1973 in Canada

Events from the year 1973 in Canada.

← 1972 1971 1970 1973 in Canada → 1974 1975 1976
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
See also:	History of Canada Timeline of Canadian history List of years in Canada

Incumbents

Crown

• Monarch – Elizabeth II

Federal government

• Governor General – Roland Michener
• Prime Minister – Pierre Trudeau
• Chief Justice – Gérald Fauteux (Quebec) (until 23 December) then Bora Laskin (Ontario)
• Parliament – 29th (from January 4)

Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

• Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Grant MacEwan
• Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – John Robert Nicholson (until February 13) then Walter Stewart Owen
• 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 (until October 1) then Clarence Gosse
• 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 – Dave Barrett
• 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 25 - The Irish Stardust runs aground north of Vancouver Island, causing a large oil spill.
• February 1 - Gerald Bouey succeeds Louis Rasminsky as Governor of the Bank of Canada.
• February 5 - Work begins on the construction of the CN Tower
• February 14- Yukon Native Brotherhood tabled "Together today for our Children Tomorrow" marking the start of the Yukon Land Claims process
• February 13 - The Gendron Report is issued; it recommends making French Quebec's only official language
• February 15 - The Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific is established in Victoria, British Columbia
• April 2 - Montreal announces Canada's first lottery to help pay for the 1976 Summer Olympics
• April 20 - Anik A2 is launched.
• May 10 - The Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup 4 games to 2 over the Chicago Blackhawks, Yvan Cournoyer is voted MVP.
• May 23 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police celebrate their 100th anniversary.
• July 7 - The Libertarian Party of Canada is founded.
• August - Pride Week 1973, a national gay rights event, takes place simultaneously in several of Canada's largest metropolitan cities, including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver.
• August 20 - The 1973 Artistic Woodwork strike begins. It ends on December 5, 1973.
• October 17 - OPEC dramatically raises the price of oil. This is a boon to Alberta but hurts central Canada.
• November 1 - Waterloo Lutheran University is renamed Wilfrid Laurier University
• November 13 - A jury refuses to convict Henry Morgentaler for performing abortions
• November 29 - The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat is established.
• December 7 - Canada sells its first CANDU Reactor to South Korea
• First Air is founded

Arts and literature

New works

• Farley Mowat - Tundra: Selections from the Great Accounts of Arctic Land Voyages
• Donald Jack - That's Me in the Middle
• Robert Kroetsch - Gone Indian
• Elizabeth Goudie - Woman of Labrador
• Raymond Fraser - The Black Horse Tavern

Awards

• See 1973 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Stephen Leacock Award: Donald Bell, Saturday Night at the Bagel Factory
• Vicky Metcalf Award: Christie Harris

Radio

• The Royal Canadian Air Farce is formed

Television

• Alex Trebek moves to the United States to host The Wizard of Odds.

Sport

• March 17 - Toronto Varsity Blues won their Seventh (and Fifth consecutive) University Cup by defeating the Saint Mary's Huskies 3 to 2. The Final game was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
• May 6 - New England Whalers won the First Avco Cup by defeating the Winnipeg Jets 4 game to 1.
• May 10 - Montreal Canadiens won their Eighteenth Stanley Cup by defeating the Chicago Black Hawks 4 Games to 2. Drummondville, Quebec's Yvan Cournoyer was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy
• May 12 - Ontario Hockey Association's Toronto Marlboros won their Sixth Memorial Cup by defeating the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Quebec Remparts 9-1. All games were played at the Montreal Forum.
• November 24 - Saint Mary's Huskies won their First Vanier Cup by defeating the McGill Redmen by a score of 14-6 in the 9th Vanier Cup played at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto
• November 25 - Ottawa Rough Riders won their Eighth Grey Cup by defeating Edmonton Eskimos 22-18 in the 61st Grey Cup played at CNE Stadium in Toronto. Edmonton, Alberta's Garry Lefebvre becomes First Canadian-born Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian.

Births

January to March

• January 3 - Robert Baird, swimmer
• January 4 - Greg de Vries, ice hockey player
• January 6 - Scott Ferguson, ice hockey player and coach
• January 8 - Robert Braknis, swimmer
• January 11 - Sarah Forbes, field hockey player
• January 13 - Dana Anderson, field hockey player
• January 16 - Nathalie Giguère, swimmer
• January 26 - Larissa Lowing, artistic gymnast
• February 4 - Manny Legacé, ice hockey player
• February 5 - Marty O'Donnell, boxer
• February 12 - Tara Strong, actress and businesswoman
• February 28 - Eric Lindros, ice hockey player
• March 1 - Ryan Peake, lead guitarist and backing vocalist
• March 3 - Sean Campbell, field hockey player
• March 13 - Allison Higson, swimmer
• March 24 - Philippe Boucher, ice hockey player
• March 31 - Ian Goldberg, cryptographer and cypherpunk

April to June

• April 5 - Kristin Topham, swimmer
• April 11 - Andrea Constand, Bill Cosby accuser
• April 23 - Derek Armstrong, ice hockey player
• April 25 - Paige Gordon, diver
• May 4
  • Matthew Barnaby, ice hockey player
  • John Madden, ice hockey player
• May 12 - Robert Tinkler, Canadian voice actor and screenwriter
• May 13 - Mike Beres, badminton player
• May 14 - Natalie Appleton, singer
• May 25 - Josée Corbeil, volleyball player
• June 1 - Jeff Schiebler, long-distance runner
• June 25 - René Corbet, Canadian ice hockey player

July to September

• July 3 - Adrian Aucoin, ice hockey player
• July 3 - Melanie Jans, squash player
• July 13 - Gavin Hassett, rower and Olympic silver medallist
• July 19 - Scott Walker, ice hockey player
• July 22 - Rufus Wainwright, singer-songwriter
• July 27 - Niki Jenkins, judoka
• July 27 - David McLellan, swimmer
• August 24 - Andrew Brunette, ice hockey player
• August 28 - Kirby Morrow, voice actor (d. 2020)
• August 29 - Jessica Holmes, comedian and actress
• August 31 - Scott Niedermayer, ice hockey player
• September 6 - Greg Rusedski, tennis player
• September 18 - Paul Brousseau, ice hockey player
• September 26 – Elaine Lui, television personality, co-host of etalk

October to December

• October 3 - Neve Campbell, actress
• October 5 – Annabelle Chvostek, singer-songwriter
• October 16 – Todd van der Heyden, journalist and news anchor
• October 18 – Alex Tagliani, racing driver
• October 23 - Scott Mosher, field hockey player
• October 30 - Adam Copeland, wrestler
• November 9 - Alyson Court, actress
• November 10 - Iain Brambell, rower and Olympic bronze medallist
• November 12 - Keith Morgan, judoka
• November 14 - Moka Only, rapper and producer (Swollen Members)
• November 22 – Cassie Campbell, Canadian ice hockey forward and CBC commentator
• November 27 - Mike Oliver, field hockey player
• November 30 - Carla Somerville, field hockey player and coach
• December 1 - Brian Froud, actor and voice actor
• December 5 - Shalom Harlow, model and actress
• December 14
  • Sue Armstrong, field hockey player
  • Tomasz Radzinski, soccer player
• December 20
  • David Nedohin, curler
  • Cory Stillman, ice hockey player and coach
• December 22 - Annie Pelletier, diver and Olympic bronze medallist
• December 25 - Alexandre Trudeau, filmmaker and journalist
• December 31 - Curtis Myden, swimmer

Deaths

George Alexander Drew in 1947

January to June

• January 4 - George A. Drew, politician and 14th Premier of Ontario (b.1894)
• February 5 - Wilbert Ross Aylesworth, politician
• February 22 - Jean-Jacques Bertrand, politician and 21st Premier of Quebec (b.1916)
• March 2 - John Percy Page, 8th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (b. 1887)

Leslie Frost

• March 11 - Tim Buck, politician and long-time leader of the Communist Party of Canada (b.1891)
• May 4 - Leslie Frost, politician and 16th Premier of Ontario (b.1895)
• May 6 - Ernest MacMillan, conductor and composer (b.1893)
• June 14 - Henry Herbert Stevens, politician and businessman (b.1878)

July to December

Louis St. Laurent

• July 18 - Christine Demeter, murder victim (b.1940)
• July 25 - Louis St. Laurent, politician and 12th Prime Minister of Canada (b.1882)
• July 27 - James Macdonnell, soldier, lawyer and politician (b.1884)
• December - Alfred Fuller, businessman (b.1885)

Full date unknown

• William George Bock, politician (b.1884)

See also

• 1973 in Canadian television
• List of Canadian films of 1973