1997 in Canada
See also: 1996 in Canada, other events of 1997, 1998 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'.
Table of contents |
Incumbents
- Premier of Alberta – Ralph Klein
- Premier of British Columbia – Glen Clark
- Premier of Manitoba – Gary Filmon
- Premier of New Brunswick – Frank McKenna then Raymond Frenette
- Premier of Newfoundland – Brian Tobin
- Premier of Nova Scotia – John Savage then Russell MacLellan
- Premier of Ontario – Mike Harris
- Premier of Prince Edward Island – Pat Binns
- Premier of Quebec – Lucien Bouchard
- Premier of Saskatchewan – Roy Romanow
Events
- January 4 – The Federal Government makes it much harder to obtain unemployment insurance.
- February 7 – Lennox Lewis becomes heavyweight boxing champion .
- February 7 – Sarah McLachlan marries Ashwin Sood.
- February 14 – Newsprint giants Abitibi-Price and Stone-Consolidated announce they are merging.
- March 6 – A new rigorous anti tobacco advertising law is passed.
- March 11 – Alberta election: Ralph Klein's PCs win an eighth consecutive majority.
- March 15 – Gilles Duceppe is elected leader of the Bloc Québécois.
- March 19 – Bre-X geologist Michael de Guzman jumps or is pushed from a helicopter in Indonesia.
- March 21 – Nova Scotia Premier John Savage announces his resignation.
- April 22 – Massive flooding of the Red River in Manitoba leads to a state of emergency.
- May 31 – Confederation Bridge opens.
- June 2 – Federal election: Jean Chrétien's Liberals win a second consecutive majority, the Reform Party becomes the Official Opposition.
- June 18 – The CRTC introduces a television rating system.
- July 2 – The Somalia Inquiry is disbanded prematurely.
- July 9 – Danielle House forced to give up her Miss Canada title after pleading guilty to assault.
- July 18 – Russell MacLellan becomes the new Premier of Nova Scotia.
- July 30 – Phil Fontaine elected head of the Assembly of First Nations.
- August 7 – Bjarni Tryggvason flies aboard the Space Shuttle.
- September 2 – Newfoundlanders vote to do away with their religion based school systems.
- September 3 – One is killed in a Saskatchewan train derailment.
- September 25 – Chris Jericho is inducted into the Canadian Wrestling Hall Of Fame.
- October 1 – Michel Bastarache is appointed to the Supreme Court.
- October 2 – Canada recalls its ambassador to Israel after Mossad uses forged Canadian passports.
- October 7 – An out-of-court settlement is reached between Brian Mulroney and the federal government regarding the Airbus affair.
- October 13 – Raymond Frenette becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Frank McKenna.
- October 13 – 43 are killed in Canada's worst ever traffic accident as a tour bus falls off a cliff.
- October 26 – Formula One: Jacques Villeneuve becomes the first Canadian to capture a world racing title.
- October 27-November 10 – A teachers strike hits Ontario.
- November 3 – Canada destroys the last land mines in its arsenal.
- November 9 – The scandal-racked Saskatchewan Conservative Party is mothballed.
- November 14 – Fourteen year old Reena Virk is beaten to death by classmates in Victoria, BC.
- November 16 – The Toronto Argonauts win the Grey Cup.
- November 17 – The Hibernia oil project pumps its first barrel of oil.
- November 21-November 25 – The APEC summit is held in Vancouver. Controversy arises when RCMP use force and pepper spray to remove protesters.
- The Calgary Declaration from the premiers, except Lucien Bouchard.
- A second Sacred Assembly is held but issues no proclamation.
Arts and literature
- New Books
- Timothy Findley – You Went Away
- Awards
- Giller Prize for Canadian Fiction: Mordecai Richler – Barney's Version
- See 1997 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
- Books in Canada First Novel Award: Anne Michaels, Fugitive Pieces
- Geoffrey Bilson Award: Janet McNaughton, To Dance at the Palais Royale
- Gerald Lampert Award: Marilyn Dumont, A Really Good Brown Girl
- Marian Engel Award: Katherine Govier
- Pat Lowther Award: Marilyn Bowering, Autobiography
- Stephen Leacock Award: Arthur Black, Black in the Saddle Again
- Trillium Book Award English: Dionne Brand, Land to Light On
- Trillium Book Award French: Roger Levac, Petite Crapaude!
- Vicky Metcalf Award: Tim Wynne-Jones
- Film
- Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter is released, it is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director
- Television
- The Arrow, a mini-series about the Avro Arrow shows plays to great popularity and acclaim and the CBC
- Music
- Oscar Peterson receives a Grammy for life time achievement.
Births
none
Deaths
- January 1 – Hagood Hardy, pop/jazz pianist, composer, charity spokesperson
- January 12 – Frank Angelo, co-founder of MAC Cosmetics
- January 12 – Charles Huggins, scientist, Nobel prize winner
- January 13 – Kate Buckman, bridge expert
- January 17 – W. A. Kardash, Manitoba politician
- January 22 – Jack Cole, Coles bookstore founder
- January 26 – Norman Fawcett, politician
- February 2 – Ian Ross, created major tourist attraction
- February 4 – Peter McCain, president of McCain Foods Limited
- February 20 – Lois Marshall, soprano
- February 25 – Francis Joubin, discovered one of world's largest uranium deposits
- March 2 – J. Carson Mark, influential in creation of hydrogen bomb
- March 12 – Jim Bowes, newspaper mogul
- March 14 – Ivan Romanoff, conductor
- March 25 – Hugh Horner, Alberta politician
- April 6 – Jack Kent Cooke, sports and newspaper entrepreneur
- April 8 – Albert Malouf, judge
- April 11 – Muriel Furguson, lawyer, Senate's first woman Speaker
- April 28 – Andrew Sarlos, investment counsellor, multimillionaire
- May 1 – Fernand Dumont, Quebec sovereigntist, author
- May 14 – Jane Musset, fashion reporter
- June 6 – Ron Collister, TV and radio journalist, talk-show host
- June 9 – Stanley Knowles, CCF MP
- June 22 – Gérard Pelletier, politician
- June 22 – Larry Grossman, Ontario politician
- June 29 – Art Solomon, spiritualist leader, author
- July 8 – Charles Tayler, journalist, horse breeder
- July 30 – Robert Bryce, civil servant
- August 20 – Léon Dion, Quebec political scientist
- August 24 – Hardial Bains, Communist Party leader
- September 2 – Hart Massey, architect
- September 12 – Judith Merril, science fiction writer, anthologist
- September 29 – Val Clery, writer, editor, broadcaster
- October 8 – James Ferguson, musician
- November 7 – Clyde Gilmour, CBC radio host
- November 11 – Arthur Davies, publisher and president of Kingston Whig-Standard, author
- November 14 – Jack Pickersgill, politician
- November 20 – Ronald Martland, jurist
- November 24 – Czelaw Brzozowicz, engineer
- November 24 – John Sopinka, Supreme Court justice
- November 27 – Yves Prévost, Quebec politician
- December 7 – George Gardiner, businessman, ceramics collector
- December 13 – Catherine Keachie, magazine lobbyist
- December 24 – Pierre Péladeau, newspaper editor
- Pierre Granche, sculptor
Categories: 1997 | Years in Canada