1998 in Canada

Crown

Head of state (monarch) – Queen Elizabeth II (consort – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)

Federal government

Governor general – Roméo LeBlanc (viceregal consort – Diana Fowler)

Prime minister – Jean Chrétien

Lieutenant governors

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Bud Olson

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Garde Gardom

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Yvon Dumont

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Marilyn Trenholme Counsell

Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Arthur Maxwell House

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – James Kinley

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – Hillary Weston

Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Gilbert Clements

Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Lise Thibault

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Jack Wiebe

Premiers

Premier of Alberta – Ralph Klein

Premier of British Columbia – Glen Clark

Premier of Manitoba – Gary Filmon

Premier of New Brunswick – Raymond Frenette (until May 14) then Camille Thériault

Premier of Newfoundland – Brian Tobin

Premier of Nova Scotia – Russell MacLellan

Premier of Ontario – Mike Harris

Premier of Prince Edward Island – Pat Binns

Premier of Quebec – Lucien Bouchard

Premier of Saskatchewan – Roy Romanow

Commissioners

Commissioner of Yukon – Judy Gingell

Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Helen Maksagak

Premiers

Premier of the Northwest Territories – Don Morin (until November 26) then Goo Arlooktoo (November 26 to December 10) then Jim Antoine

Premier of Yukon – Piers McDonald

January to March

January 1 - Toronto and six other communities are merged to form a new megacity. The next day Mel Lastman is sworn in as its first mayor. Three other Ontario cities were similarly merged on the same date in 2001.

January 2 - Three separate avalanches in British Columbia kill a total of nine people.

January 5 - The Ice Storm of 1998, caused by El Niño, strikes southern Ontario and Quebec, resulting in widespread power failures, severe damage to forests, and a number of deaths.

January 6 - Alan Eagleson pleads guilty to fraud.

January 7 - The federal government formally apologizes for the past mistreatment of First Nations.

January 23 - The Royal Bank and the Bank of Montreal announce plans to merge, which are later scuttled by the federal government.

February 6 - The Hudson's Bay Company takes over K-Mart Canada, folding it into its Zellers chain.

February 10 - Canadian National Railway merges with the Illinois Central.

February 13 - Three girls, all under 18 years of age, are found guilty in Victoria, BC, of killing 14-year-old Reena Virk. Three others plead guilty of assault.

February 16 - The Supreme Court is asked to rule on the legality of Quebec separatism.

February 18 - Controversial plans to include a Holocaust memorial in the Canadian War Museum are scrapped.

February 24 - In the 1998 Canadian budget Finance Minister Paul Martin delivers a balanced budget.

March 2 - Daniel Johnson, leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, announces his resignation.

March 6 - The Dionne Quintuplets are given money and an apology by the Ontario government.

March 6 - British Columbia doctors begin the first of a series of protests against funding shortages.

March 12 - Quebec and Newfoundland resolve the long-running Churchill Falls dispute.

March 12 - Mutual Life of Canada acquires MetLife to become Canada's second-largest insurance company.

March 23 - Senator Andy Thompson is forced to resign his Senate seat after not attending for two years.

March 24 - The 1998 Nova Scotia election leaves the Liberals and NDP tied for the most seats.

March 27 - Jean Charest announces that he will seek the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.

March 27 - The federal government agrees to compensate hepatitis C victims of tainted blood.

April to June

April 1 - Floods in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec force 2000 from their homes.

April 2 - In the final appeal of the Delwin Vriend case, the Supreme Court of Canada strikes down an Alberta Court of Appeal ruling that barred LGBT persons from protection under the province's human rights code.

April 3 - Members of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary are permitted side arms for the first time.

April 17 - Dafydd Rhys Williams flies aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, becoming the first non-American to serve as medical officer.

April 17 - The Toronto Dominion Bank and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce announce plans to merge; however, the merger is later blocked by the government.

April 25 - The United States announces large tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber.

April 26–28 - Prime Minister Chrétien pays an official visit to Cuba.

May 1 - Separatist David Levine is named head of the newly amalgamated Ottawa hospital sparking great controversy.

Early May - Wildfires burning in Alberta force the evacuation of a number of communities.

May 14 - Camille Thériault becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Raymond Frenette.

May 21 - The Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans shuts down the B.C. coho fishery.

May 29 - The Supreme Court strikes down a ban on pre-election opinion polls.

June 9 - Three are killed in a gas explosion in Montreal.

June 10 - One person is killed by an explosion at an Irving Oil refinery.

June 11 - Eleven are killed in a plane crash at Mirabel Airport.

June 24 - Macmillan Bloedel says that it will end clear cutting of old growth forests.

July 15 - The B.C. government and the Nisga'a First Nation sign a historic, and controversial, land claims agreement.

.

July to September

July 20 - The Southam chain buys the Financial Post from Sun Media.

August - The Canadian dollar plunges all month.

August 11 - 8,000 people are evacuated as forest fires threaten Salmon Arm, British Columbia.

August 20 - The Supreme Court of Canada states Quebec can not legally secede from Canada without the federal government's approval.

August 28 - The dollar reaches 64.02 US cents.

September 2 - Pilots for Air Canada launch the first strike in company's history.

September 2 - Crash of Swissair Flight 111 off Peggys Cove in Nova Scotia.

September 3 - A three-week lockout begins in Ontario's Catholic school system.

September 22 - 20,000 protest Canada's new gun registry on Parliament Hill.

October to December

October 8 - Canada is elected to a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

October 14 - Canada's first diamond mine opens in the Northwest Territories.

October 27 - Conrad Black's National Post publishes its first issue.

November 14 - Former Prime Minister Joe Clark is selected as the new leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

November 26 - Don Morin is forced to resign as premier of the Northwest Territories.

November 30 - In the Quebec election the Parti Québécois is re-elected despite narrowly losing the popular vote.

December 1 - Work on Canada's new gun registry begins.

December 10 - Jim Antoine becomes premier of the Northwest Territories, replacing Don Morin.

December 14 - Minister of Finance Paul Martin prohibits Canada's banks from merging.

December - The Military Police Complaints Commission is established.

New books

The Bay of Love and Sorrows: David Adams Richards

Greater Than Angels: Carol Matas

The Love of a Good Woman: Alice Munro

Prières d'un adolescent très très sage: Roch Carrier

Broken Entries: Race Subjectivity Writing: Roy Miki

Isaiah Berlin: A Life: Michael Ignatieff

Coyotes Sing to the Moon: Thomas King

Toronto Discovered: Robert Fulford

Body Music: Dennis Lee

The Colony of Unrequited Dreams: Wayne Johnston

The Wise and Foolish Virgins: Don Hannah

Kiss of the Fur Queen: Tomson Highway

Awards

Carol Shields's Larry's Party wins the Orange Prize for Fiction

Giller Prize for Canadian Fiction: Alice Munro: The Love of a Good Woman

See 1998 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.

Books in Canada First Novel Award: Margaret Gibson, Opium Dreams

Geoffrey Bilson Award: Irene N. Watts, Good-Bye Marianne

Gerald Lampert Award: Mark Sinnett, The Landing

Marian Engel Award: Sharon Butala

Pat Lowther Award: Barbara Nickel, The Gladys Elegies

Stephen Leacock Award: Mordecai Richler, Barney's Version

Trillium Book Award English: André Alexis, Childhood and Alice Munro, The Love of a Good Woman

Trillium Book Award French: Daniel Poliquin, L'homme de paille and Stefan Psenak, Du chaos et de l'ordre des choses

Vicky Metcalf Award: Kit Pearson

Music

Shania Twain's Come on Over is one of the year's top selling albums in North America

Les Chansons en or by Céline Dion is released

Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie by Alanis Morissette

Film

Titanic, directed by Canadian James Cameron, wins 11 Oscars.

Television

Canada's Sesame Street switches to showing exclusively Canadian content, renaming itself Sesame Park, as it no longer uses any American made segments from Sesame Street

Canadian children's television show Rolie Polie Olie debuts.

Dance

The French government names Karen Kain as an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters

Sport

February 7–February 22 - Nagano Olympics Canada wins the fourth-most medals, but is embarrassed when their star-filled hockey team fails to win a medal.

February 12 - The Toronto Maple Leafs buy the Toronto Raptors.

November 22 - At the 86th Grey Cup the Calgary Stampeders defeat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Winnipeg Stadium in Winnipeg.

Vanier Cup - Saskatchewan Huskies win 24–17 over the Concordia Stingers.

Births

January 9 - Sean Day, Belgium-born ice hockey player

January 13 - Gabrielle Daleman, figure skater

February 26 - Isaac Durnford, actor

March 12 - Annaleise Carr, swinnig

May 16 - Ariel Waller, actress

May 20 - Nam Nguyen, figure skater

September 7 - Sean Behan, programmer

September 17 - Richard Wang, chess player

October 10 - John Meeboer, singer and dancer

November 13 - Melissa "Charlie" Storwick, singer-songwriter

December 6 - Micah Berry, actor

December 8 - Anastasia Rizikov, pianist

December 17 - Mitchell Nye, actor

Full date unknown

Eliana Jones, actress

Regan Oey, actor

January to March

January 1 - Arthur Gelber, philanthropist (born 1915)

January 6 - Lotte Brotte, cellist

January 12 - Mark MacGuigan, academic and politician (born 1931)

January 23 - Donald Davis, actor (born 1928)

January 28 - Eddie Sargent, politician (born 1915)

February 1 - Sheila Watson, novelist, critic and teacher (born 1909)

February 20 - Bob McBride, singer (born 1946)

February 25 - W. O. Mitchell, writer (born 1914)

March 13 - Bill Reid, artist (born 1920)

March 16 - Yves Landry, president of Chrysler Canada

March 17 - Eric Donkin, actor

April to June

April 3 - Elmer Iseler, choir conductor and choral editor (born 1927)

April 7 - Nick Auf der Maur, journalist and politician (born 1942)

April 16 - Marie-Louise Meilleur, supercentenarian, the oldest validated Canadian ever (born 1880)

April 25 - Jimmy Namaro, jazz musician

April 27 - John Bassett, publisher and media baron (born 1915)

May 28 - Phil Hartman, actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic artist (born 1948)

June 4

William Cecil Ross, politician (born 1911)

David Walsh, businessman, disgraced head of Bre-X (born 1945)

June 20 - Bobby Gimby, orchestra leader, trumpeter and singer-songwriter (born 1918)

June 27 - Joyce Wieland, experimental filmmaker and mixed media artist (born 1931)

July to September

July 1

Emery Barnes, Canadian football player and politician (born 1929)

Florence Doane, Olympic athlete

July 6 - Loris Russell, paleontologist

July 16 - Lucien Lamoureux, politician and Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons (born 1920)

August 23 - Harold E. Johns, medical physicist (born 1915)

September 15 - Louis Rasminsky, third Governor of the Bank of Canada (born 1908)

September 28 - Eric Malling, television journalist (born 1946)

October to December

October 1 - Pauline Julien, singer, songwriter, actress and feminist activist (born 1928)

October 13 - Gérard Charles Édouard Thériault, general and Chief of the Defence Staff (born 1932)

October 17

Brian Dickson, Supreme Court justice

Mary O'Brien, feminist

November 9 - Roland Hewgill, actor

November 13 - Michel Trudeau, student (born 1975)

November 22 - Jack Shadbolt, painter (born 1909)

December 9 - Shaughnessy Cohen, politician (born 1948)

December 16 - John Gallagher, geologist and businessman (born 1916)

December 23

David Manners, actor (born 1900)

Pierre Vallières, journalist and writer (born 1938)

December 24 - Syl Apps, pole vaulter and ice hockey player (born 1915)

December 31 - Apak Angilik, film maker

Full date unknown

John Hayes, harness racing driver, trainer and owner (born 1917)

Stanley Bréhaut Ryerson, historian, educator and political activist (born 1911)