1940 in Canada

Events from the year 1940 in Canada.

← 1939 1938 1937 1940 in Canada → 1941 1942 1943
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	History of Canada Timeline of Canadian history List of years in Canada

Incumbents

Crown

• Monarch – George VI^[1]

Federal government

• Governor General – John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir (until February 11)^[2] then Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (from June 21)^[3]
• Prime Minister – William Lyon Mackenzie King
• Chief Justice – Lyman Poore Duff (British Columbia)
• Parliament – 18th (until 25 January) then 19th (from 16 May)

Provincial governments

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

Territorial governments

Commissioners

• Controller of Yukon – George A. Jeckell
• Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Charles Camsell

Events

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 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 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

Arts and literature

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

Births

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

Alex Trebek, March 2007

• 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)

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir

Deaths

January to June

• February 11 - John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, novelist, politician and 15th Governor General of Canada (b. 1875)^[2]
• 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^[4]

"Almost terrifying sums of money" - Transport Minister C.D. Howe on War Supply Board's huge task, and power^[5]

Training facilities across Canada will be set up to turn out 35,000 Commonwealth pilots, air gunners and observers annually^[6]

Infantry training at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition grounds to supply reinforcements for units now in England^[7]

Limit to "complete equality for women" is on North Atlantic as female reporters tour Canadian destroyer at sea^[8]

CBC speeches by J.W. Dafoe, playwright Robert E. Sherwood, novelist James Hilton and columnist Dorothy Thompson on wartime "causes and issues"^[9]

Controversy erupts in Ontario Liberal Party over Premier Hepburn's "personal grudge" censure of King war policy^[10]

"My own bomb came looking for me, but I was not at home" - Canadian diplomat survives Blitz (just barely) in London^[11]

King George walks five miles and stops to chat 50 times as he inspects Canadian First Division in England^[12]

First loan drive (for 12-year bonds at 3.25% interest) brings in more than $136 million from cities, towns and hamlets^[13]

Nazi-linked German nationals and suspect German-Canadians to be interned as possibly dangerous to Canada^[14]

"No place for excitement in the hearts of people" regarding federal election issues, but deep concern over world affairs in Ottawa^[15]

Hours before its capitulation to Germans, Canadian, British and U.S. governments pledge help to imperilled France^[16]

Following fall of France, Quebec editorials call on English and French Canadian men to heed call to Canada's defence^[17]

Every Canadian resident (including aliens) 16 or over must comply with National Registration process and carry registration certificate at all times^[18]

Importance of British subject status and "race" (e.g., English, Scottish, French, Italian) in National Registration process^[19]

Montreal mayor interned as "prejudicial to the public safety" after he "blasted" wartime compulsory training order^[20]

Editorials point out importance of U.S.A. to Allies' struggle, and its people's recognition of that^[21]

Canada shifting main war partnership from Britain to U.S.A.; public wants greater war effort (except overseas conscription)^[22]

U.S. ambassador reports Canadian public demanding "some form of joint defence understanding with the United States"^[23]

U.S.A. and Canada set up Permanent Joint Board on Defence to protect North America^[24]

Leslie Gilbert Illingworth political cartoon of U.S.-Canada defence pact has Wild West setting^[25]

Supervisor of German sanitorium and Württemberg bishop object to unlawful killing of mental patients and epileptics^[26]

"Such a sudden and swift offensive" - Ukrainian-Canadian leftists are arrested in wide police sweep in Winnipeg^[27]

With government "forcing conscription of unemployed and needy youth," Canadian Youth Congress wants training and jobs^[28]

Liberal Party federal election leaflet identifies CCF (and Nazis) as socialist^[29]

German Jewish refugee Frederick Mendel turns Saskatoon meatpacking plant into thriving business^[30]

Anarchist Emma Goldman feels "gagged and paralyzed" in wartime Canada as she collects money for refugees^[31]

Black man becomes CPR sleeping car porter after being repeatedly rejected as machinist and told to shine shoes (Note: "nigger" used)^[32]