January • January 1 –
Montreal Dorval Airport is renamed, after some controversy,
Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. • January 5 –
Canadian dollar value climbs above $0.78
US, for the first time since July 1993. • January 12 –
Stephen Harper enters leadership race for the new
Conservative Party of Canada. • January 13 – U.S. President
George W. Bush allows Canada to bid for contracts in
Iraq. • January 16 – Race begins in
2004 Nunavut general election. • January 19 – Government of Canada challenges
Department of Justice against repayment of benefits to same-sex couples dating back to 1985. • January 19 – The
Sûreté du Québec announce a new police force to fight
organized crime. • January 22 –
Montreal's
Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine warns of a former surgeon who may have infected 2,600 patients with
HIV, by letter. • January 27 – a
Canadian soldier, Corporal Jamie Murphy, is killed in a
suicide attack in
Afghanistan. Three other soldiers are also injured. • January 29 –
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer requests Canadian soldiers to keep a presence in Afghanistan after the scheduled return of troops in August. • January 30 – The
Supreme Court of Canada upholds a law allowing parents to spank their children within "reasonable limits".
February • February 2 – The
Speech from the Throne is read by
Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in the
Senate chamber. • February 6 –
Canadian SPCA finds 100
dead cows and 100 more being improperly cared for, on an
Alberta farm. • February 6 – The
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announces it will use a
broadcast delay during
Don Cherry's Coaches Corner on
Hockey Night in Canada, after he makes anti-French and European comments, a possible violation of the
Official Languages Act of Canada. • February 10 –
Auditor General of Canada Sheila Fraser releases a study on the federal government's advertising and
sponsorship in
Quebec which notes millions of
dollars were mishandled. (See:
2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal). • February 12 – The
World Health Organization endorses a
Health Canada plan to deal with a potential
influenza pandemic. • February 12 – A
Moose Jaw,
Saskatchewan woman, now 18, who became a
quadriplegic after being hit by a vehicle at age 4, is awarded
$12 million in a lawsuit against the driver, the city and the former police chief. It is the largest lawsuit awarded in Saskatchewan history. • February 13 –
Jane Stewart, former
Human Resources Development Canada Minister, announces her retirement from politics, to work for the
United Nations International Labour Organization. • February 16 –
Conservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament Elsie Wayne announces her retirement from politics. • February 16 – The
Canadian Recording Industry Association ask a judge to order many Canadian
Internet service providers to hand over names of 29 suspected illegal
fileswappers. • February 16 – Polling day,
2004 Nunavut general election. Of the 19 members of the
consensus government, 1 is acclaimed and 18 elections are held. Eight members of the previous government are re-elected, five are defeated, and five who did not run again are replaced. MLAs will choose the premier from among themselves on March 5; incumbent
Paul Okalik is challenged by
Tagak Curley. • February 17 –
John Bryden,
Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament for
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot in the
House of Commons of Canada, resigns from the party due to the
Prime Minister of Canada's
sponsorship scandal. • February 17 – Canada donates
$800,000 to the
World Food Programme and $350,000 to the
International Red Cross, to help with the current food and medical needs in
Haiti, following the recent coup there. • February 18 –
Auditor General of New Brunswick Daryl Wilson reports
Premier of New Brunswick Bernard Lord lied about the province having a budget surplus of $1,000,000. Lord accuses the Auditor General of "accounting semantics". • February 19 –
Jeremy Hinzman, a US soldier from the
US 82nd Airborne Division in
North Carolina, seeks refugee status in Canada as a
conscientious objector to serving in
Iraq. He currently lives in Toronto with his wife and child. • February 19 – Starting in
Buffalo, New York, and ending in
Niagara Falls, Ontario, a cross-border police pursuit results in dead Canadian woman. • February 20 – The
Saskatchewan Minister of Justice,
Frank Quennell, announces
Alberta Justice
Edward P. McCallum will head an inquiry into
David Milgaard's
wrongful conviction. • February 20 – South Korea,
Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong ban poultry and birds imports from Canada, after the
virus H7 is found. It is not linked to
H5N1 (virus), which was blamed for killing 22 people in Asia (See also:
avian influenza). • February 20 – Canada is part of multi-national delegation with the United States, France and
Caribbean nations sent to
Haiti, to help end the
conflict. • February 21 – A joint investigation into the February 19 cross-border police chase is made by
Niagara Falls, New York Police,
Niagara Falls, Ontario Police and
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, to determine if proper
procedure was followed. • February 23 –
Microcell Solutions Inc. sues
Telus Communications,
Bell Mobility,
Rogers Wireless and
Société Tele-Mobile, in a
Quebec superior court, for violating its trademark
Fido dog image. • February 23 – Toronto nurse Andrea Williams files a
$600 million lawsuit against the governments of Canada and
Ontario due to her contracting
SARS, during the 2003 outbreak. • February 24 – Prime Minister
Paul Martin suspends three
Crown corporation heads in steps dealing with the sponsorship scandal. Those suspended are
Michel Vennat, president of the
Business Development Bank of Canada,
Via Rail president
Marc LeFrançois and
Canada Post president
André Ouellet. • February 25 –
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) announces
$1.4 million expansion. • February 26 –
Canadian Forces send nine members of elite
counter-terrorism unit
Joint Task Force 2 to
Haiti to aid in evacuating Canadians. • February 28 – Canadian businessman James Sabzali, living in
Philadelphia since 1996, fined and sentenced to a year probation for violating the
United States embargo against Cuba. • February 28 –
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Corporal Jim Galloway shot dead during a standoff.
March • March 3 –
United Nations International Narcotics Control Board criticizes Canada for having a
provincially run
safe house for drug users in
Vancouver,
British Columbia. • March 3 – RCMP investigate threatening letters sent to
Charlottetown,
Prince Edward Island government and media buildings. • March 3 – Former
Jean Chrétien aide Jean Carle linked to
2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal. • March 5 –
Paul Okalik re-elected as
Premier of Nunavut in
2004 Nunavut general election. • March 5 –
Canadian Forces plans to send 450 troops, including three infantry platoons and six helicopters from 430 Squadron in
Valcartier, Quebec, and members of I Company 2nd Battalion
The Royal Canadian Regiment, based at
Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in
New Brunswick, to
Haiti for a 90-day mission. • March 5 –
Prime Minister Paul Martin fires the President of
Via Rail,
Marc LeFrançois. • March 5 –
Abdurahman Khadr, who admitted recently to having
Al-Qaeda and
Osama bin Laden links, alleges to working for the
Central Intelligence Agency as an informant. • March 6 –
Sheila Copps loses nomination to
Tony Valeri to represent the riding of
Hamilton East—Stoney Creek in the
2004 federal election. • March 7–8 –
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan visits Canada to meet with
Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson, Prime Minister Martin, and
Louise Arbour, who was recently named
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Topic of discussion with the PM will be the
Haiti crisis. • March 9 –
Sheila Copps files an appeal of the
Liberal nomination loss and a complaint to the RCMP. • March 9 –
Belinda Stronach wins
Conservative Party of Canada nomination for
riding of
Newmarket—Aurora, defeating
Lois Brown 512-412 in total votes. • March 9 – Second form of
avian influenza found on
British Columbia farm. • March 9 –
Ottawa police chief
Vince Bevan admits involvement in investigating
Maher Arar before he was deported to
Syria. • March 9 – Protests across the country against
Citizenship and Immigration Canada for arrest of
Algerian refugee Mohamed Cherfi by
Quebec City police for failing to report an address change. He had been hiding in a church, which is normally considered a refugee
safe house. • March 9 –
2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal investigation finds
$2.3 million missing which was to be used to fund the
Bluenose 2. • March 12 –
Canadian Forces begin deployment to Haiti to support peacekeeping force. • March 12 –
CFB Gagetown,
New Brunswick Colonel Barry McLeod named Chief of Staff of
United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (
MONUC). He will arrive there in July. • March 12 –
2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal investigation results in firing of
Michel Vennat, the
Business Development Bank of Canada's
President. • March 15 –
Treasury Board of Canada President Reg Alcock announces a "merit-based" system to appoint new CEOs for
Crown corporations. • March 15 –
Quebec government warns 1,144 people who attended an acupuncture clinic (owned by Suzanne Sicotte) in
Montreal to take blood tests for
HIV and
hepatitis. • March 15 –
Brad Wall appointed leader of the
Saskatchewan Party. • March 16 – Equifax confirms security breach resulting in the illegal access to files containing
credit information of 1,400 Canadians. • March 17 –
House of Commons committee summons 11 federal bureaucrats in investigation of the sponsorship scandal for a private hearing, later to become a public hearing. • March 17 –
Canadian Food Inspection Agency creates a programme for routine testing of poultry for
avian influenza (bird flu), after
British Columbia had to destroy 57,000 chickens. • March 17 – Fisheries Minister
Geoff Regan announces increased patrols outside the 320-kilometre limit off Canada's east coast. • March 17 – A stamp is created in honour of former
Governor General of Canada Ray Hnatyshyn. • March 17 – 170
Canadian Forces soldiers sent to Haiti to provide
security (See
Operation Halo). • March 18 – Kickbacks discovered in free
flag giveaway discovered from 1996 promise by
Sheila Copps to give away one million free flags. • March 20 – In the
2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election,
Stephen Harper wins on the first ballot to become leader of the party and the
official opposition. • March 22 – Federal government announces an aid package worth almost
$1
billion to farmers hurt by
mad cow disease. • March 22 –
Conservative Party of Canada leader
Stephen Harper appointed
Peter MacKay as
Deputy Leader. • March 22 –
Supreme Court of Canada jurist
Frank Iacobucci announces his retirement effective June. • March 22 – Canada condemns
Israel's assassination of
Hamas founder
Shaikh Ahmed Yassin. • March 22 – Canada introduces a
bill to protect public service worker
whistleblowers. • March 23 – The
2004 Canadian budget is announced. • March 23 – The government of Canada will sell its stake in
Petro-Canada within next twelve months. • March 24 – RCMP release documents detailing investigation of newspaper reporter
Juliet O'Neill telling how they searched for details of her knowledge of the
Maher Arar case. A January 2004 raid of her house was also documented. • March 24 –
Canadian Food Inspection Agency orders slaughter of 275,000 chickens and turkeys in
British Columbia to fight
avian influenza outbreak. • March 24 –
Myriam Bédard testifies to a
committee investigating the sponsorship scandal that she heard
Jacques Villeneuve was paid millions of dollars to wear a
Canadian flag on his racing suit; Villeneuve calls this allegation "ludicrous". • March 25 –
Supreme Court of Canada rules 9–0 in not holding Catholic Church of Canada responsible for
sexual abuse of
altar boys by a
Newfoundland priest
Kevin Bennett. • March 26 – Supreme Court of Canada upholds legitimacy of
pre-nuptial agreements saying it cannot be considered unfair at the time of signing. • March 26 –
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bill Graham speaks at a memorial conference at the
United Nations for the 1994
Rwanda massacre, reminding people to not forget the
genocide. • March 26 – Canada makes
One-Tonne Challenge. • March 29 – The
Progressive Canadian Party registers with
Elections Canada to elect members into the
House of Commons of Canada in the
2004 Canadian federal election. • March 29 – RCMP raid an
Ottawa area home, arrest
Momin Khawaja on terrorism charges. • March 29 –
Peel Regional Municipality, Ontario police officer arrested for possessing
$2.5 million worth of cocaine. • March 29 – The federal
Assisted Human Reproduction Act is signed into law. • March 30 –
Auditor General of Canada Sheila Fraser criticizes flaws in national security. • March 30 – Ottawa area man
Momin Khawaja arrested on March 29 is charged with acts of terrorism under the
Canada Anti-Terrorism Act. • March 31 –
Colin Thatcher is denied early
parole. • March 31 – 170 people, including 29 Canadians, arrested in
drug bust across Canada and the United States. • March 31 – Discovery finds that million flag promise in 1996 by
Sheila Copps was organized by
Groupaction. • March 31 –
Federal Court of Canada rejects
Canadian Recording Industry Association request to obtain names of music
fileswappers, making the sharing legal. • March 31 –
Saskatchewan government releases 2004 budget, raising the
Provincial Sales Taxes from 6% to 7%.
April • April 1 – RCMP confirms arrest of
Mohammad Momin Khawaja is related to arrests in United Kingdom. • April 1 – United States
Department of Homeland Security exempts Canadians from being
fingerprinted and photographed when entering the United States. • April 1 – Federal riding redistribution comes into effect: number of seats rises from 301 to 308. • April 1 –
Same-sex marriage in Canada: the first legal
same-sex marriage in
Quebec is celebrated;
Michael Hendricks and René Leboeuf wed in
Montreal. • April 6 – Canada orders slaughter of 19 million
British Columbia poultry due to
avian influenza. • April 6 –
2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal –
Jean Pelletier, former
Canadian Prime Minister's Office Chief of Staff, alleges there was "no direction" in the federal sponsorship programme. • April 7 – Fadi Ihsan Fadel, a
Canadian humanitarian working in
Iraq, taken hostage among group of other nationals. • April 7 – Former
Member of Canadian Parliament Jack Ramsay's son Spencer found dead in their family home. • April 8 – Nine
Hells Angels members from
Montreal are convicted of
drug trafficking and
gangsterism. • April 8 –
Department of Justice considering extraditing alleged mafia leader
Vito Rizzuto to the United States. He is accused of three murders in 1981. • April 14 – Prime Minister
Paul Martin announces extension to deployment of current soldiers in
Afghanistan until summer 2005. • April 15 –
Member of Parliament Svend Robinson confesses to stealing a ring from an auction firm and then takes medical leave. • April 16 – The auction firm that Svend Robinson stole the ring from says it will not pursue charges against him. • April 16 – Canadian hostage in
Iraq, Fadi Ihsan Fadel, freed. • April 16 – Canadian
Member of Parliament John Cannis (
Scarborough Centre Liberal Party) calls for deportation of
Abdurahman Khadr. • April 17 –
Dalai Lama visits Canada for 19-day tour. • April 17 – Canadian
peacekeeper in
Prnjavor,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, injured in road accident, one civilian also injured. (See:
Operation Palladium) • April 18 –
World Wrestling Entertainment holds its
Backlash pay-per-view event from the
Rexall Place in
Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada. • April 20 – Rifat Mohammed Rifat, a
Canadian citizen, taken hostage in Iraq. • April 27 –
Air Canada flight 109, a
Halifax to Vancouver 767, is escorted by two
CF-18s after a suspicious threat is received by
North American Aerospace Defense Command. • April 27 –
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Anne McLellan introduces new
$690 million national security and foreign security initiative. • April 29 – Prime Minister Martin speaks at a U.S. conference reaffirming position not to join coalition in
Iraq, but says Canada wants to aid in rebuilding Iraq. • April 29 – A
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) panel rules in favour of Canada in the
US - Canada softwood lumber dispute against the United States.
May • May 3 – Canadian businessman Naji al-Kuwaiti is reported to have been taken hostage in
Iraq on April 28; he is released May 4. • May 10 –
2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal –
Jean Brault, president of
Groupaction, and
Charles Guité arrested by the RCMP for fraud. • May 17 –
Ken Dryden announces his candidacy in the 2004 Canadian election representing the
Liberal Party in the Canadian
electoral district of
York Centre. • May 18 –
Supreme Court of Canada upholds law on spending limit by
Lobby groups during elections. • May 18 –
Karlheinz Schreiber ordered
extradited to Germany on charges of fraud, bribery, and failure to pay taxes. • May 27 –
Conservative Party of Canada official languages critic
Scott Reid resigns after making comments suggesting reduction of French language access. • May 27 – Former Public Works Minister
Alfonso Gagliano launches
$4.5 million lawsuit against Prime Minister Martin and the federal government. • May 27 – Farmers' income hits 25-year low in 2003 from drought and
mad cow crisis. • May 30 – Vandal(s) spraypaint
anti-gay messages on the office of
Liberal Party of Canada candidate
Glen Murray (
Charleswood—St. James). Murray was Canada's first openly
homosexual municipal leader as the mayor of
Winnipeg (1998–2004).
June • June 3 –
Canada–United States softwood lumber dispute:
United States Commerce Department will cut its tax on softwood lumber exports, effective 2005. • June 3 –
Peel, Ontario Police charge another 13 officials at the federal
Department of Human Resources Development in fraud, bribery, and receiving secret commissions investigation. • June 10 –
Elections Canada's
Chief Electoral Officer announces changes to allow televised results of upcoming election without delay after closing of local polling stations. • June 17 – Michael Briere pleads guilty to the
murder of Holly Jones, admits to viewing
child pornography immediately before the murder. • June 18 – The
Conservative Party of Canada issues, retracts, reissues, and re-retracts a news release entitled "Paul Martin Supports Child Pornography?". • June 28 – The
Liberal Party of Canada wins a
minority government of 135 seats in the
2004 federal election (155 seats were needed for a majority). The
Conservative Party of Canada wins 99 seats,
New Democratic Party 19,
Bloc Québécois 54, and one seat is won by an independent candidate. • June 29 –
Lethbridge,
Alberta city councillor
Dar Heatherington is convicted of public mischief after a police investigation concludes that she falsely alleged being stalked by a constituent. She previously faced similar charges after a 2003 investigation in
Great Falls, Montana, concluded that she filed a false report of having been abducted and raped.
July • July 2 – Nine-year-old
Djamshid Djan Popal arrives in Toronto. Early diagnoses suggest Popal suffers from
patent ductus arteriosus, a condition he cannot get treatment for in his native
Afghanistan, but will be able to in Canada thanks to fundraising efforts by the
Muslim Association of
Hamilton and volunteering doctors. • July 6 – Five-year-old
Tamra Keepness, of
Regina, is declared missing; massive police search ensues. • July 11 – Hail and torrential rain causes flooding in Edmonton; damage to the
West Edmonton Mall is estimated in the millions of dollars. • July 13 – The
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) does not renew the broadcasting license of the
Quebec City FM radio station
CHOI, citing obscene and offensive content; it is the first time a
Canadian station has been forced off the air as a result of crude material. • July 14 –
Same-sex marriage in Yukon:
Yukon territory becomes the fourth province or territory to legalize
same-sex marriage. • July 14 – Foreign affairs minister
Bill Graham orders the withdrawal of Canada's ambassador to
Iran after Canada is denied attendance at the trial of
Mohammed Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, alleged murderer of Canadian-Iranian citizen
Zahra Kazemi. • July 15 –
Peterborough is hit with 235 mm of rain, backlogging the city's sewer system and flooding streets. • July 16 – Iran announces it will allow some diplomatic observers at the trial of
Zahra Kazemi's alleged murderer; Canada suspends the withdrawal of its ambassador to Iran. • July 18 – Trial of
Zahra Kazemi's alleged killer abruptly ends; Canadian ambassador to Iran is recalled. • July 19 – Stepfather of missing
Regina girl
Tamra Keepness is charged with assault causing bodily harm; the alleged altercation occurred at 3 a.m. the morning of July 6, four hours after Tamra was last seen by the family. • July 20 –
Prime minister Paul Martin announces his new cabinet, which includes new faces such as
ice hockey great
Ken Dryden, former
British Columbia premier
Ujjal Dosanjh, and former
Progressive Conservative and the openly
gay Scott Brison. • July 22 – An arrest is made in the
Cecilia Zhang murder case, 9 months after she was abducted. • July 24 – An
Iranian court acquits the accused killer of Iranian-Canadian journalist
Zahra Kazemi of charges of "semi-intentional murder". • July 30 – Two audits claim that suspended
Canada Post president
Andre Ouellet overlooked contract-tendering and hiring protocols and ran a massive expense budget; he is given a week to explain his actions.
August • August 5 –
Bill Clinton signs his autobiography
My Life at a Toronto bookstore and draws huge lineups. • August 6 – Former
NDP MP Svend Robinson pleads guilty to theft over $5000 for stealing a ring, and receives a conditional discharge; he avoids jail time and a criminal record but receives a sentence of 100 hours of community service. • August 9 –
Lethbridge,
Alberta city councillor
Dar Heatherington resigns after being convicted of public mischief. • August 12 –
André Ouellet resigns as head of
Canada Post. • August 15 –
World Wrestling Entertainment holds its
SummerSlam event from the
Air Canada Centre in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada. • August 19 –
Lyse Lemieux,
Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec, resigns her position as a result of criminal charges. • August 20 –
Groupe TVA and
Sun Media announce plans to acquire
Toronto,
Ontario television station
Toronto One from
CHUM Limited when CHUM purchases the
Craig Media stations. • August 20 –
Catherine Clark is announced as the new host of a daily local talk show in
Ottawa,
Ontario. • August 24 –
Louise Charron and
Rosalie Abella are nominated to the
Supreme Court of Canada. • August 25 – A Toronto man takes one woman hostage outside of
Union Station before being shot dead by a Toronto Police Emergency Task Force sniper. • August 26 –
Larry Fisher (murderer) denied parole.
Saskatchewan plans an
inquiry possibly starting in
2005 into the incident. • August 26 –
Todd Bertuzzi enters not guilty plea in
British Columbia court for assaulting
Steve Moore. • August 30 – Charron and Abella are formally appointed to the SCOC. • August 30 – The
Canadian Passport Office asks permission to use
facial recognition technology to detect potential terrorists.
September • September 8 – Canada gives the
United Nations $20 million for
Sudan peacekeeping. • September 10 – The federal government announces $500-million to help cattle farmers hurt by the restricted trade of cattle stemming from one case of
Mad Cow disease in
2003. • September 10 – Former
Lethbridge,
Alberta, city councillor
Dar Heatherington is given a 20-month conditional sentence for
public mischief. • September 13–15 – Health care conference in
Ottawa between Prime Minister
Paul Martin and the
provinces. • September 13 – Canada's first same-sex divorce occurs, in
Ontario. • September 16 –
Same-sex marriage in Manitoba: The Supreme Court of
Manitoba rules the province's ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional. • September 18 –
John Tory wins the
leadership of the
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. • September 19 –
Mihai Eminescu Statue, Montreal unveiled. • September 22 – Ottawa forgives debts of
Senegal,
Ghana and
Ethiopia. • September 22 – Canadian Fairuz Yamucky, who was held captive in
Iraq for 16 days, is returned home. • September 24 –
Same-sex marriage in Nova Scotia: The Supreme Court of
Nova Scotia rules the province's ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional. • September 27 –
Calgary Health Region investigates
E. coli outbreak affecting more than 600 people. Three local
restaurants suspected. • September 29 – About 24
North Koreans in Beijing, China, successfully scale the wall of the Canadian embassy seeking asylum. • September 29 –
Nelson, British Columbia city council reject plan to build a
monument dedicated to American
draft dodgers. • September 30 – It is announced that
Governor General Adrienne Clarkson will serve an additional year as Canada's viceroy. • September 30 –
Air Canada emerges from bankruptcy protection.
October • October 1 –
Governor General Adrienne Clarkson's term extended one year. • October 1 –
Manitoba,
New Brunswick, and
Alberta introduce new anti-
smoking laws. • October 2 – Poet/musician
Meryn Cadell comes out as
transgender on
CBC Radio One. • October 4 – Canada's first
minority government since 1979 is sworn in. • October 4 –
Amnesty International releases a report slamming Canada's lack of protection of
Aboriginal women. • October 4 – Canada opens an investigation against
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for possible relations with
Hamas militants. • October 5 –
Speech from the Throne. • October 5 – A fire aboard , located off the coast of Ireland. • October 6 –
Same-sex marriage in Canada: The
Supreme Court of Canada begins three days of hearings to determine the legality of same-sex marriage under the
Constitution. • October 13 – Lieutenant Chris Saunders's funeral is held at a Halifax, Nova Scotia church. • October 14 – A
Boeing 747 MK Airlines cargo plane crashes after takeoff at
Halifax International Airport. • October 17 – The ten finalists in the
CBC's
The Greatest Canadian series are announced. They are Sir
Frederick Banting,
Alexander Graham Bell,
Tommy Douglas,
Terry Fox,
Wayne Gretzky, Sir
John A. Macdonald,
Lester B. Pearson,
David Suzuki,
Pierre Trudeau and, in a surprise which many Canadian media commentators have heavily mocked,
Don Cherry. • October 19 – A lawyer in Toronto successfully challenges a traffic ticket on the basis that the city had not posted
bilingual traffic signs in accordance with
Ontario's
French Language Services Act of 1986. The city is expected to appeal the decision. • October 20 –
British Columbia lowers its provincial sales tax from 7.5% to 7%. • October 20 – The Canadian dollar closes at
$0.8029, its first time above $0.80 since 1993. • October 25 –
Alberta premier
Ralph Klein obtains a dissolution of the legislature; an election is called for November 22. • October 28 –
Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler sends
Steven Truscott's case to the
Court of Appeal for Ontario, 45 years after the sentence to hang. • October 28 –
Supreme Court of Canada rules
Newfoundland and Labrador was justified in deferring
pay equity to women during a financial crisis.
November . • November 4 – Two couples file suit for
same-sex marriage in Newfoundland and Labrador. • November 4 –
Citizenship and Immigration Canada web traffic jumps sharply as many
U.S. Democratic Party supporters react to the
recent U.S. election. • November 5 –
Same sex marriage in Saskatchewan: A
Saskatchewan judge declares that same-sex couples have the right to marry in that province. • November 12 – The
Saskatoon Police Department fire two constables for their involvement in the
Neil Stonechild case. • November 15 – The
United States Department of Homeland Security tightens border security at three checkpoints, including
Blue Water Bridge in
Sarnia,
Ontario — 17 other checkpoints will have similar security before 2005, part of the
US-VISIT programme. • November 15 – The
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission opens a civil fraud lawsuit against
Conrad Black. • November 16 – It is announced that U.S.
President George W. Bush will visit Canada November 30 for a two-day visit, his first formal visit to the country since becoming president in 2001. • November 18 – Prime Minister
Paul Martin expels
Mississauga—Erindale Member of Parliament Carolyn Parrish from the
Liberal Party caucus, after the controversial MP tells the
Canadian Press she feels no loyalty to the party or the prime minister. • November 18 – The
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approves an application by the American
news channel Fox News for a
digital licence. • November 19 – The CRTC approves
CHUM Limited's purchase of
Craig Media. • November 21 – The Toronto Argonauts win the
Grey Cup for the first time since 1997. • November 22 –
Ralph Klein wins his 4th mandate as
Premier of Alberta. • November 29 –
Tommy Douglas is voted "
The Greatest Canadian" in a
CBC popular television series poll. • November 30 – U.S. President
George W. Bush arrives in
Ottawa for a two-day official visit.
December • December 9 – The
Supreme Court of Canada issues its decision for the
same-sex marriage reference bill sent to it by the
Government of Canada. The court finds that the federal government has jurisdiction over the definition of marriage and can pass a law to change it. • December 19 – Prime Minister Paul Martin arrives in
Libya for an official two-day visit. This is the first visit to that country by a
Canadian prime minister. • December 21 – The
Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador legalizes
same-sex marriage. • December 23 –
Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador pulls down the Canadian flags in a protest of his province's treatment by the federal government. • December 26 – 15
Canadians are among the
victims of the
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. • December 27 – The
Canadian government donates
$4 million to the
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami relief effort and pledge a further $36 million. • December 29 – The
United States Department of Agriculture announces the resumption of beef importation effective March 7, 2005 after banning it after finding
mad cow disease in one
Alberta pig.
Date unknown •
Beach Travellers, a
Vancouver-based
tour operator is founded. •
Ouanani, a world music group is formed in
Montréal. ==Arts and literature==