1997 in Canada

Encyclopedia : 1 : 19 : 199 : 1997 in Canada

See also: 1996 in Canada, other events of 1997, 1998 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'.

Contents

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

Incumbents

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 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.
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

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

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