The following events occurred in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in the year

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

Incumbents

and (senate 130)

Crown

Monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

–

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Federal government

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

–

Jeanne Sauvé Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé (; ; April 26, 1922 – January 26, 1993) was a Canadian politician, journalist and stateswoman who served as the 23rd governor general of Canada from 1984 to 1990 and as the 29th Speaker of the House of Commons (Canada), ...

(until January 29) then Ray Hnatyshyn *

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

–

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...

* Chief Justice –

Brian Dickson Robert George Brian Dickson (May 25, 1916 – October 17, 1998) was a Canadian lawyer, military officer and judge who served as the 15th chief justice of Canada from 1984 to 1990 and as a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1973 ...

(

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

) (until 30 June) then

Antonio Lamer Joseph Antonio Charles Lamer (July 8, 1933 – November 24, 2007) was a Canadian lawyer and jurist who served as the 16th Chief Justice of Canada from 1990 to 2000. Career Lamer practised in partnership at the firm of Cutler, Lamer, Bellemare ...

(

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

) *

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

– 34th senate (134)

Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta The lieutenant governor of Alberta () is the representative in Alberta of the monarch. The lieutenant governor is appointed in the same manner as the other provincial viceroys in Canada and is similarly tasked with carrying out most of the mona ...

– Helen Hunley *

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the representative of the monarch in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in the p ...

– David Lam *

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba The lieutenant governor of Manitoba (, (if male) or (if female) ) is the representative in Manitoba of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada. The lieuten ...

– George Johnson *

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick The lieutenant governor of New Brunswick (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the representative in New Brunswick of the monarch, who operates distinctly within ...

– Gilbert Finn *

Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland The lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador () is the representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada. The li ...

– James McGrath *

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia The lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia () is the representative in Nova Scotia of the monarch, who Monarchy in Nova Scotia, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Canadian federalism, ten other jurisdictions of ...

– Lloyd Crouse *

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the representative in Ontario of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but i ...

– Lincoln Alexander *

Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island The lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island () is the representative in Prince Edward Island of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada. The lieutenant go ...

– Lloyd MacPhail (until August 16) then

Marion Reid Marion Loretta Reid (; January 4, 1929 – June 22, 2023) was a Canadian politician who was the first female Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, and the List of lieutenant governors of Prince Edward Island#Lieutenant G ...

Lieutenant Governor of Quebec The lieutenant governor of Quebec (; , ) is the representative in Quebec of the monarch, who Monarchy in Quebec, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Canadian federalism, ten other jurisdictions of Canada. T ...

– Gilles Lamontagne (until August 9) then Martial Asselin *

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan The lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan () is the representative in Saskatchewan of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada. The lieutenant governor of Sas ...

– Sylvia Fedoruk

Premiers

Premier of Alberta The premier of Alberta is the head of government and first minister of the Canadian province of Alberta. The current premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the governing United Conservative Party, who was sworn in on October 11, 2022. The premi ...

– Don Getty *

Premier of British Columbia The premier of British Columbia is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s, the title ''prime minister of British Columbia'' was often used. The word ''premier'' is derived ...

– Bill Vander Zalm *

Premier of Manitoba The premier of Manitoba () is the first minister (i.e., head of government or chief executive) for the Canadian province of Manitoba—as well as the ''de facto'' President of the province's Executive Council. In formal terms, the premier rec ...

– Gary Filmon *

Premier of New Brunswick The premier of New Brunswick ( (masculine) or (feminine)) is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The premier of a Canadian province is much like the prime minister of Canada. They are normally ...

–

Frank McKenna Francis Joseph McKenna (born January 19, 1948) is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Chair of Brookfield Corporation and Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador ...

* Premier of Newfoundland – Clyde Wells * Premier of Nova Scotia – John Buchanan (until September 12) then

Roger Bacon Roger Bacon (; or ', also '' Rogerus''; ), also known by the Scholastic accolades, scholastic accolade ''Doctor Mirabilis'', was a medieval English polymath, philosopher, scientist, theologian and Franciscans, Franciscan friar who placed co ...

Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario () is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincia ...

–

David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Back ...

(until October 1) then

Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...

* Premier of Prince Edward Island – Joe Ghiz *

Premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( (masculine) or eminine is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec, sworn in on October 18, 2018, following tha ...

–

Robert Bourassa Robert Bourassa (; July 14, 1933 – October 2, 1996) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd premier of Quebec from 1970 to 1976 and from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, he served a total of just ...

Premier of Saskatchewan The premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The current premier of Saskatchewan is Scott Moe, who was sworn in as premier on February 2, 2018, after winning the 2018 Saska ...

– Grant Devine

Territorial governments

Commissioners

Commissioner of Yukon The commissioner of Yukon () is the representative of the Government of Canada in the Canadian federal territory of Yukon. The commissioner is appointed by the federal government and, in contrast to the governor general of Canada or the Lieuten ...

– John Kenneth McKinnon * Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Daniel L. Norris

Premiers

* Premier of the Northwest Territories –

Dennis Patterson Dennis Glen Patterson (born December 30, 1948) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who was Senate of Canada, senator from Nunavut from 2009 until his retirement in 2023. He was the fifth premier of the Northwest Territories from 1987 to 1991. ...

* Premier of Yukon – Tony Penikett

Events

January to June

*January 15 – Massive cuts to

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

come into effect leading to the rerouting of '' The Canadian'' and many intercity trains. *January 24 – The Tories introduce legislation that would create the Goods and Services Tax (GST), a national

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

. *January 24 – Jean Charest resigns from cabinet after he was found to have spoken with a judge. *January 29 – Ramon John Hnatyshyn replaces

governor general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

. *January 29 – A controversial resolution is passed by the city council of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, declaring the city " English-only". *February: The federal government announces that it will privatize

Petro-Canada Petro-Canada (colloquially known as Petro-Can) is a retail and wholesale marketing brand subsidiary of Suncor Energy. Until 1991, it was a federal Crown corporation (a state-owned enterprise). In August 2009, Petro-Canada merged with Suncor En ...

; the legislation to do so is introduced in October.. *February 12 – A massive

tire fire Tire fires are events that involve the combustion of large quantities of tires, usually Tire recycling, waste tires, typically in locations where they are stored, dumped, or processed. They exist in two forms: as fast-burning events, leading to ...

begins near

Hagersville, Ontario Hagersville is a community in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. History Upon the construction of Ontario Highway 6, Highway 6, known formerly as the Plank Road, a small village popped up around 1855 when Charles and David Hager bought most of ...

. It takes 17 days to put out. *February 12 – 1990 Chambly by-election. *March 9 –

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

Premier Clyde Wells confirms he will rescind Newfoundland's approval of the

Meech Lake Accord The Meech Lake Accord () was a series of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and all 10 Canadian provincial Premier (Canada), premiers. It was intended to ...

. *March 15 – The federal government decides that

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

s may wear

turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dolband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...

s while serving as

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

(RCMP) officers following the Baltej Singh Dhillon case. *March 22 – Canadian arms designer

Gerald Bull Gerald Vincent Bull (March 9, 1928 – March 22, 1990) was a Canadian engineer who developed long-range artillery. He moved from project to project in his quest to economically launch a satellite using a space gun, huge artillery piece, to which ...

is assassinated in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. *May 12 – The

Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois (, , BQ) is a centre-left politics, centre-left and list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism, Quebecois nationalism, social democracy, and the promotion o ...

Party is formed as several MPs led by

Lucien Bouchard Lucien Bouchard (; born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician. A minister for two years in the 24th Canadian Ministry, Mulroney cabinet, Bouchard then founded and led the Bloc Québécois and became Leader ...

quit the Tories and Liberals. * May 24 – The

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

win the 1990 Stanley Cup Finals. * May 29 –

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

arrives in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

for a 29-hour visit. *June 6 – Stanley Charles Waters is the first elected

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

. *June 12 – Elijah Harper prevents

from accepting the Meech Lake Accord. * June 17–30 –

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

tours

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, visiting three Canadian and eight U.S. cities. *June 23 – Meech Lake Accord officially dead. *June 23 –

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

elected leader of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

at a 1990 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, leadership convention held in Calgary.

July to December

*July 11 – The Oka crisis begins. *September 6 –

's Ontario New Democratic Party wins a surprise majority in Ontario. *September 12 –

becomes premier of Nova Scotia, replacing John Buchanan. *September 26 – Oka crisis ends. *September 27 –

temporarily increases the size of the Senate of Canada, Senate to ensure passage of the GST. *October 1 – Bob Rae becomes premier of Ontario, replacing

. *November 1 – Brian Mulroney launches the Citizen's Forum on Canada's Future to get Canadians' input on constitutional reform. *December 10 – Jean Chrétien is returned to the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons after winning a by election for the New Brunswick riding of Beauséjour (electoral district), Beauséjour. * December 13 – The Senate of Canada approves the GST.. *December 17 – The GST becomes law.

Arts and literature

*March 6 – The National Gallery of Canada acquires Barnett Newman's ''Voice of Fire'' for $1.8 million, causing a storm of controversy.

New works

*''Swann'' by Carol Shields published *''The Evening News'' by Arthur Hailey *''A Tenured Professor'' by John Kenneth Galbraith *''TekWar'' by William Shatner *''Magic Casement'' by Dave Duncan (writer), Dave Duncan *''Golden Fleece'' by Robert J. Sawyer *''Medicine River'' by Thomas King (novelist), Thomas King *''The Magic Machine: A Handbook of Computer Sorcery'' by Alexander Dewdney *''Whylah Falls'' by George Elliott Clarke *''The Wild Blue Yonder'' by Audrey Thomas *''L'Oursiade'' by Antonine Maillet

Awards

*See 1990 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards. *Books in Canada First Novel Award: Sandra Birdsell, ''The Missing Child'' *Geoffrey Bilson Award: Kit Pearson, ''The Sky Is Falling'' *Gerald Lampert Award: Steven Heighton, ''Stalin's Carnival'' *Marian Engel Award: Carol Shields *Pat Lowther Award: Patricia Young, ''The Mad and Beautiful Mothers'' *Stephen Leacock Award: W.O. Mitchell, ''According to Jake and the Kid'' *Trillium Book Award: Alice Munro, ''Friend of My Youth'' *Vicky Metcalf Award: Bernice Thurman Hunter

Music

*RPM number-one hits of 1990 *RPM number-one albums of 1990

Sport

*May 13 – The Oshawa Generals win their fourth (and first since 1944) Memorial Cup by defeating the Kitchener Rangers 4 to 3 . The final game was played at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario *May 24 – The

win their fifth (and most recent) Stanley Cup by defeating the Boston Bruins 4 games to 1. Brandon, Manitoba's Bill Ranford is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy *November 24 – The Saskatchewan Huskies win their first Vanier Cup by defeating the Saint Mary's Huskies 24 to 21 in the 26th Vanier Cup played at Skydome in Toronto *November 25 – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers win their tenth Grey Cup by defeating the Edmonton Eskimos 50 to 11 in the 78th Grey Cup at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. Scarborough, Toronto's Warren Hudson is awarded the game's Dick Suderman Trophy, Most Valuable Canadian Date unknown *Doug Flutie returns to Canada to play with the BC Lions.

Births

*January 18 **Brett Lawrie, Canadian baseball player **Alex Pietrangelo, Canadian ice hockey player *January 24 – Mitchell Islam, ice dancer *January 29 – Danielle Parsons, curler *January 30 – Joe Colborne, ice hockey player *February 14 – Brett Dier, actor *February 16 – The Weeknd, singer-songwriter *February 23 ** Kevin Connauton, ice hockey defenceman ** Marco Scandella, ice hockey defenceman *March 2 – Michael Hutchinson (ice hockey), Michael Hutchinson, ice hockey player *April 26 – Riley Voelkel, actress *May 13 – Jane Creba, murder victim (d. 2005 in Canada, 2005) *June 3 – Jason Akeson, ice hockey player *June 4 – Jess Moskaluke, singer *June 5 – Junior Hoilett, footballer *June 7 – Michael Stone (ice hockey), Michael Stone, ice hockey player *July 15 – Alexander Calvert, actor *August 7 – Jake Allen (ice hockey), Jake Allen, hockey goaltender *August 15 – Chris Gudzowsky, Canadian born bobsledder *September 7 – Megan McNeil, singer (d. 2011 in Canada, 2011) *September 28 – Kirsten Prout, actress *October 23 – Dalmar Abuzeid, actor *November 9 – Chris Di Staulo, filmmaker *November 19 – Laura Walker (curler), Laura Walker, curler *December 10 – Reda Agourram, soccer player *December 11 – Michael Pillarella, actor, writer, film producer and spoken word artist *December 27 – Milos Raonic, tennis player *December 31 – Patrick Chan, figure skater

Deaths

January to June

*January 7 – Bronko Nagurski, American football player (b. 1908 in Canada, 1908) *March 16 – Dalton McGuinty Sr., politician and father of premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty and the politician David McGuinty (b. 1926 in Canada, 1926) *March 22 –

, engineer and artillery designer (b. 1928 in Canada, 1928) *March 24 – Jim St. James, actor and HIV/AIDS activist *April 11 – Harold Ballard, owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs (b. 1903 in Canada, 1903)

July to September

*July 18 ** Johnny Wayne, comedian and comedy writer (b. 1918 in Canada, 1918) ** Gerry Boulet, Quebec rock singer (Offenbach (band), Offenbach) (b. 1946 in Canada, 1946) *August 25 – Morley Callaghan, novelist, short story writer, playwright, and television and radio personality (b. 1903 in Canada, 1903) *September 6 – Stan Roberts, politician (b. 1927 in Canada, 1927) *September 11 – Lela Brooks, speed skater and world record holder (b. 1908 in Canada, 1908)

October to December

*October 22 – Carl Klinck, literary historian and academic (b. 1908 in Canada, 1908) *October 30 – Craig Russell (Canadian actor), Craig Russell, female impersonator (b. 1948 in Canada, 1948) *November 2 – Frederick Thomas Armstrong, politician (b. 1907 in Canada, 1907) *November 9 – Hugh MacLennan, author and professor of English (b. 1907 in Canada, 1907) *December 7 – Jean Paul Lemieux, painter (b. 1904 in Canada, 1904) *December 24 – Murder of Tammy Homolka, Tammy Homolka, murder victim (b. 1975 in Canada, 1975) *December 31 – Robina Higgins, track and field athlete (b. 1915 in Canada, 1915)

References

{{Year in North America, 1990 1990 in Canada, 1990 by country, Canada 1990 in North America, Canada 1990s in Canada Years of the 20th century in Canada

Incumbents

Crown

Federal government

Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

Premiers

Territorial governments

Commissioners

Premiers

Events

January to June

July to December

Arts and literature

New works

Awards

Music

Sport

Births

Deaths

January to June

July to September

October to December

See also

References