1975 in Canada explained

Events from the year 1975 in Canada.

Incumbents

Crown

• Monarch – Elizabeth II^[1]

Federal government

• Governor General – Jules Léger^[2]
• Prime Minister – Pierre Trudeau
• Chief Justice – Bora Laskin (Ontario)
• Parliament – 30th

Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

• • • • Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Ralph Steinhauer Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Walter Stewart Owen Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – William John McKeag Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Hédard Robichaud
    • Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Gordon Arnaud Winter Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Clarence Gosse Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – Pauline Mills McGibbon
    • Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Gordon Lockhart Bennett Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Hugues Lapointe Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Stephen Worobetz

Premiers

• • • • Premier of Alberta – Peter Lougheed Premier of British Columbia – Dave Barrett (until December 22) then Bill Bennett Premier of Manitoba – Edward Schreyer Premier of New Brunswick – Richard Hatfield
• Premier of Newfoundland – 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 - Product labelling using the metric system is introduced
• February 18 - Sylvia Ostry is appointed Canada's first female Deputy Minister.
• March 4 - Television cameras are allowed to film in Parliament
• March 24 - The beaver becomes an official symbol of Canada
• March 26 - Alberta election: Peter Lougheed's PCs win a second consecutive majority
• April 1 - Environment Canada switches to degrees Celsius
• April 2 - The CN Tower is completed in Toronto
• May 28 - Centennial Secondary School shooting
• May 30 - The Yukon and the Northwest Territories are given seats in the Senate
• June 11 - Saskatchewan election: Allan Blakeney's NDP win a second consecutive majority
• June 18 - Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announces the creation of the Foreign Investment Review Agency

July to December

• July 7 - David Lewis is replaced by Ed Broadbent as leader of the NDP
• July 23 - The Soviet Atlantic fishing fleet is banned from entering Canadian ports due to overfishing
• July 30 - Petro-Canada, the government-owned oil and gas company, is formed.
• September - Ontario schools begin to teach exclusively using the metric system
• September 1 - CKND, Winnipeg's newest television station, begins broadcasting
• September 11 - John Turner resigns from government to protest the implementation of wage and price controls.
• September 18 - Ontario election: Bill Davis's PCs win a minority
• October 2 – A blast at an explosives factory kills six in Beloeil, Quebec, Canada.
• October 4 - Mirabel Airport opens
• October 14 - Federal government introduces wage and price controls to limit inflation
• October 27 - St. Pius X High School shooting: Robert Poulin kills one person and wounds five at St. Pius X High School in Ottawa, before shooting himself.
• November 3 - CBC-FM rebranded as CBC Stereo
• November 10 - The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, based in Sault Ste. Marie sinks
• November 14 - Canada's first community-based campus radio station, CKCU-FM in Ottawa, hits the airwaves
• November 18 - The wearing of seatbelts is made mandatory in Ontario
• November 28 - Canadair nationalized
• December 22 - William R. Bennett sworn in as Premier of British Columbia, replacing David Barrett.

Full date unknown

• Izzy Asper acquires Winnipeg television station CKND, the beginning of what would become a national media empire.
• Rohinton Mistry emigrates to Canada
• First Canadian Place opens in Toronto
• Colin Thatcher, who would later become famous for his involvement in the murder of his ex-wife, is elected to the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly.
• In June, 1975 Ovivo, a water and wastewater treatment and purification company, is founded in Quebec as Laperrière & Verreault Inc. (rebranded in 2010).^[3]

Arts and literature

New books

• World of Wonders - Robertson Davies
• A Fine and Private Place - Morley Callaghan
• The Unwavering Eye: Selected Poems, 1969-1975 - Irving Layton
• It's Me Again - Donald Jack
• The Island Means Minago - Milton Acorn
• Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang - Mordecai Richler
• Un jardin au bout du monde - Gabrielle Roy
• Jardin des délices - Roch Carrier

Awards

• See 1975 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Stephen Leacock Award: Morley Torgov, A Good Place to Come From
• Vicky Metcalf Award: Lyn Harrington

Music

• March 1 - Anne Murray and Oscar Peterson each win a Grammy Award.
• Paul Anka - Times of Your Life is released
• Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns

Television

• Saturday Night Live, produced by Canadian Lorne Michaels and also featuring Paul Shaffer and Dan Aykroyd, premieres in the United States.

Sport

• March 16 - Alberta Golden Bears won their Third University Cup by defeating the Toronto Varsity Blues 2 games to 1. All the games were played at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton
• May 11 - Toronto Marlboros won their Seventh (and Final) Memorial Cup by defeating the New Westminster Bruins 7–3. The Final game was played at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex
• May 12 - Houston Aeros won their Second (and Final) Avco Cup by defeating the Quebec Nordiques 4 games to 0. The deciding game was played at the Colisée de Québec
• May 27 - Montreal, Quebec's Bernie Parent of the Philadelphia Flyers is awarded his Second Conn Smythe Trophy
• November 21 - Ottawa Gee-Gees won their First Vanier Cup by defeating the Calgary Dinos by a score of 14–9 in the 11th Vanier Cup played at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto
• November 23 - Edmonton Eskimos won their Fourth Grey Cup by defeating the Montreal Alouettes 9 to 8 in the 63rd Grey Cup played at McMahon Stadium in Calgary

Births

January to March

• January 1 - Tammy Homolka, murder victim (d. 1990)
• January 20 - Mark Allan Robinson, political activist
• January 22 - Shean Donovan, ice hockey player
• January 25 - Mia Kirshner, actress
• February 2 - Todd Bertuzzi, ice hockey player
• February 7 - Alexandre Daigle, ice hockey player
• February 15 - Serge Aubin, ice hockey player
• February 16 - Rebecca Shoichet, voice actress and singer
• February 17 - Todd Harvey, ice hockey player and coach
• February 24 - Ashley MacIsaac, fiddler
• February 25 - Hercules Kyvelos, boxer
• March 13 - Ollie Heald, former professional soccer player
• March 17 - Andrew Martin, wrestler (d. 2009)

April to June

• April 4 - Kevin Weekes, ice hockey player
• April 7 - Owen Von Richter, swimmer
• April 13 - Jasey-Jay Anderson, snowboarder
• April 22 - Greg Moore, racecar driver (d. 1999)
• May 13 - Jamie Allison, ice hockey player
• May 16 - Simon Whitfield, triathlete
• May 20 - Tahmoh Penikett, actor
• May 24 - Marc Gagnon, short track speed skater, triple Olympic gold medallist and multiple World Champion
• May 26 - Craig Hutchison, swimmer
• May 27 - Stella Umeh, artistic gymnast
• May 29 - Jason Allison, ice hockey player
• June 9 - Carolyne Lepage, judoka
• June 16 - Graham Ryding, squash player
• June 18 - Martin St. Louis, ice hockey player
• June 27 - Carlton Chambers, sprint athlete and Olympic gold medallist
• June 28 - Jeff Geddis, film and television actor

July to September

• July 2 - Éric Dazé, ice hockey player
• July 5 - Patrick Hivon, actor
• July 17 - Troy Amos-Ross, boxer
• July 24 - Marnie Baizley, squash player
• August 13 - Marty Turco, ice hockey player
• August 14 - Dustin Hersee, swimmer
• August 15 - Brendan Morrison, ice hockey player
• September 1 - Scott Speedman, actor
• September 9 - Michael Bublé, singer and actor
• September 22 - Ethan Moreau, hockey player

October to December

• October 2 - Michel Trudeau, student and brother of Justin Trudeau (d. 1998)
• October 21 - Madchild, rapper
• October 23 - Holly McNarland, musician, singer and songwriter
• October 30 - Ian D'sa, guitarist
• October 31 - Director X, music video director
• November 1 - Éric Perrin, ice hockey player
• November 4 - Éric Fichaud, ice hockey player
• November 7 - Mike Mintenko, swimmer
• November 12 - Kiara Bisaro, mountain biker^[4]
• November 15 - Yannick Tremblay, ice hockey player
• November 21 - Aaron Solowoniuk, drummer
• December 2 - Brett Lindros, ice hockey player
• December 9 - Damhnait Doyle, pop singer
• December 16 – Ben Kowalewicz, vocalist
• December 17 - Nick Farrell, boxer
• December 18 - Trish Stratus, pro wrestler
• December 20 - Andrew Hoskins, rower

Deaths

January to June

• January 25 - Charlotte Whitton, feminist, politician and mayor of Ottawa (b. 1896)
• February 15 – Charles Basil Price, soldier and politician (b. 1890)
• March 18 - Alain Grandbois, poet (b. 1900)
• April 11 - Thomas Crerar, politician and minister (b. 1876)
• May 28 - Michael Slobodian, murderer responsible for the Centennial Secondary School shooting (b. 1959)
• June 13 - Merrill Denison, playwright (b. 1893)

July to December

• August 27 - Jack Dennett, radio and television announcer (b. 1916)
• September - Pat Lowther, poet (b. 1935)
• October 27 - St. Pius X High School shooting
  • Kim Rabot (b. 1958), victim
  • Robert Poulin (b. 1957), murderer
• December 4 - Graham Towers, first Governor of the Bank of Canada (b. 1897)
• December 12 - Roy Kellock, jurist and Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada (b. 1893)

See also

• 1975 in Canadian television
• List of Canadian films of 1975

Notes and References

1. Web site: Queen Elizabeth II The Canadian Encyclopedia . www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca . 4 December 2022.
2. Book: Lentz . Harris M. . Heads of States and Governments Since 1945 . 4 February 2014 . Routledge . 978-1-134-26490-2 . 143 . en.
3. Web site: Laurent Verreault: fully happy with the success of GL&V Jean-Philippe Décarie . La Presse. 12 November 2012.
4. Web site: Kiara BISARO - Olympic Cycling Mountain Bike Canada . International Olympic Committee . 21 June 2019 . en . 20 June 2016.