1961 in Canada

1961 in Canada
Events from the year 1961 in Canada.
Incumbents
Crown
Monarch – Elizabeth II
Federal government
Governor General – Georges Vanier
Prime Minister – John Diefenbaker
Chief Justice – Patrick Kerwin (Ontario)
Parliament – 24th
Provincial governments
Lieutenant governors
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – John Percy Page
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – George Pearkes
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Errick Willis
Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Joseph Leonard O'Brien
Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Campbell Leonard Macpherson
Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Edward Chester Plow
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – John Keiller MacKay
Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Frederick Walter Hyndman
Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Onésime Gagnon (until October 12) then Paul Comtois
Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Frank Lindsay Bastedo
Premiers
Premier of Alberta – Ernest Manning
Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C. Bennett
Premier of Manitoba – Dufferin Roblin
Premier of New Brunswick – Louis Robichaud
Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood
Premier of Nova Scotia – Robert Stanfield
Premier of Ontario – Leslie Frost (until November 8) then John Robarts
Premier of Prince Edward Island – Walter Shaw
Premier of Quebec – Jean Lesage
Premier of Saskatchewan – Tommy Douglas (until November 7) then Woodrow Lloyd
Territorial governments
Commissioners
Commissioner of Yukon – Frederick Howard Collins
Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Robert Gordon Robertson
Events
January to June
June 1
The Canadian Bank of Commerce and the Imperial Bank of Canada merge to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
Census Day for the 1961 Census of Canada, which finds Canada has a population of 18,238,247.
June 6 – CUSO is formed
June 13 – The NCC study of Ottawa's new Green Belt is completed
June 14 – James Elliott Coyne, the Governor of the Bank of Canada resigns due to disagreements with the federal government's fiscal policies
July to December
August 3 – Tommy Douglas is elected leader of the newly formed New Democratic Party
August 14 – 15 – The Premiers meet in Charlottetown
August 26 – The new home for the Hockey Hall of Fame opens in Toronto, at the Canadian National Exhibition.
October 1 – CTV, Canada's second major television network, begins broadcasting
November 7 – Woodrow Lloyd becomes premier of Saskatchewan, replacing Tommy Douglas
November 8 – John Robarts becomes premier of Ontario, replacing Leslie Frost
November 17 – Saskatchewan passes a bill creating Canada's first government run health system
December 28 – Canada's first BOMARC Missile squadron is formed
Full date unknown
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation becomes the New Democratic Party
The Massey Lectures are created
The transatlantic telephone system is officially launched with a call from Elizabeth II to Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.
The Canadian Conference of the Arts is established.
Sport
March 12 – The Trail Smoke Eaters win the 1961 Ice Hockey World Championships for Canada.
May 5 – The Ontario Hockey Association's Toronto St. Michael's Majors win their fourth (and final) Memorial Cup by defeating the Central Alberta Hockey League's Edmonton Oil Kings 4 games to 2. The deciding Game 6 was played at Edmonton Gardens.
July 11 – Gene Kiniski becomes the first Canadian to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Verne Gagne
December 2 – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers win their 6th Grey Cup by defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 21–14 in the 49th Grey Cup at CNE Stadium in Toronto.
Arts and literature
New books
Morley Callaghan: A Passion in Rome
Max Aitken: Courage
Margaret Atwood: Double Persephone
Farley Mowat: Owls in the Family
Awards
See 1961 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
Stephen Leacock Award: Norman Ward, Mice in the Beer
Births
January to March
January 11 – Graham Welbourn, swimmer
January 15 - Yves Pelletier, film director and actor
January 18 – Mark Messier, ice hockey player
January 26 – Wayne Gretzky, ice hockey player and coach
January 27 – Tony Clement, politician and Minister
January 28 – Normand Rochefort, ice hockey player and coach
February 4 – Connor O'Brien, Canadian skier
February 10 – Steve Pagendam, boxer
February 21 – Paul Edwards, politician and lawyer
February 23 – Silvia Ruegger, long-distance runner (died 2019)
February 27 – Ann Peel, race walker
February 28 - René Simard, singer
March 16 – Todd McFarlane, cartoonist, comic book artist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur
March 24 – Pat Turner, rower and Olympic gold medallist
April to June
April 6 – Gene Eugene, actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musician (died 2000)
April 10 – Barb Tarbox, anti-smoking activist (died 2003)
April 22 – Scott D. Sampson, paleontologist, science communicator and television presenter
May 1 – Clint Malarchuk, ice hockey player
May 8 – Greg Thomey, comedian
May 9 – Darren Praznik, politician
May 10 – Randy Cunneyworth, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
June 1 – Paul Coffey, ice hockey player
June 9 – Michael J. Fox, actor, author and voice over artist
July to September
July 1 – Michelle Wright, singer-songwriter
July 8 – Kelly Kryczka, synchronized swimmer
July 17 – Blair Horn, rower and Olympic gold medallist
July 23
André Ducharme, author, comedian and humorist
Richard Martineau, journalist
Rob Stewart, actor
July 24 – Brian McMahon, coxswain and Olympic gold medallist
July 26 – Alan Lowe, politician
August 12 – Peter Szmidt, swimmer
August 20 – Lizanne Bussières, long-distance runner
August 23 – François Lapointe, racewalker
August 25 – Dave Tippett, ice hockey player and coach
September 12 – Mylène Farmer, singer, songwriter, actress and author
September 16 – Jen Tolley, actress, voice actress and singer
September 18 – Denis Lambert, boxer
September 24
Nancy Garapick, swimmer and Olympic bronze medallist
Luc Picard, actor
September 25 – Tracy Wilson, ice dancer
September 27 – Randy Vancourt, composer and entertainer
September 30 – Erica Ehm, video jockey, songwriter and actress
October to December
October 16 - Pierre Karl Péladeau, president and CEO of Quebecor Inc., Quebecor Media Inc. and Sun Media Corporation
October 25 – Alison Webb, judoka
November 2 – k.d. lang, singer-songwriter
November 23 – Floyd Roland, politician and 11th Premier of the Northwest Territories
December 8 – André Bachand, politician
December 10 – Mark McKoy, hurdler and Olympic gold medallist
December 11 - Michel Courtemanche, actor
December 13 – Ranza Clark, middle-distance runner
December 18 – Brian Orser, figure skater, double Olympic silver medallist and World Champion
December 30
Douglas Coupland, novelist
Ben Johnson, Jamaica-born sprinter, double Olympic bronze medallist, Olympic gold medal rescinded as disqualified for doping
Deaths
January to June
May 12 - Janis Babson (born 1950)
May 14 – Albert Sévigny, politician (born 1881)
May 28 – Frank Boyes, politician (born 1874)
May 29 – Gilbert Layton, businessman and politician (born 1899)
May 31 – Walter Little, politician (born 1877)
June 6 – William Anderson, politician and businessman (born 1905)
June 19 – Richard Ernest William Turner, soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross (born 1871)
July to December
July 12 – Mazo de la Roche, author (born 1879)
July 15 – John Edward Brownlee, politician and 5th Premier of Alberta (born 1884)
September 12 – Joseph-Arthur Bradette, politician (born 1886)
September 16 – Percy Chapman Black, politician (born 1878)
September 21 – William Duncan Herridge, politician and diplomat (born 1888)
September 30 - Onésime Gagnon, politician and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (born 1888)
October 15 – Peter Dickinson, architect (born 1925)
October 22 – Harry Nixon, politician and 13th Premier of Ontario (born 1891)
Full date unknown
Anne Wilkinson, poet (born 1910)
See also
1961 in Canadian television
List of Canadian films
References
Years of the 20th century in Canada