1980 in Canada

Events from the year 1980 in Canada.

← 1979 1978 1977 1980 in Canada → 1981 1982 1983
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	History of Canada Timeline of Canadian history List of years in Canada

Incumbents

Main article: 1980 Canadian incumbents

Crown

• Monarch – Elizabeth II

Federal government

• Governor General – Edward Schreyer
• 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

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 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
• 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
• 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)

Richard Gavin Reid

• 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