1940 in Canada

Crown

Head of state (monarch) – King George VI (consort – Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon)

Federal government

Governor general – John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir (until February 11) then Earl of Athlone (from June 21) (viceregal consort – Susan Buchan, Baroness Tweedsmuir then Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone)

Prime minister – William Lyon Mackenzie King

Lieutenant governors

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – John C. Bowen

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Eric Hamber

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – William Johnston Tupper(until November 1) then Roland Fairbairn McWilliams

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Murray MacLaren (until March 5) then William George Clark

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Robert Irwin (until May 31) then Frederick Francis Mathers

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – Albert Edward Matthews

Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Bradford William LePage

Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Eugène Fiset

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Archibald Peter McNab

Premiers

Premier of Alberta – William Aberhart

Premier of British Columbia – Thomas Dufferin Pattullo

Premier of Manitoba – John Bracken

Premier of New Brunswick – Allison Dysart (until March 13) then John McNair

Premier of Nova Scotia – Angus Lewis Macdonald (until July 10) then A.S. MacMillan

Premier of Ontario – Mitchell Hepburn

Premier of Prince Edward Island – Thane Campbell

Premier of Quebec – Adélard Godbout

Premier of Saskatchewan – William John Patterson

Commissioners

Controller of Yukon – George A. Jeckell

Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Charles Camsell

January to June

March 13 - John McNair becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Allison Dysart

March 21 - Alberta election: William Aberhart's Social Credit Party wins a second consecutive majority

March 26 - Federal election: Mackenzie King's Liberals win a second consecutive majority

April 3 - Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone is appointed Governor General of Canada replacing the late John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir

April 25 - Quebec women get the vote in provincial elections

May 28-June 30 - World War II: The Canadian navy stations seven destroyers in the English Channel; these play an important role in evacuating Allied troops from France

June - World War II: Canadian troops are some of a small number of forces defending Britain

June 5 - Nazi, fascist, and communist groups are declared illegal in Canada and leaders and members are jailed

June 10 - World War II: Canada declares war against Italy

June 13-June 18 - World War II: A small number of Canadian troops land in Brest, France but are forced to evacuate soon after

June 21 - The National Resources Mobilization Act is passed; conscription is introduced, but only for homeland defence

July to December

July 10 – Alexander MacMillan becomes premier of Nova Scotia, replacing Angus Macdonald

August 1–September 17 – World War II: 80 Canadian pilots participate in the Battle of Britain

August 5 – Camillien Houde, the mayor of Montreal is arrested for sedition due to his anti-conscription rhetoric

August 7 – Unemployment insurance is introduced

August 13 – The Canadian Armoured Corps is established

August 18 – The Odgensburg Agreement on continental defence is signed with the United States

September 5: United Kingdom trades most of its North American military bases to the United States in exchange for 50 destroyers

Full date unknown

The Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies is completed.

The Rowell-Sirois Commission report on federal-provincial relations is released

Wilbur Franks invents the g-suit at the University of Toronto

New Works

Morley Callaghan - Just ask George

Awards

See the 1940 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.

January to March

January 1 - Clifford Olson, serial killer (d.2011)

January 10 - Guy Chevrette, politician

January 28 - Valery Fabrikant, professor of mechanical engineering and murderer responsible for the Concordia University massacre on August 24, 1992

February 4 - Michelle Rossignol, Canadian actress

February 16 - Don Bertoia, middle distance runner

March 4 - Nellie Cournoyea, former politician and 6th Premier of the Northwest Territories and the first female premier of a Canadian territory

March 6 - Ken Danby, artist (d.2007)

March 22 - Dave Keon, ice hockey player

April to June

April 18 - Robert N. Kucey, author

May 4 - Paul Thompson, playwright and theatre director

May 8 - Irwin Cotler, politician and Minister

May 10 - Peter Liba, journalist and Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba (d. 2007)

May 20 - Otto Jelinek, figure skater, businessman and politician

June 6 - Brian Ransom, politician

June 14 - Mark Assad, politician

June 25 - Louise Dacquay, politician

July to September

July 4 - Pat Stapleton, ice hockey player

July 11 - Yvon Charbonneau, politician

July 15 - Glen Findlay, politician

July 22 - Alex Trebek, television personality and game show host

July 27 - Harvie Andre, engineer, businessman, politician and Minister

July 28 - Mario Sergio, politician

August 7 - Sally McCallum, track and field athlete

September 6 - Brian Smith, ice hockey player and sportscaster (d.1995)

September 9 - Larry Lund, ice hockey player

September 11 - Gerry Phillips, politician

September 20 - Doug Young, politician and Minister

September 30

Harry Jerome, track and field runner (d.1982)

Dewey Martin, rock drummer (d.2009)

October to December

October 11 - David McFadden, poet, fiction writer and travel writer

October 19 - Bill Gairdner, track and field athlete

October 29 - Galen Weston, businessman

November 13 - Daniel Pilon, Canadian actor

November 20 - George Swede, poet and children's writer

November 29 - Denny Doherty, singer and songwriter (d. 2007)

December 20 - Ed Helwer, politician

December 29 - George Puce, discus thrower

Full date unknown

Christine Demeter, murder victim (d.1973)

Stan Hagen, politician (d.2009)

Dave Nichol, Loblaws products marketer (d.2013)

January to June

February 11 - John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, novelist, politician and 15th Governor General of Canada (b.1875)

March 3 - Joseph Ovide Brouillard, politician and businessman (b.1859)

March 26 - Richard Squires, politician and Prime Minister of Newfoundland (b.1880)

April 25 - John Hampden Burnham, politician and lawyer (b.1860)

May 2 - James Bowman, politician (b.1861)

June 10 - Norman McLeod Rogers, lawyer, politician and Minister (b.1894)

July to December

September 2 - Maude Abbott, physician (b.1869)

September 7 - Laura Borden, wife of Robert Borden, 8th Prime Minister of Canada (b.1862)

October 9 - Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary (b.1865)

October 10 - Berton Churchill, actor (b.1876)

December 5 - Wilfred Lucas, actor, film director and screenwriter (b.1871)