1908 in Canada

Events

January 2 – The Royal Canadian Mint opens.
January 29 – Arthur Peters, Premier of Prince Edward Island, dies in office
February 1 – F. L. Haszard becomes premier of Prince Edward Island.
March 7 – The University of British Columbia is established by the British Columbia University Act.
March 24 – Sir John Douglas Hazen becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Clifford Robinson.
June 8 – In the Ontario election, Sir James Whitney's Conservatives win a second consecutive majority.
June 12 – Saskatchewan Government Telephones created.
August 2 – A fire in the Kootenay region kills 70.
August 14 – In the Saskatchewan election, Walter Scott's Liberals win a second consecutive majority.
September 23 – The University of Alberta opens.
October 26 – In the federal election, Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberals win a fourth consecutive majority.

Anne of Green Gables is first published, having a great effect on Prince Edward Island.
The Opium and Narcotics Act is passed banning certain drugs in Canada.
The Grain Growers Guide is first published.
The Child Labour Act of Ontario is passed.^{[citation needed]}
Vancouver Courier first published.

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Births

January 1 – Clarence Dunlap, Chief of the Air Staff Royal Canadian Air Force (d. 2003)
January 22 – Sinclair Ross, banker and author (d.1996)
February 1 – Louis Rasminsky, third Governor of the Bank of Canada (d.1998)
February 7 – Lela Brooks, speed skater (d.1990)
February 10 – Jean Coulthard, composer and academic (d.2000)
March 5 – Colin Emerson Bennett, politician and lawyer (d. 1993)
March 24 – Carl Klinck, literary historian and academic (d. 1990)
April 7 – Percy Faith, band-leader, orchestrator and composer (d. 1976)
May 11 – Hide Hyodo Shimizu, Japanese-Canadian educator and activist (d. 1999)
May 19 – Percy Williams, athlete (d. 1982)
May 26 – James Sinclair, politician, businessman and father of Margaret Sinclair, one-time wife of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and grandfather of Justin Trudeau (d.1984)
May 28 – Léo Cadieux, politician (d.2005)
June 5 – Maxwell Meighen, financier (d.1992)
June 12 – Alphonse Ouimet, broadcaster (d. 1988)^[2]
June 18 – Stanley Knowles, politician (d.1997)

July 11
- Gérard Légaré, politician (d. 1997)
- Yves Prévost, politician and lawyer (d. 1997)
September 20 – Ernest Manning, Premier of Alberta (d.1996)
October 18 – Alfred Henry Bence, politician and barrister (d.1977)
October 24 – John Tuzo Wilson, geophysicist and geologist (d. 1993)
October 31 – Muriel Duckworth, pacifist and social activist (d. 2009)
November 3 – Bronko Nagurski, American football player (d. 1990)
November 10 – Charles Merritt, army officer and politician (d. 2000)
December 6 – Nicholas Goldschmidt, conductor, administrator and artistic director (d.2004)
December 13 – W. L. Morton, historian (d.1980)
December 23 – Yousuf Karsh, photographer (d.2002)

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Deaths

January 6 – George Dixon, first Canadian-born boxing champion (b.1870)
January 13 – George Anthony Walkem, jurist and Premier of British Columbia (b.1834)
January 29 – Arthur Peters, Premier of Prince Edward Island (b.1854)
May 31 – Louis-Honoré Fréchette, politician and writer (b.1839)
June 14 – Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, Governor General of Canada (b.1841)
June 24 – William Whiteway, Premier of Newfoundland (b.1828)

August 18 – Alfred Boyd, 1st Premier of Manitoba (b.1835)
September 7 – Joseph-Guillaume Bossé, politician and lawyer (b.1843)
October 30 – Thomas Greenway, 7th Premier of Manitoba (b.1838)
November 16 – Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, 4th Premier of Quebec and Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (b.1829)
December 11 – Jean Blanchet, politician (b.1843)
December 25 – William McGuigan, politician and 10th Mayor of Vancouver (b.1853)

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Incumbents