1977 in Canada - Definition and Overview

See also: 1976 in Canada, other events of 1977, 1978 in Canada and the Timeline of Canadian history.

Incumbents

• Prime Minister - Pierre Trudeau
• Governor General - Jules Léger

• Premier of Alberta - Peter Lougheed
• Premier of British Columbia - W.R. Bennett
• Premier of Manitoba - Edward Schreyer and then Sterling Lyon
• Premier of New Brunswick - Richard Hatfield
• Premier of Newfoundland - Frank Moores
• Premier of Nova Scotia - Gerald Regan
• Premier of Ontario - Bill Davis
• Premier of Prince Edward Island - Alexander B. Campbell
• Premier of Quebec - René Lévesque
• Premier of Saskatchewan - Allan Blakeney

Events

• January 1 - Canada's nautical limit is extended to 200 miles.
• February 6 - René Lévesque is embroiled in scandal after he hits and kills a homeless man while driving in a car with a woman who is not his wife.
• February 27 - Royal Canadian Mounted Police raid Keith Richards' Toronto hotel suite while he is sleeping and seize 22 grams of heroin, 5 grams of cocaine and narcotics paraphernalia.
• February 28 - Canadian passenger rail services are amalgamated into VIA Rail.
• April 7 - The Toronto Blue Jays play their first game, defeating the Chicago White Sox.
• May 5 - Willy Adams becomes the first Inuit to enter parliament when he is appointed to the Senate.
• May 9 - The final report of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry is released.
• June 9 - Ontario election: Bill Davis's PCs win a second consecutive minority.
• August 26 - Bill 101 is passed by the Parti Québécois.
• October 18 - The House of Commons is televised for the first time.
• November 21 - Gerald Hannon's controversial article "Men Loving Boys Loving Men" is published in The Body Politic
• November 24 - Sterling Lyon becomes premier of Manitoba, replacing Edward Schreyer.
• Canadian road signs are swtiched to the metric system.
• The Eaton Centre opens in Toronto.
• Prime Minister Trudeau divorces his wife Margaret Sinclair.

Arts and Literature

New Works

• Margaret Atwood - Dancing Girls
• Elizabeth Smart - A Bonus
• Timothy Findley - The Wars
• Irving Layton - The Covenant
• Roch Carrier - Il n'ya pas de pays sans grand-père
• Gabrielle Roy - Ces Enfants de ma vie
• Morley Callaghan - Close to the Sun Again
• Antonine Maillet - La Veuve enragée
• Mordecai Richler - Home Sweet Home
• Marshall McLuhan - City as Classroom: Understanding Language and Media

Awards

• See 1977 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Books in Canada First Novel Award: Michael Ondaatje, Coming Through Slaughter
• Stephen Leacock Award: Ray Guy, That Far Greater Bay
• Vicky Metcalf Award: James Houston

Births

• February 11 - Stephanie Richardson, swimmer
• March 13 - Barney Williams, rower
• March 27 - Buffy-Lynne Williams, Olympic rower
• May 4 - Emily Perkins, actor
• May 16 - Jean-Sebastien Giguere, hockey goaltender
• April 21 - Jamie Salé, figure skater
• April 26 - Craig Adams, hockey player
• June 12 - Wade Redden, hockey player
• July 1 - Jarome Iginla, hockey player
• August 1 - Marc Denis, hockey goaltender
• August 14 - Tonya Verbeek, Olympic wrestler
• August 15 - Martin Biron, hockey goalie
• September 17 - Kim Sarrazin, Olympic softballer
• September 29 - Wade Brookbank, hockey player
• October 3 - Kristy Odamura, Olympic softballer
• October 6 - Daniel Briere, hockey player
• October 18 - Paul Stalteri, soccer player
• October 27 - Erin White, Olympic softballer
• December 16 - Eric Belanger, hockey player

Deaths

• January 24 - Jack Bush, painter
• June 24 - André-Gilles Fortin, politician
• November 3 - William Korelek, artist
• November 5 - Guy Lombardo, bandleader
• November 25 - Tommy Prince, WWII hero