# 1966 in Canada

Events from the year 1966 in Canada.

## Incumbents
### Crown

* Monarch – Elizabeth II

### Federal government

* Governor General – Georges Vanier
* Prime Minister – Lester B. Pearson
* Chief Justice – Robert Taschereau (Quebec)
* Parliament – 27th

### Provincial governments
#### Lieutenant governors

* Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – John Percy Page (until January 6) then Grant MacEwan
* Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – George Pearkes
* Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Richard Spink Bowles
* Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – John B. McNair
* Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Fabian O'Dea
* Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Henry Poole MacKeen
* Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – William Earl Rowe
* Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Willibald Joseph MacDonald
* Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Paul Comtois (until February 22) then Hugues Lapointe
* Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Robert Hanbidge

#### Premiers

* Premier of Alberta – Ernest Manning
* Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C. Bennett
* Premier of Manitoba – Dufferin Roblin
* Premier of New Brunswick – Louis Robichaud
* Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood
* Premier of Nova Scotia – Robert Stanfield
* Premier of Ontario – John Robarts
* Premier of Prince Edward Island – Walter Shaw (until July 28) then Alexander B. Campbell
* Premier of Quebec – Jean Lesage (until June 16) then Daniel Johnson, Sr.
* Premier of Saskatchewan – Ross Thatcher

### Territorial governments
#### Commissioners

* Commissioner of Yukon – Gordon Robertson Cameron (until November 7) then James Smith
* Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Bent Gestur Sivertz

## Events

* January 1: The Canada Pension Plan and the Quebec Pension Plan both begin operation
* February 25: Toronto Transit Commission inaugurates the Bloor-Danforth Subway line.
* March 4: The Munsinger Affair is Canada's first major political sex scandal
* May 1: Army camps, RCAF stations, and the RCN's land-based installations become Canadian Forces bases. Training schools and the pay system are unified.
* May 18: Paul Joseph Chartier is killed when a bomb he is carrying goes off on Parliament Hill
* June 5: The Union Nationale under Daniel Johnson, Sr. is elected in Quebec.
* June 16: Daniel Johnson, Sr., becomes premier of Quebec, replacing Jean Lesage
* July 28: Alexander B. Campbell becomes premier of Prince Edward Island, replacing Walter Shaw
* September 1: The CBC becomes the first Canadian television network to broadcast in colour, followed within days by the private-sector CTV Television Network.
* October 14: Montreal inaugurates its metro system (see Montreal Metro).
* October 17: The Montreal Metro opens
* November 4: Bill C-243, The Canadian Forces Reorganization Act, is introduced in Parliament.
* December 31: The Centennial Flame in front of Parliament Hill is lit
* The Revolutionary Strategy and the Role of the Avant-Garde outlining the strategy of the FLQ is written.
* The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program is established.
* The Medical Care Act is passed, helping set up the Medicare system

### Unknown

* The first Brazilian Carnival Ball is held in Toronto.
* The Glenbow Museum opens in Calgary.

## Arts and literature
### New works

* Cold Mountain. Singing Hands Series 3 by B. P. Nichol
* The Circle Game by Margaret Atwood
* Expeditions by Margaret Atwood
* Speeches for Doctor Frankenstein by Margaret Atwood
* Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen

### Awards

* See 1966 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
* Stephen Leacock Award: George Bain, Nursery Rhymes to Be Read Aloud by Young Parents with Old Children
* Vicky Metcalf Award: Fred Savage

### Music

* March 3: Canadian Neil Young, joins Stephen Stills and Richie Furay to form Buffalo Springfield.

### Television

* Star Trek premieres starring Montreal actor William Shatner

## Sports

* January 7 – Gene Kiniski wins his first (and only) NWA World Heavyweight Championship title by defeating Lou Thesz. Kiniski becomes the third Canadian to win the NWA title
* March 5 – The Toronto Varsity Blues win their first University Cup by defeating the Alberta Golden Bears 8–1, The final game was played at Sudbury Community Arena
* March 12 – Bobby Hull sets the record for the most goals in a National Hockey League (NHL) season.
* May 5 – The Montreal Canadiens win their 14th Stanley Cup by defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 2. Bracebridge, Ontario's Roger Crozier won the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing effort.
* May 15 – The Central Alberta Hockey League's Edmonton Oil Kings win their second Memorial Cup by defeating the Ontario Hockey Association's Oshawa Generals 4 games 2. All games were played Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
* November 19 – The St. Francis Xavier X-Men win their first Vanier Cup by defeating the Waterloo Lutheran Golden Hawks 40–14 in the 2nd Vanier Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto
* November 26 – The Saskatchewan Roughriders win their first Grey Cup by defeating the Ottawa Rough Riders 29–14 in the 54th Grey Cup played at Empire Stadium in Vancouver

## Births
### January to March

* January 2 – James Cantor, clinical psychologist and sexologist
* January 14 – Rene Simpson, tennis player (d. 2013)
* January 23 – Bernadette Bowyer, field hockey player
* January 24 – Michael Forgeron, rower and Olympic gold medallist
* January 30 – Doug Wood, pole vaulter
* February 17 – Luc Robitaille, ice hockey player
* February 20 – Louis Ferreira, actor
* February 27 – Donal Logue, actor
* March 1 – Susan Auch, speed skater and double Olympic silver medallist
* March 16 – Chrissy Redden, cyclist
* March 20 – Chris Gifford, field hockey player
* March 25 – Jeff Healey, jazz and blues-rock guitarist and vocalist (d. 2008)
* March 25 – David Hohl, wrestler
* March 29 – Pamela Rai, Olympic swimmer
* March 31 – Nathalie Gosselin, judoka

### April to June

* April 13 – Mike Carney, alpine skier
* April 14 – André Boisclair, politician
* April 15 – Beverly Thomson, television personality, journalist, and correspondent for CTV Television Network
* April 19 – David La Haye, actor
* April 20 – Vincent Riendeau, ice hockey player and coach
* April 24 – David Usher, rock singer-songwriter
* May 2 – Belinda Stronach, politician and Minister, businessperson and philanthropist
* May 11 – Michelle MacPherson, swimmer and Olympic bronze medallist
* May 12 – Anne Ottenbrite, swimmer and Olympic gold medallist
* May 23 – Gary Roberts, ice hockey player
* June 5 – Dwayne Hill, voice actor
* June 12 – Michael Redhill, poet, playwright and novelist
* June 18 – Kurt Browning, figure skater and four-time World Champion, choreographer
* June 19 – Mike Hasenfratz, ice hockey referee (d. 2024)
* June 24 – Debbie Fuller, diver
* June 26 – Kirk McLean, ice hockey player
* June 29 – John Part, darts player
* June 30
** Cheryl Bernard, curler
** Peter Outerbridge, actor

### July to September

* August 3 – Brent Butt, comedian and TV producer
* August 27 – Gianni Vignaduzzi, track cyclist
* September 10 – Joe Nieuwendyk, ice hockey player and manager
* September 27 – Gerry Byrne, politician

### October to December

* October 17 – Peter Milkovich, field hockey player and coach
* October 24 – Conrad Pla, kickboxer and actor
* October 25 – Wendel Clark, ice hockey player
* November 8 – Michael Soles, footballer (d. 2021)
* November 9 – Lisa Faust, field hockey player
* November 11 – Peaches, musician
* November 14 – André Gingras, dancer and choreographer (d. 2013)
* November 16 – Dean McDermott, Canadian-American actor
* November 21 – Christopher Bowie, swimmer
* December 1 – Larry Walker, baseball player
* December 5 – Deb Whitten, field hockey player
* December 8 – Tyler Mane, actor and wrestler
* December 10 – Dana Murzyn, ice hockey player
* December 14 – Bill Ranford, ice hockey player
* December 19 – Darren Dutchyshen, sportscaster (d. 2024)
* December 21 – Kiefer Sutherland, actor

### Full date unknown

* Stéphane Demers, actor

## Deaths

* January 22 – Morris Gray, politician (b.1889)
* February 6 - R.T.M. Scott, author
* April 8 – Robert Methven Petrie, astronomer (b.1906)
* July 11 – Andrew McNaughton, army officer, politician and diplomat (b.1887)
* September 5 – William Murdoch Buchanan, politician (b.1897)
* September 10 – Blodwen Davies, writer (b.1897)
* September 15 – Leonard Brockington, lawyer, civil servant and first head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) (b.1888)
* October 18 – Elizabeth Arden, businesswoman (b.1884)
* November 23 - Jean Baptiste Paul, Canadian First Nations wrestler (b.1896)
* December 2 - Ralph Allen, author and journalist (b.1913)