# 1970 in Canada

Events from the year 1970 in Canada.

## Incumbents
### Crown

* Monarch – Elizabeth II

### Federal government

* Governor General – Roland Michener
* Prime Minister – Pierre Trudeau
* Chief Justice – John Robert Cartwright (Ontario) (until 23 March) then Gérald Fauteux (Quebec)
* Parliament – 28th

### Provincial governments
#### Lieutenant governors

* Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Grant MacEwan
* Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – John Robert Nicholson
* Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Richard Spink Bowles (until September 2) then William John McKeag
* Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Wallace Samuel Bird
* Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Ewart John Arlington Harnum
* Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Victor de Bedia Oland
* Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – William Ross Macdonald
* Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – John George MacKay
* Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Hugues Lapointe
* Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Robert Hanbidge (until February 2) then Stephen Worobetz

#### Premiers

* Premier of Alberta – Harry Strom
* Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C. Bennett
* Premier of Manitoba – Edward Schreyer
* Premier of New Brunswick – Louis Robichaud (until November 12) then Richard Hatfield
* Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood
* Premier of Nova Scotia – G.I. Smith (until October 28) then Gerald Regan
* Premier of Ontario – John Robarts
* Premier of Prince Edward Island – Alexander B. Campbell
* Premier of Quebec – Jean-Jacques Bertrand (until May 12) then Robert Bourassa
* Premier of Saskatchewan – Ross Thatcher

### Territorial governments
#### Commissioners

* Commissioner of Yukon – James Smith
* Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Stuart Milton Hodgson

## Events
### January to June

* January 1 - The cities Fort William and Port Arthur are merged to create Thunder Bay, Ontario
* January 16 - The federal government announces plans to convert the nation to the metric system
* February 2 - Canada becomes an official observer at the Organization of American States
* February 5 - An oil tanker runs aground in Chedabucto Bay (Nova Scotia) causing a major oil spill
* February 17 - The use of phosphates in laundry detergent is banned
* March 2 - Keith Spicer is appointed as the first Official Languages Commissioner
* March 7 - A total solar eclipse affects the Maritimes
* March 20 - The Francophonie is established with Canada as a founding member
* May 1 - The Capitol Cinema, Ottawa's only movie palace, is closed and later demolished
* May 12 - Robert Bourassa becomes Premier of Quebec after his Liberals defeat the Union Nationale party
* May 22 - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission issues the first Canadian content rules for television and radio
* May 29 - The Hudson's Bay Company moves its headquarters from London to Winnipeg, Manitoba
* June 26 - The federal voting age is lowered from 21 to 18

### July to December

* July 5 - 109 people are killed in the crash of an Air Canada DC-8.
* August 2 - Three Canadians are killed when a ferry collides with a Soviet freighter off British Columbia
* August 17 - Arthur Erickson is awarded at Expo '70 for his design of the Canadian pavilion
* August 20 - The Sudbury, Ontario tornado event, with winds up to 100 miles per hour, hits Sudbury and Field, Ontario. It was one of the worst tornadoes in Canadian history — killing six people, injuring 200, and causing C$17 million dollars in property damage.
* September 27 - TVOntario begins broadcasting
* October - Canada establishes formal relations with the People's Republic of China.
* October 5 - October Crisis: British Trade Commissioner James Cross is kidnapped by the FLQ.
* October 5 - Award-winning news & current affairs program, 24Hours starts on CBWT in Winnipeg.
* October 10 - October Crisis: Quebec Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte is kidnapped by FLQ.
* October 13 - Canada and the People's Republic of China establish diplomatic relations.
* October 16 - October Crisis: Pierre Trudeau introduces the War Measures Act to deal with the FLQ threat. Trudeau also addresses the nation in a televised speech explaining why he invoked the War Measures Act.
* October 17 - October Crisis: The body of Pierre Laporte is found in the trunk of a car.
* October 28 - Gerald Regan becomes Premier of Nova Scotia after his Liberals defeat George Smith's Conservatives in the 1970 election.
* November 6 - Police raid the hiding place of the FLQ's Chenier cell, arresting Bernard Lortie for the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte.
* November 12 - Richard Hatfield becomes Premier of New Brunswick after his Conservatives defeat Louis Robichaud's Liberals in the 1970 election.
* December 3 - October Crisis: James Cross is released unharmed by FLQ
* December 28 - October Crisis: The FLQ kidnappers of Pierre Laporte are caught.

### Full date unknown

* The Royal Commission on the Status of Women reports to Parliament
* INCO builds the world's tallest smokestack at Copper Cliff, Ontario
* The Pierre Laporte Bridge opens in Quebec City, at the time it is Canada's longest bridge
* The Don't Make a Wave Committee, the predecessor organization to Greenpeace, is founded in Vancouver
* The first ACTRA Awards are held
* Louis Cyr Monument

## Arts and literature
### New books

* The Collected Works of Billy the Kid - Michael Ondaatje
* S th story I to: trew adventure - bill bissett
* Fifth Business - Robertson Davies
* The Journals of Susanna Moodie - Margaret Atwood
* Il est par là, le soleil - Roch Carrier
* The National Dream - Pierre Berton
* La Rivière sans repos - Gabrielle Roy
* Counterblast - Marshall McLuhan

### New plays

* The Ecstasy of Rita Joe - George Ryga

### Awards

* See 1970 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
* Stephen Leacock Award: Farley Mowat, The Boat Who Wouldn't Float
* Vicky Metcalf Award: Farley Mowat

### Film

* Paul Almond's Act of the Heart opens

### Music

* June 23 - The first Juno Awards for Canadian music are held.

## Sport

* February 16 - Police recover the Grey Cup after it was stolen the previous December.
* March 7 - Toronto Varsity Blues won their Fourth University Cup by defeating the Saint Mary's Huskies 3 to 2. The Final game was played in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
* April 5 - Bobby Orr becomes the first National Hockey League (NHL) defenceman to win the scoring title.
* May 2 - Montreal is awarded the 1976 Summer Olympics.
* May 10 - Parry Sound, Ontario's Bobby Orr is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy
* May 12 - Ontario Hockey Association's Montreal Jr. Canadiens won their fourth and final Memorial Cup by defeating the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League'sWeyburn Red Wings 4 games to 0. All games were played at the Montreal Forum
* May 22 - The National Hockey League adds a third Canadian team as the Vancouver Canucks are established.
* November 21 - Manitoba Bisons won their second consecutive Vanier Cup by defeating the Ottawa Gee-Gees 38–11 in the 6th Vanier Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto
* November 28 - Montreal Alouettes won their Second Grey Cup by defeating the Calgary Stampeders 23–10 in the 58th Grey Cup played at Exhibition Stadium at Toronto.
* The first Arctic Winter Games commence in Yellowknife.

## Births
### January to March

* January 6 - David Saint-Jacques, astronaut
* January 19 - Donald Haddow, swimmer
* January 24 - Lynn Coady, novelist and journalist
* February 18 - Raine Maida, singer and songwriter
* February 22 – Nicole Oliver, actress, voice actress, and singer
* February 23 - Marie-Josée Croze, actress
* March 5 - Paul Whelan, detainee in Russia
* March 18 - Ian Bird, field hockey player
* March 20 - Andrew Kishino, actor, voice actor, and rapper

### April to June

* April 8 - J. R. Bourne, actor
* April 11 - Trevor Linden, ice hockey player
* May 3 - Marie-Soleil Tougas, Quebec actress and TV host (d. 1997)
* May 4
** Will Arnett, actor
** Karla Homolka, convicted murderer
* May 6 - Kavan Smith, actor
* May 8 - Naomi Klein, author and activist
* May 11 - Heather Stefanson, politician
* May 12 - Mike Weir, golfer
* May 19
** Mario Dumont, politician
** Jason Gray-Stanford, actor
* May 20 - Jason York, ice hockey player
* June 2 - Patricia Noall, swimmer and Olympic bronze medalist
* June 3 - Julie Masse, pop singer
* June 4 - Donald Farley, cross-country skier (d. 2016)
* June 12 - Gordon Michael Woolvett, actor
* June 23 - Kerri Buchberger, volleyball player

### July to September

* July 14 - Michelle Sawatzky, volleyball player
* July 17 - Gavin McInnes, far right commentator
* July 28 - Isabelle Brasseur, pair skater
* July 31 - Amanda Stepto, actress
* August 6 - Michael Strange, boxer
* August 9 - Rod Brind'Amour, ice hockey player
* August 16
** Tina Connelly, track and field athlete
** Dean Del Mastro, politician
** Daren Millard, sportscaster
* August 19 - James Rajotte, politician
* August 31 - Zack Ward, actor
* September 1 - Mitsou, pop singer, businesswoman, television and radio host and actress
* September 7
** Keltie Duggan, swimmer
** Gino Odjick, ice hockey player (d. 2023)
* September 19 - Kathryn Humphreys, CityNews sports anchor
* September 24 - Isabelle Turcotte Baird, triathlete

### October to December

* October 5 - Tina Poitras, race walker
* October 8 - Heather Jones, field hockey player
* November 9 - Chris Jericho, wrestler, actor, author, radio and television host and rock musician
* November 10 - Sue Reid, field hockey player
* November 12 - Sarah Harmer, singer-songwriter and activist
* November 15 - Jeff Adams, wheelchair athlete, multiple Paralympic medalist and World Champion
* December 15 - Michael Shanks, actor
* December 18 - Victoria Pratt, actress and model
* December 19 - Jonathan Cleveland, swimmer and Olympic bronze medalist
* December 20 - Nicole de Boer, actress
* December 22 - Ted Cruz, politician, and U.S. Senator from Texas since 2013
* December 23 - Catriona Le May Doan, speed skater, double Olympic gold medalist and World Champion
* December 25 - Stu Barnes, ice hockey player and coach

### Full date unknown

* Maher Arar, engineer and rendition victim

## Deaths

* January 23 - Nell Shipman, actress, screenwriter, producer, and animal trainer (b.1892)
* January 29 - Lawren Harris, Group of Seven painter (b.1885)
* February 21 - Louis-René Beaudoin, politician and Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada (b.1912)
* February 27 - Marie Dionne, one of the Dionne quintuplets (b.1934)
* March 11 - William Stewart Wallace, historian
* April 6 - Émile Coderre, French-Canadian poet
* May 9 - Andrew Watson Myles, politician (b.1884)
* May 31 - Terry Sawchuk, ice hockey player (b.1929)
* June 12 - John Keiller MacKay, soldier, jurist and 19th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (b.1888)
* June 22 - William Melville Martin, politician and Premier of Saskatchewan (b.1876)
* October 17 - Pierre Laporte, Quebec politician and Minister, kidnapped and murdered by Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) (b.1921)
* September 12 - Jacob Viner, economist (b.1892)