1972 in Canada

Incumbents

Crown

• Monarch – Elizabeth II

  Federal government

• Governor general – Roland Michener
• Prime minister – Pierre Trudeau
• Chief Justice – Gérald Fauteux
• Parliament – 28th

  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 then Dave Barrett
• Premier of Manitoba – Edward Schreyer
• Premier of New Brunswick – Richard Hatfield
• Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood 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 begins broadcasting in Ontario
• 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
• 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
• CityTV founded in Toronto
• The Government of Ontario renames all departments to ministries.

  Arts and literature

New works

• Robertson Davies: The Manticore
• Margaret Atwood: Survival
• 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 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
• 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 3 - Drake Berehowsky, ice hockey player and coach
• January 7 - Susan Cushman, rhythmic gymnast
• January 10 - Jonathan Ohayon, archer
• January 25 - Katrina Von Sass, volleyball player
• January 29 - Shaun Majumder, comedian and actor
• January 30 - Jennifer Hale, actress and singer
• 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 9 - Karen Clark, synchronized swimmer
• 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
• June 6 - Erin Woodley, synchronised swimmer
• June 15 - Krista Thompson, field hockey player
• June 17 - Steven Fletcher, politician and Minister
• June 26 - Garou, singer

  July to December

• July 4 - Mike Knuble, ice hockey player
• August 1 - Tanya Reid, actress
• August 29 - Amanda Marshall, pop-rock singer
• September 12 - Lori Strong, artistic gymnast
• September 20 - Sergio Di Zio, actor
• September 27 - Clara Hughes, cyclist, speed skater and Olympic medalist
• October 11 - Brigitte Soucy, volleyball player
• October 17 - Cameron Baerg, rower and Olympic silver medalist
• November 1 - Glen Murray, ice hockey player
• November 11 - Adam Beach, actor
• November 26 - Chris Osgood, ice hockey player
• December 19 - Charles Lefrançois, high jumper

  Deaths

• January 2 - James White, World War I flying ace
• January 6 - Samuel McLaughlin, businessman and philanthropist
• April 7 - Woodrow Stanley Lloyd, politician and 8th Premier of Saskatchewan
• August 20 - A. M. Klein, poet, journalist, novelist, short story writer and lawyer
• October 31 - Bill Durnan, ice hockey player
• December 27 - Lester B. Pearson, politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, diplomat and 1957 Nobel Peace Prize recipient