1999 in Canada

1 Incumbents
2 Events
3 Arts and literature
4 Births
5 Deaths

Incumbents

Head of State – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
- Governor General – Roméo LeBlanc then Adrienne Clarkson
Prime Minister – Jean Chrétien
Premier of Alberta – Ralph Klein
Premier of British Columbia – Glen Clark then Dan Miller
Premier of Manitoba – Gary Filmon then Gary Doer
Premier of New Brunswick – Camille Thériault then Bernard Lord
Premier of Newfoundland – Brian Tobin
Premier of Nova Scotia – Russell MacLellan then John Hamm
Premier of Ontario – Mike Harris
Premier of Prince Edward Island – Pat Binns
Premier of Quebec – Lucien Bouchard
Premier of Saskatchewan – Roy Romanow

Events

January 1 – An avalanche destroys a school gymnasium during New Year's celebrations in Kangiqsualujjuaq in far northern Quebec, killing 9.
February 9 – Brian Tobin's Liberals are re-elected in Newfoundland
February 13 – the last hockey game is played at Maple Leaf Gardens as the team moves to the new Air Canada Centre
April 1 – Nunavut becomes the newest territory. Paul Okalik becomes its first premier
April 6 – A disgruntled employee kills four in Ottawa before killing himself
April 16 – Wayne Gretzky retires from hockey
April 28 – In Taber, Alberta, a 15-year-old boy, who has recently been withdrawn from public school to escape bullying, walks into W.R. Myers High School and shoots two students with a .22 rifle, killing one (Jason Lang) and injuring the other.
May 1 – Sponsorship scandal: The federal government issues a $615,000 contract for a report from Groupaction into its own activities.
May 11 – Chevron announces a major natural gas find in the Northwest Territories
May 17 – The Saskatchewan government awards David Milgaard after he was jailed for 23 years for a murder he did not commit
May 20 the Supreme Court expands gay spousal rights
May 27 – Julie Payette becomes the first Canadian to board the International Space Station
June 3 – Ontario election: Mike Harris's PCs win a second consecutive majority
June 3 – Canada and the United States sign a treaty to divide the Pacific salmon fishery
June 4 – An agreement on split-run magazines prevents looming trade war with the United States
June 7 – Bernard Lord's Conservatives win a surprise election victory in New Brunswick
June 10 – The Reform Party of Canada votes to become the Canadian Alliance
June 17 – Canadian citizen Stanley Faulder is executed in Texas, despite diplomatic complaints by the Canadian government
June 21 – Bernard Lord becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Camille Thériault
June 30 – A British Columbia court strikes down Canada's child pornography laws
July 23 – August 8 – The Pan-American games are held in Winnipeg
July 27 – The Conservatives win a majority government in Nova Scotia
August 16 – John Hamm becomes premier of Nova Scotia, replacing Russell MacLellan
August 20 – The Supreme Court rules that Quebec cannot secede unilaterally, but that Canada is obligated to recognize a clear yes vote
August 20 – Eaton's files for bankruptcy
August 24 – Onex announces a plan to buy and merge Air Canada and Canadian Airlines
August 25 – Dan Miller, as interim leader of the NDP, becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing Glen Clark who resigned on the 21st
September 15 – Louise Arbour appointed to the Supreme Court replacing Antonio Lamer
September 19 – Saskatchewan election: Roy Romanow's NDP wins only a minority but forms a coalition with the Liberals to maintain control of the Legislative Assembly
September 25 – The federal government refuses requests for aid by the six remaining Canadian NHL franchises
October 5 – Gary Doer of the NDP becomes premier of Manitoba, replacing Gary Filmon of the Conservatives
October 7 – Adrienne Clarkson becomes Governor General
October 8 – Bill Clinton dedicates the new United States embassy in Ottawa
October 15 – Robert Mundell wins the Nobel Prize for economics
October 19 – Air Canada, backed by other airlines, announces a takeover bid for Canadian Airlines
November 3 – Beverley McLachlin becomes the first female chief justice of the Supreme Court
November 5 – A Quebec court decides that Onex's bid for Air Canada is illegal
November 5 – Quebec sign law is overturned
November 13 – Lennox Lewis defeats Evander Holyfield to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World
November 21 – Nimiq 1 Canada's first direct broadcast digital TV satellite launched by a Proton K Blok DM-3 rocket from the Tyuratam launch centre in Kazakhstan.
December 8 – Air Canada takes over Canadian Airlines
December 11 – The verdict in the Just Desserts shooting case is handed down. Two of the accused are found guilty, the third is acquitted.
December 14 – Montreal resident Ahmed Ressam is arrested in Seattle and found with large quantities of explosives

Arts and literature

New Works:

Russell Smith – Young Men
Bonnie Burnard – A Good House
Antonine Maillet – Chronique d'une sorcière de vent

Awards

Giller Prize for Canadian Fiction: Bonnie Burnard, A Good House
See 1999 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
Books in Canada First Novel Award: Andre Alexis, Childhood
Gerald Lampert Award: Stephanie Bolster, White Stone: The Alice Poems
Geoffrey Bilson Award: Iain Lawrence, The Wreckers
Marian Engel Award: Janice Kulyk Keeger
Norma Fleck Award: Andy Turnbull and Debora Pearson, By Truck to the North: My Winter Adventure
Pat Lowther Award: Hilary Clark, More Light
Stephen Leacock Award: Stuart McLean, Home from the Vinyl Cafe
Trillium Book Award English: Alistair MacLeod, No Great Mischief
Trillium Book Award French: Andrée Christensen and Jacques Flamand, Lithochronos ou le premier vol de la pierre
Vicky Metcalf Award: Joan Clark

Music

Céline Dion, Alanis Morissette, and Shania Twain win major Grammy Awards

Births

Deaths

January 10 – Walter Harris, politician
February 18 – Neil Gaudry, Manitoba politician
March 3 – Gerhard Herzberg, scientist
March 9 – Harry Somers, composer
April 4 – Greg McConnell, indie rock musician (Lost Dakotas)
May 23 – Owen Hart, WWF wrestler
June – Gordon Towers, politician
June 17 – Stanley Faulder, murderer
June 30 – Tyrell Dueck
July 16 – Alan Macnaughton, politician
August 12 – Jean Drapeau, mayor of Montreal
September 24 – Robert Bend, Manitoba politician
October 31 – Greg Moore, racing car driver
December 2 – Matt Cohen, author
December 11 – Big Ben, race horse
December 20 – Hank Snow, country singer
December 30 – Rick Danko, musician

Categories: 1999 | Years in Canada

1999 in Canada

Table of contents

Incumbents

Events

Arts and literature

Births

Deaths