1967 in Canada
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See also: 1966 in Canada, other events of 1967, 1968 in Canada and the Timeline of Canadian history.
1967 is remembered as one of the most notable years in Canada. It was Canada's centennary and celebrations were held throughout the nation. The most prominent event was Expo 67 in Montreal, one of the most successful World's Fairs ever and one of the first events to win international acclaim for the country.
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Overview
The nation began to feel far more nationalistic than before, with a generation raised in a country fully detached from Britain. The new Canadian flag served as a symbol and a catalyst for this. In Quebec the Quiet Revolution was overthrowing the oligarchy of francophone clergy and anglophone businessmen, and French Canadian pride and nationalism were becoming a national political force.
The Canadian economy was at its post-war peak and levels of prosperity and quality of life were at all-time highs. Many of the most important elements of Canada's welfare state were coming on line such as Medicare and the CPP.
These events were coupled with the coming of age of the baby boom and the regeneration of music, literature, and art that the 1960s brought around the world. The baby boomers who have since dominated Canada's culture tend to view the period as Canada's halcyon days.
While to Montreal it was the year of Expo, to Toronto it was the final culmination of the Toronto Maple Leafs dynasty of the 1960s, with the team winning its fourth Stanley Cup in six years.
Author and historian Pierre Berton has famously referred to 1967 as "Canada's last good year". The years following saw much of 1967's hopefulness disappear. In the early 1970s, the oil shock and other factors hammered the Canadian economy. Quebec separatism led to divisive debates and an economic decline of Montreal and Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) terrorism. The Vietnam War and Watergate Scandal in the United States also had profound effects on Canadians. And the Maple Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since.
Incumbents
- Premier of Alberta - Ernest Manning
- Premier of British Columbia - W.A.C. Bennett
- Premier of Manitoba - Dufferin Roblin then Walter Weir
- Premier of New Brunswick - Louis Robichaud
- Premier of Newfoundland - Joey Smallwood
- Premier of Nova Scotia - Robert Stanfield then George Smith
- Premier of Ontario - John Robarts
- Premier of Prince Edward Island - Alexander B. Campbell
- Premier of Quebec - Daniel Johnson, Sr.
- Premier of Saskatchewan - W. Ross Thatcher
Events
- January 1 - Several municipalities such as Forest Hill and Swansea are merged into Toronto
- March 25 - After the death of Georges Vanier Roland Michener becomes Governor General
- April 12 - The House of Commons votes to make "O Canada" Canada's official national anthem
- April 17 - The Order of Canada is created
- April 28 - Expo 67 opens in Montreal
- May - The GO Transit service begins in Toronto
- May 2 - The Toronto Maple Leafs win the sixth game of the Stanley Cup final over the Montreal Canadiens to win their last Stanley Cup to date.
- May 23 - Alberta general election, 1967: Ernest Manning's Social Credit Party wins a ninth consecutive majority
- June 20 - The National Library of Canada opens
- July 1 - Canada celebrates its centennial
- July 24 - During an official state visit to Canada, French President Charles de Gaulle declares to a crowd of over 100,000 in Montreal: Vive le Québec libre! (Long live free Quebec!). The statement, interpreted as support for Quebec independence, delighted many Quebeckers but angered the Canadian government and many English Canadians.
- July 30 - The Caribbean community in Toronto stages the first Caribana, with only eight bands and 1,000 spectators. It later grows into the third largest carnivale in the world, drawing over 1 million spectators and 250,000 visitors a year.
- August 5 - Schizophrenic Victor Hoffman kills nine near Shell Lake, Alberta
- September 9 - Robert Stanfield wins the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives
- September 13 - George Smith becomes premier of Nova Scotia, replacing Robert Stanfield
- October 11 - Saskatchewan election: Ross Thatcher's Liberals win a second consecutive majority
- October 14 - René Lévesque quits the Quebec Liberal Party and leaves to form the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
- October 17 - Ontario general election, 1967: John Robarts's PCs win a seventh consecutive majority
- November 5 - Robert Stanfield becomes head of the Progressive Conservative Party
- November 16 - The Museum of Science and Technology opens in Ottawa
- November 25 - Walter Weir becomes premier of Manitoba, replacing Dufferin Roblin
- November 26 - A conference organized by John Robarts of Ontario brings together all the provincial premiers to discuss the constitution
- December 14 - Lester B. Pearson announces he will step down as Prime Minister early in the next year
- December 27 - Justice Minister Pierre Trudeau proposes sweeping reforms that, among other things, make homosexual acts legal in Canada
- The University of Lethbridge is founded
- The Ottawa 67's Ontario Hockey League team is formed
- Bobby Orr wins the first of his eight consecutive Norris Trophies
Arts and literature
- New Books
- Morley Callaghan - Stories
- Timothy Findley - The Last Crazy People
- Hugh Hood - The Camera Always Lies
- Farley Mowat - The Polar Passion
- Awards
- See 1967 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
- Stephen Leacock Award: Richard J. Needham, Needham's Inferno
- Vicky Metcalf Award: John Patrick Gillese
- Film
- Norman Jewison's In the Heat of the Night premieres
Births
- January 27 - Susan Aglukark, singer
- January 29 - Sean Burke, hockey goalie
- April 29 - Curtis Joseph, hockey goalie
- May 4 - John Child, Olympic athlete
- May 10 - Scott Brison, politician
- May 29 - Mike Keane, hockey player
- June 1 - Murray Baron, hockey player
- June 27 - Sylvie Frechette, athlete
- June 30 - Gareth Rees, rugby player
- July 1 - Pamela Anderson. She is recognized as Canada's centennial baby, being the first born on this day in Canada.
- July 12 - Bruny Surin, sprinter
- July 12 - Tonya Lee Williams, actor
- August 21 - Carrie-Anne Moss, actor
- September 10 - Guylaine Dumont, Olympic athlete
- October 3 - Denis Villeneuve, film director
- December 14 - Dominic LeBlanc, politician
- December 16 - Donovan Bailey, sprinter
- December 17 - Vincent Damphousse, hockey player
- December 29 - Ashleigh Banfield, journalist
Deaths
- March 5 - Georges Vanier, Governor General