1997 in Canada

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

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Incumbents

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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 rigourous 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 Quebecois.
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 abassador 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 - 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 wracked 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 protestors.
The Calgary Declaration from the premiers, except Lucien Bouchard.
A second 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: 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 aclaim and the CBC

Music

Oscar Peterson receives a Grammy for life time achievement.

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Births

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Deaths

June 9 - Stanley Knowles, MP
October 8 - James Ferguson, musician
November 7 - Clyde Gilmour, CBC radio host
November 24 - Czelaw Brzozowicz, engineer
November 24 - John Sopinka, Supreme Court justice
December 7 - George Gardiner, businessman, ceramics collector
December 13 - Catherine Keachie, magazine lobbyist
December 24 - Pierre Peladeau, newspaper editor
Pierre Granche, sculptor


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