1940 in Canada

Events from the year 1940 in Canada.

Crown

 * Monarch – George VI

Federal government

 * Governor General – John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir (until February 11) then Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (from June 21)
 * Prime Minister – William Lyon Mackenzie King
 * Chief Justice – Lyman Poore Duff (British Columbia)
 * Parliament – 18th (until 25 January) then 19th (from 16 May)

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 13–18 – 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
 * June 25 – HMCS Fraser (H48) sinks in a collision in the Gironde estuary in France. 45 sailors die.

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
 * October 22: HMCS Margaree (H49) is sunk in a collision in the North Atlantic. 142 sailors die and 34 survive.
 * November 7: The Permanent Active Militia is renamed the Canadian Army (Active) and the Non-Permanent Active Militia is renamed the Canadian Army (Reserve).

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.

Sport

 * April 13 – The New York Rangers win their third Stanley Cup (and last until 1994) by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4 games to 2. The deciding Game 6 was played at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
 * April 22 – The Ontario Hockey Association's Oshawa Generals win their second (consecutive) Memorial Cup by defeating Manitoba Junior Hockey League's Kenora Thistles 3 games to 1. The deciding Game 4 was played at Shea's Amphitheatre in Winnipeg
 * November 30 – The Ottawa Rough Riders win their second Grey Cup by defeating the Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers 20 to 7 in the 28th Grey Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto

January to March

 * January 1 - Clifford Olson, serial killer (d. 2011)
 * January 10 - Guy Chevrette, politician
 * January 19 - Linda Sorenson, actress
 * 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

 * 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 14 - Mark Assad, politician
 * June 21 - Helen Potrebenko, author and activist (d. 2022)
 * June 25 - Louise Dacquay, politician

July to September

 * July 4 - Pat Stapleton, ice hockey player (d. 2020)
 * July 11 - Yvon Charbonneau, politician (d. 2016)
 * July 15 - Glen Findlay, politician
 * July 22 - Alex Trebek, television personality and game show host (d. 2020)
 * July 27 - Harvie Andre, engineer, businessman, politician and Minister
 * July 28 - Mario Sergio, politician
 * August 7 - Sally McCallum, track and field athlete
 * September 1 - Edward Roberts, lawyer and politician (d. 2022)
 * September 6 - Brian Smith, ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 1995)
 * September 9 - Larry Lund, ice hockey player
 * September 11 - Gerry Phillips, politician
 * September 19
 * Sylvia Tyson, singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * Ed Westfall, ice hockey player and sportscaster
 * 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)

Historical documents
"The influence of the older generation" - Indian residential school principal sorry his pupils' "good training" neutralized at home

"Almost terrifying sums of money" - Transport Minister C.D. Howe on War Supply Board's huge task, and power

Training facilities across Canada will be set up to turn out 35,000 Commonwealth pilots, air gunners and observers annually

Infantry training at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition grounds to supply reinforcements for units now in England

Limit to "complete equality for women" is on North Atlantic as female reporters tour Canadian destroyer at sea

CBC speeches by J.W. Dafoe, playwright Robert E. Sherwood, novelist James Hilton and columnist Dorothy Thompson on wartime "causes and issues"

Controversy erupts in Ontario Liberal Party over Premier Hepburn's "personal grudge" censure of King war policy

"My own bomb came looking for me, but I was not at home" - Canadian diplomat survives Blitz (just barely) in London

King George walks five miles and stops to chat 50 times as he inspects Canadian First Division in England

First loan drive (for 12-year bonds at 3.25% interest) brings in more than $136 million from cities, towns and hamlets

Nazi-linked German nationals and suspect German-Canadians to be interned as possibly dangerous to Canada

"No place for excitement in the hearts of people" regarding federal election issues, but deep concern over world affairs in Ottawa

Hours before its capitulation to Germans, Canadian, British and U.S. governments pledge help to imperilled France

Following fall of France, Quebec editorials call on English and French Canadian men to heed call to Canada's defence

Every Canadian resident (including aliens) 16 or over must comply with National Registration process and carry registration certificate at all times

Importance of British subject status and "race" (e.g., English, Scottish, French, Italian) in National Registration process

Montreal mayor interned as "prejudicial to the public safety" after he "blasted" wartime compulsory training order

Editorials point out importance of U.S.A. to Allies' struggle, and its people's recognition of that

Canada shifting main war partnership from Britain to U.S.A.; public wants greater war effort (except overseas conscription)

U.S. ambassador reports Canadian public demanding "some form of joint defence understanding with the United States"

U.S.A. and Canada set up Permanent Joint Board on Defence to protect North America

Leslie Gilbert Illingworth political cartoon of U.S.-Canada defence pact has Wild West setting

Supervisor of German sanitorium and Württemberg bishop object to unlawful killing of mental patients and epileptics

"Such a sudden and swift offensive" - Ukrainian-Canadian leftists are arrested in wide police sweep in Winnipeg

With government "forcing conscription of unemployed and needy youth," Canadian Youth Congress wants training and jobs

Liberal Party federal election leaflet identifies CCF (and Nazis) as socialist

German Jewish refugee Frederick Mendel turns Saskatoon meatpacking plant into thriving business

Anarchist Emma Goldman feels "gagged and paralyzed" in wartime Canada as she collects money for refugees

Black man becomes CPR sleeping car porter after being repeatedly rejected as machinist and told to shine shoes (Note: "nigger" used)