The fur trade is part of Canada’s resource-based economy and one of Canada’s oldest and most historically significant industries. Four hundred years following its start, the commercial fur trade continues to utilize a plentiful sustainable Canadian resource in a responsible manner and is an important contributor to the Canadian economy and ecology.
Time-line of Canada’s Commercial Fur Trade
1497
John Cabot discovers Canada’s east coastRead more
1534
Jacques Cartier trades for furs with Labrador’s First Nations peoplesRead more
1608
Samuel de Champlain establishes North America’s first fur tradingRead more
1670
Hudson’s Bay Company chartered as the first company to trade in furRead more
1700-1870
The height of the Canadian Fur TradeRead more
1880s
The fashion industry introduces the fur coatRead more
1895
First modern-day fur farm (Prince Edward Island)Read more
1940s
Adoption of modern wildlife managementRead more
1948
Canada joins the World Conservation Union (IUCN)Read more
1954
Canadian Association for Humane Trapping (CAHT) establishedRead more
1968
Beginning of the modern-day anti-fur movementRead more
1975
Canada joins CITESRead more
1983
Canadian Trap Research and Testing program beginsRead more
1984
“Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farmed Mink”Read more
1987
Hudson’s Bay Company sells its Canadian fur auction business to NAFARead more
1989
“Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Ranched Fox”Read more
1992
Canada joins the United Nations Convention on Biological DiversityRead more
1997
Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS)Read more
2007
Implementation of phase one of AIHTSRead more
Today, the success of Canada’s fur trade is as much a recognition of a centuries-old tradition of excellence as it is a modern example of the sound application of conservation principles and sustainable development.
