1980 in Canada
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
| Years in Canada: | 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 |
| Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
| Decades: | 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s |
| Years: | 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 |
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Incumbents
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Crown
- Head of state (monarch) – Queen Elizabeth II (consort – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)
Federal government
- Governor general – Edward Schreyer (viceregal consort – Lily Schreyer)
- Prime minister – Joe Clark (until March 3) then Pierre Trudeau
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
Premiers
- Premier of the Northwest Territories – George Braden (from June 16)
- Premier of Yukon – Chris Pearson
Events
January to June
Terry Fox on his Marathon of Hope run
- 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
- 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
Full date unknown
- Walter Wolf Racing, first Canadian Formula One constructor, closes, its assets sold to Emerson Fittipaldi.
Births
January to March
- January 22 - Amy Cotton, judoka
- January 28 - Nathan Marsters, ice hockey player (d.2009)
- 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 29 - Simon Gagné, ice hockey player
- 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 to June
- 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 (d.2002)
July to September
- 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 medalist
- 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 to December
- 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 medalist
- Ben Rutledge, rower, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion
- November 16 - Carol Huynh, freestyle wrestler and Olympic gold medalist
- November 18 - Emanuel Sandhu, figure skater
- November 23 - Tracy Latimer, murder victim (d. 1993)
- December 2 - Adam Kreek, rower, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion
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 21st Governor General of Canada (b.1913)
- December 7 - W. L. Morton, historian (b.1908)
- December 9 - Dorise Nielson, 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)
