1988 in Canada
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See also: 1987 in Canada, other events of 1988, 1989 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
- Premier of Manitoba - Howard Pawley then Gary Filmon
- Premier of New Brunswick - Frank McKenna
- Premier of Newfoundland - Brian Peckford
- Premier of Nova Scotia - John Buchanan
- Premier of Ontario - David Peterson
- Premier of Prince Edward Island - Joe Ghiz
- Premier of Quebec - Robert Bourassa
- Premier of Saskatchewan - Grant Devine
Events
- January 28 - Canada's abortion laws are repealed by the Supreme Court.
- March 19 - Jacques Parizeau becomes leader of the Parti Québécois
- May - HMCS Halifax, the first Halifax class frigate is launched in Saint John, New Brunswick
- May 9 - Gary Filmon becomes premier of Manitoba, replacing Howard Pawley
- May 21 - The new National Gallery of Canada building opens in Ottawa
- June 4 - The Canadian Heraldic Authority is established, with a mandate to grant armourial bearings to worthy Canadians and Canadian corporations. It is the first heraldic authority in the Commonwealth of Nations outside the United Kingdom.
- July 21 - The War Measures Act is replaced by the Emergencies Act
- August 9: Wayne Gretzky is traded to the Los Angeles Kings by the Edmonton Oilers with Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, the Los Angeles Kings 1989 First Round Draft Pick (later acquired by New Jersey Devils, who selected Jason Miller), 1991 (Martin Rucinsky), and 1993 (Nick Stajduhar) Entry Drafts and cash
- September 22 - Prime Minister Brian Mulroney officially apologizes for the WWII internment of Japanese Canadians
- September 26 - Sprinter Ben Johnson is stripped of his Olympic gold medal and world record when he tests positive for steroids.
- November 21 - In the federal election, Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative Party wins a second majority government in an election fought over the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement.
- December 15 - The Supreme Court rules that the Quebec Charter of the French Language is unconstitutional
- December 21 - The Quebec government reinstates the language laws using the notwithstanding clause
- Svend Robinson, a Member of Parliament since 1979 announces that he is gay
- Maher Arar immigrates to Canada
- David Lam becomes Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
- Calgary hosts the 1988 Winter Olympics
- CHUM media buys the building at the corner of Queen and John streets in Toronto as their headquarters.
- Conrad Black gains control of The Spectator
- Figure skater Kurt Browning completes the first ever quadruple toe loop in competition
Arts and literature
- New works
- Timothy Findley - Stones
- Morley Callaghan - A Wild Old Man on the Road
- Jeffrey Simpson - Spoils of Power
- Bill Bissett - What We Have
- Awards
- See 1988 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
- Books in Canada First Novel Award: Marion Quednau, The Butterfly Chair
- Geoffrey Bilson Award: *1988 - Carol Matas, 'Lisa
- Gerald Lampert Award: Di Brandt, Questions I Asked My Mother
- Marian Engel Award: Edna Alford
- Pat Lowther Award: Gwendolyn MacEwen, Afterworlds
- Stephen Leacock Award: Paul Quarrington, King Leary
- Trillium Book Award: Timothy Findley, Stones
- Vicky Metcalf Award: Barbara Smucker
Births
- February 7 - Skye Sweetnam, singer
- May 18 - Ryan Cooley, actor
- June 7 - Michael Cera, actor
Deaths
- bp Nichol, poet