This is a list of major incidents of civil disorder that have occurred in Canada. This list includes events that occurred prior to Canadian Confederation in 1867, as well as events that occurred in territories that were not part of Canada at the time that they occurred, such as the Newfoundland Colony.
18th century
19th century
| Year(s)
|
Incident
|
Location
|
| 1826
|
Types Riot
|
York, Upper Canada
|
| 1835–1845
|
Shiners' War
|
Bytown, Upper Canada
|
| 1837
|
Upper Canada Rebellion
|
Upper Canada
|
| 1837–1838
|
Lower Canada Rebellion
|
Lower Canada
|
| 1837–1838
|
Rebellions of 1837–1838
|
Lower Canada and Upper Canada
|
| 1838
|
Patriot War
|
Canada–United States border
|
| 1842–1844
|
Welland Canal Riot
|
Welland Canal area, Upper Canada
|
| 1847
|
1847 Woodstock riot
|
Woodstock, New Brunswick
|
| 1849
|
Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal
|
Montreal, Lower Canada
|
| 1849
|
Stony Monday Riot
|
Bytown, Upper Canada
|
| 1853
|
Gavazzi Riots
|
Montreal and Quebec City, Lower Canada
|
| 1863
|
Oil Springs riot
|
Sarnia, Upper Canada
|
| 1869–1870
|
Red River Rebellion
|
Red River Colony
|
| 1875
|
Louis Mailloux Affair
|
Caraquet, New Brunswick
|
| 1875
|
Jubilee riots
|
Toronto, Ontario
|
| 1883
|
The Harbour Grace Affray
|
Harbour Grace, Newfoundland Colony
|
| 1885
|
North-West Rebellion
|
Present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan
|
20th century
| Year(s)
|
Incident
|
Location
|
| 1903
|
1903 Consolidated Lake Superior riot
|
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
|
| 1907
|
Pacific Coast race riots of 1907
|
Vancouver, British Columbia
|
| 1914
|
1914 Saint John street railway strike
|
Saint John, New Brunswick
|
| 1916
|
Battle of the Hatpins
|
Ottawa, Ontario
|
| 1917
|
Conscription Crisis of 1917
|
Quebec
|
| 1918
|
1918 Toronto anti-Greek riot
|
Toronto, Ontario
|
| 1918
|
1918 Vancouver general strike
|
Vancouver, British Columbia
|
| 1918–1925
|
Canadian Labour Revolt
|
nationwide
|
| 1919
|
Winnipeg general strike
|
Winnipeg, Manitoba
|
| 1931
|
Estevan riot
|
Estevan, Saskatchewan
|
| 1932
|
1932 Colonial Building riot
|
St. John's, Newfoundland
|
| 1932
|
Edmonton Hunger March. march by 10,000 workers and farmers dispersed by club-wielding mounted policemen.[1][2][3]
|
Edmonton, Alberta
|
| 1933
|
Christie Pits riot
|
Toronto, Ontario
|
| 1934
|
Days of Shame
|
Montreal, Quebec
|
| 1934
|
Battle at Old Market Square
|
Winnipeg, Manitoba
|
| 1935
|
Battle of Ballantyne Pier
|
Vancouver, British Columbia
|
| 1935
|
Regina Riot
|
Regina, Saskatchewan
|
| 1938
|
Bloody Sunday
|
Vancouver, British Columbia
|
| 1942
|
Battle of Bowmanville
|
Bowmanville POW camp, Ontario
|
| 1944
|
Terrace mutiny
|
Terrace, British Columbia
|
| 1945
|
Halifax riot
|
Dartmouth and Halifax, Nova Scotia
|
| 1949
|
Asbestos strike
|
Asbestos, Quebec
|
| 1955
|
Richard Riot
|
Montreal, Quebec
|
| 1958
|
Newfoundland Loggers' Strike
|
Newfoundland
|
| 1966
|
1966 Vancouver Grey Cup riot
|
Vancouver, British Columbia
|
| 1969
|
Sir George Williams affair
|
Montreal, Quebec
|
| 1969
|
Murray-Hill riot
|
Montreal, Quebec
|
| 1970
|
October Crisis
|
Greater Montreal, Quebec
|
| 1971
|
1971 Kingston Penitentiary riot
|
Kingston, Ontario
|
| 1971
|
Gastown riots
|
Vancouver, British Columbia
|
| 1981
|
Cape Breton coal strike of 1981
|
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
|
| 1987
|
Edmonton Celebration of Stanley Cup win. Celebration on Jasper Avenue turned into riot. Dozens arrested.[4]
|
Edmonton, Alberta
|
| 1989–1990
|
Mohawk Civil War
|
Akwesasne, Ontario and Quebec
|
| 1990
|
Oka Crisis
|
Oka, Kahnawake, Kanesatake, Quebec
|
| 1992
|
Yonge Street riot
|
Toronto, Ontario
|
| 1994
|
1994 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot
|
Vancouver, British Columbia
|
21st century
| Year
|
Incident
|
Location
|
| 2001
|
Edmonton Canada Day riot. Crowd broke many shop windows, threw rocks at police officers, overturned mail boxes and park benches, and kicked in phone booths. [5]
|
Edmonton, Alberta
|
| 2002
|
Concordia University Netanyahu riot
|
Montreal, Quebec
|
| 2006
|
Edmonton Stanley Cup Playoff run. Perhaps as many as 50,000 youths gathered on Whyte Avenue on different nights. Mischief, vandalism, open fires on the street, nudity.[6]
|
Edmonton, Alberta
|
| 2010
|
2010 G20 Toronto summit protests
|
Toronto, Ontario
|
| 2011
|
2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot
|
Vancouver, British Columbia
|
| 2012
|
2012 Quebec student protests
|
Quebec
|
| 2014
|
HMP chapel riot
|
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
|
| 2022
|
Canada convoy protest
|
nationwide
|
See also
References
- ^ https://hermis.alberta.ca/paa/PhotoGalleryDetails.aspx?ObjectID=A9217&dv=True
- ^ Maria Dunn "We Were Good People" https://www.mariadunn.com/music/we-were-good-people/we-were-good-people/
- ^ "The Alberta Hunger-March and the Trial of the Victims of Brownlee's Police Terror: A document to all workers and farmers to remember the events of December 20, 1932". Edmonton: Canadian Labor Defense League, Hunger March Defense Committee. 1936 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "June 1, 1987 Stanley Cup celebrations turn into riot", https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/throwback-thursday-edmonton-oilers-stanley-cup-celebrations-violent-1.4140362
- ^ "Sixteen arrested in Canada Day riot in Edmonton" https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sixteen-arrested-in-canada-day-riot-in-edmonton-1.293573
- ^ CBC News, "Oilers, police aiming to avoid repeat..." https://www.cbc.ca/news/ canada/edmonton/oilers-hockey-edmonton-rogers-riot-playoffs-business-1.4046048; "City officials meet to discuss Whyte Ave. violence", CBC, May 29, 2006 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/city-officials-meet-to-discuss-whyte-ave-violence-1.613847 accessed August 21, 2025; Youtube recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpnRd1-7iUg
Lists of riots by country |
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