1976 in Canada

See also: 1975 in Canada, other events of 1976, 1977 in Canada and the Timeline of Canadian history.

Incumbents

• Prime Minister – Pierre Trudeau
• Governor General – Jules Léger

• Premier of Alberta – Peter Lougheed
• Premier of British Columbia – W.R. Bennett
• Premier of Manitoba – Edward Schreyer
• Premier of New Brunswick – Richard Hatfield
• Premier of Newfoundland – Frank Moores
• Premier of Nova Scotia – Gerald Regan
• Premier of Ontario – Bill Davis
• Premier of Prince Edward Island – Alexander B. Campbell
• Premier of Quebec – Robert Bourassa then René Lévesque
• Premier of Saskatchewan – Allan Blakeney

Events

• January 14 – The Eaton's catalogue is discontinued.
• January 28 – The government of Saskatchewan takes over the provinces potash industry.
• February 4 – The Supreme Court rules provinces cannot censor movies.
• February 7 – Toronto Maple Leafs star Darryl Sittler scores ten points in one game.
• February 7 – Joe Clark is elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party replacing Robert Stanfield.
• April 1 – The CRTC is given the power to regulate Canadian television and radio.
• April 15 – Dome Petroleum is given approval to drill for oil in the Beaufort Sea.
• May 2 – Time Magazine's Canadian edition is discontinued.
• June 25 – The CN Tower opens in Toronto.
• June 30 – Parliament votes to abolish the death penalty.
• July 17 – The 1976 Summer Olympics open in Montreal.
• October 14 – Over a million workers stage a one day strike to protest wage and price controls.
• November 15 – In the Quebec election, René Lévesque's Parti Québécois wins a majority, defeating Robert Bourassa's Parti libéral du Québec.
• November 25 – René Lévesque becomes premier of Quebec, replacing Robert Bourassa.
• The Timbit is introduced.
• News media: L'Express de Toronto created

Arts and Literature

New Works

• Marian Engel – Bear
• Hugh Hood – Dark Glasses
• Joy Fielding – The Transformation
• Farley Mowat – Canada North Now: The Great Betrayal

Awards

• See 1976 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Stephen Leacock Award: Harry J. Boyle, The Luck of the Irish
• Vicky Metcalf Award: Suzanne Martel

Film

• The Man Who Skied Down Everest becomes the first Canadian film to win an Academy Award

Television

• Second City Television premiers

Births

• January 7 – Eric Gagne, baseball player
• January 25 – Mia Kirshner, actor
• February 19 – Brian Price, Olympic rower
• February 23 – Jeff O'Neill, hockey player
• March 9 – Ben Mulroney, television personality
• March 23 – Nolan Baumgartner, hockey player
• May 10 – Kristen French, murder victim
• May 13 – Jeff Powell, Olympic rower
• May 19 – Jason Botterill, hockey player
• June 10 – James Moore, politician
• June 26 – Ed Jovanovski, hockey player
• July 1 – Leslie Mahaffy, murder victim
• July 3 – Wade Belak, hovkey player
• July 12 – Dan Boyle, hockey player
• July 13 – Sheldon Souray, ice hockey player
• August 5 – Jeff Friesen, hockey player
• August 17 – Eric Boulton, hockey player
• August 27 – Sarah Chalke, actor
• September 13 – Jose Theodore, hockey goaltender
• September 17 – Zac Bierk, hockey goalie
• October 1 – Denis Gauthier, hockey player
• October 7 – Rachel McAdams, actor
• October 10 – Shane Doan, hockey player
• November 20 – Laura Harris, actor
• December 26 – Jake Wetzel, Olympic rower
• Big Ben, race horse

Deaths

• Roy Thomson, newspaper baron
• Olive Palmer, wife of John Diefenbaker