1967 is remembered as one of the most notable years in Canada.[1] It was the centenary of Canadian Confederation and celebrations were held throughout the nation. The most prominent event was Expo 67 in Montreal, the most successful World's Fair ever held up to that time, and one of the first events to win international acclaim for the country. The year saw the nation's Governor General, Georges Vanier, die in office; and two prominent federal leaders, Official Opposition Leader John Diefenbaker, and Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson announced their resignations. The year's top news-story was French President Charles de Gaulle's "Vive le Québec libre" speech in Montreal. The year also saw major changes in youth culture with the "hippies" in Toronto's Yorkville area becoming front-page news over their lifestyle choices and battles with Toronto City Council. A new honours system was announced, the Order of Canada. In sports, the Toronto Maple Leafs won their 13th and last Stanley Cup.

1967
in
Canada

Decades:
See also:
Logo of Canada's centennial celebrations in 1967

In mountaineering, the year saw the first ascents of the highest peak in the remote Arctic Cordillera.

Overview

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The nation began to feel far more nationalistic than before, with a generation raised in a country fully detached from Britain. The new Canadian flag served as a symbol and a catalyst for this. In Quebec, the Quiet Revolution was overthrowing the oligarchy of francophone clergy and anglophone businessmen, and French Canadian pride and nationalism were becoming a national political force.

The Canadian economy was at its post-war peak, and levels of prosperity and quality of life were at all-time highs. Many of the most important elements of Canada's welfare state were coming on line, such as Medicare and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

These events were coupled with the coming of age of the baby boom and the regeneration of music, literature, and art that the 1960s brought around the world. The baby boomers, who have since dominated Canada's culture, tend to view the period as Canada's halcyon days.

1967 was an exciting year for Canadians. Communities across the country planned celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of confederation. The Federal Government sponsored events from coast to coast and provided funding and organization for such things as the Centennial Train and the Centennial Voyageur Canoe Pageant. Even Canada's military got the spirit by producing the Canadian Armed Forces Tattoo 1967 that toured the country from coast to coast with over 150 shows from St. John's, Newfoundland to Victoria, BC with a two week long production at EXPO 67 in Montreal. Tattoo 1967 was so successful, there were calls to have the show tour the world as a representative of Canadian culture.[2] The show set a world's record for the longest running military tattoo, a record that has never been equaled.[3]

While to Montreal it was the year of Expo, to Toronto it was the culmination of the Toronto Maple Leafs dynasty of the 1960s, with the team winning its fourth Stanley Cup in six years by defeating its arch-rival, the Montreal Canadiens, in the last all-Canadian Stanley Cup Finals until 1986.

Author and historian Pierre Berton famously referred to 1967 as Canada's last good year. In his analysis, the years following saw much of 1967's hopefulness disappear. In the early 1970s, the oil shock and other factors hammered the Canadian economy. Quebec separatism led to divisive debates and an economic decline of Montreal and Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) terrorism. The Vietnam War and Watergate Scandal in the United States also had profound effects on Canadians. Berton reported that Toronto hockey fans also note that the Maple Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since.[4]

Incumbents

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Crown

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Federal government

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Provincial governments

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Lieutenant governors

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Premiers

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Territorial governments

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Commissioners

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Events

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January to June

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July to December

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Full date unknown

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Arts and literature

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New books

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Poetry

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Awards

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Film

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Sport

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Births

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January to March

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April to June

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July to December

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Deaths

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Full date unknown

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See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Berton (1997), p. 364.
  2. ^ "Tour the World".
  3. ^ Wilson, Keith Allan. The Making of a Tattoo FriesenPress, 30 October 2017.
  4. ^ Berton (1997), pp. 357–367.
  5. ^ "Queen Elizabeth II | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b Lentz, Harris M. (4 February 2014). Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-134-26490-2.
  7. ^ Sun Victoria Bureau (1968-01-16). "Forces briefed on their new status". The Sun. Vancouver. p. 25. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  8. ^ Canadian Press (1967-12-30). "De Gaulle Affair Chosen as Top News Story". The Montreal Gazette. Montreal. p. 2. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  9. ^ Britannica Book of the Year 1968, covering events of 1967, published by The Encyclopædia Britannica, 1968, "Literature" article, "Canadian" section, page 483
  10. ^ a b c d e Gustafson, Ralph, The Penguin Book of Canadian Verse, revised edition, 1967, Baltimore, Maryland: Penguin Books
  11. ^ Web page titled "Archive: Michael Ondaatje (1943- )" at the Poetry Foundation website, accessed May 7, 2008
  12. ^ Roberts, Neil, editor, A Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry, Part III, Chapter 3, "Canadian Poetry", by Cynthia Messenger, Blackwell Publishing, 2003, ISBN 978-1-4051-1361-8, retrieved via Google Books, January 3, 2009
  13. ^ Web page titled "The Works of George Woodcock" at the Anarchy Archives website, which states: "This list is based on The Record of George Woodcock (issued for his eightieth birthday) and Ivan Avakumovic's bibliography in A Political Art: Essays and Images in Honour of George Woodcock, edited by W.H. New, 1978, with additions to bring it up to date"; accessed April 24, 2008
  14. ^ Sitney, P. Adams (1979). Visionary Film: The American Avant-Garde 1943-1978 (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 375. ISBN 978-0-19-502486-9.
  15. ^ "Her Majesty the Queen and Elizabeth Tracy Mae Wettlaufer Agreed Statement of Facts" (PDF). Superior Court of Justice (Southwest Region of Woodstock). Retrieved July 26, 2022.

Bibliography

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