1955 in Canada

Decades:	1930s ; 1940s ; 1950s ; 1960s ; 1970s ;
See also:	History of Canada ; Timeline of Canadian history ; List of years in Canada ;

Last updated April 26, 2025

Events from the year 1955 in Canada.

Incumbents

Crown

Monarch – Elizabeth II ^[1]

Federal government

Governor General – Vincent Massey ^[2]
Prime Minister – Louis St. Laurent
Chief Justice of Canada – Patrick Kerwin (Ontario)
Parliament – 22nd

Provincial governments

Territorial governments

Commissioners

Commissioner of Yukon – Wilfred George Brown (until June 8) then Frederick Howard Collins
Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Robert Gordon Robertson

Events

January 7 – The first television broadcast of the opening of parliament
February 1 – The Bank of Toronto and The Dominion Bank merge to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank
February 23 - Military exercise Operation Bulldog III in Yellowknife.
March 17- Richard Riot
April 2 – The Angus L. Macdonald Bridge connecting Halifax to Dartmouth opens.
June 9 – 1955 Ontario general election: Leslie Frost's PCs win a fourth consecutive majority
June 29 – 1955 Alberta general election: Ernest Manning's Social Credit Party wins a sixth consecutive majority.
July 11 – Seven teenagers die in a mountaineering accident on Mount Temple in Banff National Park.
Cape Breton Island is connected to the mainland by the Canso Causeway

Arts and literature

New books

Gabrielle Roy: Rue Deschambault

Awards

See 1955 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
Stephen Leacock Award: Robertson Davies, Leaven of Malice

Music

Glenn Gould's first recording of the Goldberg Variations is made.

Sport

March 13 – In an NHL game in Boston, Hal Laycoe cuts Maurice Richard with a high stick. After the whistle, Richard repeatedly bludgeons Laycoe, then punches linesman Cliff Thompson unconscious.
March 17 – The Richard Riot erupts in Montreal after the NHL suspends Maurice Richard for the remainder of the season.
April 14 – The Detroit Red Wings win their seventh (and last until 1997) Stanley Cup by defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4 games to 3.
April 29 – The Ontario Hockey Association's Toronto Marlboros win their second (and first since 1929) Memorial Cup by defeating the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Regina Pats 4 games to 1. All games were played at Regina Exhibition Stadium
November 26 – The Edmonton Eskimos win their second (consecutive) Grey Cup by defeating the Montreal Alouettes by the score of 34 to 19 in the 43rd Grey Cup played at Empire Stadium in Vancouver
The Canadian Sports Hall of Fame is created.

Births

January to June

January 1 – Precious, wrestler and manager
January 4 – John Nunziata, politician
January 6 – Alex Forsyth, ice hockey player
January 8 – Joan Kingston, nurse, educator, and politician
January 10 - Eva Aariak, politician, and 2nd Premier of Nunavut
January 28 – Odette Lapierre, long-distance runner
February 23 – Jerry Holland, fiddler
February 25 – Camille Thériault, politician and 29th Premier of New Brunswick
February 27 – MaryAnn Mihychuk, politician
March 16 – Andy Scott, politician and Minister
April 6 – Cathy Jones, comedian and writer
April 25 – Jane Stewart, politician and Minister
May 10 – Robert Woodbury, Canadian former sailor athlete^[3]
May 12 – Yvon Godin, politician
May 14 – Marie Chouinard, dancer, choreographer and dance company director
June 14 – Joe Preston, politician
June 16 – J. Jill Robinson, writer

July to December

July 7 – Gord Mackintosh, politician
July 13 – Hubert Lacroix, lawyer and President and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
July 17 – Geneviève Cadieux, artist
July 19 – Dalton McGuinty, lawyer, politician and 24th Premier of Ontario
August 6 – Gilles Bernier, politician
August 12 – Tooker Gomberg, politician and environmental activist (d. 2004)
August 19 – Bev Desjarlais, politician
August 31 – Sidney McKnight, boxer

John Kricfalusi JohnKricfalusi.jpg — John Kricfalusi

September 9 - John Kricfalusi, animator and voice actor
September 28 – Stéphane Dion, politician and Minister
October 12 – Jane Siberry (Issa), singer-songwriter
November 4 – Rodger Cuzner, politician
November 10 – Ken Holland, ice hockey player
November 11 – Teri York, diver^[4]
December 13 – Pat Martin, politician

October 30-Metis and Reform Member of Parliament (MP) James A. Hart was born in Edmonton, Alberta

Deaths

April 24 – Walter Seymour Allward, sculptor (b. 1876)
April 26 – Lyman Duff, jurist and Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1865)
May 10 – Tommy Burns, only Canadian born world heavyweight champion boxer (b. 1881)
June 16 – Ozias Leduc, painter (b. 1864)
August 5 – Izaak Walton Killam, financier (b. 1885)
August 7 – Alexander Stirling MacMillan, businessman, politician and Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1871)
October 1 – Charles Christie, motion picture studio owner (b. 1880)

References

↑ "Queen Elizabeth II | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
↑ Lentz, Harris M. (4 February 2014). Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. Routledge. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-134-26490-2.
↑ "Olympics". Canadian Olympic Committee. 18 September 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
↑ "Teri YORK - Olympic Diving | Canada". International Olympic Committee. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2019.

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[1] "Queen Elizabeth II | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 4 December 2022.

[2] Lentz, Harris M. (4 February 2014). Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. Routledge. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-134-26490-2.

[3] "Olympics". Canadian Olympic Committee. 18 September 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2014.

[4] "Teri YORK - Olympic Diving | Canada". International Olympic Committee. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2019.

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v t e 1955 in North America
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