1960 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 – Frank M. Ross (until October 12) then George Pearkes
• Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – John S. McDiarmid (until January 15) then 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
• 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 – Hugh John Flemming (until July 12) then Louis Robichaud
• Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood
• Premier of Nova Scotia – Robert Stanfield
• Premier of Ontario – Leslie Frost
• Premier of Prince Edward Island – Walter Shaw
• Premier of Quebec – Paul Sauvé (until January 2) then Antonio Barrette (January 8 to July 22) then Jean Lesage
• Premier of Saskatchewan – Tommy Douglas

Territorial governments

Commissioners

• Commissioner of Yukon – Frederick Howard Collins
• Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Robert Gordon Robertson

Events

January to June

• January – The Board of Broadcast Governors begins hearings in Winnipeg to determine alternatives to CBC Television. Hearings are conducted throughout the country. Eventually, numerous licences are given to: Halifax—the Finlay MacDonald group—CJCH-TV; Montreal—the Canadian Marconi Co.—CFCF-TV; Ottawa—Ernie Bushnell's group—CJOH-TV; Toronto—Baton—the Bassett group—CFTO-TV; Winnipeg—Ralph S. Misener & Associates—CJAY-TV (CKY-TV); Edmonton—the CBC (CBXT), (which would relieve CFRN-TV of its CBC affiliation); Calgary—the Love organization—CFCN-TV; Vancouver—the Vantel group—CHAN-TV (BCTV).
• January 2 – Paul Sauvé, Premier of Quebec, dies in office.
• January 8 – Antonio Barrette becomes premier of Quebec.
• April 24 – Television station CBWFT signs on for the first time as Radio-Canada Winnipeg.
• June 8 – Saskatchewan election: Tommy Douglas's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation wins a fifth consecutive majority.
• June 22 – 1960 Quebec general election: Barrette's ruling Union nationale, is defeated by the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage, beginning the 'Quiet Revolution' in the historically conservative province.
• June 27 – 1960 New Brunswick general election: The Liberals, led by Louis Robichaud defeat the Progressive Conservative government of Hugh John Flemming.

July to December

• July 1 – Status Indians are given the right to vote.
• July 9 – Seven-year-old Roger Woodward became the first person accidentally to fall over the Horseshoe Falls and survive.
• July 12 – Louis Robichaud becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Hugh John Flemming.
• July 22 – Vincent Massey becomes the first Canadian to receive the Royal Victorian Chain.
• July 25–27 – The first First Ministers conference is held.
• August 10 – The Canadian Bill of Rights is given royal assent.
• September – York University's first class begins learning.
• September 19 – The University of Calgary is founded.
• December 17 – Quebec becomes the last province to agree to the National Health Act.

Full date unknown

• French beginning to be recognized as language taught in schools outside of Quebec
• L'Anse aux Meadows, evidence of Viking colonization of North America is discovered in Newfoundland
• The Ford Frontenac is introduced exclusively to the Canadian market.

Arts and literature

• February 16 – The new National Gallery of Canada building opens in Ottawa.
• November 2 – The National Theatre School opens in Montreal.

New books

• Milton Acorn: Against a League of Liars
• Farley Mowat: Ordeal by Ice
• Gordon R. Dickson: Necromancer

Awards

• See 1960 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Stephen Leacock Award: Pierre Berton, Just Add Water and Stir

Sport

• January 16 – Gordie Howe becomes the leading scorer in National Hockey League history, passing Maurice Richard.
• April 14 – The Montreal Canadiens win their 12th (fifth consecutive) Stanley Cup by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4 games to 0. The deciding game (as well being Maurice Richard's final game) was played in Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
• May 8 – The Ontario Hockey Association's St. Catharines Teepees win their second (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 Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
• October 6 – Maurice Richard's number (9) is retired by the Montreal Canadiens in a ceremony at the Montreal Forum
• November 26 – The Ottawa Rough Riders win their fifth Grey Cup by defeating the Edmonton Eskimos 16 to 6 in the 48th Grey Cup played at Vancouver's Empire Stadium. Toronto's Ron Stewart became the first Canadian to win the game's official MVP award.

Births

January to June

• January 12 – Oliver Platt, actor
• January 24 – Mark Reeds, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
• February 11 – Grant Main, rower and Olympic gold medalist
• February 12 – George Elliott Clarke, poet and playwright
• February 14 – Walt Poddubny, ice hockey player and coach (d. 2009)
• February 14 – Meg Tilly, actress and dancer
• February 17 – Lindy Ruff, ice hockey player and coach
• February 28 – Dorothy Stratten, model, actress and murder victim (d. 1980)
• March 7 – Gail Greenough, equestrian
• March 13 - John Greyson, filmmaker
• March 15 – Carole Rouillard, long-distance runner
• March 18 - Guy Carbonneau, retired professional ice hockey player
• April 8 - Pat Duncan, politician and sixth (and first female) Premier of Yukon and the first Liberal government
• April 10 – Drew Caldwell, politician
• April 12 - Toren Smith, manga publisher and translator (d. 2013)
• April 20 - Eria Fachin, pop singer
• April 29 – Robert J. Sawyer, science fiction writer
• May 3 – Jennifer Luce, architect
• May 8 - Patrick McKenna, actor
• May 11 - Gildor Roy, actor

July to December

• July 5 – Brad Loree, actor and stuntman
• July 19
  • Atom Egoyan, filmmaker
  • Raymond Laflamme, physicist (d. 2025)
• July 22 – Jane Patterson, judoka
• July 25 – Alain Robidoux, snooker player
• July 28 – Anna Marie Malone, long-distance runner
• July 31 – Dale Hunter, ice hockey player and coach
• August 17 – Chris Potter, actor
• August 27 – Mike Mahovlich, javelin thrower
• August 30
  • Mark Eyking, politician
  • Guy A. Lepage, actor
• September 14 – Callum Keith Rennie, actor
• September 21 – David James Elliott, actor
• September 25 - Sonia Benezra, TV and radio interviewer and personality and actress
• October 8 - François Pérusse, comedian and humor
• November 2 – Paul Martini, pair skater
• November 6 – Kevin Neufeld, rower and Olympic gold medallist
• November 8
  • Anne Dorval, actress
  • Robert Libman, politician, architect and leader of Equality Party
• November 20 - Marc Labrèche, actor, comedian and host
• December 28 – Ray Bourque, ice hockey player

Deaths

January to June

• January 2 – Paul Sauvé, lawyer, soldier, politician and 17th Premier of Quebec (b. 1907)
• February 16 – James Alexander Murray, politician and Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1864)
• February 22 – Paul-Émile Borduas, painter (b. 1905)
• June 13 – Brooke Claxton, politician and Minister (b. 1898)

July to December

• July 26 – Maud Menten, medical scientist (b. 1879)
• August 5 – Arthur Meighen, politician and 9th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1874)
• November 5 – Mack Sennett, actor, producer, screenwriter and film director (b. 1880)
• December 12 – Louis Orville Breithaupt, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (b. 1890)
• December 19 – Jean Désy, diplomat (b. 1893)
• December 29 – Philippe Panneton, physician, academic, diplomat and writer (b. 1895)
• December 31 – C. D. Howe, politician and Minister (b. 1886)

References

References

1. "Queen Elizabeth II {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia".
2. (4 February 2014). "Heads of States and Governments Since 1945". Routledge.
3. Webber, Jeremy. (1994). "Reimagining Canada: Language, Culture, Community and the Canadian Constitution". McGill-Queen's University Press.
4. "Gail Greenough {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia".