1980 in Canada

"See also:"
1979 in Canada,
other events of 1980,
1981 in Canada and the
list of 'years in Canada'.

----

Incumbents

*Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II
*Governor General - Edward Schreyer
*Prime Minister - Joe Clark then Pierre Trudeau
*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

Events

* 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
* April 14 - The National Film Board wins an Oscar for its animated films
* 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 finally retires
* 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 1 - "O Canada" becomes the official national anthem
* July 30 - Queen Elizabeth II augments the Coat of Arms of Alberta with a crest and supporters
* 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

Births

* January 1 — Eric Cyr, baseball pitcher
* January 22 — Amy Cotton, judoka
* February 10 — Mike Ribeiro, hockey player
* February 16 — Blair Betts, ice hockey player
* February 21 — Yannick Lupien, freestyle swimmer
* February 29 — Simon Gagne, ice hockey player
* March 21 — Deryck Whibley, singer
* March 24 — Ramzi Abid, ice hockey player
* March 31 — Michael Ryder, ice hockey player
* April 18 — Robyn Regehr, ice hockey player
* April 21 — Vincent Lecavalier, ice hockey player
* April 29 — Mathieu Biron, ice hockey player
* May 2 — Michael Ryder, ice hockey player
* May 4 — Andrew Raycroft, ice hockey goaltender
* July 15 — Jonathan Cheechoo, ice hockey player
* July 21 — Scott Frandsen, Olympic rower
* August 5 — Mark Bell, hockey player
* August 29 — Perdita Felicien, athlete
* September 9 — Felix Brillant, soccer player
* September 19 — Adrian Cann, soccer player
* October 13 — Marc-Andre Bergeron, ice hockey player
* October 21 — Mike Danton, ice hockey player
* November 4 — Erin Cumpstone, Olympic softballer
* November 9 — Dominique Maltais, snowboarder
* November 9 — Ben Rutledge, Olympic rower
* November 16 — Carol Huynh, Olympic freestyle wrestler
* November 18 — Emanuel Sandhu, figure skater
* December 2 — Adam Kreek, Olympic rower

Deaths

*March 5 — Jay Silverheels, actor
*October 17 — Richard G. Reid, Premier of Alberta
* November 21 — A.J.M. Smith, poet
*December 31 — Marshall McLuhan, scholar