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Events from the year 1985 in Canada.

Incumbents

Crown

  • Monarch – Elizabeth II

Federal government

  • Governor General – Jeanne Sauvé
  • Prime Minister – Brian Mulroney
  • Chief Justice – Brian Dickson (Manitoba)
  • Parliament – 33rd

Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

  • Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Francis Charles Lynch-Staunton (until January 22) then Helen Hunley
  • Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Robert Gordon Rogers
  • Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Pearl McGonigal
  • Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – George Stanley
  • Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – William Anthony Paddon
  • Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Alan Abraham
  • Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – John Black Aird (until September 20) then Lincoln Alexander
  • Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Joseph Aubin Doiron (until August 1) then Lloyd MacPhail
  • Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Gilles Lamontagne
  • Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Frederick Johnson

Premiers

  • Premier of Alberta – Peter Lougheed (until November 1) then Don Getty
  • Premier of British Columbia – Bill Bennett
  • Premier of Manitoba – Howard Pawley
  • Premier of New Brunswick – Richard Hatfield
  • Premier of Newfoundland – Brian Peckford
  • Premier of Nova Scotia – John Buchanan
  • Premier of Ontario – Bill Davis (until February 8) then Frank Miller (February 8 to June 26) then David Peterson
  • Premier of Prince Edward Island – James Lee
  • Premier of Quebec – René Lévesque (until October 3) then Pierre-Marc Johnson (October 3 to December 12) then Robert Bourassa
  • Premier of Saskatchewan – Grant Devine

Territorial governments

Commissioners

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

Premiers

  • Premier of the Northwest Territories – Richard Nerysoo (until November 5) then Nick Sibbeston
  • Premier of Yukon – Chris Pearson (until March 23) then Willard Phelps (March 23 to May 29) then Tony Penikett

Events

January to March

  • January 26 – Frank Miller elected leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party replacing Bill Davis.
  • January 30 – The federal government relaxes laws requiring businesses to use the metric system.
  • February 8 – Frank Miller becomes premier of Ontario, replacing Bill Davis after the Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election.
  • February 11 – The federal and Newfoundland governments sign the Atlantic Accord paving the way for joint development of Newfoundland's offshore oil and gas reserves.
  • February 12 – Minister of National Defence Robert Coates resigns after it is revealed that he visited a strip-club while on government business in Germany.
  • February 13 – Denis Lortie is found guilty of murder for his attack at the Quebec Parliament Building that killed three.
  • February 28 – Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel is found guilty of publishing false news and fomenting racial intolerance.
  • March – Willard Phelps becomes premier of Yukon, replacing Chris Pearson.
  • March – At the so-called Shamrock Summit between Prime Minister Mulroney and US President Ronald Reagan the two agree on cooperation on missile defence and free trade.
  • March 12 – Heavily armed Armenian militants storm the Turkish embassy in Ottawa. They kill a security guard and hold a dozen people hostage for four hours.
  • March 21 – Rick Hansen launches his Man in Motion world tour to raise money for spinal cord research.
  • March 29 – 10 are killed after two military planes collide near CFB Edmonton.

April to June

  • April 24 - The Supreme Court of Canada rules the Lord's Day Act violates Canadians' freedom of religion.
  • May - Tony Penikett becomes government leader of Yukon, replacing Willard Phelps.
  • May 2 - Ontario election: Frank Miller's PCs win a minority, but David Peterson's Liberals will form a coalition with the NDP, forcing Miller to resign.
  • May 9 - The Supreme Court rules that orders in council are subject to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
  • May 31 - A tornado in Barrie, Ontario, kills twelve as part of the 1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak.
  • June 20 – René Lévesque announces his intention to resign as premier of Quebec.
  • June 23 - Air India Flight 182 explodes from Montreal to London; Sikh terrorists are blamed.
  • June 26 - David Peterson becomes premier of Ontario, replacing Frank Miller.

July to December

  • July 1 - The first cell phone call is made in Canada, between Toronto mayor Art Eggleton and Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau.
  • September 1 - The wreck of the RMS Titanic is found off the coast of Newfoundland.
  • September 6 - The Canadian Encyclopedia is launched.
  • September 17 - The Tunagate scandal erupts.
  • September 20 - Lincoln Alexander becomes the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, the first Black person to hold a vice-regal position in Canada.
  • September 25 - The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology opens in Drumheller, Alberta.
  • October 3 - Pierre-Marc Johnson becomes premier of Quebec, replacing René Lévesque.
  • November 1 - Don Getty becomes premier of Alberta, replacing Peter Lougheed.
  • November 5 - Nick Sibbeston becomes government leader of the Northwest Territories, replacing Richard Nerysoo.
  • December 2 - In the Quebec election, Robert Bourassa's Liberals gain a majority, defeating the Parti Québécois.
  • December 12 - Robert Bourassa becomes premier of Quebec for the second time, replacing Pierre-Marc Johnson.
  • December 12 - The worst airplane accident in Canadian history occurs when Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashes on take-off from Gander International Airport; 256 people are killed.
  • December 23 - Nahanni earthquake, largest of a number earthquakes occurs in Nahanni region of NWT.
  • Corel is founded in Ottawa.

Unknown

  • The Mulroney government establishes the Court Challenges Program.

Arts and literature

New books

  • Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale
  • Colin Thatcher: Backrooms: A Story of Politics
  • Brian Moore: Black Robe
  • Erín Moure: Domestic Fuel
  • Farley Mowat: My Discovery of America

Awards

  • See 1985 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
  • Books in Canada First Novel Award: G. Ursell, Perdue, or How the West Was Lost
  • Gerald Lampert Award: Paulette Jiles, Celestial Navigation
  • Pat Lowther Award: Paulette Jiles, Celestial Navigation
  • Stephen Leacock Award: Ted Allan, Love Is a Long Shot
  • Vicky Metcalf Award: Edith Fowke

Television

  • The last episode of The Friendly Giant on CBC Television
  • The first episode of the children's series The Raccoons on CBC Television

Music

  • February 10 - A supergroup of Canadian musicians, Northern Lights, gathers to record the charity single Tears Are Not Enough for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Sport

  • May 18 – Prince Albert Raiders win their only Memorial Cup by defeating the Shawinigan Cataractes 6 to 2. The final game was played at the Cataractes' Shawinigan Municipal Auditorium in Shawinigan, Quebec.
  • May 30 – Edmonton Oilers win their second (consecutive) Stanley Cup by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4 games to 1. The deciding Game 5 was played at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton. Brantford, Ontario's Wayne Gretzky is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy
  • November 24 – BC Lions win their second (and first since 1964) Grey Cup by defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 37 to 24 in the 73rd Grey Cup played at Olympic Stadium in Montreal
  • November 30 – Calgary Dinos win their second (consecutive) Vanier Cup by defeating the Western Ontario Mustangs 25 to 6 in the 21st Vanier Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto

Births

  • January 1 – Jeff Carter, ice hockey player
  • January 3 – Leah Gibson, film actress
  • January 4
  • Danielle Campo, swimmer
  • Robbie Dixon, skier
  • January 6 – Nathan McIver, ice hockey player
  • January 14 – Katie Thorlakson, soccer player
  • January 27 – Eric Radford, pair skater
  • January 30 – Torrey Mitchell, ice hockey player
  • February 7 &ndash; Tegan Moss, actress
  • February 11 – Mike Richards, ice hockey player
  • February 18 – Chelsea Hobbs, actress and singer
  • February 19 – Raymond Sawada, ice hockey player (d. 2023)
  • February 27 – Braydon Coburn, ice hockey player
  • February 28 – Fefe Dobson, singer and songwriter
  • March 9 – Brent Burns, ice hockey player
  • March 11 – Paul Bissonnette, ice hockey player
  • March 25 – Carmen Rasmusen, singer
  • April 6
  • Clarke MacArthur, ice hockey player
  • Al Mukadam, actor, director, and producer
  • April 9 – Brian Elliott, ice hockey goaltender
  • April 10
  • Christie Laing, actress
  • Dion Phaneuf, NHL hockey player
  • April 14 – Grant Clitsome, ice hockey player
  • April 19 – Sabrina Jalees, comedian, dancer, actress, presenter, and writer
  • April 22 – Kristin Fairlie, actress
  • April 23 – Rachel Skarsten, actress
  • May 6 – Lewis Hilsenteger, YouTuber
  • May 15 – Tyrone Savage, actor
  • May 22 – Marc-Antoine Pouliot, ice hockey player
  • May 27 – Andrew Francis, voice actor and actor
  • June 10 – Kreesha Turner, singer-songwriter and dancer
  • June 11 - Josh Ramsay, lead singer of Marianas Trench
  • June 13 – Danny Syvret, ice hockey player
  • June 22 – Douglas Smith, actor
  • June 23 – Holly Lincoln, football (soccer) player
  • June 24 – Isabelle Rampling, synchronized swimmer
  • July 1 – Nineteen85, hip-hop producer
  • July 5 – Michael Cuccione, child actor and activist (d. 2001)
  • July 6 – Diamond Rings, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • July 12
  • Adam Gregory, singer
  • Theo Tams, singer-songwriter, pianist & keyboardist
  • July 16
  • Matthew Santoro, YouTuber
  • Vanessa Meloche, artistic gymnast
  • July 20 – Harley Morenstein, actor and internet personality
  • July 21 – Vanessa Lengies, actress, dancer, and singer
  • July 23 – Tessa Bonhomme, hockey player
  • August 7 – Rick Genest, artist, actor, and fashion model (d. 2018)
  • July 28 – Dustin Milligan, actor
  • August 26 – Sean Denison, basketball player
  • September 2 – Yani Gellman, Canadian/Australian film and television actor
  • September 8 – Justin Bradley, actor
  • September 10 – Elyse Levesque, actress
  • September 19 – Renee Young, journalist
  • September 22 – Tatiana Maslany, actress
  • September 24 – Jessica Lucas, actress and singer
  • September 27 – Massimo Bertocchi, decathlete
  • October 1 – Leah Renee Cudmore, actress and singer
  • October 8 – Magda Apanowicz, actress
  • October 22 – Mitch MacDonald, singer & guitarist
  • November 11 – Kalan Porter, singer-songwriter
  • November 21 &ndash; Carly Rae Jepsen, singer and songwriter
  • December 8 – Meagan Duhamel, pair skater

Deaths

January to June

  • January 30 – F. R. Scott, poet, intellectual and constitutional expert (b. 1899)
  • February 2 – Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux, musician and composer (b. 1938)
  • February 5 – Georges-Émile Lapalme, politician (b. 1907)
  • February 16 – Marian Engel, novelist (b. 1933)
  • March 17 – Athole Shearer, actress (b. 1900)
  • April 17 – Walter Weir, politician and 15th Premier of Manitoba (b. 1929)
  • April 21 – Foster Hewitt, radio pioneer (b. 1902)
  • April 22 – Jacques Ferron, physician and author, founder of the Parti Rhinocéros (b. 1921)
  • May 4 – Clarence Wiseman, Salvation Army general (b.1907)
  • May 7 – Donald Smith, politician (b. 1905)

July to December

  • July 3 – Frank J. Selke, ice hockey manager (b. 1893)
  • August 20 – Donald O. Hebb, psychologist (b. 1904)
  • September 6 – Isabel Meighen, wife of Arthur Meighen, 9th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1883)
  • October 28 – Eric Coy, discus thrower and shot putter (b. 1914)

Full date unknown

  • June – Kenneth Zeller, teacher and librarian (b. 1945)

See also

  • 1985 in Canadian television
  • List of Canadian films of 1985

References