1999 in Canada

yearbox
in?=in Canada
cp=19th Century
c=20th century
cf=21st century

yp1=1996
yp2=1997
yp3=1998
year=1999
ya1=2000
ya2=2001
ya3=2002

dp3=1960s
dp2=1970s
dp1=1980s
d=1990s
dn1=2000s
dn2=2010s
dn3=2020s

Incumbents

Events

* January 1: An avalanche destroys a school gymnasium during New Year's celebrations in Kangiqsualujjuaq in far northern Quebec, killing 9.
* February 9: Brian Tobin's Liberals are re-elected in Newfoundland
* February 13: the last hockey game is played at Maple Leaf Gardens as the team moves to the new Air Canada Centre
* April 1: Nunavut becomes the newest territory. Paul Okalik becomes its first premier
* April 6: A disgruntled employee kills four in Ottawa before killing himself
* April 16: Wayne Gretzky retires from hockey
* April 28: W. R. Myers High School shooting: In Taber, Alberta, a 15-year-old boy, who has recently been withdrawn from public school to escape bullying, walks into W.R. Myers High School and shoots two students with a .22 rifle, killing one (Jason Lang) and injuring the other.
* May 1: Sponsorship scandal: The federal government issues a $615,000 contract for a report from Groupaction into its own activities.
* May 11: Chevron announces a major natural gas find in the Northwest Territories
* May 17: The Saskatchewan government awards David Milgaard after he was jailed for 23 years for a murder he did not commit
* May 20 the Supreme Court expands gay spousal rights
* May 27: Julie Payette becomes the first Canadian to board the "International Space Station"
* June 3: Ontario election: Mike Harris's PCs win a second consecutive majority
* June 3: Canada and the United States sign a treaty to divide the Pacific salmon fishery
* June 4: An agreement on split-run magazines prevents looming trade war with the United States
* June 7: Bernard Lord's Conservatives win a surprise election victory in New Brunswick
* June 10: The Reform Party of Canada votes to become the Canadian Alliance
* June 17: Canadian citizen Stanley Faulder is executed in Texas, despite diplomatic complaints by the Canadian government
* June 21: Bernard Lord becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Camille Thériault
* June 30: A British Columbia court strikes down Canada's child pornography laws
* July 23–August 8: The Pan American games are held in Winnipeg
* July 27: The Conservatives win a majority government in Nova Scotia
* August 16: John Hamm becomes premier of Nova Scotia, replacing Russell MacLellan
* August 20: The Supreme Court rules that Quebec cannot secede unilaterally, but that Canada is obliged to recognize a clear yes vote
* August 20: Eaton's files for bankruptcy
* August 24: Onex announces a plan to buy and merge Air Canada and Canadian Airlines
* August 25: Dan Miller, as interim leader of the NDP, becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing Glen Clark who resigned on the 21st
* September 15: Louise Arbour appointed to the Supreme Court replacing Antonio Lamer
* September 19: Saskatchewan election: Roy Romanow's NDP wins only a minority but forms a coalition with the Liberals to maintain control of the Legislative Assembly
* September 25: The federal government refuses requests for aid by the six remaining Canadian NHL franchises
* October 5: Gary Doer of the NDP becomes premier of Manitoba, replacing Gary Filmon of the Conservatives
* October 7: Adrienne Clarkson becomes Governor General
* October 8: Bill Clinton dedicates the new Embassy of the United States in Ottawa
* October 15: Robert Mundell wins the Nobel Prize for economics
* October 19: Air Canada, backed by other airlines, announces a takeover bid for Canadian Airlines
* November 3: Beverley McLachlin becomes the first female chief justice of the Supreme Court
* November 5: A Quebec court decides that Onex's bid for Air Canada is illegal
* November 5: Quebec sign law is overturned
* November 13: Lennox Lewis defeats Evander Holyfield to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World
* November 21: Nimiq 1 Canada's first direct broadcast digital TV satellite launched by a Proton K Blok DM-3 rocket from the Tyuratam launch centre in Kazakhstan.
* December 8: Air Canada takes over Canadian Airlines
* December 11: The verdict in the Just Desserts shooting case is handed down. Two of the accused are found guilty, the third is acquitted.
* December 14: Montreal resident Ahmed Ressam is arrested in Seattle and found with large quantities of explosives

Arts and literature

:New Works:
*Bonnie Burnard: "A Good House"
*Wayson Choy: ""
*Matt Cohen: "Elizabeth and After"
*Antonine Maillet: "Chronique d'une sorcière de vent"
*Russell Smith: "Young Men"

:Awards
* Giller Prize for Canadian Fiction: Bonnie Burnard, "A Good House"
* See 1999 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
*Books in Canada First Novel Award: Andre Alexis, "Childhood"
*Gerald Lampert Award: Stephanie Bolster, "White Stone: The Alice Poems"
*Geoffrey Bilson Award: Iain Lawrence, "The Wreckers"
*Marian Engel Award: Janice Kulyk Keeger
*Norma Fleck Award: Andy Turnbull and Debora Pearson, "By Truck to the North: My Winter Adventure"
*Pat Lowther Award: Hilary Clark, "More Light"
*Stephen Leacock Award: Stuart McLean, "Home from the Vinyl Cafe"
*Trillium Book Award English: Alistair MacLeod, "No Great Mischief"
*Trillium Book Award French: Andrée Christensen and Jacques Flamand, "Lithochronos ou le premier vol de la pierre"
*Vicky Metcalf Award: Joan Clark:Music
*Céline Dion, Alanis Morissette, and Shania Twain win major Grammy Awards

Births

Deaths

* January 8: James William Baskin, politician
* January 10: Walter Harris, politician
* February 18: Neil Gaudry, Manitoba politician
* March 3: Gerhard Herzberg, scientist
* March 9: Harry Somers, composer
* March 24: Edmund Tobin Asselin, politician
* April 4: Greg McConnell, indie rock musician (Lost Dakotas)
* May 23: Owen Hart, WWF wrestler
* June: Gordon Towers, politician
* June 17: Stanley Faulder, murderer
* June 30: Tyrell Dueck
* July 16: Alan Macnaughton, politician
* August 12: Jean Drapeau, mayor of Montreal
* September 24: Robert Bend, Manitoba politician
* October 14: Ian Wahn, politician
* October 31: Greg Moore, racing car driver
* December 2: Matt Cohen, author
* December 11: Big Ben, race horse
* December 20: Hank Snow, country singer
* December 30: Rick Danko, musician