# 1972 in Canada

Events from the year 1972 in Canada.

## Incumbents
### Crown

* Monarch – Elizabeth II

### Federal government

* Governor General – Roland Michener
* Prime Minister – Pierre Trudeau
* Chief Justice – Gérald Fauteux (Quebec)
* Parliament – 28th (until 1 September)

### Provincial governments
#### Lieutenant governors

* Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Grant MacEwan
* Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – John Robert Nicholson
* Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – William John McKeag
* Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Hédard Robichaud
* Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Ewart John Arlington Harnum
* Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Victor de Bedia Oland
* Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – William Ross Macdonald
* Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – John George MacKay
* Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Hugues Lapointe
* Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Stephen Worobetz

#### Premiers

* Premier of Alberta – Peter Lougheed
* Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C. Bennett (until September 15) then Dave Barrett
* Premier of Manitoba – Edward Schreyer
* Premier of New Brunswick – Richard Hatfield
* Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood (until January 18) then Frank Moores
* Premier of Nova Scotia – Gerald Regan
* Premier of Ontario – Bill Davis
* Premier of Prince Edward Island – Alexander B. Campbell
* Premier of Quebec – Robert Bourassa
* Premier of Saskatchewan – Allan Blakeney

### Territorial governments
#### Commissioners

* Commissioner of Yukon – James Smith
* Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Stuart Milton Hodgson

## Events
### January to June

* January 1 - Winnipeg is merged into a megacity
* January 1 - Canada's ban on cigarette advertisements on film, radio, and television goes into effect
* January 1 - Canada's capital gains tax comes into effect
* January 18 - Frank Moores becomes premier of Newfoundland, replacing Joey Smallwood, who had governed for 23 years
* February 1 - The Atlantic Pilotage Authority is established
* February 25 - The Pickering Nuclear Power Plant opens
* April 15 - Canada and the United States sign the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
* May 31 - The "member" level of the Order of Canada is created
* June 16 - The Churchill Falls hydro-electric facility opens
* July 14 - Donald MacDonald of the Canadian Labour Congress becomes the first non-European head of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

### July to December

* July 21 - Global Television Network network licence approved by the CRTC
* August 30 - Frank Arthur Calder becomes the first Native Cabinet minister in Canadian history when he is appointed to the Cabinet of British Columbia
* September 1 - An arson attack on the Blue Bird Café in Montreal kills 37 and leads to nationwide changes to fire codes.
* September 4 – Armed robbers steal 18 paintings, including a Rembrandt, along with 38 pieces of jewellery, from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, valued at $2 million at the time in what is not only Canada's largest art theft but its largest theft of private property ever. Except for one returned in an attempt to negotiate a ransom, none of the paintings have been recovered nor have the thieves ever been identified publicly.
* September 12 - Heritage Canada is established
* September 15 - David Barrett becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing W.A.C. Bennett, who had governed for 20 years
* September 27 - The sale of fire crackers is banned in Canada
* September 28 - CITY-TV begins broadcasting in Toronto
* October 30 - Federal election: Pierre Trudeau's Liberals win a minority
* November 9 - Anik I, the world's first non-military communications satellite is launched.
* December - The government's Parliamentary Flag Program begins
* December 14 - Muriel McQueen Fergusson becomes the first female Speaker of the Senate of Canada.

### Full date unknown

* Government pensions are indexed to cost of living
* The Art Bank is established
* The Government of Ontario renames all departments to ministries.

## Arts and literature
### New works

* Robertson Davies: The Manticore
* Margaret Atwood: Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature
* Mordecai Richler: Shovelling Trouble
* John Newlove: Lies
* Milton Acorn: More Poems for People
* Donald Jack: Exit Muttering
* Leona Gom: Kindling
* Joy Fielding: The Best of Friends
* Farley Mowat: A Whale for the Killing
* Marshall McLuhan: Culture Is Our Business

### Awards

* See 1972 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
* Stephen Leacock Award: Max Braithwaite, The Night They Stole the Mounties' Car
* Vicky Metcalf Award: William Toye

## Sport

* March 18 – Toronto Varsity Blues win their sixth (and fourth consecutive) University Cup by defeating the Saint Mary's Huskies 5 to 0. The final game was played at the Palais des Sports in Sherbrooke, Quebec
* May 11 – Parry Sound's Bobby Orr is awarded his second Conn Smythe Trophy
* May 14 – Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Cornwall Royals win the Memorial Cup by defeating the Ontario Hockey Association's Peterborough Petes 2 to 1. The final game was played at the Ottawa Civic Centre.
* September 28 – Canada defeats the Soviet Union in the Summit Series 4 games to 3. The deciding Game 8 was played at Luzhniki Palace of Sports in Moscow
* October 11 – The World Hockey Association is established with four Canadian teams (Ottawa Nationals, Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets and Alberta Oilers)
* November 25 – Alberta Golden Bears win their second Vanier Cup by defeating the Waterloo Lutheran Golden Hawks 20–7 in the 8th Vanier Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto
* December 3 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats win their sixth Grey Cup by defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 13–10 in the 60th Grey Cup played at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton

## Births
### January to June

* January 1 - Barron Miles, defensive back for the BC Lions in the CFL
* January 3 - Drake Berehowsky, ice hockey player and coach
* January 4 – Brad Zavisha, ice hockey player
* January 7 - Susan Cushman, rhythmic gymnast
* January 10 - Jonathan Ohayon, archer
* January 16 – Dameon Clarke, actor and voice actor
* January 25 - Katrina Von Sass, volleyball player
* January 29 - Shaun Majumder, comedian and actor
* January 30
** Jennifer Hale, actress and singer
** Chris Simon, ice hockey player
* February 2 - Naheed Nenshi, politician, Mayor of Calgary
* February 3 - Michael Kovrig, diplomat and hostage victim
* February 7 - Jamie Shannon, actor and director
* February 12 - Owen Nolan, ice hockey player
* March 13 - Sherri Field, field hockey player
* March 17 - Melissa Auf der Maur, bassist and photographer
* March 22 - Elvis Stojko, figure skater, Olympic silver medalist and World Champion
* April 1 - Rob Anders, politician
* April 2 - Graham Hood, middle-distance runner
* April 4 - Lisa Ray, model and actress0
* April 9 - Karen Clark, synchronized swimmer
* April 15 - Arturo Gatti, boxer, (died 2009 in Canada|2009)
* April 17 - Terran Sandwith, ice hockey player
* April 24 - Nicolas Gill, judoka and Olympic silver medalist
* May 5 - Brad Bombardir, ice hockey player
* May 5 - Devin Townsend, vocalist, guitarist and record producer
* May 6 - Martin Brodeur, ice hockey player
* May 7 - Ray Whitney, ice hockey player
* June 6 - Erin Woodley, synchronised swimmer
* June 15 - Krista Thompson, field hockey player
* June 17 - Steven Fletcher, politician and Minister
* June 26 - Garou, singer
* June 30 - Molly Parker, actress

### July to December

* July 4 - Mike Knuble, ice hockey player
* July 5 - Robert Esmie, Olympic athlete
* August 1
** Marc Costanzo, musician
** Tanya Reid, actress
* August 2 – Kelly Richardson, Canadian contemporary artist
* August 23 – Anthony Calvillo, Canadian Football League quarterback
* August 27 - Mike Smith, actor
* August 29 - Amanda Marshall, pop-rock singer
* September 4 - Daniel Nestor, Serbian born tennis player
* September 12 - Lori Strong, artistic gymnast
* September 20 - Sergio Di Zio, actor
* September 21 - Erin Fitzgerald, voice actress
* September 27 - Clara Hughes, cyclist, speed skater and Olympic medalist
* October 5 - Aaron Guiel, baseball player
* October 11 - Brigitte Soucy, volleyball player
* October 17 - Cameron Baerg, rower and Olympic silver medalist
* November 1 - Glen Murray, ice hockey player
* November 10 - Trevor Devall, voice actor and podcaster
* November 11 - Adam Beach, actor
* November 22 - Gabe Khouth, actor and voice actor (died 2019)
* November 26 - Chris Osgood, ice hockey player
* December 11 - Daniel Alfresson, Swedish ice hockey player
* December 19 - Charles Lefrançois, high jumper
* December 23 - Christian Potenza, actor and voice actor

## Deaths

* January 2 - James White, World War I flying ace (b.1893)
* January 6 - Samuel McLaughlin, businessman and philanthropist (b.1871)
* February 7 - William Henry Fenton, Ontario MLA (b. 1883)
* April 7
** Al Boliska, radio and television broadcaster (b. 1932)
** Woodrow Stanley Lloyd, politician and 8th Premier of Saskatchewan (b.1913)
* May 28 - Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor, former King of Canada (b.1894)
* August 20 - A. M. Klein, poet, journalist, novelist, short story writer and lawyer (b.1909)
* October 31 - Bill Durnan, ice hockey player (b.1916)
* December 27 - Lester B. Pearson, politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, diplomat and 1957 Nobel Peace Prize recipient (b.1897)