a vote.

03/24/2023

US and Canada discuss military response to crisis in Haiti, as gangs continue to rule in much of the country. Moïse has asked for foreign intervention, but many Haitian leaders reject the idea.

02/16/2023

Canada will send two warships to Haiti to aid the Haitian police to deter gangs from using the waterways but stops short of direct military intervention.

01/09/2023

Meeting of heads of US, Mexico, and Canada. The US will be concerned with the crisis on the US-Mexico border. Even in introductory remarks, Mexican President López Obrador criticizes lack of US support for development in Latin America. US President Biden rebuts the remarks.

11/05/2022

Quebec, Canada, records its highest November temperature on record, 25.3° C (77.5° F).

10/27/2022

Canada announces application to become part of the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

10/16/2022

US and Canada send “security equipment” to Haiti to aid in the current security crisis.

09/11/2022

Conservatives name Pierre Poilievre, a rightwing populist and firebrand critic of Trudeau as their nominee for the next elections.

03/22/2022

Liberals and New Democratic Party agree on a set of policies that allow them to form a coalition, leaving Trudeau in power for a full four-year term, until 2025.

03/01/2022

US joins Canada and several European nations in closing its airspace to Russian planes. Russia has already closed its airspace to the West, blocking routes to Asia. Most Western airlines prohibit shipments of parts and software updates to all aircraft. The Russian airlines can likely continue to fly only for two to three more weeks, and there are few places they can fly

02/23/2022

Government rescinds state of emergency now that the bridges have been cleared of the protest trucks and cars.

02/19/2022

Police have arrested more than 170 of the demonstrators and protest leaders admit that it is nearing its end.

02/17/2022

Police arrest leaders of the Freedom Convoy group.

02/14/2022

Government imposes state of emergency that gives it sweeping powers to remove trucks from blocked bridges.

02/12/2022

Canadian police attempt to move truckers from key shipping bridges between US and Canada that they have blockaded for the last week.

02/11/2022

Inspired by Canadian truckers’ protest, protestors against pandemic restrictions drive to Paris intending to block routes into the city.

02/07/2022

A protest that began as opposition to the mandate that truckers from the US be vaccinated paralyzes Ottawa, and the mayor imposes a state of emergency. The protest has become a general protest against the government and like similar protests in the US, has members waving Confederate flags and displaying swastikas. It is called the truckers’ protest generally, or the “Freedom Convoy” by its supporters.

02/01/2022

Conservative Party removes Erin O’Toole as leader, dissatisfied with his attempts to move the party more to the center, especially on issues including guns and climate change.

09/24/2021

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is released in Vancouver after a negotiated deal with the US in which she admits some wrongdoing. China releases two Canadians who had been detained for spying. Critics say that China Wangzhou’s release by holding the Canadians hostage.

09/20/2021

Ruling party retains government

In voting today, the Liberal Party wins a plurality of seats in parliament, gaining no ground. The party won 158 seats (170 constitute a majority), and will eed the continued support of the New Democratic Party, led by Jagmeet Singh, which won 25 seats, also down from its previous tally. Trudeau will continue as prime minister and with his minority government.

09/16/2021

Trudeau struggling to gain voter support in race with Conservative Party leader O’Toole, who has managed to appeal to diverse parts of the political spectrum.

09/09/2021

Trudeau being hounded by far-right protestors opposed to his policies about COVID-19 and masking. The election seems to be close as Trudeau is tied in polls with Erin O’Toole, leader of the Conservative Party.

08/15/2021

Trudeau calls early elections for 9/20, hoping to regain a majorit in parliament.

06/28/2021

Historically severe heat wave hits west coast of the USA and Canada, with temperatures reaching 115° F.

06/04/2021

G-7 nations -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the US -- agree to institute a global 15% tax on businesses and steps to restrict tax havens. It will take long negotiations. Nations such as Ireland benefit from the current tax laws, which allow them to be tax havens. The new rules will have to be approved by the legislatures of the participating countries. In principle, if a German company reports its profits through an Irish subsidiary, where taxes are 5%, Germany would receive 10% of those profits.

03/22/2021

US, the EU, Canada, and the UK sanction some Chinese officials over human rights violations of Uighurs.

03/22/2021

US, the EU, Canada, and the UK sanction some Chinese officials over human rights violations of Uighurs.

10/03/2020

Annamie Paul is elected head of the Green Party.

09/29/2020

Canada and the UK sanction Lukashenko and other Belarussian government officials. Protests continue over the weekend and the police continue the crackdown on them.

09/20/2020

Government ends free trade discussions with China, which has frozen talks since the court case against the chief finance officer of Huawei.

08/24/2020

Erin O’Toole elected head of the Conservative Party and head of the united opposition.

07/16/2020

The UK, US, and Canada accuse Russia of attempting to steal research on a COVID-9 vaccines cybernetically.

06/18/2020

Canada has about 100,000 COVID-19 cases and 8300 deaths.

05/27/2020

Canadian judge refuses to throw out the US request for the extradition of Meng Wanzhou.

05/27/2020

Canadian judge refuses to throw out the US request for the extradition of Meng Wanzhou.

04/20/2020

US, Canada, and Mexico agree to extend travel restrictions for another month due to COVID-19 pandemic.

04/10/2020

Mexico refuses to cut oil production to the extent agreed on by the OPEC+ group, led by Saudi Arabia and including Russia. Russia had demanded that other nations outside OPEC, including the US and Canada also cut production. The US has become the world’s largest oil producer.

03/18/2020

US and Canada close their mutual border due to COVID-19.

03/16/2020

Canada closes its borders except with the US due to COVID-19.

01/25/2020

Canada confirms its first case of COVID-19.

01/25/2020

Canada confirms its first case of COVID-19.

01/25/2020

Canada confirms its first case of COVID-19.

01/20/2020

Extradition trial to US for Hauwei executive Wang Menzhou begins.

01/11/2020

Iran government admits that Ukrainian airliner with dozens of Canadian passengers was shot down by an Iranian missile when it was mistaken for an American warplane.

12/19/2019

US House approves USMCA trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, which have already signed the treaty.

12/19/2019

US House approves USMCA trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, which have already signed the treaty.

10/22/2019

Liberals retain government

Liberals gain largest share of the vote, but will probably have about 157 of 338 seats in parliament. They will likely form a coalition with a smaller liberal party to govern. The Conservatives win about 121 seats. Bloc Quebecois gains 22 seats, winning 32.

10/21/2019

House of Commons elections. Polls show Trudeau and Liberals in a dead heat with Andrew Scheer and Conservatives. In addition to censure over the SNF-Lavalin affair and his photos in black face, Trudeau is losing votes Jagmeet Singh of the New Democratic Party and Yves-Francois Blançhet of the Bloc Quebeçois.

09/18/2019

Trudeau admits that he appeared in blackface as Aladdin in a yearbook photo from a school where he was teaching. Subsequently other instances of him wearing dark makeup are discovered. Trudeau apologizes and tries to explain his previous insensitivity to race.

09/11/2019

Elections called

Trudeau calls new election. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating his role in the SNF-Lavalin affair, but the government is invoking cabinet confidentiality to prevent testimony.

08/14/2019

Canadian ethics office rules that Trudeau broke the law in the SNF-Lavalin case. Although there is no immediate consequence, it will affect election in 10/19.

04/02/2019

Trudeau ejects Wilson-Raybould and Philpott from Liberal Party. Elections will be held in 11/19.

03/18/2019

Fourth official resigns as a result of the SNF-Lavalin scandal. Raybould-Wilson accused Michael Wernick, head of the Privy Council, of improperly pressuring her about the case.

03/04/2019

Second minister resigns due to controversy over SNC-Lavalin. There have been calls for Trudeau to step down and he may lose the leadership of the Liberal Party and therefore his prime ministership.

02/28/2019

Minister for veterans affairs Jody Wilson-Raybould resigns, saying that Trudeau improperly pressed her to settle a case involving engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. Wilson-Raybould was removed as justice minister and attorney general on 1/14/19.

02/08/2019

SNC-Lavalin affair

Reports that Trudeau attempted to influence then-Attorney General Judy Wilson Raybould to settle a case against engineering firm SNC-Lavalin rather than press charges, which would have barred it from accepting government contracts for a decade. That would have also caused job losses.

01/30/2019

Canada cuts diplomatic staff in Cuba after dozens fall sick with no explanation.

01/29/2019

US charges Huawei with criminal attempt to steal trade secrets and to bribe US employees of high-tech companies. It also brings formal charges against Meng Wenzhou.

01/22/2019

US preparing to request that Canada extradite Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Huawei. Canada protests the effort and China demands that US drop its efforts.

01/14/2019

Chinese court sentences accused Canadian drug trafficker Robert Schellenberger to death. He can appeal.

12/16/2018

Canada looking into abrogating multi-billion-dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

12/13/2018

A second Canadian is arrested in China on suspicion of spying.

12/01/2018

CEO Meng Wanzhou of Chinese telecom manufacturer is arrested on a trip to Canada on a US warrant. The US has requested she be extradited to the US. China protests and there is concern that it will disrupt trade negotiations.

11/11/2018

Erdogan says that recordings of the killing of Khashoggi was issued to Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Canadian PM Trudeau says that Canada has also heard the tapes. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says that France has not heard the tapes and US Secretary of State Pompeo has not said he has heard the tapes.

10/01/2018

Center-right Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), a recently formed party that is opposed to secession and is led by François Legault, wins majority in Québec parliament. Pro-independence Parti Québécois loses substantially, falling behind another new party, Québec Solidaire, and its leader Jean- François Lisée, resigns. The CAQ has promised to lower taxes, privatize parts of the health-care system, and limit the number of immigrants, although it is not clear how.

10/01/2018

US and Canada agree to a new free trade agreement, to be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The agreement helps US automakers by raising percentage of cars that must be made in the US and by regulating that workers must receive a minimum wage. The US also gets increased access to the Canadian dairy market. Canada keeps the grievance procedure that the US had fought.

10/01/2018

US and Canada agree to a new free trade agreement, to be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The agreement helps US automakers by raising percentage of cars that must be made in the US and by regulating that workers must receive a minimum wage. The US also gets increased access to the Canadian dairy market. Canada keeps the grievance procedure that the US had fought.

09/26/2018

Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Paraguay, joined by Canada, submit a complaint against Venezuela with the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

08/27/2018

US and Mexico announce agreement on revisions to the North American Free Trade Treaty, without providing significant detail. The US says that Canada must conclude negotiations by 8/31 or the US will proceed with Mexico and sign it within ninety days. If it is not signed in that period, the new Mexico president, Lopez Obrador, would be able to change the terms of the agreement.

08/05/2018

Saudi Arabia suspends diplomatic ties with Canada after Canada calls for release of imprisoned women’s rights activists.

07/16/2018

US files trade disputes with the World Trade Organization against China, the EU, Canada, Mexico, and Turkey in response to tariffs imposed on US goods.

07/02/2018

In letters sent in June, Trump demands that Germany, Canada, Belgium, and Norway and perhaps other NATO members increase their contributions to NATO, saying that the US will reconsider its troop deployment if there is no change.

06/25/2018

EU and Canada sanction Myanmar military and police officials.

06/25/2018

EU and Canada sanction Myanmar military and police officials.

06/09/2018

US Pres Trump criticizes Canadian PM Trudeau and refuses to sign closing announcement of G-7 meeting that he had agreed to previously.

06/01/2018

Canada imposes retaliatory tariffs on US.

05/31/2018

Government imposes tariffs on EU, Canada, and Mexico aluminum and steel imports.

12/25/2017

Canada bars Venezuela’s ambassador from returning to Canada.

12/25/2017

Venezuela expels top diplomats of Canada and Brazil, accusing him of meddling in internal affairs. Both countries have criticized Venezuela’s recent actions.

11/14/2017

Eleven nations sign the Asia-Americas trade agreement now called the “Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership” (CPTPP). Canada bowed out at the last minute. Canada did not make its objections explicit, but they may relate to internal politics. The signatories are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

11/06/2017

Russia bars a number of Canadians in retaliation for 11/3 sanctions.

11/03/2017

Canada sanctions Russians for complicity in the death of Serge Magnitsky in 2009.