1983 in Canada

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Events from the year 1983 in Canada.

Incumbents

Crown

• Head of state (monarch) – Queen Elizabeth II (consort – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)

Federal government

• Governor general – Edward Schreyer (viceregal consort – Lily Schreyer)
• Prime minister – Pierre Trudeau

Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

• Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Francis Charles Lynch-Staunton
• Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Henry Pybus Bell-Irving (until July 15) then Robert Gordon Rogers
• Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Pearl McGonigal
• Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – George Stanley
• Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – William Anthony Paddon
• Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – John Elvin Shaffner
• Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – John Black Aird
• Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Joseph Aubin Doiron
• Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Jean-Pierre Côté
• Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Irwin McIntosh (until July 6) then Frederick Johnson

Premiers

• Premier of Alberta – Peter Lougheed
• Premier of British Columbia – Bill Bennett
• Premier of Manitoba – Howard Pawley
• Premier of New Brunswick – Richard Hatfield
• Premier of Newfoundland – Brian Peckford
• Premier of Nova Scotia – John Buchanan
• Premier of Ontario – Bill Davis
• Premier of Prince Edward Island – James Lee
• Premier of Quebec – René Lévesque
• Premier of Saskatchewan – Grant Devine

Territorial governments

Commissioners

• Commissioner of Yukon – Douglas Bell
• Commissioner of Northwest Territories – John Havelock Parker

Premiers

• Premier of the Northwest Territories – George Braden
• Premier of Yukon – Chris Pearson

Events

• January 1 - The metric system of weights and measures is officially adopted by the federal government although Imperial units are still used.
• January 17 - Saskatchewan MLA Colin Thatcher resigns as Minister of Energy and Mines after several well-publicised disputes with premier Grant Devine.
• January 21 - JoAnn Thatcher, ex-wife of Saskatchewan MLA Colin Thatcher, is murdered in her Regina home. Colin would later be convicted of the crime.
• February 1 - Pay television begins operating in Canada.
• February 15 - The Tamarack Review ceases publication
• April 1 - The spending mandate by Premier Bill Bennett's government expires without a sitting of the House or the calling of an election: constitutional interregnum and crisis
• April 5 - Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Henry Pybus Bell-Irving summons Premier Bennett to Government House. The L-G issues emergency warrants to cover spending until a snap election.
• June 2 - Air Canada Flight 797 makes an emergency landing in Cincinnati, Ohio - a fire kills 23 of 41 passengers on board.
• June 9 - Bill 101, protecting the French language in Quebec is ruled unconstitutional
• June 11 - Brian Mulroney replaces Joe Clark as leader of Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
• June 19 - BC Place in Vancouver opens
• July 23 - Gimli Glider: Air Canada flight 143 makes an emergency landing in Gimli, Manitoba.
• October 1 - North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization is established
• November 17 - The Western Grain Transportation Act is passed
• December 23 - Jeanne Sauvé is appointed Canada's first female Governor General

Full date unknown

• Canada agrees to allow testing of American cruise missiles in the west
• The Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station, the first Nuclear power plant in the Maritimes

Arts and literature

New books

• A Time for Judas - Morley Callaghan
• Unearthing Suite - Margaret Atwood
• Seagull on Yonge Street - Bill Bissett

Awards

• See 1983 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Books in Canada First Novel Award: W.P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe
• Gerald Lampert Award: Diana Hartog, Matinee Light
• Pat Lowther Award: Rhea Tregebov, Remembering History
• Stephen Leacock Award: Morley Torgov, The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick
• Vicky Metcalf Award: Claire Mackay

Film

• Graham Greene makes his film debut in Running Brave
• David Cronenberg's The Dead Zone is released
• A film is made of Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf, named Never Cry Wolf.

Sport

• March 5 - Steve Podborski wins Gold at the World Cup of Skiing.
• October 1 - Soccer Bowl '83 is played in Vancouver's BC Place Stadium before 53,326 fans. Tulsa defeats Toronto, 2–0 to win the North American Soccer League title.
• Grey Cup - Toronto Argonauts won 18-17 over the BC Lions
• Vanier Cup - Calgary Dinos won 31-21 over the Queen's Golden Gaels

Births

January to June

• January 3 - Joe Bartoch, swimmer
• February 2 - Jordin Tootoo, ice hockey player
• February 6 - Myron Wolf Child, youth activist, public speaker and politician (d.2007)
• February 9 - Keith Beavers, swimmer
• February 14 - Sasha Andrews, soccer player
• March 3
  • Olia Berger, judoka
  • Marie-Pier Boudreau Gagnon, synchronized swimmer
• March 10 - Reena Virk, murder victim (d.1997)
• April 7 - Kyle Labine, actor
• April 12 - Anthony Sedlak, chef, and the host of Food Network Canada's The Main (d.2012)
• April 28 - Dan Mangan, singer-songwriter
• May 20 - Dan Blackburn, ice hockey player
• June 6 - Lyndie Greenwood, Canadian actress
• June 22 - Sheena Lawrick, softball player
• June 26 - Jessika Dubuc, synchronized swimmer

July to December

• July 6
  • Leo Carroll, volleyball player
  • Christine Firkins, Canadian actress
• July 21 - Tara Campbell, water polo player
• August 18 - Chuck Bishop
• September 10 - Joey Votto, baseball player
• September 27 - Jay Bouwmeester, ice hockey player
• November 4 - Melanie Kok, rower
• December 24 - Daniel Stein, water polo player

Deaths

January to June

• January 21 - JoAnn Wilson, murder victim (b.1939)
• March 16 - Fred Rose, politician and trade union organizer (b.1907)
• May 1 - George Hodgson, swimmer and double Olympic gold medalist (b.1893)
• May 10 - Leonard Marsh, social scientist and professor (b.1906)
• May 25 - Jean Rougeau, professional wrestler and bodyguard of Québec Premier René Lévesque (b.1929)
• June 2 -
  • Thomas John Bentley, politician (b.1891)
  • Stan Rogers, folk musician and songwriter (b.1949)
• June 12 - Norma Shearer, Academy Award–winning actress (b.1902)
• June 27 - Alden Nowlan, poet, novelist, playwright and journalist (b.1933)

July to December

• July 11 - Ross Macdonald, novelist (b.1915)
• July 13 - Gabrielle Roy, author (b.1909)
• July 29 - Raymond Massey, actor (b.1896)
• September 21 - Andrew Brewin, lawyer and politician (b.1907)
• October 20 - Yves Thériault, author (b.1915)
• November 24 - Graham Spry, broadcasting pioneer, business executive, diplomat and socialist (b.1900)
• December 2 - Fifi D'Orsay, actress (b.1904)

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