See also: 1939 in Canada, other events of 1940, 1941 in Canada and the Timeline of Canadian history.

---

Contents

1 Events 2 Arts and Literature 3 Births 4 Deaths

Events

• March 13 - John McNair becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Allison Dysart
• March 21 - Alberta election : William Aberhart's Social Credit Party wins a second consecutive majority
• March 26 - Federal election: Mackenzie King's Liberals win a second consecutive majority
• April 3 - Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone is appointed Governor General of Canada replacing the late John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir
• April 25 - Quebec women get the vote in provincial elections
• May 28-June 30 - WWII: The Canadian navy stations seven destroyers in the English Channel these play an important role in evacuating allied troops from France
• June - WWII: The Canadian troops are some of a small number of forces defending Britain
• June 5 - Nazi, fascist, and communist groups are declared illegal in Canada and leaders and members are jailed
• June 13-June 18 - WWII: A small number of Canadian troops land in Brest, France but are force to evacuate soon after
• June 21 - Conscription is introduced, but only for homeland defence
• July 10 - Alexander MacMillan becomes premier of Nova Scotia, replacing Angus Macdonald
• August 1-September 17 - WWII: 80 Canadian pilots participate in the Battle of Britain
• August 5 - Camillien Houde, the mayor of Montreal is arrest for sedition due to his anti-conscritption rhetoric
• August 7 - Unemployment insurance is introduced
• August 18 - The Odgensburg Agreement on continental defence is signed with the United States
• September 5: United Kingdom trades most of its North American military bases to the United States in exchange for 50 destroyers
• The Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies is completed.
• The Rowell-Sirois Report on federal-provincial relations is released
• Wilbur Franks invents the g-suit at the University of Toronto

Arts and Literature

New Works

• Morley Callaghan - Just ask George

Awards

• See the 1940 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.

Births

• March 6 - Ken Danby , painter
• July 22 - Alex Trebek, game show host
• September - Harry Jerome , athlete
• September 20 - Doug Young, cabinet minister

Deaths

• February 11 - John Buchan, former Governor General
• October 10 - Berton Churchill, actor
• Laura Bond, wife of Robert Laird Borden