1991 in Canada

"See also:"
1990 in Canada,
other events of 1991,
1992 in Canada and the
list of 'years in Canada'.

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Incumbents

*Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II
*Governor General: Ray Hnatyshyn
*Prime Minister: Brian Mulroney
*Premier of Alberta: Don Getty
*Premier of British Columbia: Bill Vander Zalm then Rita Johnston then Michael Harcourt
*Premier of Manitoba: Gary Filmon
*Premier of New Brunswick: Frank McKenna
*Premier of Newfoundland: Clyde Wells
*Premier of Nova Scotia: Roger Bacon then Donald Cameron
*Premier of Ontario: Bob Rae
*Premier of Prince Edward Island: Joe Ghiz
*Premier of Quebec: Robert Bourassa
*Premier of Saskatchewan: Grant Devine then Roy Romanow

Events

* January 1: The Goods and Services Tax comes into effect
* January 15: Canadian Forces begin their participation in the Persian Gulf War
* January 29: The Allaire Committee releases its report on Canada's constitution: it recommends sweeping changes such as the abolition of the Senate.
* January 30: Gulf War: A Canadian CF-18 Hornet attacks and causes irreparable damage to an Iraqi warship.
* February 9: Donald Cameron becomes premier of Nova Scotia, replacing Roger Bacon
*February 27: Gulf War: Iraq agrees to a cease-fire ending the conflict
* April 2: Rita Johnston becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing Bill Vander Zalm
* April 22: Joe Clark is appointed Minister of Constitutional Affairs
* May: George Erasmus, leader of the Assembly of First Nations, resigns and is succeeded by Ovide Mercredi
* May 14: MP John Nunziata alleges the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) know who bombed the Air-India flight 182 but did not have evidence needed for prosecution.
* June 15: Paul Bernardo kidnaps, rapes, and murders Leslie Mahaffy
* June 19: The Dobbie-Castonguay Commission is created to look into changes to the constitution.
* July 3: The process leading to the privatization of Petro-Canada is begun
* September 24: Dobbie-Castonguay Commission recommends an elected Senate and recognizing Quebec as a distinct society.
* October 21: The Saskatchewan election: Roy Romanow's NDP win a majority, defeating Grant Devine's PCs
* November 1: Roy Romanow becomes premier of Saskatchewan, replacing Grant Devine
* November 5: Michael Harcourt becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing Rita Johnston
* November 14: Nellie Cournoyea becomes government leader of the Northwest Territories, replacing Dennis Patterson
* Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the President of Haiti, visits Canada and is warmly welcomed by the large Haitian community in Montreal, where he had studied at the Université de Montréal.
* Julius Alexander Isaac is named Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada. He becomes the first Black Chief Justice in Canada
* David Schindler of the University of Alberta wins the first international Stockholm Water Prize for environmental research.
* Ferguson Jenkins becomes the first Canadian elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
* Canadian peacekeepers begin a five-year deployment to El Salvador
* Canadian observers are sent to Western Sahara
* News media: "eye weekly" created in Toronto

Arts and literature

:New works
*Rohinton Mistry: "Such a Long Journey"
*Douglas Coupland: ""
*Margaret Atwood: "Wilderness Tips"
*Dave Duncan: "Faery Lands Forlorn"
*Hume Cronyn: "A Terrible Liar"
*Spider Robinson: "Starseed":Awards
* See 1991 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
*Books in Canada First Novel Award: Nino Ricci, "Lives of the Saints"
*Gerald Lampert Award: Diana Brebner, "Radiant Life Forms"
*Geoffrey Bilson Award: Marianne Brandis, "The Sign of the Scales"
*Marian Engel Award: Joan Clark
*Pat Lowther Award: Karen Connelly, "The Small Words in My Body"
*Stephen Leacock Award: Howard White, "Waiting in the Rain"
*Trillium Book Award: Margaret Atwood, "Wilderness Tips"
*Vicky Metcalf Award: Brian Doyle:Film
*Atom Egoyan's "The Adjuster" is released
*James Cameron's "" is released. It is the year's highest grossing film:Music
*Trevor Pinnock becomes director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra

Births

Deaths

*Jean-Paul Mousseau, muralist
*Maryon Pearson, wife of Lester B. Pearson
*May 9: Loran Ellis Baker, politician
*July 8: Gordon Stewart Anderson, writer
*September 25: Stanley Waters, senator