Incumbents Prime Minister - Pierre Trudeau then Joe Clark Governor General - Jules Léger then Edward Richard Schreyer Premier of Alberta - Peter Lougheed Premier of British Columbia - W.R. Bennett Premier of Manitoba - Sterling Lyon Premier of New Brunswick - Richard Hatfield Premier of Newfoundland - Frank Moores then Brian Peckford Premier of Nova Scotia - John Buchanan Premier of Ontario - Bill Davis Premier of Prince Edward Island - Bennett Campbell then Angus MacLean Premier of Quebec - Réne Lévesque Premier of Saskatchewan - Alan Blakeney Events January 17 - Edward Richard Schreyer replaces Jules Léger as Governor General February - The first Winterlude is held in Ottawa March 14 - Alberta election: Peter Lougheed's PCs win a third consecutive majority March 26 - Brian Peckford becomes premier of Newfoundland, replacing Frank Moores May 3 - Angus MacLean becomes premier of Prince Edward Island, replacing Bennett Campbell May 22 - Canadians go to the polls in the 1979 Canadian election. They defeat Pierre Trudeau's Liberals and elect Joe Clark's Tories, but only with a minority June 4 - Joe Clark becomes Canada's sixteenth, and youngest ever, prime minister June 22 - The World Hockey Association folds. Four teams the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques, and Hartford Whalers surive and move to the NHL September 5 - Canada's first gold bullion coin goes on sale November 10 - a train carrying chemicals derails in Mississauga, Ontario and hundreds of thousands have to be evacuated December 13 - Supreme Court declares Quebec and Manitoba's provincial legislatures to be unconstitutional because of their use of only one language. December 13- The governonet is defeated on a non-confidence motion and Prime Minister Clark calls an election December 31 - A fire a Le Club Opemiska in Chaplais, Quebec kills 42 at a New Year's Eve party Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup defeating the New York Rangers 4 games to 1. Chris Haney and Scott Abbott invent Trivial Pursuit Arts and Literature New Works Irving Layton - The Tightrope Dancer Margaret Atwood - Life Before Man Steve McCaffery - Intimate Distortions Roch Carrier - Les enfants du bonhomme dans la lune Joy Fielding - Trance Gabrielle Roy - Courte-Queue Gordon R. Dickson - The Spirit of Dorsai Farley Mowat - And No Birds Sang Awards Antonine Maillet wins the French Prix Goncourt for her novel Pélagie-la-Charette See 1979 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards. Stephen Leacock Award: Sondra Gotlieb, True Confessions Vicky Metcalf Award: Cliff Faulknor Television Lorne Michaels starts Broadway Video a company that goes on to produce shows like The Kids in the Hall You Can't Do That On Television premiers Births Deaths February 23 - W.A.C. Bennett, former premier of British Columbia May 29 - Mary Pickford, actress, studio founder August 16 - former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker December 19 - Donald Creighton, historian
