January 5 – Fourth explosion from 2008-09 British Columbia pipeline bombings destroyed a metering shed near the community of Tomslake, British Columbia.[1]
January 8 – Large amount of gang violence in Vancouver starts.
January 15 – A large blackout hits Toronto effecting an estimated 250,000 people.[2]
January 26 – The 40th Canadian Parliament reopens for its second session after a two-month prorogation. Governor GeneralMichaëlle Jean reads the Speech from the Throne.
January 27 – Finance Minister Jim Flaherty presents the 2009 Canadian federal budget to the House of Commons of Canada.
January 28
Opposition LeaderMichael Ignatieff announces the support of the Liberal Party for the budget on the condition that his amendment is included.
The first of the 2009 Canadian Tamil protests begin in front of the Consulate General office of Sri Lanka in Toronto.[3]
January 29 – 2008-09 York University Strike comes to an end with a count of 42–8 ending the strike.
February 19 – Newly-sworn American PresidentBarack Obama made his first foreign trip by visiting Canada.[4]
February 22 – Spanish fishing vessel Monte Galineiro sank off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
March 12 – A helicopter crash off the coast of Newfoundland kills 17.
March 17 – Former U.S. President George W. Bush gave a talk in Calgary, Alberta.[5]
March 29 – Researchers from the University of Toronto discover GhostNet.
April to September[]
April 2 – Stephen Harper attends the 2009 G-20 London summit.
April 6 – Tamil protesters gather at Parliament Hill, Ottawa for a non-stop, continuous protest requesting Harper to call for a ceasefire to the Sri Lankan Civil War. Six people begin their own hunger strikes.
April 8 – Victoria "Tori" Stafford is abducted from Oliver Stephens Public School in Woodstock, Ontario.
April 26 – First cases of the 2009 H1N1 outbreak are confirmed in Canada.
April 30 – Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention is held in Vancouver, British Columbia.
May 6 – Canada begins negotiations with the European Union on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.
May 20 – Two people, Michael Thomas Rafferty, and Terri-Lyne McClintic are charged with the abduction and murder of Victoria "Tori" Stafford.
June 17 – School stabbings happen at St. Joseph Secondary School in Mississauga.
June 22 – Start of the 2009 City of Toronto inside and outside workers strike.
June 24 to July 3 – Death and state funeral of Roméo LeBlanc, former Governor General
July 4 – Natural gas line was bombed for the sixth time near Dawson Creek.
July 8 – Stephen Harper attends the 35th G8 summit.
July 9 – A small plane crashed on final approach to Vancouver International Airport, killing all two people on board. No one on the ground was injured, while an IKEA in the parking lot suffered some damage.
July 17 – R. v. Grant is ruled on at the Supreme Court of Canada.
July 23 – Shawn Atleo is chosen as the organization's new national chief at the Assembly of First Nationsleadership convention.
August 1 – One person was killed and seventy-five others were injured, when the stage collapsed at the Big Valley Jamboree due to a severe thunderstorm and high winds.
October 20 – Former U.S. President George W. Bush spoke in Edmonton, Alberta.[6]
October 22 – Former U.S. President George W. Bush spoke in Montreal, Quebec.[6]
October 29 – The premiers of New Brunswick and Quebec sign a memorandum of understanding to sell most assets of NB Power to Hydro-Quebec for C$4.75 billion.[7]
November 9 – Four by-elections are held to fill vacancies in the House of Commons.
November 10 – Just 23 days after assuming the leadership of the Action démocratique du Québec, Gilles Taillon resigns, citing both caucus infighting and alleged irregularities in the party's financial records which he called on the Sûreté du Québec to investigate.[8]
November 15 – Mike Schreiner is chosen as the new leader of the Green Party of Ontario.
December 10 – The Olympic torch arrives at Parliament Hill and is carried into the House by Barbara Ann Scott.[9]
December 15 – Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive is welcomed to Canada to talk about security and development of Haiti[10]
Unknown date[]
The government cryptologic agency, Tutte Institute for Mathematics and Computing, is founded.
Arts and literature[]
Art[]
March 6 – Art and Social Responsibility The Interdependence of the Arts and Civil Society conference is held in Toronto, Ontario.
Film[]
Main article: List of Canadian films of 2009
January 23 – 3 saisons is released in Quebec
April 4 – The 29th Genie Awards are held at the Canadian Aviation Museum in Ottawa, Ontario.
September 10 – The 2009 Toronto International Film Festival was held.
Music[]
Main article: 2009 in Canadian music
March 29 – The Juno Awards of 2009 are held in Vancouver, hosted by Russell Peters.
September 21 – The 2009 Polaris Music Prize is won by Fucked Up for their album The Chemistry of Common Life.
May 15 – The 2009 season of the Canadian Soccer League starts.
May 24 – Windsor Spitfires won their First Memorial Cup by defeating the Kelowna Rockets 4 to 1. The Tournament was played at Colisée de Rimouski in Rimouski, Quebec
The 2009 Rexall Edmonton Indy takes place at the Rexall Speedway.
August 12 – 2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships is held in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on Lake Banook.
August 15 – Canada competed at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
October 12 – The Canadian National Challenge Cup 2009 was held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
November 28 – Queen's Golden Gaels won their Fourth(and First since 1992) Vanier Cup by defeating the Calgary Dinos 33 to 31 in the 45th Grey Cup played at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City
November 29 – Montreal Alouettes won their Sixth Grey Cup by defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 28 to 27 in the 97th Grey Cup played at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
Deaths[]
January[]
January 8 – Richard John Neuhaus, churchman and author (born 1936)
January 10 – Jean Pelletier, politician and Mayor of Quebec City (born 1935)
January 11 – Daryl Seaman, businessman (born 1922)
January 20 – Stan Hagen, politician (born 1940)
January 22 – John Alan Beesley, diplomat and civil servant (born 1927)
January 23
Helen Maksagak, politician, first woman and first InukNorthwest Territories Commissioner (born 1931)
Percy Smith, barrister, lawyer and politician (born 1922)