1982 in Canada

See also: 1981 in Canada, other events of 1982, 1983 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'.

Incumbents

• Prime Minister – Pierre Trudeau
• Governor General – Edward Schreyer

• Premier of Alberta – Peter Lougheed
• Premier of British Columbia – Bill Bennett
• Premier of Manitoba – Howard Pawley
• Premier of New Brunswick – Richard Hatfield
• Premier of Newfoundland – Brian Peckford
• Premier of Nova Scotia – John Buchanan
• Premier of Ontario – Bill Davis
• Premier of Prince Edward Island – James Lee
• Premier of Quebec – René Lévesque
• Premier of Saskatchewan – Allan Blakeney then Grant Devine

See: 1982 Canadian incumbents for more

Events

• The year sees a severe recession in the economy
• January 15 – Striking Quebec transit workers are forced back to work
• February – First reported cases of AIDS in Canada
• February 14 – 84 are killed when the Ocean Ranger oil platofrm capsizes
• March 8 – The Canada Act is passed by the British House of Commons
• April 17 – Queen Elizabeth II signs Canada's newly repatriated constitution in Ottawa and the new Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms comes into effect.
• April 26 – Saskatchewan election: Grant Devine's PCs win a landslide majority, defeating Allan Blakeney's NDP
• May 8 – Grant Devine becomes Premier of Saskatchewan after defeating Allan Blakeney's NDP
• May 9 – Gilles Villeneuve killed at the Belgian Grand Prix
• May 23 – Brother André Beatified by the Pope
• June 28 – Access to Information Act passed
• July 15 – Anik 1, Canada's first communications satellite, is retired after ten years service.
• August 16 – Communications satellite Anik D launched
• August 23 – Turkish military attaché to Canada, Col. Atilla Altikat, is assassinated by Armenian terrorists in Ottawa.
• October 5 – Laurie Skreslet becomes the first Canadian to have climbed Mount Everest
• October 27 – Dominion Day renamed Canada Day
• October 31 – Marguerite Bourgeoys becomes Canada's first female Saint
• November 2 – Alberta election: Peter Lougheed's PCs win a fourth consecutive majority
• December 10 – Canada's 200-nautical-mile limit is officially recognized
• In a case concerning the development of the Hibernia Oil Field the Supreme Court rules that the continental shelf falls under federal jurisdiction
• Ed Mirvish purchases London's Old Vic theater
• Colin Thatcher is elected to his third term in the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, where he is appointed Minister of Energy and Mines.

Arts and literature

New books

• Dig up My Heart – Milton Acorn

Awards

• See 1982 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Books in Canada First Novel Award: Joy Kogawa, Obasan
• Gerald Lampert Award: Abraham Boyarsky, Schielber and Edna Alford, A Sleep Full of Dreams
• Pat Lowther Award: Rona Murray, Journey
• Stephen Leacock Award: Mervyn J. Huston, Gophers Don't Pay Taxes Tree
• Vicky Metcalf Award: Janet Lunn

Film

• E released

Dance

• Arnold Spohr wins the Dancemagazine Award

Births

• March 18 – Matthew Lombardi, hockey player
• May 6 – Kyle Shewfelt, Olympic gold winning gymanist
• June 9 – Rachel Schill, Olympic softballer
• July 9 – Viola Yanik, Olympic wrestler
• September 21 – Cindy Eadie, Olympic softballer
• December 30 – Kristin Kreuk, actor

Deaths

• May 9 – Gilles Villeneuve, race car driver
• October 4 – Glenn Gould, pianist
• October 18 – John Robarts, former Premier of Ontario
• November 29 – Percy Williams, athlete
• Igor Gouzenko