1997 in Canada
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See also: 1996 in Canada, other events of 1997, 1998 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'.
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Incumbents
- Premier of Alberta - Ralph Klein
- Premier of British Columbia - Glen Clark
- Premier of Manitoba - Gary Filmon
- Premier of New Brunswick - Frank McKenna then Raymond Frenette
- Premier of Newfoundland - Brian Tobin
- Premier of Nova Scotia - John Savage 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
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 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
none
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