1972 in Canada

Events from the year 1972 in Canada.

Crown

 * Monarch – Elizabeth II

Federal government

 * Governor General – Roland Michener
 * Prime Minister – Pierre Trudeau
 * Chief Justice – Gérald Fauteux (Quebec)
 * Parliament – 28th (until 1 September)

Lieutenant governors

 * Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Grant MacEwan
 * Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – John Robert Nicholson
 * Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – William John McKeag
 * Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Hédard Robichaud
 * Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Ewart John Arlington Harnum
 * Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Victor de Bedia Oland
 * Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – William Ross Macdonald
 * Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – John George MacKay
 * Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Hugues Lapointe
 * Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Stephen Worobetz

Premiers

 * Premier of Alberta – Peter Lougheed
 * Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C. Bennett (until September 15) then Dave Barrett
 * Premier of Manitoba – Edward Schreyer
 * Premier of New Brunswick – Richard Hatfield
 * Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood (until January 18) then Frank Moores
 * Premier of Nova Scotia – Gerald Regan
 * Premier of Ontario – Bill Davis
 * Premier of Prince Edward Island – Alexander B. Campbell
 * Premier of Quebec – Robert Bourassa
 * Premier of Saskatchewan – Allan Blakeney

Commissioners

 * Commissioner of Yukon – James Smith
 * Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Stuart Milton Hodgson

January to June

 * January 1 - Winnipeg is merged into a megacity
 * January 1 - Canada's ban on cigarette advertisements on film, radio, and television goes into effect
 * January 1 - Canada's capital gains tax comes into effect
 * January 18 - Frank Moores becomes premier of Newfoundland, replacing Joey Smallwood, who had governed for 23 years
 * February 1 - The Atlantic Pilotage Authority is established
 * February 25 - The Pickering Nuclear Power Plant opens
 * April 15 - Canada and the United States sign the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
 * May 31 - The "member" level of the Order of Canada is created
 * June 16 - The Churchill Falls hydro-electric facility opens
 * July 14 - Donald MacDonald of the Canadian Labour Congress becomes the first non-European head of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

July to December

 * July 21 - Global Television Network network licence approved by the CRTC
 * August 30 - Frank Arthur Calder becomes the first Native Cabinet minister in Canadian history when he is appointed to the Cabinet of British Columbia
 * September 1 - An arson attack on the Blue Bird Café in Montreal kills 37 and leads to nationwide changes to fire codes.
 * September 4 – Armed robbers steal 18 paintings, including a Rembrandt, along with 38 pieces of jewellery, from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, valued at $2 million at the time in what is not only Canada's largest art theft but its largest theft of private property ever. Except for one returned in an attempt to negotiate a ransom, none of the paintings have been recovered nor have the thieves ever been identified publicly.
 * September 12 - Heritage Canada is established
 * September 15 - David Barrett becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing W.A.C. Bennett, who had governed for 20 years
 * September 27 - The sale of fire crackers is banned in Canada
 * September 28 - CITY-TV begins broadcasting in Toronto
 * October 30 - Federal election: Pierre Trudeau's Liberals win a minority
 * November 9 - Anik I, the world's first non-military communications satellite is launched.
 * December - The government's Parliamentary Flag Program begins
 * December 14 - Muriel McQueen Fergusson becomes the first female Speaker of the Senate of Canada.

Full date unknown

 * Government pensions are indexed to cost of living
 * The Art Bank is established
 * The Government of Ontario renames all departments to ministries.

New works

 * Robertson Davies: The Manticore
 * Margaret Atwood: Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature
 * Mordecai Richler: Shovelling Trouble
 * John Newlove: Lies
 * Milton Acorn: More Poems for People
 * Donald Jack: Exit Muttering
 * Leona Gom: Kindling
 * Joy Fielding: The Best of Friends
 * Farley Mowat: A Whale for the Killing
 * Marshall McLuhan: Culture Is Our Business

Awards

 * See 1972 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
 * Stephen Leacock Award: Max Braithwaite, The Night They Stole the Mounties' Car
 * Vicky Metcalf Award: William Toye

Sport

 * March 18 – Toronto Varsity Blues win their sixth (and fourth consecutive) University Cup by defeating the Saint Mary's Huskies 5 to 0. The final game was played at the Palais des Sports in  Sherbrooke, Quebec
 * May 11 – Parry Sound's Bobby Orr is awarded his second Conn Smythe Trophy
 * May 14 – Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Cornwall Royals win the Memorial Cup by defeating the Ontario Hockey Association's Peterborough Petes 2 to 1. The final game was played at the Ottawa Civic Centre.
 * September 28 – Canada defeats the Soviet Union in the Summit Series 4 games to 3. The deciding Game 8 was played at Luzhniki Palace of Sports in Moscow
 * October 11 – The World Hockey Association is established with four Canadian teams (Ottawa Nationals, Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets and Alberta Oilers)
 * November 25 – Alberta Golden Bears win their second Vanier Cup by defeating the Waterloo Lutheran Golden Hawks 20–7 in the 8th Vanier Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto
 * December 3 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats win their sixth Grey Cup by defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 13–10 in the 60th Grey Cup played at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton

January to June

 * January 1 - Barron Miles, defensive back for the BC Lions in the CFL
 * January 3 - Drake Berehowsky, ice hockey player and coach
 * January 4 – Brad Zavisha, ice hockey player
 * January 7 - Susan Cushman, rhythmic gymnast
 * January 10 - Jonathan Ohayon, archer
 * January 16 – Dameon Clarke, actor and voice actor
 * January 25 - Katrina Von Sass, volleyball player
 * January 29 - Shaun Majumder, comedian and actor
 * January 30
 * Jennifer Hale, actress and singer
 * Chris Simon, ice hockey player
 * February 2 - Naheed Nenshi, politician, Mayor of Calgary
 * February 3 - Michael Kovrig, diplomat and hostage victim
 * February 7 - Jamie Shannon, actor and director
 * February 12 - Owen Nolan, ice hockey player
 * March 13 - Sherri Field, field hockey player
 * March 17 - Melissa Auf der Maur, bassist and photographer
 * March 22 - Elvis Stojko, figure skater, Olympic silver medalist and World Champion
 * April 1 - Rob Anders, politician
 * April 2 - Graham Hood, middle-distance runner
 * April 4 - Lisa Ray, model and actress0
 * April 9 - Karen Clark, synchronized swimmer
 * April 15 - Arturo Gatti, boxer, (died 2009 in Canada|2009)
 * April 17 - Terran Sandwith, ice hockey player
 * April 24 - Nicolas Gill, judoka and Olympic silver medalist
 * May 5 - Brad Bombardir, ice hockey player
 * May 5 - Devin Townsend, vocalist, guitarist and record producer
 * May 6 - Martin Brodeur, ice hockey player
 * May 7 - Ray Whitney, ice hockey player
 * June 6 - Erin Woodley, synchronised swimmer
 * June 15 - Krista Thompson, field hockey player
 * June 17 - Steven Fletcher, politician and Minister
 * June 26 - Garou, singer
 * June 30 - Molly Parker, actress

July to December

 * July 4 - Mike Knuble, ice hockey player
 * July 5 - Robert Esmie, Olympic athlete
 * August 1
 * Marc Costanzo, musician
 * Tanya Reid, actress
 * August 2 – Kelly Richardson, Canadian contemporary artist
 * August 23 – Anthony Calvillo, Canadian Football League quarterback
 * August 27 - Mike Smith, actor
 * August 29 - Amanda Marshall, pop-rock singer
 * September 4 - Daniel Nestor, Serbian born tennis player
 * September 12 - Lori Strong, artistic gymnast
 * September 20 - Sergio Di Zio, actor
 * September 21 - Erin Fitzgerald, voice actress
 * September 27 - Clara Hughes, cyclist, speed skater and Olympic medalist
 * October 5 - Aaron Guiel, baseball player
 * October 11 - Brigitte Soucy, volleyball player
 * October 17 - Cameron Baerg, rower and Olympic silver medalist
 * November 1 - Glen Murray, ice hockey player
 * November 10 - Trevor Devall, voice actor and podcaster
 * November 11 - Adam Beach, actor
 * November 22 - Gabe Khouth, actor and voice actor (died 2019)
 * November 26 - Chris Osgood, ice hockey player
 * December 11 - Daniel Alfresson, Swedish ice hockey player
 * December 19 - Charles Lefrançois, high jumper
 * December 23 - Christian Potenza, actor and voice actor

Deaths

 * January 2 - James White, World War I flying ace (b.1893)
 * January 6 - Samuel McLaughlin, businessman and philanthropist (b.1871)
 * April 7 - Woodrow Stanley Lloyd, politician and 8th Premier of Saskatchewan (b.1913)
 * May 28 - Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor, former King of Canada (b.1894)
 * August 20 - A. M. Klein, poet, journalist, novelist, short story writer and lawyer (b.1909)
 * October 31 - Bill Durnan, ice hockey player (b.1916)
 * December 27 - Lester B. Pearson, politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, diplomat and 1957 Nobel Peace Prize recipient (b.1897)