1967 in Canada

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Logo of Canada's centennial celebrations in 1967

1967 is remembered as one of the most notable years in Canada. It was Canada's centenary and celebrations were held throughout the nation. The most prominent event was Expo 67 in Montreal, the most successful World's Fair ever and one of the first events to win international acclaim for the country. Montreal would later host the Summer Olympics of 1976, which also brought international attention.

1 Overview
2 Incumbents
3 Events
4 Arts and literature
5 Births
6 Deaths

[edit] Overview

Expo 67 poster

The nation began to feel far more nationalistic than before, with a generation raised in a country fully detached from Britain. The new Canadian flag served as a symbol and a catalyst for this. In Quebec, the Quiet Revolution was overthrowing the oligarchy of francophone clergy and anglophone businessmen, and French Canadian pride and nationalism were becoming a national political force.

The Canadian economy was at its post-war peak, and levels of prosperity and quality of life were at all-time highs. Many of the most important elements of Canada's welfare state were coming on line, such as Medicare and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

These events were coupled with the coming of age of the baby boom and the regeneration of music, literature, and art that the 1960s brought around the world. The baby boomers who have since dominated Canada's culture tend to view the period as Canada's halcyon days.

While to Montreal it was the year of Expo, to Toronto it was the culmination of the Toronto Maple Leafs dynasty of the 1960s, with the team winning its fourth Stanley Cup in six years.

Author and historian Pierre Berton has famously referred to 1967 as "Canada's last good year". The years following saw much of 1967's hopefulness disappear. In the early 1970s, the oil shock and other factors hammered the Canadian economy. Quebec separatism led to divisive debates and an economic decline of Montreal and Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) terrorism. The Vietnam War and Watergate Scandal in the United States also had profound effects on Canadians. Toronto hockey fans would also note that the Maple Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since.

[edit] Incumbents

[edit] Events

In 1967, Frank Mahovlich and Red Kelly celebrate the last Stanley Cup won by the Toronto Maple Leafs to date

January 1 - Several municipalities such as Forest Hill and Swansea are merged into Toronto
March 25 - After the death of Georges Vanier, Roland Michener becomes Governor General
April - Bill C-243, The Canadian Forces Reorganization Act, is given third and final reading in the House of Commons
April 12 - The House of Commons votes to make "O Canada" Canada's official national anthem
April 17 - The Order of Canada is created
April 28 - Expo 67 opens in Montreal
May - The GO Transit service begins in Toronto
May 2 - The Toronto Maple Leafs win the sixth game of the Stanley Cup final over the Montreal Canadiens to win their last Stanley Cup to date.
May 23 - Alberta election: Ernest Manning's Social Credit Party wins a ninth consecutive majority
June 20 - The National Library of Canada opens
July 1 - Canada celebrates its centennial
July 24 - During an official state visit to Canada, French President Charles de Gaulle declares to a crowd of over 100,000 in Montreal: Vive le Québec libre! (Long live free Quebec!). The statement, interpreted as support for Quebec independence, delighted many francophone Quebecers but angered the Canadian government and many English Canadians.
July 30 - The Caribbean community in Toronto stages the first Caribana, with only eight bands and 1,000 spectators. It later grows into the third largest carnivale in the world, drawing over 1 million spectators and 250,000 visitors a year.
August 5 - Schizophrenic Victor Hoffman kills nine near Shell Lake, Saskatchewan
September 9 - Robert Stanfield wins the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party
September 13 - George Smith becomes premier of Nova Scotia, replacing Robert Stanfield
October 11 - Saskatchewan election: Ross Thatcher's Liberals win a second consecutive majority
October 14 - René Lévesque quits the Quebec Liberal Party and leaves to form the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
October 17 - Ontario election: John Robarts's PCs win a seventh consecutive majority
November 5 - Robert Stanfield becomes head of the federal Progressive Conservative Party
November 16 - The Museum of Science and Technology opens in Ottawa
November 25 - Walter Weir becomes premier of Manitoba, replacing Dufferin Roblin
November 26 - A conference organized by John Robarts of Ontario brings together all the provincial premiers to discuss the constitution
December 14 - Lester B. Pearson announces he will step down as prime minister early in the next year
December 27 - Justice Minister Pierre Trudeau proposes sweeping reforms that, among other things, make homosexual acts legal in Canada
The University of Lethbridge is founded
The Ottawa 67's Ontario Hockey League team is formed
Bobby Orr wins the first of his eight consecutive Norris Trophies
The Canadian Rugby Union is renamed the Canadian Amateur Football Association