Events from the year 1996 in Canada.
Incumbents
Crown
Monarch – Elizabeth II
Federal government
Governor General – Roméo LeBlanc
Prime Minister – Jean Chrétien
Chief Justice – Antonio Lamer (Quebec) Parliament – 35th
Provincial governments
Lieutenant governors
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Gordon Towers (until April 17) then Bud Olson
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Garde Gardom
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Yvon Dumont
Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Margaret McCain
Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Frederick Russell
Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – James Kinley
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – Hal Jackman
Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Gilbert Clements
Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Martial Asselin (until August 8) then Jean-Louis Roux Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Jack Wiebe
Premiers
Premier of Alberta – Ralph Klein
Premier of British Columbia – Mike Harcourt (until February 22) then Glen Clark
Premier of Manitoba – Gary Filmon
Premier of New Brunswick – Frank McKenna
Premier of Newfoundland – Clyde Wells (until January 26) then Brian Tobin
Premier of Nova Scotia – John Savage
Premier of Ontario – Mike Harris
Premier of Prince Edward Island – Catherine Callbeck (until October 9) then Keith Milligan (October 9 to November 27) then Pat Binns Premier of Quebec – Jacques Parizeau (until January 29) then Lucien Bouchard Premier of Saskatchewan – Roy Romanow
Territorial governments
Commissioners
Commissioner of Yukon – Judy Gingell
Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Helen Maksagak
Premiers
Premier of the Northwest Territories – Don Morin
Premier of Yukon – John Ostashek (until October 19) then Piers McDonald
Events
January to March
January 1 – Fort Norman, Northwest Territories, is renamed to Tulita. January 14 – A free trade agreement with Israel is announced. January 15 – The Corel Centre opens in Ottawa. January 25 – Jean Chrétien launches a major cabinet shuffle. Pierre Pettigrew and Stéphane Dion are brought in, despite not having seats in Parliament. January 26 – Brian Tobin becomes premier of Newfoundland, replacing Clyde Wells. January 29 – Lucien Bouchard becomes premier of Quebec, replacing Jacques Parizeau. February 7 – Bob Rae, former premier of Ontario leaves politics. February 14 – Mr. Dressup does his last show. February 15 – At a ceremony marking the first National Flag of Canada Day, Chrétien throttles a protester in Hull, Quebec, launching a small controversy over the "Shawinigan Handshake". February 17 – Michel Gauthier is elected new leader of the Bloc Québécois. February 22 – Glen Clark becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing Michael Harcourt. February 22 – Brian Tobin leads the Newfoundland Liberal Party to victory in the 1996 Newfoundland election.
March to June
March 6 – The federal budget continues the assault on the deficit. March 26 – The Anik E-1 satellite malfunctions. March 27 – The Quebec budget proposes sweeping cuts to government funding. April 3 – All members of the Canadian Forces are ordered to spend the entire day searching for documents that may aid the Somalia inquiry. April 5 – Gunman Mark Chahal kills nine relatives in Vernon, British Columbia before killing himself. April 11 – The Ontario government announce a 15 per cent reduction in the civil service. April 22 – John Nunziata is expelled from the Liberal caucus for voting against the budget. April 23 – Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland agree to replace their provincial sales taxes and the Goods and Services Tax with a Harmonized Sales Tax. May 8 – The Ontario government cuts provincial income taxes by 30 per cent. May 10 – Member of Parliament Jan Brown resigns from the Reform Party of Canada. May 19 – Marc Garneau flies on a second space mission. May 24 – Conrad Black's Hollinger takes over the Southam newspaper chain. May 28 – The British Columbia New Democratic Party wins a surprise re-election. June 10 – The Quebec government reintroduces the "Language police". June 17 – Sheila Copps, who had resigned over the GST, wins back her Hamilton–Wentworth seat in a by-election. June 20 – Robert Thirsk flies aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. June 24 – A riot in Quebec City causes a million dollars in damage.