This is a list of wars and armed conflicts in and involving Canada in chronological order, from the 11th century to the 21st century. It is divided into two main sections.
The first section outlines conflicts that happened in what is now Canada before its confederation in 1867. It lists conflicts such as: the Beaver Wars, Acadian Civil War, and various Anglo-Dutch Wars, highlighting the belligerents involved and the outcomes.
The second section discusses wars involving Canada since its confederation in 1867. It lists conflicts such as: the Fenian Raids, Red River Rebellion, Mahdist War, Canada in World War I and Canada in World War II, detailing the combatants, results, and casualties for each event. Ongoing conflicts and military operations, such as the military intervention against the Islamic State and involvement in maritime security operations in response to Houthi attacks are also covered.
List Colonial conflicts (17th century – 1867)
The following were conflicts that occurred in present-day Canada from the 17th century CE to the mid-19th century, prior to Canadian Confederation. Belligerents in these conflicts typically involved colonies in Canada (e.g. New France, the Canadas), and/or First Nations groups residing in the region. Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result American Indian Wars(1609–1890) Colonists, Viceroyalty and Europeans: British Empire: Kingdom of Great Britain British America United Kingdom British North America First French Empire: Kingdom of France New France: Kingdom of Spain Council of the Indies Viceroyalty of New Spain Dutch Empire: New Netherland Russian America Union Indigenous North Americans Indigenous North Americans:American Indians, including the tribes: Cherokee, Creek (Muscogee),Lakota, Miami, Shawnee, Seminole, Wampanoag, Northwestern Confederacy and Tecumseh's ConfederacyComancheAlaska Natives Sovereignty of various combatants extended or lost Massive indigenous population decline Deportation and forced assimilation of indigenous tribes Many treaties, truces, and armistices made and broken by combatants Indian reservations established in the United States Beaver Wars(1609–1701)
Haudenosaunee League Mohawks Oneida Seneca Onondaga Cayuga
Supported by: Dutch Republic
Wendat (Huron) Algonquin Susquehannock Erie Neutral Petun Odawa Ojibwe Wenro Mahican Innu Abenaki Supported by: Indecisive Great Peace of Montreal Huron-Wendat Confederacy Acadian Civil War (1635–1654)St. John AdministrationSupported by: Massachusetts Bay ColonyPort Royal AdministrationSupported by: Catholic ChurchPort Royal temporary victory La Tour expelled by d'Aulnay La Tour later marries d'Aulnay's widow Jeanne Motin & resumes GovernorshipSecond Anglo-Dutch War(1665–1667)See Aftermath Treaty of Breda Dutch Republic cedes New Amsterdam to England England cedes English Guiana, Fort Amsterdam, Ghana, and Run to the Dutch Republic Third Anglo-Dutch War(1672–1674) Treaty of Westminster King William's War(1688–1697)
WabanakiaAlgonquinKahnawake New England New York HaudenosauneegaMohicansPeace of Ryswick Status quo ante bellum Queen Anne's War(1702–1713)
Spain loyal to Philip V New Spain (before 1707) English America (after 1707) British America
Haudenosaunee ConfederacyBritish-Allied victory Peace of Utrecht Treaty of Portsmouth France cedes to Britain the control of Acadia, Newfoundland, Hudson Bay, and Saint Kitts Dummer's War(1722–1725) New EnglandMohawk Wabanaki ConfederacyAbenakiPequawket Mi'kmaqMaliseetDummer's Treaty (preliminary 1725, final 1727) King George's War(1744–1748)
Wabanaki Confederacy
British America Haudenosaunee Confederacy Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle Status quo ante bellum Father Le Loutre's War(1749–1755) Acadian militia Wabanakik Mi'kmaq militia Wolastoqey militia
British AmericaBritish victory Sixty Years' War(1754–1815)1754–17631763–1766Warriors from numerous American Indian tribes
1775–1782 Loyalists
1785–1795Northwestern Confederacy Province of Quebec (until 1791) Lower Canada (1791–1795)
1812–1815Tecumseh's ConfederacySix Nations 1754–1763 British America
Various Native tribes
1775–1782
1785–1795 Chickasaw Choctaw
1812–1815 ChoctawCherokeeChickasawSenecaForced displacement and assimilation of Native nations French and Indian War(1754–1763)
New France Louisiana Canada Pro-French Native Americans
British America New England Colonies Province of New Hampshire Province of Massachusetts Bay Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Connecticut Colony Middle Colonies Province of New York Province of New Jersey Province of Pennsylvania Delaware Colony Southern Colonies Province of Maryland Colony of Virginia Province of North Carolina Province of South Carolina Province of Georgia Pro-British Native AmericansBritish victory France cedes New France east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain, retaining Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and transfers Louisiana to Spain. Seven Years' War(1756–1763) Anglo-Prussian coalition victory France cedes its North American possessions east of the Mississippi River, along with the colonies of Canada, St Vincent, Tobago, Dominica, Grenada, and Northern Circars to Britain France cedes Louisiana and its North American territory west of the Mississippi River to Spain Spain cedes Florida to Britain, in exchange for the return of Havana and Manila Pontiac's War(1763–1766) British Empire Native American CoalitionGovernment of Canada. "In Defence of Their Homelands." Canada.ca, April 19, 2018. Link."Pontiac's War." Nations at War, 2020. https://nationsatwar.tv/conflicts/pontiacs-war/. Odawa Anishinaabek Potawatomi Anishinaabek Ojibwe Anishinaabek Mingo people Seneca people Wyandot people Miami people Kickapoo people Illinois people Quapaw people Historically known as Arkansas Military stalemate, with negotiated policy concessions in favor of the Native American side Portage around Niagara Falls ceded by Senecas to the British American Revolutionary War(1775–1783)
Combatants Patriots: (1775) United Colonies (1775–1776)
Combatants American and allied victory Signing of the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. Great Britain would not recognize American independence until signing the Treaty of Paris. Peace of Paris End of the First British Empire Great Britain cedes generally, all mainland territories east of the Mississippi River, south of the Great Lakes, and north of the Floridas to the United States. Great Britain cedes Tobago and Senegal to France. Great Britain cedes Minorca, West Florida, and East Florida to Spain.}} War of 1812(1812–1815) Inconclusive Anglo-American status quo ante bellum West Florida remained under Spanish control, although its position was weakened Mobile comes under American control Tecumseh's confederacy dissolved Pemmican War(1812–1821) North West Company Hudson's Bay Company Red River ColonyNWC and HBC merge Shiners' War(1835–1845) Shiners (Irish timber workers) Canadien timber workersLocal authorities Shiners defeated Peace restored in the Ottawa Valley Rebellions of 1837–1838(1837–1838) Château Clique
Family Compact Patriotes Republic of Lower Canada
Reform movement Republic of CanadaHunters' Lodges Government victory Patriote rebellion crushed by loyalist forces; Republic of Canada dismantled Defeat of Hunters' Lodges Unification of Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada Nicola's War(1838) Hudson's Bay Company OkanaganNlaka'pamux Peace agreement reached Fraser Canyon War(1858) White gold miners (American prospectors) Nlaka'pamux Truce signed Snyder Treaty negotiatedPig War(1859) Colony of Vancouver Island Washington TerritoryInconclusive A bloodless war (1859) — San Juan Islands awarded to the United States following third-party arbitration by the German Empire (1871). McGowan's War(1859) Colony of British ColumbiaRoyal Engineers Ned McGowan and American miners British victory American miners submit to British authority Rock Creek War(1860) Colony of British Columbia American miners British victory British authorities re-established law and order Tobacco Plains War(1860s) Ktunaxa Blackfoot Confederacy Inconclusive Truce established Rossland War(1860s) Local miners Native forces / Rival miners Inconclusive Lamalcha War(1863) Colony of Vancouver IslandRoyal Navy Lamalcha (Hul'qumi'num) British victory Lamalcha leaders captured and executed Chilcotin War(1864) Tsilhqot'in Colony of British Columbia Colonial victory Tsilhqot'in leaders executed Fisherville War(1864) Colony of British Columbia British colonial authorities American miners British victory Colonial authority maintained Grouse Creek War(1867) Canadian Company miners Grouse Creek Company miners Colony of British Columbia Bloodless resolution Dispute settled by Governor Frederick Seymour
Canada (1867–present)
The following table lists conflicts involving Canada since confederation in 1867. Since that time there have been 26 conflicts with 2 of them currently ongoing:
Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result Killed Wounded Fenian raids(1866–1871) Fenian Brotherhood Victory Fenians cease raids 22 32Red River Rebellion(1869–1870) Métis Métis political victory Red River Colony enters Canadian Confederation as the Province of Manitoba Canadian military victory The Wolseley Expedition takes control of Fort Garry (modern day Winnipeg) Louis Riel flees to the United States 1 Unknown Mahdist War(1881–1899) Egypt Sudan Victory Sudan becomes the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, a condominium of the British Empire 16 Unknown North-West Rebellion(1885) Provisional Government of Saskatchewan (Métis)Cree–Assiniboine Victory Completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway Trial of Louis Riel 50 103 Wild Horse Creek War(1887) North-West Mounted Police Ktunaxa Victory Bloodless settlement of land dispute 0 0 Second Boer War(1899–1902) Cape Colony Natal Colony Rhodesia Victory British sovereignty over the Orange Free State and the Transvaal in accordance with the Treaty of Vereeniging 267 >250 First World War(1914–1918) China Victory End of the German, Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires Formation of new countries in Europe and the Middle East Transfer of German colonies and regions of the former Ottoman Empire to other powers Establishment of the League of Nations 66,944 ~172,000 Russian Civil War(1918–1920) White Movement China Latvian SSR Commune of Estonia Mongolian CommunistsBolshevik victory Victory for the Bolshevik Red Army in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, South Caucasus, Central Asia, Tuva, and Mongolia; incorporation of those territories into the Russian SFSR and Soviet Union Allied forces withdrawal from Russia Bolshevik victory over White Army The Soviet Union becomes the new Russian power Russian famine of 1921–1922 Victory for pro-independence and anti communist movements in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland; expulsion of Bolshevik forces from those territories 14 24 Second World War(1939–1945) Vichy France Victory Collapse of the Third Reich Fall of Japanese and Italian Empires Creation of the United Nations Emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers Beginning of the Cold War Beginning of the Atomic Age ~45,300 ~55,000 Korean War(1950–1953) Ceasefire/Inconclusive Ceasefire armistice North Korean invasion of South Korea repelled UN invasion of North Korea repelled Chinese invasion of South Korea repelled Korean Demilitarized Zone established Little territorial change at the 38th parallel border 516 1,042 Congo Crisis(1960–1963) Congo-Léopoldville UNOC Victory Unknown UnknownInsurgency in Quebec(1962–1973) Front de libération du Québec Victory FLQ guerrillas are disbanded in 1973, after collapse in 1971.UnknownUnknownWhisky War(1973–2022) Bloodless resolution Hans island split between Canada and Denmark. None None Oka Crisis(1990) Mohawk Warrior Society See aftermath