1985 in Canada
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| Years in Canada: | 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 |
| Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
| Decades: | 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s |
| Years: | 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 |
| Part of a series on the |
| History of Canada |
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Events from the year 1985 in Canada.
Incumbents
Crown
- Head of state (monarch) – Queen Elizabeth II (consort – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)
Federal government
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
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 on the Quebec National Assembly 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 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 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 in the 1985 Barrie tornado outbreak.
- June 23 - Air India Flight 182 explodes en route 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[1]
- 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 Canadian history
- 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
- Erin Mouré: 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.
Births
- January 4 –
- Danielle Campo, swimmer
- Robbie Dixon, skier
- January 14 – Katie Thorlakson, soccer player
- February 28 – Fefe Dobson, singer and songwriter
- April 23 – Rachel Skarsten, actress
- June 23 – Holly Lincoln, football (soccer) player
- June 24 – Isabelle Rampling, synchronized swimmer
- July 12 – Theo Tams, singer-songwriter, pianist & keyboardist
- July 21 – Vanessa Lengies, actress, dancer, and singer
- July 23 – Tessa Bonhomme, hockey player
- July 28 – Dustin Milligan, actor
- August 26 – Sean Denison, basketball player
- September 8 – Justin Bradley, actor
- September 10 – Elyse Levesque, actress
- September 22 – Tatiana Maslany, actress
- September 24 – Jessica Lucas, actress and singer
- September 27 – Massimo Bertocchi, decathlete
- November 11 – Kalan Porter, singer-songwriter
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)
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
- Wilfrid Eggleston, journalist and chief censor for Canada from 1942 until 1944 (b.1901)
References
- ^ "From antennas to touch screens: Cellphones mark 30 years in Canada". CTV.ca. 2015-06-29. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
