1951 in Canada

See also: 1950 in Canada, other events of 1951, 1952 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'.

Incumbents

• Prime Minister – Louis Saint Laurent
• Governor General – Earl Alexander of Tunis

• Premier of Alberta – Ernest Manning
• Premier of British Columbia – Byron Johnson
• Premier of Manitoba – Douglas Campbell
• Premier of New Brunswick – John McNair
• Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood
• Premier of Nova Scotia – Angus Macdonald
• Premier of Ontario – Leslie Frost
• Premier of Prince Edward Island – J. Walter Jones
• Premier of Quebec – Maurice Duplessis
• Premier of Saskatchewan – Tommy Douglas

Events

• April 22-25 – Korean War: In the Battle of Kapyong the Canadians hold off the Chinese.
• June 1 – The Massey Report into Canadian culture is released
• July 10 – A formal peace agreement between Canada and Germany is signed
• October 27 – The Cobalt Bomb Cancer therapy is first tested in London, Ontario
• November 12 – The National Ballet of Canada gives its first ever performance
• November 22 – Ontario election: Leslie Frost's PCs win a third consecutive majority
• December 12 – The St. Lawrence Seaway Authority is established
• Canada's immigration rate rises. Population is 14 009 429.
• The Indian Act of Canada is revised to limit coverage of Aboriginal people, excluding Aboriginal women who married non-Aboriginal men.
• The first Canadian troops arrive to take part in the Korean War.
• Louis St. Laurent moves into 24 Sussex Drive, the new official residence of the Prime Minister
• Labatt Blue is introduced

Arts and Culture

New Books

• Morley Callaghan – The Loved and the Lost
• Harold Innis – The Bias of Communication

Literary Awards

• See 1951 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Stephen Leacock Award: Eric Nicol, The Roving I

Births

• January 3 – Claude Bachand, politician
• January 17 – Carol Marguerite Anderson, choreographer
• January 21 – W. Yvon Dumont, Manitoba politician
• February 22 – Elaine Tanner, swimmer
• March 25 – Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Native politician
• March 28 – Karen Kain, dancer
• March 31 – Lawrence O'Brien, politician
• April 5 – Guy Vanderhaeghe, author
• April 18 – Pierre Pettigrew, politician
• May 7 – Janina Fialkowska, pianist
• May 9 – Christopher Dewdney, author
• June 2 – Larry Robinson, hockey player
• June 19 – Bill Blaikie, politician
• July 27 – Shawn Murphy, politician
• August 3 – Marcel Dionne, hockey player
• August 10 – Judy Wasylycia-Leis, politician
• August 17 – Robert Joy, author
• September 19 – Daniel Lanois, musician
• September 20 – Guy Lafleur, hockey player
• October 9 – Joseph Tascona, Ontario politician
• October 11 – Jim Carr, Manitoba politician
• October 31 – Doug Bennett, politician
• November 10 – Marlene Jennings, politician
• December 6 – Tomson Highway, author
• December 22 – Charles de Lint, author
• Robert Hilles, poet
• Lesley Choyce, author
• Keith Moreau, writer and illustrator
• Susan Musgrave, poet
• Robert Priest, poet

Deaths

• April 4 – Al Christie, film director
• Edna Brower, wife of John Diefenbaker