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Events from the year 1972 in Canada.

Incumbents

Crown

  • Monarch – Elizabeth II

Federal government

  • Governor General – Roland Michener
  • Prime Minister – Pierre Trudeau
  • Chief Justice – Gérald Fauteux (Quebec)
  • Parliament – 28th (until 1 September)

Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

  • Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Grant MacEwan
  • Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – John Robert Nicholson
  • Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – William John McKeag
  • Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Hédard Robichaud
  • Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Ewart John Arlington Harnum
  • Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Victor de Bedia Oland
  • Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – William Ross Macdonald
  • Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – John George MacKay
  • Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Hugues Lapointe
  • Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Stephen Worobetz

Premiers

  • Premier of Alberta – Peter Lougheed
  • Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C. Bennett (until September 15) then Dave Barrett
  • Premier of Manitoba – Edward Schreyer
  • Premier of New Brunswick – Richard Hatfield
  • Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood (until January 18) then Frank Moores
  • Premier of Nova Scotia – Gerald Regan
  • Premier of Ontario – Bill Davis
  • Premier of Prince Edward Island – Alexander B. Campbell
  • Premier of Quebec – Robert Bourassa
  • Premier of Saskatchewan – Allan Blakeney

Territorial governments

Commissioners

  • Commissioner of Yukon – James Smith
  • Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Stuart Milton Hodgson

Events

January to June

  • January 1 - Winnipeg is merged into a megacity
  • January 1 - Canada's ban on cigarette advertisements on film, radio, and television goes into effect
  • January 1 - Canada's capital gains tax comes into effect
  • January 18 - Frank Moores becomes premier of Newfoundland, replacing Joey Smallwood, who had governed for 23 years
  • February 1 - The Atlantic Pilotage Authority is established
  • February 25 - The Pickering Nuclear Power Plant opens
  • April 15 - Canada and the United States sign the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
  • May 31 - The "member" level of the Order of Canada is created
  • June 16 - The Churchill Falls hydro-electric facility opens
  • July 14 - Donald MacDonald of the Canadian Labour Congress becomes the first non-European head of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

July to December

  • July 21 - Global Television Network network licence approved by the CRTC
  • August 30 - Frank Arthur Calder becomes the first Native Cabinet minister in Canadian history when he is appointed to the Cabinet of British Columbia
  • September 1 - An arson attack on the Blue Bird Café in Montreal kills 37 and leads to nationwide changes to fire codes.
  • September 4 – Armed robbers steal 18 paintings, including a Rembrandt, along with 38 pieces of jewellery, from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, valued at $2 million at the time in what is not only Canada's largest art theft but its largest theft of private property ever. Except for one returned in an attempt to negotiate a ransom, none of the paintings have been recovered nor have the thieves ever been identified publicly.
  • September 12 - Heritage Canada is established
  • September 15 - David Barrett becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing W.A.C. Bennett, who had governed for 20 years
  • September 27 - The sale of fire crackers is banned in Canada
  • September 28 - CITY-TV begins broadcasting in Toronto
  • October 30 - Federal election: Pierre Trudeau's Liberals win a minority
  • November 9 - Anik I, the world's first non-military communications satellite is launched.
  • December - The government's Parliamentary Flag Program begins
  • December 14 - Muriel McQueen Fergusson becomes the first female Speaker of the Senate of Canada.

Full date unknown

  • Government pensions are indexed to cost of living
  • The Art Bank is established
  • The Government of Ontario renames all departments to ministries.

Arts and literature

New works

  • Robertson Davies: The Manticore
  • Margaret Atwood: Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature
  • Mordecai Richler: Shovelling Trouble
  • John Newlove: Lies
  • Milton Acorn: More Poems for People
  • Donald Jack: Exit Muttering
  • Leona Gom: Kindling
  • Joy Fielding: The Best of Friends
  • Farley Mowat: A Whale for the Killing
  • Marshall McLuhan: Culture Is Our Business

Awards

  • See 1972 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
  • Stephen Leacock Award: Max Braithwaite, The Night They Stole the Mounties' Car
  • Vicky Metcalf Award: William Toye

Sport

  • March 18 – Toronto Varsity Blues win their sixth (and fourth consecutive) University Cup by defeating the Saint Mary's Huskies 5 to 0. The final game was played at the Palais des Sports in Sherbrooke, Quebec
  • May 11 – Parry Sound's Bobby Orr is awarded his second Conn Smythe Trophy
  • May 14 – Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Cornwall Royals win the Memorial Cup by defeating the Ontario Hockey Association's Peterborough Petes 2 to 1. The final game was played at the Ottawa Civic Centre.
  • September 28 – Canada defeats the Soviet Union in the Summit Series 4 games to 3. The deciding Game 8 was played at Luzhniki Palace of Sports in Moscow
  • October 11 – The World Hockey Association is established with four Canadian teams (Ottawa Nationals, Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets and Alberta Oilers)
  • November 25 – Alberta Golden Bears win their second Vanier Cup by defeating the Waterloo Lutheran Golden Hawks 20–7 in the 8th Vanier Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto
  • December 3 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats win their sixth Grey Cup by defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 13–10 in the 60th Grey Cup played at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton

Births

January to June

  • January 1
  • Jennifer Hale, actress and singer
  • Barron Miles, defensive back for the BC Lions in the CFL
  • January 3 - Drake Berehowsky, ice hockey player and coach
  • January 4 – Brad Zavisha, ice hockey player
  • January 7 - Susan Cushman, rhythmic gymnast
  • January 10 - Jonathan Ohayon, archer
  • January 16 – Dameon Clarke, actor and voice actor
  • January 25 - Katrina Von Sass, volleyball player
  • January 29 - Shaun Majumder, comedian and actor
  • January 30 - Chris Simon, ice hockey player
  • February 2 - Naheed Nenshi, politician, Mayor of Calgary
  • February 3 - Michael Kovrig, diplomat and hostage victim
  • February 7 - Jamie Shannon, actor and director
  • February 12 - Owen Nolan, ice hockey player
  • March 13 - Sherri Field, field hockey player
  • March 17 - Melissa Auf der Maur, bassist and photographer
  • March 22 - Elvis Stojko, figure skater, Olympic silver medalist and World Champion
  • April 1 - Rob Anders, politician
  • April 2 - Graham Hood, middle-distance runner
  • April 4 - Lisa Ray, model and actress0
  • April 9 - Karen Clark, synchronized swimmer
  • April 15 - Arturo Gatti, boxer, (died 2009 in Canada|2009)
  • April 17 - Terran Sandwith, ice hockey player
  • April 21 - Stefan Brogren, actor and director
  • April 24 - Nicolas Gill, judoka and Olympic silver medalist
  • May 5 - Brad Bombardir, ice hockey player
  • May 5 - Devin Townsend, vocalist, guitarist and record producer
  • May 6 - Martin Brodeur, ice hockey player
  • May 7 - Ray Whitney, ice hockey player
  • June 6 - Erin Woodley, synchronised swimmer
  • June 15 - Krista Thompson, field hockey player
  • June 17 - Steven Fletcher, politician and Minister
  • June 26 - Garou, singer
  • June 30 - Molly Parker, actress

July to December

  • July 4 - Mike Knuble, ice hockey player
  • July 5 - Robert Esmie, Olympic athlete
  • August 1
  • Marc Costanzo, musician
  • Tanya Reid, actress
  • August 2 – Kelly Richardson, Canadian contemporary artist
  • August 23 – Anthony Calvillo, Canadian Football League quarterback
  • August 27 - Mike Smith, actor
  • August 29 - Amanda Marshall, pop-rock singer
  • September 4 - Daniel Nestor, Serbian born tennis player
  • September 12 - Lori Strong, artistic gymnast
  • September 20 - Sergio Di Zio, actor
  • September 21 - Erin Fitzgerald, voice actress
  • September 27 - Clara Hughes, cyclist, speed skater and Olympic medalist
  • October 5 - Aaron Guiel, baseball player
  • October 11 - Brigitte Soucy, volleyball player
  • October 17 - Cameron Baerg, rower and Olympic silver medalist
  • November 1 - Glen Murray, ice hockey player
  • November 10 - Trevor Devall, voice actor and podcaster
  • November 11 - Adam Beach, actor
  • November 22 - Gabe Khouth, actor and voice actor (died 2019)
  • November 26 - Chris Osgood, ice hockey player
  • December 11 - Daniel Alfresson, Swedish ice hockey player
  • December 19 - Charles Lefrançois, high jumper
  • December 23 - Christian Potenza, actor and voice actor

Deaths

thumb|right|Lester Bowles Pearson in 1944

  • January 2 - James White, World War I flying ace (b.1893)
  • January 6 - Samuel McLaughlin, businessman and philanthropist (b.1871)
  • February 7 - William Henry Fenton, Ontario MLA (b. 1883)
  • April 7
  • Al Boliska, radio and television broadcaster (b. 1932)
  • Woodrow Stanley Lloyd, politician and 8th Premier of Saskatchewan (b.1913)
  • May 28 - Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor, former King of Canada (b.1894)
  • August 20 - A. M. Klein, poet, journalist, novelist, short story writer and lawyer (b.1909)
  • October 31 - Bill Durnan, ice hockey player (b.1916)
  • December 27 - Lester B. Pearson, politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, diplomat and 1957 Nobel Peace Prize recipient (b.1897)

See also

  • 1972 in Canadian television
  • List of Canadian films of 1972

References