Black Canadians could not vote until the federal level was established in 1867. Before that, they were either enslaved or British subjects, but they faced racial discrimination and exclusion from voting. Some of the milestones in the history of Black voting rights in Canada are:
- In 1848, Black men in Colchester, Ontario, were physically blocked from voting by white men. They sued for their rights and won a court order to restore their voting rights¹.
- In 1876, First Nations peoples gained the right to vote under the Indian Act, but they had to give up their Indian status².
- In 1917 and 1918, some women and some men under the age of 21, some Asian Canadians, and some First Nations people were offered the right to vote during the First World War².
- In 1920, women gained full voting rights at the federal level if they met the same eligibility criteria as men².
- In 1934 and 1950, Inuit were able to vote at both levels of government².
- In 1948 and 1960, all Asian Canadians gained the right to vote at both levels of government².
- In 1982, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms affirmed the right of every Canadian citizen to vote and to stand as a candidate².
If you want to read more details about each milestone, you can check out these links:
Source:
(1) Black Voting Rights in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/black-voting-rights.
(2) A Brief History of Federal Voting Rights in Canada.
https://electionsanddemocracy.ca/voting-rights-through-time-0/brief-history-federal-voting-rights-canada.
(3) Black Voting Rights in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/black-voting-rights.
(4) A Brief History of Federal Voting Rights in Canada.
https://electionsanddemocracy.ca/voting-rights-through-time-0/brief-history-federal-voting-rights-canada.
(5) Black suffrage - Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_suffrage.
(6) Black Voting Rights in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia.
https://development.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/black-voting-rights.
