1972 in Canada explained

Events from the year 1972 in Canada.

Incumbents

Crown

• Monarch – Elizabeth II^[1]

Federal government

• Governor General – Roland Michener^[2]
• 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.^[3]

Arts and literature

New works

• Robertson Davies

The Manticore

• Margaret Atwood

• 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 - 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
  • Jennifer Hale, actress and singer
  • 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 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

• 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

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: The Evolution of Education in Ontario: Rev. Dr. Egerton Ryerson. 2017-10-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20121115224807/http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/education/ryerson.aspx. 2012-11-15. dead.