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The events leading up to Canada Day

June 25, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Canada Day is a celebration of our nation and what we have become.

However, it is important to remember the history of how we got here and the sacrifices, determination, and hard work that created this country.

After a series of unsuccessful attacks on French forces in Quebec, British General James Wolfe and his troops scaled the cliffs near Quebec City on the St. Lawrence River.

They made their way to a plateau later named the Plains of Abraham, after a local landowner.

On the morning of September 13, 1759, French Commander General Marquis de Montcalm awoke to find a British firing line of 3,000 soldiers facing his camp. The firing line stretched for around one kilometre.

Montcalm’s ranks had been depleted and replenished by less professional militia.

As Montcalm’s troops advanced, the British fired a devastating, close-range volley that sliced through the French column. A second volley shattered the French ranks and sent them into retreat.

The battle lasted for only one hour.

The result was a French defeat, and both Wolfe and Montcalm were killed in action.

The battle proved to be a defining event in the conflict between France and Britain and the fate of New France.

It influenced the later creation of Canada as a nation.

During the early 1800s, Ontario, then known as Upper Canada, was not a democracy. Rather, it was controlled by a group known as the ‘Family Compact’ composed of influential men who made decisions for the province.

After years of resentment, two rebellions began to form – one in Upper Canada and another in Lower Canada, which stretched into Quebec.

A group formed in Lloydtown, a small town near Schomberg.

By December of 1837, the group had decided they had enough and wanted change – even if that meant armed conflict.

The group began a march to Toronto. As they moved toward their target, they were joined by others along the way until they numbered close to 1,000.

While some of the rebels had hunting rifles, others carried pitchforks or staves.

When they finally arrived in Toronto at a place known as Montgomery Tavern, they were met with a well-trained loyalist militia.

The militia opened fire on the rebels. However, it seems they wanted to make noise rather than kill their own countrymen.

The front line of the rebels all dropped to the ground when the volley was fired to avoid being hit.

The men in the rear, being regular people, not soldiers, thought the front line had all been killed, and did what any untrained group of rebels would do – they turned and ran.

During the event, two rebels and one loyalist militiaman were killed.

Later, several of the rebel leaders found themselves hanging at the end of a rope after being convicted of insurrection.

While the rebellion was a failure, it created enough controversy that it paved the way for democracy in Ontario.

We often think of our nation being created in an entirely peaceful way.

The truth is, there was bloodshed that shaped the years before Confederation took place.

It is a part of our history that factors into the creation of this nation. 

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