2004 in Canada

April 1: RCMP confirms arrest of Mohammad Momin Khawaja is related to arrests in United Kingdom.
April 1: Canada is exempted from list of countries on United States Department of Homeland Security for fingerprinting and photographing visitors to the US.
April 1: Federal riding redistribution comes into effect: number of seats rises from 301 to 308.

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April 1: Same-sex marriage in Canada: the first legal same-sex marriage in Quebec is celebrated; Michael Hendricks and René Leboeuf wed in Montreal.
April 6: Canada orders slaughter of 19 million British Columbia poultry due to avian influenza.
April 6: 2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal - Jean Pelletier, former PMO chief of staff, alleges there was "no direction" in the federal sponsorship programme.
April 6: The Canadian national women's ice hockey team wins the 2004 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships.
April 7: Fadi Ihsan Fadel, a Canadian humanitarian working in Iraq, taken hostage among group of other nationals.
April 7: Former Member of Canadian Parliament Jack Ramsay's son Spencer found dead in their family home.
April 8: Nine Hell's Angels members from Montreal are convicted of drug trafficking and gangsterism.
April 8: Department of Justice considering extraditing alleged mafia leader Vito Rizzuto to the United States. He is accused of three murders in 1981.
April 14: Prime Minister Paul Martin announces extension to deployment of current soldiers in Afghanistan until summer 2005.
April 15: Member of Parliament Svend Robinson confesses to stealing a ring from an auction firm. Takes medical leave.
April 16: The auction firm from where Svend Robinson stole the ring says it won't pursue charges against him.
April 16: Canadian hostage in Iraq, Fadi Ihsan Fadel, freed.
April 16: Canadian Member of Parliament John Cannis (Scarborough Centre Liberal Party) calls for deportation of Abdurahman Khadr.

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April 17: Dalai Lama visits Canada for 19-day tour.
April 17: Canadian peacekeeper in Prnjavor, Bosnia-Herzegovina, injured in road accident, one civilian also injured. Cause under investigation. (See: Operation Palladium)
April 19: Canadians Edge and Chris Benoit win World Tag Team Championships on RAW (WWE).
April 20: Rifat Mohammed Rifat, a Canadian citizen, taken hostage in Iraq.
April 27: Air Canada flight 109, a Halifax to Vancouver 767, is escorted by two CF-18s after a suspicious threat is received by NORAD.
April 27: Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Anne McLellan introduces new $690 million national security and foreign security initiative.
April 29: Prime Minister Martin speaks at a US conference reaffirming position not to join coalition in Iraq, but says Canada wants to aid in rebuilding Iraq.
April 29: A NAFTA panel rules in favour of Canada in the US - Canada softwood lumber dispute against the United States.

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May

May 3: Canadian businessman Naji al-Kuwaiti is reported to have been taken hostage in Iraq on April 28; he is released May 4.
May 10: 2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal - Jean Brault, president of Groupaction, and Charles Guité arrested by the RCMP for fraud.
May 17: Ken Dryden announces his candidacy in the 2004 Canadian election representing the Liberal Party in the Canadian electoral district of York Centre, Ontario.
May 18: Supreme Court of Canada upholds law on spending limit by special interest groups during elections.
May 18: Karlheinz Schreiber ordered extradited to Germany on charges of fraud, bribery and failure to pay taxes.
May 27: Conservative Party of Canada official languages critic Scott Reid resigns after making comments suggesting reduction of French language access.
May 27: Former Public Works Minister Alfonso Gagliano launches $4.5 million lawsuit against Prime Minister Martin and the federal government.
May 27: Farmers' income hits 25 year low in 2003 from drought and mad cow crisis.
May 30: Vandal(s) spraypaint anti-gay messages on the office of Liberal Party of Canada candidate Glen Murray (Charleswood-St. James). Murray previously made history by being Canada's first openly homosexual municipal leader as the mayor of Winnipeg (1998 - 2004).

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June

June 3: US - Canada softwood lumber dispute: United States Commerce Department will cut its tax on softwood lumber exports, effective 2005.
June 3: Peel, Ontario Police charge another 13 officials at HRDC in fraud, bribery and receiving secret commissions investigation.
June 10: Elections Canada's Chief Electoral Officer announces changes to allow televised results of upcoming election without delay after closing of local polling stations.
June 13: Michael Schumacher wins the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix held in Montreal, Quebec.
June 17: Michael Briere pleads guilty to the murder of Holly Jones, admits to viewing child pornography immediately before the murder.
June 18: The Conservative Party of Canada issues, retracts, reissues, and reretracts a news release entitled "Paul Martin Supports Child Pornography?"

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June 28: The Liberal Party of Canada wins a minority government of 135 seats in the 2004 federal election (155 seats were needed for a majority). The Conservative Party of Canada wins 99 seats, New Democratic Party 19, Bloc Québécois 54, and one seat is won by an independent candidate.
June 29: Lethbridge, Alberta city councillor Dar Heatherington is convicted of public mischief after a police investigation concludes that she falsely alleged being stalked by a constituent. She previously faced similar charges after a 2003 investigation in Great Falls, Montana concluded that she filed a false report of having been abducted and raped.

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July

July 2: Nine-year-old Djamshid Djan Popal arrives in Toronto. Early diagnoses suggest Popal suffers from patent ductus arteriosus, a condition he can't get treatment for in his native Afghanistan, but will be able to in Canada thanks to fundraising efforts by the Muslim Association of Hamilton and volunteering doctors.
July 6: Five-year-old Tamra Keepness, of Regina, is declared missing; massive police search ensues.
July 11: Hail and torrential rain causes flooding in Edmonton; damage to the West Edmonton Mall is estimated in the millions.
July 13: The CRTC does not renew the broadcasting license of the Quebec City FM radio station CHOI, citing obscene and offensive content; it is the first time a Canadian station has been forced off the air as a result of crude material.
July 14: Same-sex marriage in Yukon: Yukon territory becomes the fourth province or territory to legalize same-sex marriage.
July 14: Foreign affairs minister Bill Graham orders the withdrawal of Canada's ambassador to Iran after Canada is denied attendance at the trial of Mohammed Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, alleged murderer of Canadian-Iranian citizen Zahra Kazemi.
July 15: Peterborough is hit with 235 mm of rain, backlogging the city's sewer system and flooding streets.
July 16: Iran announces it will allow some diplomatic observers at the trial of Zahra Kazemi's alleged murderer; Canada suspends the withdrawal of its ambassador to Iran.
July 18: Trial of Zahra Kazemi's alleged killer abruptly ends; Canadian ambassador to Iran is recalled.
July 19: Two-time Olympic medallist Nicolas Gill is chosen by the Canadian Olympic Committee to be Canada's flag-bearer at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
July 19: Step-father of missing Regina girl Tamra Keepness is charged with assault causing bodily harm; the alleged altercation occurred at 3 a.m. the morning of July 6, four hours after Tamra was last seen by the family.
July 20: Prime minister Paul Martin announces his new cabinet, which includes new faces such as ice hockey great Ken Dryden, former BC premier Ujjal Dosanjh, and former Progressive Conservative and the openly gay Scott Brison.
July 22: An arrest is made in the Cecilia Zhang murder case, 9 months after she was abducted.
July 24: An Iranian court acquits the accused killer of Iranian-Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi of charges of "semi-intentional murder".
July 30: Two audits claim that suspended Canada Post president Andre Ouellet overlooked contract-tendering and hiring protocols and ran a massive expense budget; he is given a week to explain his actions.

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August

August 5: Bill Clinton signs his autobiography My Life at a Toronto bookstore and draws huge lineups.

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August 6: Former NDP MP Svend Robinson pleads guilty to theft over $5000 for stealing a ring, and receives a conditional discharge; he avoids jail time and a criminal record but receives a sentence of 100 hours of community service.
August 9: Lethbridge, Alberta city councillor Dar Heatherington resigns after being convicted of public mischief.
August 12: Andre Ouellet resigns as head of Canada Post.
August 19: Lyse Lemieux, Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec, resigns her position as a result of criminal charges.
August 20: Groupe TVA and Sun Media announce plans to acquire Toronto, Ontario television station Toronto One from CHUM Limited when CHUM purchases the Craig Media stations.
August 20: Catherine Clark is announced as the new host of a daily local talk show in Ottawa, Ontario.
August 24: Louise Charron and Rosalie Abella are nominated to the Supreme Court of Canada.
August 25: A Toronto man takes one woman hostage outside Union Station before being shot dead by a Toronto Police Emergency Task Force sniper.
August 26: Larry Fisher denied parole. Saskatchewan plans an inquiry possibly starting in 2005 into the incident.
August 26: Todd Bertuzzi enters not guilty plea in British Columbia court for assaulting Steve Moore.
August 29: Closing ceremonies for the 2004 Summer Olympics are held. Canada wins 12 medals, its lowest medal count since taking 10 at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
August 30: Charron and Abella are formally appointed to the SCOC.
August 30: The Canadian Passport Office asks permission to use facial recognition technology to detect potential terrorists.

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September

September 2: AAA Pacific Coast League baseball leaves Canada as the Edmonton Trappers play their last game.
September 8: Canada gives the United Nations $20 million for Sudan peacekeeping.
September 10: The federal government announces $500-million to help cattle farmers hurt by the restricted trade of cattle stemming from one case of Mad Cow disease in 2003.
September 10: Former Lethbridge, Alberta, city councillor Dar Heatherington is given a 20-month conditional sentence for public mischief.
September 13-15: Healthcare conference in Ottawa between Prime Minister Paul Martin and the provinces.
September 16: Same-sex marriage in Manitoba: The Supreme Court of Manitoba rules the province's ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional.
September 18: John Tory wins the leadership of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.
September 22: Ottawa forgives debts of Senegal, Ghana and Ethiopia.
September 22: Canadian Fairuz Yamucky, who was held captive in Iraq for 16 days, is returned home.
September 24: Same-sex marriage in Nova Scotia: The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia rules the province's ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional.
September 27: Calgary Health Region investigates e. coli outbreak affecting more than 600 people. Three local restaurants suspected.
September 29: About 24 North Koreans in Beijing, China successfully scale the wall of the Canadian embassy seeking asylum.
September 29: Nelson, British Columbia city council reject plan to build a monument dedicated to American draft dodgers.

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September 29: The Montreal Expos play their last game in Montreal. The team is moving to Washington, DC next season.
September 30: It is announced that Governor General Adrienne Clarkson will serve an additional year as Canada's viceroy.
September 30: Air Canada emerges from bankruptcy protection.

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October

October 1: Governor General Adrienne Clarkson's term extended one year.
October 1: Manitoba, New Brunswick and Alberta introduce new anti-smoking laws.
October 2: Poet/musician Meryn Cadell comes out as transgendered on CBC Radio One.
October 4: Canada's first minority government since 1979 opens.
October 4: Amnesty International releases a report slamming Canada's lack of protection of Aboriginal women.
October 4: Canada opens an investigation against United Nations Relief and Works Agency for possible relations with Hamas terrorists.
October 5: Speech from the Throne
October 5: A fire aboard Template:Warship, located off the coast of Ireland, leaves 57 sailors adrift.
October 6: Same-sex marriage in Canada: The Supreme Court of Canada begins three days of hearings to determine the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Constitution.
October 13: Template:Warship Lieutenant Chris Saunders' funeral is held at a Halifax, Nova Scotia church.
October 14: A Boeing 747 MK Airlines cargo plane crashes after takeoff at Halifax International Airport.
October 17: The ten finalists in the CBC's The Greatest Canadian series are announced. They are Sir Frederick Banting, Alexander Graham Bell, Tommy Douglas, Terry Fox, Wayne Gretzky, Sir John A. Macdonald, Lester B. Pearson, David Suzuki, Pierre Trudeau and, in a surprise which many Canadian media commentators have heavily mocked, Don Cherry.
October 19: A lawyer in Toronto successfully challenges a traffic ticket on the basis that the city had not posted bilingual traffic signs in accordance with Ontario's French Language Services Act of 1986. The city is expected to appeal the decision.
October 20: British Columbia lowers its provincial sales tax from 7.5% to 7%.

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October 20: The Loonie closes at $.8029, its first time above $.80 since 1993.
October 25: Alberta premier Ralph Klein obtains a dissolution of the legislature; an election is called for November 22.
October 28: Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler sends Steven Truscott's case to the Ontario Court of Appeal - 45 years after the sentence to hang.
October 28: Supreme Court of Canada rules Newfoundland and Labrador was justified in deferring pay equity to women during a financial crisis.

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November

November 4: Two couples file suit for same-sex marriage in Newfoundland and Labrador.
November 4: Citizenship and Immigration Canada web traffic jumps sharply as many U.S. Democratic Party supporters react to the recent U.S. election
November 5: Same sex marriage in Saskatchewan: A Saskatchewan judge declares that same-sex couples have the right to marry in that province.
November 12: The Saskatoon Police Department fire two constables for their involvement in the Neil Stonechild case.
November 15: The United States Department of Homeland Security tightens border security at three checkpoints, including Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia, Ontario - 17 other checkpoints will have similar security before 2005, part of the US-VISIT programme.
November 15: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission opens a civil fraud lawsuit against Conrad Black.
November 16: It is announced that U.S. President George W. Bush will visit Canada November 30 for a two-day visit, his first formal visit to the country since becoming President in 2001.
November 18: Prime Minister Paul Martin expels Mississauga—Erindale Member of Parliament Carolyn Parrish from the Liberal Party caucus, after the controversial MP tells the Canadian Press she feels no loyalty to the Party, or the Prime Minister.
November 18: The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approves an application by the American news channel FOX News for a digital licence.
November 19: The CRTC approves CHUM Limited's purchase of Craig Media.
November 21: The Toronto Argonauts win the Grey Cup for the first time since 1997.
November 22: Ralph Klein wins his 4th mandate as Premier of Alberta
November 29: Tommy Douglas was voted The Greatest Canadian in a CBC popular television series poll.

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November 30: US President George W. Bush arrives in Ottawa for a two day official visit.

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December

December 9: The Supreme Court of Canada issues its decision for the same-sex marriage reference bill sent to it by the Government of Canada. The court finds that the federal government has jurisdiction over the definition of marriage and can pass a law to change it.
December 19: Prime Minister Paul Martin arrives in Libya for an official two-day visit. This is the first visit to that country by a Canadian prime minister.
December 21: The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador legalizes same-sex marriage.
December 27: The Canadian government donates $ 4 million to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake relief effort and pledge a further $36 million.
December 29: The United States Department of Agriculture announces the resumption of beef importation effective March 7, 2005 after banning it after finding mad cow disease in one Alberta cow.