← 1947 1946 1945 1948 in Canada → 1949 1950 1951
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	History of Canada Timeline of Canadian history List of years in Canada

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Events from the year 1948 in Canada.

Incumbents

Events

• June 7 – Ontario election: George Drew's PCs win a second consecutive majority
• June 24 – Saskatchewan election: Tommy Douglas's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation wins a second consecutive majority
• July 22 – A second runoff referendum is held in the 1948 Newfoundland referendums; confederation with Canada is approved, leading to the eventual union between Canada and the Dominion of Newfoundland in March 1949.
• August 17 – Alberta election: Ernest Manning's Social Credit Party wins a fourth consecutive majority
• September 6 – The oil well Atlantic No. 3 (near Devon, Alberta), which had been running wild since March 21, catches fire. Smoke affects the atmosphere for hundreds of kilometres until the blaze is put out in November by a team led by Myron M. Kinley and Red Adair.
• October 19 – Thomas Kennedy becomes premier of Ontario, replacing George Drew
• November 13 – Douglas Campbell becomes premier of Manitoba, replacing Stuart Garson
• November 15 – Louis Saint Laurent becomes prime minister, replacing Mackenzie King

Arts and literature

Sport

• February 2 – Barbara Ann Scott becomes the first Canadian to win the figure skating gold medal at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland
• April 14 – The Toronto Maple Leafs win their seventh Stanley Cup by defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 0.
• April 30 – The Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League's Port Arthur West End Bruins win their only Memorial Cup by defeating the Ontario Hockey Association's Barrie Flyers 4 games to 0. All games were played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
• November 27 – The undefeated Calgary Stampeders win their first Grey Cup by defeating the Ottawa Rough Riders 12 to 7 in the 36th Grey Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. This Cup is notable for the Stampeders' fans making a party out of the game and launching the Grey Cup festival that precedes the championship game.

Births

January to March

Gordon Campbell

• January 10 – Craig Russell, female impersonator (d. 1990)
• January 12 – Gordon Campbell, politician and 34th Premier of British Columbia
• January 13 – Pat O'Brien, politician
• January 15 – Andy Jones, comedian, writer, actor and director
• January 16 – Cliff Thorburn, snooker player, former world number one

Frank McKenna

• January 19 – Frank McKenna, businessman, politician, 27th Premier of New Brunswick and diplomat
• January 25 – Sarkis Assadourian, politician
• February 11 – Shaughnessy Cohen, politician (d. 1998)
• February 13 – Allan Legere, serial killer, rapist, and arsonist
• February 21 – Chuck Cadman, politician (d. 2005)
• March 14
  • Pierre Granche, sculptor (d. 1997)
  • Maria Minna, politician
• March 20 – Bobby Orr, ice hockey player
• March 31 – Gary Doer, politician and 20th Premier of Manitoba

July to September

Bob Rae in 2007

• July 4 – Katherine Govier, novelist
• July 8 – Raffi, children's entertainer, music producer, author and entrepreneur
• August 2 – Bob Rae, politician and 21st Premier of Ontario
• August 5 – Don Scott, politician
• August 14 – John Edzerza, Yukon MLA (d. 2011)
• August 31 – Marie-Lynn Hammond, folk singer-songwriter, broadcaster and playwright
• September 8 – Stephen Owen, politician (d. 2023)
• September 10 – Margaret Trudeau, wife of the late Pierre Trudeau, the 15th Prime Minister of Canada
• September 19 – James McCrae, politician
• September 21 – Bernard Jean, oboist, conductor, and music educator
• September 24 – Phil Hartman, actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic artist (d. 1998)

Deaths

• March 14 – Ernest Frederick Armstrong, politician (b. 1878)
• March 28 – John Duncan MacLean, teacher, physician, politician and Premier of British Columbia (b. 1873)
• May 20 – George Beurling, most successful Canadian fighter pilot of World War II (b. 1921)
• May 21 – James Ralston, lawyer, soldier, politician and Minister (b. 1881)

See also

• List of Canadian films

Historical documents

"A common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations" - UN proclaims Universal Declaration of Human Rights^[3]

Parliamentary committee studying draft UN human rights declaration speaks to global variety of rights interpretations^[4]

UN convention on genocide defines it as attempt to destroy group by killing or seriously harming members, preventing births or taking group's children^[5]

Canadian children "had no idea what to do with us" - Holocaust orphan arrives in Canada and settles in Regina^[6]

"Fitting together the scattered jigsaw-puzzle pieces of their lives" - Japanese Canadians move on, and why they have to^[7]

CPR sleeping car porter enjoys travel but finds job "subservient" and travelling public "about 85 pleasant and the other 15 unpleasant"^[8]

Ottawa-Quebec politics rule out Black U.S. troops in Quebec, where their presence "might be misunderstood and misrepresented"^[9]

"Maximum dramatic appeal" and "simplicity" of secret U.S.A.-Canada free-trade proposal encourage optimism for success^[10]

Lester Pearson says "the world needs the textiles which Japan" would produce if it received Most favoured nation trade status^[11]

Ambassador to China keen to see Canadian presence (banks, Canadian Pacific ships and planes, TCA and Navy) in southeast Asia^[12]

U.S.A. to hold multi-party talks on North Atlantic security matters, including Soviet intentions and U.S. commitment^[13]

Canada wants North Atlantic security organization to involve foreign ministry consultation and economic and social collaboration^[14]

Kinks in Canada-U.S. joint defence arrangements, including roles, responsibilities and functions, need to be worked out^[15]

Canada seeks to know U.S. policy on partition of Palestine, especially regarding possibility of UN Security Council authorizing force^[16]

Cabinet decides not to support UN membership for Israel before it recognizes Israel's provisional government^[17]

With Nationalist forces "off balance and low in morale" in Chinese Civil War, Canada plans evacuations^[18]

South African ambassador seeks Canada's support for white supremacy policy to block communism and Indians "swamping" whites^[19]

Cabinet seeks better ways to exclude from Canada top leaders of "unions known to be communist dominated" and fellow travellers^[20]

Cabinet Defence Committee sees need for Arctic icebreaker to support government stations and wartime amphibious operations^[21]

"Frenzied," "shrill" and "a pitch of hysteria which could scarcely be raised" - anti-U.S. Soviet propaganda assessed^[22]

Given CBC cooperation and with policy "guidance notes," Pearson ponders propaganda broadcasts to communist controlled countries^[23]

Newfoundland must be independent because England couldn't help if it wanted to and confederation means federal government rule^[24]

"I fear the return of Responsible Government" - Newfoundlander dreads days of privation recurring if Canada is rejected^[25]

Refus Global calls Quebeckers to free themselves from past fears and anguish at nauseating recent evils with passion and unity^[26]

CBC Radio interview with figure skating champion Barbara Ann Scott after she won gold medal at Winter Olympics in St. Moritz^[27]

Photo: Calgary Stampeders' Norman L. Kwong runs into opposing team's defence in football game^[28]

Kate Aitken talks about women of the year, including Princess Elizabeth, Barbara Ann Scott and Henrietta Banting, on her radio show^[29]

CBC radio play from "series of dramatized programmes on human relation" involving National Committee for Mental Hygiene of Canada^[30]

"Absolute and undying ambition to succeed" - CBC network announcer Elwood Glover's memories of his early radio career^[31]

Ducks Unlimited naturalist says prairie drought can seem catastrophic, but only cover 1% of waterfowl breeding territory^[32]

Illustration: Promotional poster, with illustration by Peter Maxwell Ewart, invites hunters to travel on Canadian Pacific^[33]

References