1997 in Canada - Definition and Overview

See also: 1996 in Canada, other events of 1997, 1998 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'.

Incumbents

• Head of State - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
  • Governor General - Roméo LeBlanc
• Prime Minister - Jean Chrétien

• 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

Deaths

• January 17 - W. A. Kardash, Manitoba politician
• January 26 - Norman Fawcett, politician
• June 9 - Stanley Knowles, MP
• June 22 - Gérard Pelletier, politician
• July 30 - Robert Bryce, civil servant
• August 24 - Hardial Bains, Communist leader
• October 8 - James Ferguson, musician
• November 7 - Clyde Gilmour, CBC radio host
• 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 Peladeau, newspaper editor
• Pierre Granche, sculptor