1991 in Canada
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See also: 1990 in Canada, other events of 1991, 1992 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'.
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Incumbents
- Premier of Alberta - Don Getty
- Premier of British Columbia - Bill Vander Zalm then Rita Johnston then Michael Harcourt
- Premier of Manitoba - Gary Filmon
- Premier of New Brunswick - Frank McKenna
- Premier of Newfoundland - Clyde Wells
- Premier of Nova Scotia - Roger Bacon then Donald Cameron
- Premier of Ontario - Bob Rae
- Premier of Prince Edward Island - Joe Ghiz
- Premier of Quebec - Robert Bourassa
- Premier of Saskatchewan - Grant Devine then Roy Romanow
Events
- January 1 - The Goods and Services Tax comes into effect
- January 15 - Canadian Forces begin their participation in the Persian Gulf War
- January 29 - The Allaire Committee releases its report on Canada's constitution - it recommends sweeping changes such as the abolition of the Senate.
- January 30 - Gulf War: A Canadian CF-18 Hornet attacks and causes irreparable damage to an Iraqi warship.
- February 9 - Donald Cameron becomes premier of Nova Scotia, replacing Roger Bacon
- February 27 - Gulf War: Iraq agrees to a cease-fire ending the conflict
- April 2 - Rita Johnston becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing Bill Vander Zalm
- April 22 - Joe Clark is appointed Minister of Constitutional Affairs
- May - George Erasmus, leader of the Assembly of First Nations, resigns and is succeeded by Ovide Mercredi
- May 14 MP John Nunziata alleges the RCMP know who bombed the Air-India flight 182 but didn't have evidence needed for prosecution.
- June 15 - Paul Bernardo kidnaps, rapes, and murders Leslie Mahaffy
- June 19 The Dobbie-Castonguay Commission is created to look into changes to the constitution.
- July 3 - The process leading to the privatization of Petro-Canada is begun
- September 24 - Dobbie-Castonguay Commission recommends an elected Senate, and recognizing Quebec as a distinct society.
- October 21 - The Saskatchewan election: Roy Romanow's NDP win a majority, defeating Grant Devine's PCs
- November 1 - Roy Romanow becomes premier of Saskatchewan, replacing Grant Devine
- November 5 - Michael Harcourt becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing Rita Johnston
- November 14 - Nellie Cournoyea becomes government leader of the Northwest Territories, replacing Dennis Patterson
- Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the President of Haiti, was visiting Canada and was warmly welcomed by the large Haitian community in Montreal, where he had studied at the Université de Montréal.
- Julius Alexander Isaac is named Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada. He becomes the first Black Chief Justice in Canada
- David Schindler of the University of Alberta wins the first international Stockholm Water Prize for environmental research.
- Ferguson Jenkins becomes the first Canadian ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Canadian peacekeepers begin a five year deployment to El Salvador
- Canadian observers are sent to Western Sahara
- News media: eye weekly created
Arts and Literature
- New Works
- Rohinton Mistry - Such a Long Journey
- Douglas Coupland - Generation X: Tales For An Accelerated Culture
- Margaret Atwood - Wilderness Tips
- Dave Duncan - Faery Lands Forlorn
- Hume Cronyn - A Terrible Liar
- Spider Robinson - Starseed
- Awards
- See 1991 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
- Books in Canada First Novel Award: Nino Ricci, Lives of the Saints
- Gerald Lampert Award: Diana Brebner, Radiant Life Forms
- Geoffrey Bilson Award: Marianne Brandis, The Sign of the Scales
- Marian Engel Award: Joan Clark
- Pat Lowther Award: Karen Connelly, The Small Words in My Body
- Stephen Leacock Award: Howard White, Waiting in the Rain
- Trillium Book Award: Margaret Atwood, Wilderness Tips
- Vicky Metcalf Award: Brian Doyle
- Film
- Atom Egoyan's The Adjuster is released
- James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day is released. It is the year's highest grossing film
- Music
- Trevor Pinnock becomes director of the National Arts Centre Orchesta
Births
Deaths
- Jean-Paul Mousseau, muralist
- Maryon Pearson, wife of Lester B. Pearson