The Oka Crisis (1990)
The need to deal with the long-standing grievances (self-government, land claims, respect of rights and traditions) of Aboriginal peoples increased in urgency following the events at Oka, Quebec, in the summer of 1990.

• On July 11, 1990, Quebec provincial police tried to dismantle a roadblock set up in mid-March by a group of Mohawks from the community of Kanesatake. The Mohawks had set up the roadblock to prevent the nearby town of Oka from expanding a golf course onto traditional burial grounds the Mohawks considered sacred and their own.
• One police officer was killed during the raid. For 78 days armed Mohawk warriors faced Quebec provincial police, and later the Canadian Armed Forces, after Premier Robert Bourassa had asked the federal government to send in the army. In a show of support, Mohawk natives at Kahnawake also blocked the Mercier bridge during this period. Towards the end of September, the Mohawks peacefully withdrew from the barricade.
• On September 25, 1990, the Canadian government announced a new agenda to improve Canada's relationship with Aboriginal peoples. The new measures addressed the concerns of Aboriginal leaders, including better progress on land claims settlement, improved living conditions, an improved federal relationship with Aboriginal peoples, and a review of the role of Aboriginal peoples in Canadian society.

Other important developments

• The adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which became part of the Constitution of Canada in 1982.

• Immigration policies, especially with regards to principal continent of origin, which have brought about a more multicultural society in Quebec and Canada.

• Women now participate more and more in public and economic life.The majority of women now work outside the home running businesses and working in responsible positions. Wage equity is becoming a major issue for women.

• Law on Family Patrimony (1989) was passed ensuring that property was divided equally between spouses after a divorce or death.