1980 in Canada explained

Events from the year 1980 in Canada.

Incumbents

See main article: 1980 Canadian incumbents.

Crown

• Monarch – Elizabeth II^[1]

Federal government

• Governor General  - Edward Schreyer^[2]
• Prime Minister  - Joe Clark (until March 3) then Pierre Trudeau
• Chief Justice  - Bora Laskin (Ontario)
• Parliament  - 32nd (from April 14)

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 (until September 15) then John Black Aird Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island  - Gordon Lockhart Bennett (until January 14) 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 (from June 16)
• 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 5  - Fort Chimo, Quebec, is renamed to Kuujjuaq.
• 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
• Robert Munsch  - The Paper Bag Princess

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  - The Alberta Golden Bears win 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  - The Cornwall Royals win their second Memorial Cup by defeating the Peterborough Petes 3 to 2. The final game was played at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba
• May 21  - The 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 wins his first World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championship (with Tony Garea) by defeating the Wild Samoans in Allentown, Pennsylvania November 23  - The Edmonton Eskimos win their seventh (and third consecutive) Grey Cup by defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 48 to 10 in the 68th Grey Cup played at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto
• November 29  - The Alberta Golden Bears win their third (and last to date) Vanier Cup by defeating the Ottawa Gee-Gees 40–21 in the 16th Vanier Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto

Full date unknown

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

Births

• January 1  - Mark Nichols, curler
• January 19  - Luke Macfarlane, actor and musician
• January 20  - Philippe Gagnon, Paralympic swimmer
• January 21  - Kevin McKenna, footballer
• January 22  - Amy Cotton, judoka
• February 6  - Kim Poirier, actress
• February 9
  • Liam Cormier, musician
  • Michelle Currie, skater
• 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
  • Brad Fast, ice hockey player
  • Yannick Lupien, swimmer
• February 23  - Yvonne Tousek, artistic gymnast
• February 29  - Simon Gagné, ice hockey player
• March 1  - Manmeet Bhullar, lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
• March 2  - Julia Chantrey, actress
• March 10  - Stephen Peat, ice hockey player (d. 2024)
• March 13  - Malindi Elmore, middle-distance athlete
• March 14  - Jessica Mulroney, fashion stylist
• 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 6  - Bardish Chagger, politician
• April 10  - Sean Avery, ice hockey player
• April 17  - Alaina Huffman, film and television actress
• April 19
  • Mayko Nguyen, actress
  • 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 8  - Benny Yau, entertainer
• May 22  - Angela Whyte, hurdler
• May 26  - Richard Green, soldier killed in Afghanistan (d. 2002)
• May 29  - Valérie Hould-Marchand, synchronized swimmer^[3]
• June 5  - Mike Fisher, ice hockey player
• June 24  - Liane Balaban, actress
• July 2  - Thomas Marks, water polo player
• July 11  - Tyson Kidd, wrestler
• 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 3  - Dominic Moore, ice hockey player
• August 5  - Mark Bell, ice hockey player
• August 9  - Charlie David, actor
• August 21  - Jon Lajoie, comedian
• August 24  - Tanya Hunks, swimmer
• August 28  - Carly Pope, actress
• August 29  - Perdita Felicien, hurdler
• September 2  - Dany Sabourin, French Canadian ice hockey goaltender and coach
• September 5  - Kevin Simm, singer (Liberty X)
• September 9  - Félix Brillant, soccer player
• September 17  - Brent McMahon, triathlete
• September 19  - Adrian Cann, soccer player
• September 26  - Kerry DuWors, violinist, chamber musician and educator^[4]
• September 29  - Dallas Green, singer-songwriter
• October 3  - Daniel DeSanto, film, television and voice actor
• 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
  • Dustin Kensrue, singer
  • Emanuel Sandhu, figure skater
• November 23  - Tracy Latimer, murder victim (d. 1993)
• December 1  - Joel A. Sutherland, author
• December 2  - Adam Kreek, rower, Olympic gold medallist and World Champion
• December 9  - Ryder Hesjedal, cyclist

Full date unknown

• Kent Abbott, rock musician (Grade) (d. 2013)

Deaths

January to July

• January 1  - Ernest Cormier, engineer and architect (b. 1885)
• March 5  - Jay Silverheels, actor (b. 1912)
• May 17  - Harold Connolly, journalist, newspaper editor, politician and Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1901)
• July 23  - Sarto Fournier, politician and mayor of Montreal (b. 1903)

August to December

• August 14
  • Dorothy Stratten, model, actress and murder victim (b. 1960)
  • Paul Snider, murder (b. 1951)
• September 25  - Antonio Talbot, politician (b. 1900)

• October 17  - Richard Gavin Reid, politician and 7th Premier of Alberta (b. 1879)
• October 27  - Judy LaMarsh, politician and Minister, lawyer, author and broadcaster (b. 1924)
• November 4  - Elsie MacGill, the world's first female aircraft designer (b. 1905)
• November 18  - Conn Smythe, ice hockey manager and owner (b. 1895)
• November 21  - A. J. M. Smith, poet (b. 1902)
• November 22  - Jules Léger, diplomat and Governor General of Canada (b. 1913)
• December 7  - W. L. Morton, historian (b. 1908)
• December 9  - Dorise Nielsen, politician (b. 1902)
• December 12  - Jean Lesage, lawyer, politician and Premier of Quebec (b. 1912)
• December 22  - Ethel Wilson, novelist and short story writer (b. 1888)
• December 31  - Marshall McLuhan, educator, philosopher, and scholar (b. 1911)

Full date unknown

• Ray Lawson, 17th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (b. 1886)

See also

• 1980 in Canadian television
• List of Canadian films of 1980

Notes and References

1. Web site: Queen Elizabeth II The Canadian Encyclopedia . www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca . 4 December 2022.
2. Book: Lentz . Harris M. . Heads of States and Governments Since 1945 . 4 February 2014 . Routledge . 978-1-134-26490-2 . 144 . en.
3. Web site: Valerie HOULD-MARCHAND - Olympic Synchronized Swimming Canada . International Olympic Committee . 20 June 2019 . en . 18 June 2016.
4. Villeneuve, Joanne. “String Sensation.” Brandon Sun. May 6, 2006.