List of massacres in Canada
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This is a list of events in Canada and its predecessors that are commonly characterized as massacres. Massacre is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "the indiscriminate and brutal slaughter of people or (less commonly) animals; carnage, butchery, slaughter in numbers"; it also states that the term is used "in the names of certain massacres of history".[1]
- For single perpetrator events and shooting sprees, see Lists of rampage killers and Category:Spree shootings in Canada
- For school shootings, see Category:School shootings in Canada and Category:School killings in Canada
- For North American First Nations massacres, see List of Indian massacres.
- For terrorism, see Terrorism in Canada.
- For serial killers, see List of serial killers in Canada.
List
| Name | Date | Location | Dead/Injured/ Captives | Mechanism of injury | Perpetrator suicide | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lachine massacre | August 5, 1689 | Lachine, Quebec | 24–250 | First Nations violence | na | Part of King William's War |
| Massacre Island, Ontario | June 6, 1736 | Lake of the Woods | 21 | First Nations violence | na | There is some dispute about which island in Lake of the Woods was the actual site of the massacre. |
| Battle at Port-la-Joye | July 11, 1746 | Port-la-Joye, Île Saint-Jean. The location now known as Hillsborough River (Prince Edward Island). | 34 / 0 | First Nations violence | na | Acadian and Mi'kmaqs killed 34 unarmed British (27 soldiers and 7 sailors). Part of King George's War |
| Battle of Grand Pré | February 10, 1747 | Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia | 67 / 0 / 40 | Military and allies | na | Acadian and Mi'kmaqs took est. 40 prisoners after attack. Part of King George's War |
| Raid on Dartmouth | May 13, 1751 | Dartmouth, Nova Scotia | 7–20 / 0 / 6–14 | First Nations violence | na | One of seven raids by Mi'kmaqs on British and New England forces, usually very violent with deaths and scalpings. Part of Father Le Loutre's War |
| St. Francis Raid | October 4, 1759 | Odanak, Quebec | 30–200 / unk / 7–20 | Military and allies | na | Raid by Robert Rogers' Rangers, which was pursued and depleted before crossing back into New England. Part of French and Indian War |
| Bloody Falls massacre | July 17, 1771 | The location now known as Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park near Kugluktuk, Nunavut | 20 | First Nations violence | na | Alleged massacre between indigenous peoples |
| Chilcotin War | April 30, 1864 | Bute Inlet, British Columbia | 19 | First Nations violence | na | Massacre of road workers in a series of attacks by indigenous peoples |
| Cypress Hills massacre | June 1, 1873 | Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan | 23 Official, Estimated 200 | Civilian violence | na | Mass murder perpetrated by American bison and wolf hunters, and American and Canadian whisky traders and cargo haulers, against a camp of Assiniboine people. One of the main contributing reasons for the formation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. |
| Black Donnellys massacre | February 4, 1880 | Lucan Biddulph, Ontario | 5 | Civilian violence | na | Murder of five members of the Donnelly family by an armed mob, after which their farm was burned down. The event was the culmination of long-standing conflict between the family and other residents. None of the mob were ever convicted. |
| Frog Lake Massacre | April 2, 1885 | Frog Lake, Alberta | 9 | First Nations violence | na | Part of the North-West Rebellion |
| Buffalo Narrows axe slayings | January 30, 1969[2] | Buffalo Narrows, Saskatchewan | 7 | Axe | Seven members of the Pederson family were killed with an axe in their beds by an insane man, Frederick Moses McCallum.[3] | |
| Blue Bird Café fire | September 1, 1972 | Montreal, Quebec | 37 | Fire | No | The Blue Bird Café fire was a nightclub fire on September 1, 1972, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In all, 37 people were killed as a result of arson. |
| Lennoxville massacre | March 24, 1985 | Lennoxville, Quebec | 5 | Firearm | No | Part of the Quebec Biker war, 4 convicted of first degree murder |
| École Polytechnique massacre | December 6, 1989 | Montreal, Quebec | 15 / 14 | Firearm | Yes | Marc Lepine killed 14 women and injured 14, before taking his own life. School shooting. |
| Concordia University massacre | August 24, 1992 | Montreal, Quebec | 4 / 1 | Firearm | No | School shooting. 4 killed, 1 injured.[4] |
| Vernon massacre | April 6, 1996 | Vernon, British Columbia | 9 | Multiple firearms | Yes | Estranged husband murdered wedding party.[5][6] |
| Shedden massacre | April 8, 2006 | Shedden, Ontario | 8 | Multiple firearms | na | Gang killing of own gang members. |
| 2014 Calgary stabbing | April 15, 2014 | Calgary, Alberta | 5 | Knife | No | Five people stabbed to death at a house party by Matthew de Grood during a psychotic episode. |
| Quebec City mosque shooting | January 29, 2017 | Quebec City, Quebec | 6 / 19 | Multiple firearms | No | Islamophobic attack on the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City by Alexandre Bissonnette. Ultimately, charges of terrorism were not brought forth as Bisonnette acted independent of a terrorist organization.[7] |
| Toronto van attack | April 23, 2018 | Toronto, Ontario | 10 / 16 | Vehicle | No | A terrorist attack occurred on April 23, 2018 when a van was driven along Yonge Street by Alek Minassian. At least 26 were injured including 10 fatally.[8] |
| 2020 Nova Scotia attacks | April 18-19, 2020 | Multiple locations, Nova Scotia | 22 / 3 | Multiple firearms, fire | No | Perpetrator committed multiple shootings using illegal firearms and set fires at 16 locations in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, killing 13 with firearms and 9 in fires (22 people total) and injuring three others before the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) shot and killed him in Enfield, NS. |
| London, Ontario truck attack | June 6, 2021 | London, Ontario | 4 / 1 | Vehicle | No | An alleged terrorist attack occurred on June 6, 2021, when a vehicle was used to strike a Muslim family at the intersection of Hyde Park and South Carriage roads, south of Gainsborough Road. The suspect is 20-year-old London resident Nathaniel Veltman. Four died, one was injured.[9] |
See also
References
- ^ "massacre." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. December 23, 2014.
- ^ "Seven murder counts laid in northern axe deaths". The Phoenix. January 31, 1968. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ^ "Generations of grief: Family still reeling 50 years after little-known mass axe murder". Bridget Yard · CBC News. February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ BOVSUN, MARA. "Crazy professor Valery Fabrikant kills 4 in Concordia University rampage – NY Daily News". nydailynews.com. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
- ^ Talreja, Sujata (April 24, 1996). "Massacre In Vernon". Outlook India Magazine. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ "B.C. community remembers massacre victims". CBC. April 6, 2006. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ "Why accused in Quebec City mosque shooting isn't likely to face terrorism charges". CBC News Montreal. CBC/Radio-Canada. February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ "Driver Plows Van Into Toronto Pedestrians, Kills 10"."Alek Minassian: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".
- ^ "4 killed in London, Ont. collision likely targeted for being Muslim, police say".
