1980 in Canada

Events from the year 1980 in Canada.

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

right|thumb|150px|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 24 – Peter Dembicki, rower
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)

thumb|right|100px|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)