1980 in Canada

Incumbents

Crown

• Monarch – Elizabeth II

  Federal government

• Governor general - Edward Schreyer
• Prime minister - Joe Clark then Pierre Trudeau
• Chief Justice - Bora Laskin
• Parliament - 32nd

  Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

• Lieutenant Governor of Alberta - Francis Charles Lynch-Staunton
• Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia - Henry Pybus Bell-Irving
• Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba - Francis Lawrence Jobin
• Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick - Hédard Robichaud
• Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland - Gordon Arnaud Winter
• Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia - John Elvin Shaffner
• Lieutenant Governor of Ontario - Pauline Mills McGibbon then John Black Aird
• Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island - Gordon Lockhart Bennett then Joseph Aubin Doiron
• Lieutenant Governor of Quebec - Jean-Pierre Côté
• Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan - Irwin McIntosh

  Premiers

• Premier of Alberta - Peter Lougheed
• Premier of British Columbia - Bill Bennett
• Premier of Manitoba - Sterling Lyon
• Premier of New Brunswick - Richard Hatfield
• Premier of Newfoundland - Brian Peckford
• Premier of Nova Scotia - John Buchanan
• Premier of Ontario – Bill Davis
• Premier of Prince Edward Island - Angus MacLean
• Premier of Quebec - René Lévesque
• Premier of Saskatchewan - Allan Blakeney

  Territorial governments

Commissioners

• Commissioner of Yukon - Douglas Bell
• Commissioner of Northwest Territories - John Havelock Parker

  Premiers

• Premier of the Northwest Territories - George Braden
• Premier of Yukon - Chris Pearson

  Events

January to June

• January 21 - Three Soviet embassy workers are expelled after they are accused of spying
• January 28 - Canadian ambassador to Iran, Ken Taylor, organizes the escape of American citizens from Iran
• February 18 - Federal election: Pierre Trudeau's Liberals win a majority, defeating Joe Clark's PCs
• February 29 - Jeanne Sauvé becomes first woman Speaker of the House of Commons
• March 3 - Pierre Trudeau becomes prime minister for the second time, replacing Joe Clark
• April 12 - Terry Fox begins his Marathon of Hope run across Canada in support of cancer research
• May 20 - Quebec votes against separation in the 1980 Quebec referendum
• June 16 - George Braden becomes government leader of the Northwest Territories, as responsible government is reinstituted for the first time since 1905.

  July to December

• July 1 - "O Canada" becomes the official national anthem
• July 30 - Elizabeth II augments the coat of arms of Alberta with a crest and supporters
• August 14 - Dorothy Stratten, an actress, is raped and killed in Los Angeles by Paul Snider before he commits suicide.
• August 16 to August 23 - First Session of the Youth Parliament of Canada/Parlement jeunesse du Canada held in the Senate chambers of the Canadian Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.
• August 27 - The Winnipeg Tribune and the Ottawa Journal, two Canadian broadsheet newspapers, owned by Southam and Thomson newspapers are closed.
• September 1 - Due to a return of his cancer Terry Fox curtails his run
• September 1 - Saskatchewan and Alberta celebrate the 75th anniversaries of their establishment as provinces, culminating a summer full of festivals and special events
• October 6 - The Quebec and Newfoundland governments sign the Churchill Falls hydro agreement.
• October 6 - Trudeau announces his plan to patriate the Canadian constitution unilaterally
• October 28 - The National Energy Program is introduced
• November 17 - Clifford Olson rapes and kills his first victim

  Arts and literature

New Works

• Mordecai Richler - Joshua Then and Now

  Awards

• See 1980 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Books in Canada First Novel Award: Clark Blaise, Lunar Attractions
• Stephen Leacock Award: Donald Jack, Me Bandy, You Cissie
• Vicky Metcalf Award: John Craig

  Television

• The Royal Canadian Air Farce makes it first television special

  Film

• April 14 - The National Film Board wins an Oscar for its animated films.

  Sport

• March 16 - Alberta Golden Bears won their University Cup by defeating the Regina Cougars 7 to 3. The Final game was played at the Regina Agridome
• April 22 - Canada announces it will join the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
• April 30 - Hockey player Gordie Howe retires
• May 11 - Cornwall Royals won their Second Memorial Cup by defeating the Peterborough Petes 3 to 2. The Finals game was played at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba
• May 21 - Atlanta Flames relocate to Calgary, to become the 8th Canadian team in the NHL as the Calgary Flames
• May 24 - Val Marie, Saskatchewan's Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders is awarded the Conn Smythe trophy
• October 10 - Wayne Gretzky plays in his First NHL Game when his Edmonton Oilers are defeated by the Chicago Black Hawks
• November 8 - Quebec City's Rick Martel won his First World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championship by defeating the Wild Samoans in Allentown, Pennsylvania
• November 29 - Alberta Golden Bears won their Third Vanier Cup by defeating the Ottawa Gee-Gees 40-21 in the 16th Grey Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto
• November 23 - Edmonton Eskimos won their Seventh Grey Cup by defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 48 to 10 in the 68th Grey Cup played at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto

  Full date unknown

• Walter Wolf Racing, first Canadian Formula One constructor, closes, its assets sold to Emerson Fittipaldi.

  Births

• January 19 - Luke Macfarlane, actor and musician
• January 22 - Amy Cotton, judoka
• January 28 - Nathan Marsters, ice hockey player
• February 10 - Mike Ribeiro, ice hockey player
• February 14 - Michelle Rempel, Conservative MP
• February 16 - Blair Betts, ice hockey player
• February 17 - Zachary Bennett, actor and musician
• February 21 - Yannick Lupien, swimmer
• February 23 - Yvonne Tousek, artistic gymnast
• February 29 - Simon Gagné, ice hockey player
• March 1 - Manmeet Bhullar, lawyer and politician
• March 13 - Malindi Elmore, middle distance athlete
• March 21 - Deryck Whibley, guitarist, lead vocalist, songwriter and producer
• March 24 - Ramzi Abid, ice hockey player
• March 31 - Michael Ryder, ice hockey player
• April 19 - Robyn Regehr, ice hockey player
• April 21 - Vincent Lecavalier, ice hockey player
• April 29 - Mathieu Biron, ice hockey player
• May 1 - Robin Randall, water polo player
• May 4 - Andrew Raycroft, ice hockey player
• May 5 - Noah Miller, water polo player
• May 22 - Angela Whyte, hurdler
• May 26 - Richard Green, soldier killed in Afghanistan
• May 29 - Valérie Hould-Marchand, synchronized swimmer
• July 2 - Thomas Marks, water polo player
• July 15 - Jonathan Cheechoo, ice hockey player
• July 16 - Matt Peck, field hockey player
• July 21 - Scott Frandsen, rower and Olympic silver medallist
• July 27 - Paul Larmand, basketball player
• August 5 - Mark Bell, ice hockey player
• August 24 - Tanya Hunks, swimmer
• August 29 - Perdita Felicien, hurdler
• September 9 - Félix Brillant, soccer player
• September 17 - Brent McMahon, triathlete
• September 19 - Adrian Cann, soccer player
• October 13 - Marc-André Bergeron, ice hockey player
• October 14 - Mike Munday, volleyball player
• October 21 - Mike Danton, ice hockey player
• November 4 - Erin Cumpstone, softball player
• November 9
• * Dominique Maltais, snowboarder and Olympic bronze medallist
• * Ben Rutledge, rower, Olympic gold medallist and World Champion
• November 12 - Ryan Gosling, actor, musician, and producer
• November 16 - Carol Huynh, freestyle wrestler and Olympic gold medallist
• November 18 - Emanuel Sandhu, figure skater
• November 23 - Tracy Latimer, murder victim
• December 2 - Adam Kreek, rower, Olympic gold medallist and World Champion

  Full date unknown

• Kent Abbott, rock musician

  Deaths

January to July

• January 1 - Ernest Cormier, engineer and architect
• March 5 - Jay Silverheels, actor
• May 17 - Harold Connolly, journalist, newspaper editor, politician and Premier of Nova Scotia
• July 23 - Sarto Fournier, politician and mayor of Montreal

  August to December

• August 14
• * Dorothy Stratten, model, actress and murder victim
• * Paul Snider, murder
• September 25 - Antonio Talbot, politician
• October 17 - Richard Gavin Reid, politician and 7th Premier of Alberta
• October 27 - Judy LaMarsh, politician and Minister, lawyer, author and broadcaster
• November 4 - Elsie MacGill, the world's first female aircraft designer
• November 18 - Conn Smythe, ice hockey manager and owner
• November 21 - A. J. M. Smith, poet
• November 22 - Jules Léger, diplomat and 21st Governor General of Canada
• December 7 - W. L. Morton, historian
• December 9 - Dorise Nielson, politician
• December 12 - Jean Lesage, lawyer, politician and Premier of Quebec
• December 22 - Ethel Wilson, novelist and short story writer
• December 31 - Marshall McLuhan, educator, philosopher, and scholar

  Full date unknown

• Ray Lawson, 17th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario