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

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Incumbents

right opens between Nova Scotia and PEI]]
*Monarch - 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 International 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 1 - Hagood Hardy, pop/jazz pianist, composer, charity spokesperson
* January 12 - Frank Angelo, co-founder of MAC cosmetics
* January 12 - Charles Huggins, scientist, Nobel prize winner
* January 13 - Kate Buckman, bridge expert
* January 17 - W. A. Kardash, Manitoba politician
* January 22 - Jack Cole, Coles bookstore founder
* January 26 - Norman Fawcett, politician
* February 2 - Ian Ross, created major tourist attraction
* February 4 - Peter McCain, president of McCain Foods Limited
* February 20 - Lois Marshall, soprano
* February 25 - Francis Joubin, discovered one of world's largest uranium deposits
* March 2 - J. Carson Mark, influential in creation of hydrogen bomb
* March 12 - Jim Bowes, newspaper mogul
* March 14 - Ivan Romanoff, conductor
* March 25 - Hugh Horner, Alberta politician
* April 6 - Jack Kent Cooke, sports and newspaper entrepreneur
* April 8 - Albert Malouf, judge
* April 11 - Muriel Furguson, lawyer, Senate's first woman Speaker
* April 28 - Andrew Sarlos, investment counsellor, multimillionaire
* May 1 - Fernand Dumont, Quebec sovereigntist, author
* May 14 - Jane Musset, fashion reporter
* June 6 - Ron Collister, TV and radio journalist, talk-show host
* June 9 - Stanley Knowles, CCF MP
* June 22 - Gérard Pelletier, politician
* June 22 - Larry Grossman, Ontario politician
* June 29 - Art Solomon, spiritualist leader, author
* July 8 - Charles Tayler, journalist, horse breeder
* July 30 - Robert Bryce, civil servant
* August 20 - Léon Dion, Quebec political scientist
* August 24 - Hardial Bains, Communist Party leader
* September 2 - Hart Massey, architect
* September 12 - Judith Merril, science fiction writer, anthologist
* September 29 - Val Clery, writer, editor, broadcaster
* October 8 - James Ferguson, musician
* November 7 - Clyde Gilmour, CBC radio host
* November 11 - Arthur Davies, publisher and president of Kingston Whig-Standard, author
* 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 Péladeau, newspaper editor
* Pierre Granche, sculptor

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