# 1985 in Canada

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 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.
* 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 – 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 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 – 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)

### 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)