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| 1880 |
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| Queen's Medical School in Kingston opened its doors to women. Kingston's Women's Medical College opened three years later. | 1 |
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| 1881 |
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| A charter was given to the newly formed CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY for construction of a transcontinental railroad, following financial difficulties of older companies. The government granted $25 million, 25,000,000 acres of land, and 670 miles of track already laid; a loan of $20 million was made in 1884 (repaid, 1887). The last spike was driven on Nov. 7, 1885, and the railway formally opened in May 1887; its 2,905 miles of rail joined coast to coast, catalyzing Canadian development. Steamship lines were established, and the flow of immigrants to the west accelerated. | 2 |
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| 1883, Aug. 18 |
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| Marquess of Lansdowne, governor-general (1883–88). | 3 |
| The Canadian Labor Congress was formed (name changed to Trades and Labor Congress in 1892). | 4 |
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| 1885, March 26 |
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| Outbreak of the Northwest Rebellion. It was quickly suppressed by the Dominion government; troops from all the provinces were transported over the new Canadian Pacific Railway. Riel surrendered (May 15) and was executed (Nov. 16). | 5 |
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| 1886 |
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| Canadian and Bering Sea fisheries dispute with the United States. | 6 |
| Quebec Board of Health was created by the Public Health Act of the province. | 7 |
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| 1887 |
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| Honoré Mercier (1840–91) of Quebec invited the provinces to an Interprovincial Conference to reexamine the nature of the federal compact between them and the Dominion. | 8 |
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| 1888, May 1 |
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| Lord Stanley (Earl of Derby), governor-general (1888–93). | 9 |
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| 1890 |
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| Liberals urged policy of “unrestricted reciprocity” to remedy the depression following the U.S. McKinley tariff. Continental Union Association was formed. The Imperial Federation League (1885) urged preferential trade with the mother country. | 10 |
| Professional hockey was initiated with the formation of the Ontario Hockey Association. | 11 |
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| 1891, June 6 |
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| Death of Sir John A. Macdonald; he was succeeded by Sir John J. C. Abbott (June 16). | 12 |
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| 1892, Nov |
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| Resignation of Abbott; he was succeeded by Sir John S. D. Thompson (Dec. 5). | 13 |
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| 1892–93 |
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| Bering Sea arbitration. | 14 |
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| 1893, May 22 |
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| Earl of Aberdeen appointed governor-general (1893–98). | 15 |
| National Council of Women of Canada advocated broad social reforms, but attracted little attention from working-class women. | 16 |
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