This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "1997 in Canada" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

←

1997
in
Canada

→

Decades:

Part of a series on the
History of Canada
Benjamin West's The Death of General Wolfe
Timeline (list)
Pre-colonization 1534–1763 1764–1867 1867–1914 1914–1945 1945–1960 1960–1981 1982–present
Historically significant
Events Sites People
Topics
Agricultural Cultural Constitutional Economic Former colonies Immigration Indigenous Medicine Military Monarchical Population Sports Religion Territorial evolution Women
By provinces and territories
Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Nunavut Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon
Cities
Brampton Charlottetown Edmonton Fredericton Halifax Hamilton Lethbridge Markham Moncton Montreal Northwest Territories capital cities Ottawa Quebec City Saint John Regina Richmond Hill Saskatoon Toronto Vancouver Winnipeg (Name etymologies)
Research
Bibliography Historiography Historians Surveys
Canada portal
v t e

Incumbents

Main article: 1997 Canadian incumbents

Crown

Monarch – Elizabeth II^[1]

Federal government

Governor General – Roméo LeBlanc
Prime Minister – Jean Chrétien
Chief Justice – Antonio Lamer (Quebec)
Parliament – 35th (until 27 April) then 36th (from September 22)

Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Bud Olson
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Garde Gardom
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Yvon Dumont
Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Margaret McCain (until April 18) then Marilyn Trenholme Counsell
Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Frederick Russell (until February 5) then Arthur Maxwell House
Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – James Kinley
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – Hal Jackman (until January 24) then Hilary Weston
Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Gilbert Clements
Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Jean-Louis Roux (until January 30) then Lise Thibault
Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Jack Wiebe

Premiers

Premier of Alberta – Ralph Klein
Premier of British Columbia – Glen Clark
Premier of Manitoba – Gary Filmon
Premier of New Brunswick – Frank McKenna (until October 14) then Raymond Frenette
Premier of Newfoundland – Brian Tobin
Premier of Nova Scotia – John Savage (until July 18) 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

Territorial governments

Commissioners

Premiers

Events

January to June

January 1 – Opening of the new municipality of Alfred and Plantagenet.
January 4 – The federal government makes it harder to obtain unemployment insurance.
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 – Saint-Simon and Saint-Sauveur riots.
May 11 – 1997 Nunavut equal representation plebiscite.
May 31 – Confederation Bridge opens.
June 1 – Donovan Bailey and Michael Johnson have a 150m race in the then Skydome for the title of "The World's Fastest Man".^[2]
June 2 – Federal election: Jean Chrétien's Liberals win a second consecutive majority, the Reform Party becomes the Official Opposition.^[3]^[4]
June 18 – The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) introduces a television rating system.

July to September

July 2 – The Somalia Inquiry is disbanded prematurely.
July 9 – Danielle House forced to give up her Miss Canada International 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.
August 8 – The Saskatchewan Party is founded.
August 10 – The director Jean-Claude Lauzon and actress Marie-Soleil Tougas dies in a plane crash near Kuujjuaq.^[5]
September 2 – Newfoundlanders vote to do away with their religion based school systems.
September 3 – One is killed in a Saskatchewan train derailment.
September 15 – Caillou debuts on Teletoon.

October to December

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 17 – CTV News Channel begins broadcasting.
October 27–November 10 – A teachers strike takes place in Ontario.
November 3 – Canada destroys the last land mines in its arsenal.
November 9 – The scandal-racked Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party is mothballed.
November 14 – Fourteen-year-old Reena Virk is beaten to death by classmates in Victoria, British Columbia.
November 17 – The Hibernia oil project pumps its first barrel of oil.
November 21–25 – The APEC summit is held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Controversy arises when Royal Canadian Mounted Police use force and pepper spray to remove protesters.
December 3 – In Ottawa, Ontario, representatives from 121 countries sign a treaty prohibiting the manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel land mines. However, the United States, the People's Republic of China, and Russia do not sign the treaty.

Full date unknown

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
Teletoon is launched

Music

Oscar Peterson receives a Grammy for lifetime achievement.

Sport

February 7 – Lennox Lewis becomes heavyweight boxing champion.
May 18 – Hull Olympiques win their only Memorial Cup by defeating the Lethbridge Hurricanes 5 to 1. The entire tournament was played at the Robert Guertin Centre in Hull, Quebec
June 7 – Calgary's Mike Vernon of the Detroit Red Wings is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy
October 26 – Formula One: Jacques Villeneuve becomes the first Canadian to become World Drivers Champion.
November 9 – The Montreal Screwjob takes place at Survivor Series. Bret Hart controversially loses his WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels.
November 16 – Toronto Argonauts win their fourteenth Grey Cup by defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 85th Grey Cup played at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Hamilton, Ontario's Paul Masotti was awarded the game's Most Valuable Canadian
November 22 – UBC Thunderbirds win their third Vanier Cup by defeating the Ottawa Gee-Gees by a score of 39–23 in the 33rd Vanier Cup played at Skydome in Toronto

Births

January 13 – Connor McDavid, hockey player
January 15 – Alex Cardillo, Irish-born actor
January 20 – Jeffrey Baldwin, murder victim (died 2002)
January 29 – Cassandra Sawtell, actress
March 9 – Niamh Wilson, actress
March 10 – Travis Konecny, ice hockey player
March 11 – Matreya Fedor, actress
March 26 – Antoine L'Écuyer, actor
April 23 – Alex Ferris, actor
April 28 – Jason Spevack, actor
May 5 – Mitch Marner, ice hockey player
May 26 – Mathew Barzal, ice hockey player
June 11 – Mackenzie Bent, ice dancer
June 18 – Mary-Lynn Neil, singer and songwriter
August 1 – Megan McNamara and Nicole McNamara, beach volleyball players
August 3 – Ayaka Wilson, actor
October 27 – Eliana Jones, actress and gymnast

Deaths

January to March

January 1 – Hagood Hardy, composer, pianist and vibraphonist (born 1937)
January 12
- Charles Brenton Huggins, physician, physiologist, cancer researcher and Nobel prize laureate (born 1901)
January 14 – Dollard Ménard, lieutenant-colonel
January 17 – Bill Kardash, politician (born 1912)
January 26 – Norman Fawcett, politician (born 1910)
February 19 – Lois Marshall, soprano (born 1924)
March 2 – J. Carson Mark, mathematician who worked on development of nuclear weapons (born 1913)
March 14 – Ivan Romanoff, conductor
March 22 – Harry Thode, geochemist, nuclear chemist and academic administrator (born 1910)
March 27 – Hugh Horner, politician, physician and surgeon (born 1925)

April to June

April 6 – Jack Kent Cooke, sports entrepreneur (born 1912)
May 1 – Fernand Dumont, sociologist, philosopher, theologian and poet (born 1927)
May 9 – Marie-Thérèse Paquin, Canadian pianist (b. 1905)
June 9 – Stanley Knowles, politician (born 1908)
June 22
- Gérard Pelletier, journalist, editor, politician and Minister (born 1919)
- Larry Grossman, politician (born 1943)

July to September

July 30 – Robert Bryce, civil servant (born 1910)
August 10
- Jean-Claude Lauzon, Quebec filmmaker (born 1953)
- Marie-Soleil Tougas, Quebec actress and TV host (born 1970)
August 20 – Léon Dion, political scientist (born 1922)
August 24 – Hardial Bains, founder and leader of Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) (born 1939)
September 11 – Camille Henry, ice hockey player (born 1933)
September 12 – Judith Merril, science fiction writer, editor and political activist (born 1923)
September 30
- Rose Goldblatt, administrator, pianist and teacher (born 1913)
- Pierre Granche, sculptor (born 1948)

October to December

October 12 – Rodrigue Bourdages, politician (born 1923)
November 7 – Clyde Gilmour, radio broadcaster and journalist (born 1912)
November 14 – Jack Pickersgill, civil servant and politician (born 1905)
November 20 – Ronald Martland, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada (born 1909)
November 24
- Czeslaw Brzozowicz, engineer (born 1911)
- John Sopinka, lawyer and puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada (born 1933)
November 27 – Yves Prévost, politician and lawyer (born 1908)
December 7 – George R. Gardiner, businessman, philanthropist and co-founder of the Gardiner Museum (born 1917)
December 24 – Pierre Péladeau, businessman (born 1925)

Full date unknown

Hilda Watson, Leader of the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party (born 1922)

References

^ "Queen Elizabeth II | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
^ Campigotto, Jesse (June 1, 2022). "Remembering the wacky Donovan Bailey vs. Michael Johnson 150m race". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
^ "Chrétien's razor thin majority in 1997 federal election". The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
^ "Reform Party of Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia. 7 February 2006. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
^ (in French) Bilan du Siècle

v t e History of Canada
Year list (Timeline)	18000 BCE–1500 CE 1534–1763 1763–1867 1867–1914 1914–1945 1945–1960 1960–1981 1982–present
Topics	Canadians - (Persons of significance) Constitutional Crown and Indigenous peoples Cultural Economic Etymology Events of significance Former colonies and territories Heritage Minutes Historic Sites Immigration Chinese immigration Military Conflicts Operations Peacekeeping Victories Monarchical Population history Sports Territorial evolution Women
Provinces and territories	Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Ontario New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Quebec Prince Edward Island Saskatchewan Yukon (Name etymologies)
Cities	Brampton Charlottetown Edmonton Fredericton Halifax Hamilton Lethbridge Markham Moncton Montreal Northwest Territories capital cities Ottawa Quebec City Saint John Regina Richmond Hill Saskatoon Toronto Vancouver Winnipeg (Name etymologies)
Research	Bibliography Historiography Historians Surveys
Category Canada portal

v t e List of years in Canada
Pre-Confederation Prehistory–1866	Prehistory to 1 BC 1st millennium 1000s 1100s 1400s 1500s 1600s 1610s 1620s 1630s 1640s 1650s 1660s 1670s 1680s 1690s 1700 1701 1702 1703 1704 1705 1706 1707 1708 1709 1710 1711 1712 1713 1714 1715 1716 1717 1718 1719 1720 1721 1722 1723 1724 1725 1726 1727 1728 1729 1730 1731 1732 1733 1734 1735 1736 1737 1738 1739 1740 1741 1742 1743 1744 1745 1746 1747 1748 1749 1750 1751 1752 1753 1754 1755 1756 1757 1758 1759 1760 1761 1762 1763 1764 1765 1766 1767 1768 1769 1770 1771 1772 1773 1774 1775 1776 1777 1778 1779 1780 1781 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866
Post-Confederation 1867–present	1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Quebec	1608 1609 1610 1611 1612 1613 1614 1615 1616 1617 1618 1635
Canadian electoral calendars	2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Related	List of Canadian monarchs List of governors general of Canada List of prime ministers of Canada Population of Canada by year Timeline
Research	Bibliography Historiography
Category Canada portal

v t e 1997 in North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies, colonies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Navassa Island United States Virgin Islands

Incumbents

Crown

Federal government

Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

Premiers

Territorial governments

Commissioners

Premiers

Events

January to June

July to September

October to December

Full date unknown

Arts and literature

New Books

Awards

Film

Television

Music

Sport

Births

Deaths

January to March

April to June

July to September

October to December

Full date unknown

See also

References