1972 in Canada

Years in Canada:	1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975
Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
Years:	1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975

Part of a series on the
History of Canada
Year list / Timeline
Pre-colonization 1497-1763 1534–1763 1764–1866 1867–1914 1914–1945 1945–1960 1960–1981 1982–1992 1992–present
Topics
Constitutional history Cultural history Economic history Former colonies Immigration history Military history Monarchical history National Historic Sites Persons of significance Population history Territorial evolution Bibliography
Portal

Events from the year 1972 in Canada.

Incumbents

Crown

• Head of state (monarch) – Queen Elizabeth II (consort – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)

Federal government

• Governor general – Roland Michener (viceregal consort – Norah Michener)
• Prime minister – Pierre Trudeau

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 begins broadcasting in Ontario
• August 30 - Frank 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 Bar in Montreal kills 37
• 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
• 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 Canadian Senate.

Full date unknown

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

Arts and literature

New works

• Robertson Davies: The Manticore
• Margaret Atwood: Survival
• 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

• September 28 - Paul Henderson scores the "goal of the century" to give Canada the win in the Summit Series, the first-ever top-level hockey showdown between Canada and the Soviet Union.
• The World Hockey Association begins operations.

Births

January to June

• January 3 - Drake Berehowsky, ice hockey player and coach
• January 7 - Susan Cushman, rhythmic gymnast
• January 10 - Jonathan Ohayon, archer
• January 25 - Katrina Von Sass, volleyball player
• January 29 - Shaun Majumder, comedian and actor
• January 30 - Jennifer Hale, actress and singer
• 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 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
• June 15 - Krista Thompson, field hockey player
• June 17 - Steven Fletcher, politician and Minister
• June 26 - Garou, singer

July to December

• July 4 - Mike Knuble, ice hockey player
• August 1 - Tanya Reid, actress
• August 29 - Amanda Marshall, pop-rock singer
• September 12 - Lori Strong, gymnast
• September 20 - Sergio Di Zio, actor
• September 27 - Clara Hughes, cyclist, speed skater and Olympic medalist
• October 11 - Brigitte Soucy, volleyball player
• October 17 - Cameron Baerg, rower and Olympic silver medalist
• November 1 - Glen Murray, ice hockey player
• November 11 - Adam Beach, actor
• November 26 - Chris Osgood, ice hockey player
• December 19 - Charles Lefrançois, high jumper

Deaths

• January 2 - James White, World War I flying ace (b.1893)
• January 6 - Samuel McLaughlin, businessman and philanthropist (b.1871)
• April 7 - Woodrow Stanley Lloyd, politician and 8th Premier of Saskatchewan (b.1913)

Lester Bowles Pearson in 1944

• 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)