1917 in Canada
Encyclopedia
January to June
- February 1 - James Alexander MurrayJames Alexander MurrayJames Alexander Murray was a Conservative politician and the 16th Premier of New Brunswick. Murray was first elected to the legislature in 1908 and served as Minister of Agriculture before becoming Premier in 1917 only to have his government defeated in the general election weeks later.-External...
becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing George Johnson ClarkeGeorge Johnson ClarkeGeorge Johnson Clarke, KC was a New Brunswick lawyer, journalist and politician.A native of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, George Clarke taught school for a time in Charlotte County before studying law. He was called to the bar in 1885 and set up practice in St. Stephen. He was also editor of the... - April 4 - Walter FosterWalter Edward FosterWalter Edward Foster, PC was a politician and businessman in New Brunswick, Canada.Foster was born in St. Martins, New Brunswick. He began work as a clerk with the Bank of New Brunswick at Saint John...
becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Murray - April 9 - April 14 - Battle of Vimy RidgeBattle of Vimy RidgeThe Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army...
. - June 7 - Alberta electionAlberta general election, 1917The Alberta general election of 1917 was the fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada, held on 7 June 1917 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
: Arthur Sifton's Liberals win a fourth consecutive majority - June 21 - Aubin Arsenault becomes premier of Prince Edward Island, replacing John MathiesonJohn Alexander MathiesonJohn Alexander Mathieson was a Prince Edward Island politician and jurist, the 12th Premier.Mathieson was born in Harrington and was a graduate of Prince of Wales College...
- June 26 - Saskatchewan electionSaskatchewan general election, 1917The Saskatchewan general election of 1917 was the fourth provincial election in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on June 26, 1917, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan....
: William MartinWilliam Melville MartinWilliam Melville Martin served as the second Premier of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan from 1916 to 1922....
's Liberals win a fourth consecutive majority.
July to December
- July 31 - November 6 - Battle of Passchendaele.
- August - The government introduces conscriptionConscriptionConscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
triggering the Conscription Crisis of 1917Conscription Crisis of 1917The Conscription Crisis of 1917 was a political and military crisis in Canada during World War I.-Background:... - September 20 - The Income War Tax Act receives royal assentRoyal AssentThe granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
, establishing a "temporary" tax, which remains in force to this day. - September 20 - The Wartime Elections ActWartime Elections ActThe Wartime Elections Act was a bill passed on September 20, 1917 by the Conservative government of Robert Borden during the Conscription Crisis of 1917, and was instrumental in pushing Liberals to join the Conservatives in the formation of the Canadian Unionist government...
gives female relatives of servicemen the vote. - October 30 - Charles Stewart (1868–1946) becomes premier of Alberta, replacing Arthur Sifton
- December 6 - Halifax ExplosionHalifax ExplosionThe Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
kills 1900 people and injures 9000. The largest ever man-made explosion pre-HiroshimaHiroshimais the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
atomic bomb. - December 17 - Federal electionCanadian federal election, 1917The 1917 Canadian federal election was held on December 17, 1917, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Canada. Described by historian Michael Bliss as the "most bitter election in Canadian history", it was fought mainly over the issue of conscription...
: Robert BordenRobert BordenSir Robert Laird Borden, PC, GCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from October 10, 1911 to July 10, 1920, and was the third Nova Scotian to hold this office...
's Conservatives win a second consecutive majority
Sport
- November 26 - The NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
is established in MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. - December 19 - The first NHL game is played: Montreal WanderersMontreal WanderersThe Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are...
10, Toronto ArenasToronto ArenasThe Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company...
9.
January to June
- January 6 - Sydney BanksSydney BanksSydney Banks was a pioneer Canadian broadcaster and producer.- Early Days :Sydney Banks was born in Toronto, Canada on January 6, 1917. His parents were English, and Syd and his mother returned to England in 1919, to Cumbria, but they returned to Canada in the late 1920s...
, broadcaster and producer (d.20062006 in CanadaEvents from the year 2006 in Canada.-January to March:*January 1 - Thirty cities across the province of Quebec are reconstituted as the result of a referendum held on June 20, 2004.*January 10–29 seniors injured in a Toronto bus crash....
) - January 11 - John RobartsJohn RobartsJohn Parmenter Robarts, PC, CC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and statesman, and the 17th Premier of Ontario.-Early life:...
, lawyer, politician and 17th Premier of OntarioPremier of OntarioThe Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
(d.19821982 in Canada-Incumbents:* Monarch: Elizabeth II* Governor General: Edward Schreyer* Prime Minister: Pierre Trudeau* Premier of Alberta: Peter Lougheed* Premier of British Columbia: Bill Bennett* Premier of Manitoba: Howard Pawley...
) - April 25 - George R. GardinerGeorge R. GardinerGeorge Ryerson Gardiner, was a Toronto businessman, philanthropist and co-founder of the Gardiner Museum, the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to ceramic art.-Biography:...
, businessman, philanthropist and co-founder of the Gardiner MuseumGardiner MuseumThe Gardiner Museum is the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to ceramic art. It is located on Queen’s Park just south of Bloor Street in Toronto, opposite the Royal Ontario Museum. The nearest subway station is Museum.-History:...
(d.19971997 in CanadaEvents from the year 1997 in Canada.-Incumbents:*Monarch - 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...
) - May 12 - Frank ClairFrank ClairFrank James Clair was a coach in the Canadian Football League, nicknamed "the Professor" for his ability to recognize and develop talent. Clair is the 3rd all-time winningest head coach in the CFL with 147 wins and the winningest head coach in the post-season with 27 vistories...
, Canadian Football LeagueCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
coach (d.20052005 in CanadaEvents from the year 2005 in Canada. This year was recognized, by Veterans Affairs Canada, as the Year of the Veteran.-January:*January 7 - Minister of Health Ujjal Dosanjh arrives in Sri Lanka to survey the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami damage....
) - May 21 - Raymond BurrRaymond BurrRaymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
, actor (d.19931993 in CanadaEvents from the year 1993 in Canada.-Incumbents:*Monarch: Elizabeth II*Governor General: Ray Hnatyshyn*Prime Minister: Brian Mulroney then Kim Campbell then Jean Chrétien*Premier of Alberta: Ralph Klein*Premier of British Columbia: Mike Harcourt...
) - May 22 - Lude CheckLude CheckLudic Check was a professional hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League. After several years of hockey in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New York, Check was signed by the Montreal Canadiens after a season playing with the Quebec...
, ice hockey player (d.20092009 in CanadaEvents from the year 2009 in Canada.-January to March:*January 5 - Fourth explosion from 2008-09 British Columbia pipeline bombings destroyed a metering shed near the community of Tomslake, British Columbia....
) - May 24 - W. Ross ThatcherW. Ross ThatcherWilbert Ross Thatcher, PC was the ninth Premier of Saskatchewan, Canada, serving from 2 May 1964 to 30 June 1971....
, politician and 9th Premier of SaskatchewanPremier of SaskatchewanThe Premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive....
(d.19711971 in Canada- Incumbents :*Monarch: Elizabeth II*Governor General: Roland Michener*Prime Minister: Pierre Trudeau*Premier of Alberta: Harry Strom then Peter Lougheed*Premier of British Columbia: W.A.C...
) - June 17 - Dufferin RoblinDufferin RoblinDufferin "Duff" Roblin, PC, CC, OM was a Canadian businessman and politician. Known as "Duff," he served as the 14th Premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. Roblin was appointed to the Canadian Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In the government of Brian Mulroney, he served as...
, businessman, politician and 14th Premier of ManitobaPremier of ManitobaThe Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
(d.20102010 in CanadaEvents from the year 2010 in Canada.-January:*January 1 - The Ontario government files a lawsuit in an American court to stop the dumping of Asian carp into the Great Lakes, a fish that could damage the fishing industry....
) - June 18 - Arthur TremblayArthur TremblayArthur Julien Tremblay, was a Canadian politician.Born in St-Bruno, Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec, he received a Master of Arts degree in 1942 from Université Laval and a Master of Education degree in 1945 from Harvard University.In 1979, he was appointed by Joe Clark to the Senate representing the...
, politician and Senator (d.19961996 in CanadaEvents from the year 1996 in Canada.-Incumbents:*Monarch: Elizabeth II*Governor General: Roméo LeBlanc*Prime Minister: Jean Chrétien*Premier of Alberta: Ralph Klein*Premier of British Columbia: Mike Harcourt then Glen Clark...
) - June 29 - Archie GreenArchie GreenArchie Green was a folklorist specializing in laborlore and American folk music. Devoted to understanding vernacular culture, he gathered and commented upon the speech, stories, songs, emblems, rituals, art, artifacts, memorials, and landmarks which constitute laborlore...
, folklorist and musicologist (d.20092009 in CanadaEvents from the year 2009 in Canada.-January to March:*January 5 - Fourth explosion from 2008-09 British Columbia pipeline bombings destroyed a metering shed near the community of Tomslake, British Columbia....
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July to December
- September 12 - Pierre SévignyPierre SévignyJoseph Pierre Albert Sévigny, PC, OC, CD, VM, ED was a Canadian soldier, author, politician, and academic. He is best known for his involvement in the Munsinger Affair....
, soldier, author, politician and academic (d.20042004 in CanadaEvents from the year 2004 in Canada.-January:* January 1 - Montreal Dorval Airport is renamed, after some controversy, Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport....
) - September 15 - Alf Pike, ice hockey player and coach (d.20092009 in CanadaEvents from the year 2009 in Canada.-January to March:*January 5 - Fourth explosion from 2008-09 British Columbia pipeline bombings destroyed a metering shed near the community of Tomslake, British Columbia....
) - September 26 - Réal CaouetteRéal CaouetteDavid Réal Caouette was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was a Member of Parliament and leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada and founder of the Ralliement des créditistes...
, politician (d.19761976 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch: Elizabeth II*Governor General: Jules Léger*Prime Minister: Pierre Trudeau*Premier of Alberta: Peter Lougheed*Premier of British Columbia: W.R...
) - November 11 - Abram HofferAbram HofferAbram Hoffer was a Canadian biochemist, physician and psychiatrist. Hoffer developed a theory that nutrition and vitamins may be effective treatments for schizophrenia...
, orthomolecular psychiatrist (d.20092009 in CanadaEvents from the year 2009 in Canada.-January to March:*January 5 - Fourth explosion from 2008-09 British Columbia pipeline bombings destroyed a metering shed near the community of Tomslake, British Columbia....
) - November 28 - Jacob FroeseJacob FroeseJacob Froese was a politician in the Canadian province of Manitoba. He was the province's only Social Credit MLA between 1959 and 1973, and was the party's leader for most if not all of the period from 1959 to 1977....
, politician (d.20032003 in CanadaEvents from the year 2003 in Canada.-January to March:*January - A Windsor, Ontario court invalidates Canada's marijuana laws*January 20 - Avalanche kills eight skiers in eastern British Columbia...
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Full date unknown
- John HayesJohn Hayes (harness racer)John G. Hayes , was a harness racing driver/trainer/owner.Born in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, he was the son of a dairy farmer who went on to become a prominent figure in harness racing and the first Canadian to be selected to the Little Brown Jug's Wall of Fame...
, harness racing driver, trainer and owner (d.19981998 in CanadaEvents from the year 1998 in Canada.-January to March:*January 1 - Toronto and six other communities are merged to form a new megacity. The next day Mel Lastman is sworn in as its first mayor...
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January to June
- January 14 - Alexander CameronAlexander Cameron (politician)Alexander Cameron was a physician and political figure in Quebec. He represented Huntingdon in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1874 to 1892 as a Conservative and then Liberal member....
, physician and politician (b.18341834 in CanadaSee also:1833 in Canada,other events of 1834,1835 in Canada.----Events from the year 1834 in Canada.-January to June:*January - King William IV appoints an arbitrator to settle questions regarding customs dues between the Canadas....
) - February 17 - Ralph Smith, coal miner, labour leader and politician (b.18581858 in CanadaSee also:1857 in Canada,other events of 1858,1859 in Canada.----Events from the year 1858 in Canada.-Events:*The Canadian government imposes revenue tariffs on US manufactured goods to pay for railroad debts....
) - February 26 - George Johnson ClarkeGeorge Johnson ClarkeGeorge Johnson Clarke, KC was a New Brunswick lawyer, journalist and politician.A native of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, George Clarke taught school for a time in Charlotte County before studying law. He was called to the bar in 1885 and set up practice in St. Stephen. He was also editor of the...
, lawyer, journalist, politician and 14th Premier of New BrunswickPremier of New BrunswickThe Premier of New Brunswick is the first minister for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive....
(b.18571857 in CanadaSee also:1856 in Canada,other events of 1857,1858 in Canada.----Events from the year 1857 in Canada.-Events:*March 12 — The bridge over Desjardins Canal, near Hamilton, Canada West, collapses under a Great Western Railway passenger train...
) - June 13 - Louis-Philippe HébertLouis-Philippe HébertLouis-Philippe Hébert was the son of Théophile Hébert, a farmer, and Julie Bourgeois of Ste-Sophie de Mégantic, Quebec. Louis-Philippe Hébert was a sculptor who sculpted forty monuments, busts, medals and statues in wood, bronze and terra-cotta. He taught at the Conseil des arts et manufactures in...
, sculptor (b.18501850 in CanadaSee also:1849 in Canada,other events of 1850,1851 in Canada.----Events from the year 1850 in Canada.-Events:*January 14 - Malcolm Cameron visits Washington, D.C. about a trade reciprocity agreement....
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July to December
- July 8 - Tom ThomsonTom ThomsonThomas John Thomson , also known as Tom Thomson, was an influential Canadian artist of the early 20th century. He directly influenced a group of Canadian painters that would come to be known as the Group of Seven, and though he died before they formally formed, he is sometimes incorrectly credited...
, artist (b.18771877 in CanadaSee also:1876 in Canada,other events of 1877,1878 in Canada.----Events from the year 1877 in Canada.-Full date unknown:*Charles Alphonse Pantaléon Pelletier appointed Minister of Agriculture and called to the Senate of Canada...
) - July 15 - Lemuel John TweedieLemuel John TweedieLemuel John Tweedie was a politician from Chatham, New Brunswick.His law partner in Chatham for a time was Richard Bedford Bennett, later Prime Minister of Canada and Max Aitken for a time was his office boy....
, politician and 9th Premier of New BrunswickPremier of New BrunswickThe Premier of New Brunswick is the first minister for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive....
(b.18491849 in CanadaSee also:1848 in Canada,other events of 1849,1850 in Canada.----Events from the year 1849 in Canada.-Events:*January 1 - King's College becomes the University of Toronto...
) - August 6 - Richard McBrideRichard McBrideSir Richard McBride, KCMG was a British Columbian politician and is often considered the founder of the British Columbia Conservative Party. McBride was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1898 election, and served in the cabinet of James Dunsmuir from 1900 to 1901...
, politician and Premier of British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
(b.18701870 in CanadaEvents from the year 1870 in Canada.-Events:*June-July - The 1870 New Brunswick election*September 16 - Alfred Boyd becomes its first premier of Manitoba.*December 27 - The 1870 Manitoba election-Births:...
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- August 29 - Albert Grey, 4th Earl GreyAlbert Grey, 4th Earl GreyAlbert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey was a British nobleman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the ninth since Canadian Confederation....
, 9th Governor General of CanadaGovernor General of CanadaThe Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
(b.18511851 in CanadaSee also:1850 in Canada,other events of 1851,1852 in Canada.----Events from the year 1851 in Canada.-Events:*April 7 - The first Canadian postage stamps are printed*April 25 - Prince Edward Island wins responsible government...
) - October 31 - Gilbert GanongGilbert GanongGilbert White Ganong was a Canadian politician, the 14th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick and co-founder of Ganong Bros. Limited, candy makers in the town of St...
, businessman, politician and Lieutenant Governor of New BrunswickNew BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
(b.18511851 in CanadaSee also:1850 in Canada,other events of 1851,1852 in Canada.----Events from the year 1851 in Canada.-Events:*April 7 - The first Canadian postage stamps are printed*April 25 - Prince Edward Island wins responsible government...
) - November 10 - Thomas Simpson SprouleThomas Simpson SprouleThomas Simpson Sproule was a Canadian parliamentarian, Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons from 1911–1915, and a member of the Canadian Senate from 1915–1917.-Early life and education:...
, politician and Speaker of the Canadian House of CommonsSpeaker of the Canadian House of CommonsThe Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...
(b.18431843 in CanadaSee also:1842 in Canada,other events of 1843,1844 in Canada.----Events from the year 1843 in Canada.-Events:*January 19 - Mount Allison University is founded.*September 1 - First Prime Minister of Canada Sir John A...
) - December 10 - Mackenzie BowellMackenzie BowellSir Mackenzie Bowell, PC, KCMG was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Canada from December 21, 1894 to April 27, 1896.-Early life:Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, England to John Bowell and Elizabeth Marshall...
, politician and 5th Prime Minister of CanadaPrime Minister of CanadaThe Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
(b.18231823 in CanadaSee also:1822 in Canada,other events of 1823,1824 in Canada.----Events from the year 1823 in Canada.-Events:*May 10 - Louis-Joseph Papineau and John Neilson are in London to present a petition of 60,000 signatures against favouring Union of the colonies*October 14 - At a meeting, in Montreal, Mr...
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