1959 in Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
See also: 1958 in Canada, other events of 1959, 1960 in Canada and the Timeline of Canadian history.
Contents |
[edit] Incumbents
- Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II
- Governor General: Georges Vanier
- Prime Minister: John Diefenbaker
- Premier of Alberta: Ernest Manning
- Premier of British Columbia: W.A.C. Bennett
- Premier of Manitoba: Duff Roblin
- Premier of New Brunswick: Hugh John Flemming
- Premier of Newfoundland: Joey Smallwood
- Premier of Nova Scotia: Robert Stanfield
- Premier of Ontario: Leslie Frost
- Premier of Prince Edward Island: Alex Matheson then Walter Shaw
- Premier of Quebec: Maurice Duplessis then Paul Sauvé
- Premier of Saskatchewan: Tommy Douglas
[edit] Events
- February 20: Avro Arrow project is terminated
- April 1: The St. Lawrence Seaway opens
- June 11: Ontario general election, 1959: Leslie Frost's PCs win a fifth consecutive majority
- June 18: Alberta general election, 1959: Ernest Manning's Social Credit Party wins a seventh consecutive majority
- June 20: The Escuminac Disaster results in 35 fishermen drowned or missing and 22 fishing boats sunk.
- September 7: Maurice Duplessis, Premier of Quebec, dies in office
- September 11: Paul Sauvé becomes premier of Quebec
- September 15: Georges Vanier is sworn in as Governor General replacing Vincent Massey. He is the first French Canadian Governor General.
- September 16: Walter Shaw becomes premier of Prince Edward Island, replacing Alex Matheson
- November 1: Jacques Plante becomes the first goalie to wear a protective face mask
- November 18: Canadian content rules are introduced for television
- December 2: York University is founded
- National Energy Board of Canada is created
- Farm Credit Corporation established
[edit] Arts and literature
- New books
- Mordecai Richler: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
- Hugh MacLennan: The Watch That Ends the Night
- Farley Mowat: Grey Seas Under
- Max Aitken: Friends
- Gordon R. Dickson: Dorsai!
- Awards
- See 1959 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
[edit] Births
- January 1: Sharon Bayes, field hockey goalkeeper
- January 3: Dwight Duncan, politician
- January 8: Bill Sawchuk, swimmer
- January 11: Rob Ramage, ice hockey player
- April 6: Jim Rondeau, politician
- April 13: Genevieve Brunet, Canadian female cyclist
- April 15: Kevin Lowe, ice hockey player
- April 20: Stephen Harper, politician
- April 22: Ryan Stiles, comedian
- April 30: Paul Gross, actor
- May 14: Rick Vaive, ice hockey player
- May 17: David Andres, politician
- June 4: Rex Barnes, politician
- June 12: Scott Thompson, comedian
- June 28: Brad Fraser, playwright
- July 16: Joanna MacGregor, politician
- August 29: Chris Hadfield, astronaut
- September 29: Robert Thibault, politician
- October 14: Dominic Agostino, politician
- November 5: Bryan Adams, singer
- November 17: Guy André, politician
- November 22: Geoff Regan, politician
[edit] Deaths
- January 26: Barbara Hanley, Canada's first female mayor
- February 11: Harry James Barber, politician
- June 3: Filip Konowal, WWI Victoria Cross recipient
- September 7: Maurice Duplessis, Premier of Quebec
