1970 in Canada

"See also:"
1969 in Canada,
other events of 1970,
1971 in Canada and the
list of 'years in Canada'.

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Incumbents

*Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II
*Governor General - Roland Michener
*Prime Minister - Pierre Trudeau
*Premier of Alberta - Harry Strom
*Premier of British Columbia - W.A.C. Bennett
*Premier of Manitoba - Edward Schreyer
*Premier of New Brunswick - Louis Robichaud then Richard Hatfield
*Premier of Newfoundland - Joey Smallwood
*Premier of Nova Scotia - George Smith then Gerald Regan
*Premier of Ontario - John Robarts
*Premier of Prince Edward Island - Alexander B. Campbell
*Premier of Quebec - Jean-Jacques Bertrand then Robert Bourassa
*Premier of Saskatchewan - W. Ross Thatcher

Events

* 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 16 - Police recover the Grey Cup after it was stolen the previous December
* 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
* The first Arctic Winter Games commence in Yellowknife
* March 20 - The Francophonie is established with Canada as a founding member
* April 5 - Bobby Orr becomes the first National Hockey League (NHL) defencemen to win the scoring title
* May 1 - The Capitol Cinema, Ottawa's only movie palace, is closed and later demolished
* May 2 - Montreal is awarded the 1976 Summer Olympics
* May 12 - Robert Bourassa becomes Premier of Quebec after his Liberals defeat the Union Nationale party
* May 22 - The Vancouver Canucks join the National Hockey League
* 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 23 - The first Juno Awards for Canadian music are held
* June 26 - The federal voting age is lowered from 21 to 18
* 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 - A tornado with winds up to 160 kilometres per hour hits Sudbury, Ontario. It was one of the worst tornadoes in Canadian history killing 6 people, injuring 200 and causing $17 million dollars in property damage. All in under five minutes.
* 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 the FLQ
* October 16 - October Crisis: Pierre Trudeau introduces the War Measures Act to deal with the FLQ threat
* 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
* 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
* December 3 - October Crisis: James Cross is released unharmed by the FLQ
* December 28 - October Crisis: The FLQ kidnappers of Pierre Laporte are caught
* The Royal Commission on the Status of Women reports to Parliament
* TVOntario begins broadcasting
* 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

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

Births

* January 1 — Krista Sutton, actor
* January 19 — Donald Haddow, freestyle swimmer
* February 14 — Raine Maida, singer
* February 23 — Marie-Josée Croze, actor
* February 24 — Jeff Garcia, football player
* March 18 — Ian Bird, field hockey player
* April 8 — JR Bourne, actor
* April 11 — Trevor Linden, ice hockey player
* May 4 — Karla Homolka, convicted murderer
* May 5 — Naomi Klein, activist writer
* May 9 — Mario Dumont, Quebec politician
* May 11 — Heather Stefanson, politician
* May 12 — Mike Weir, golfer
* May 20 — Jason York, ice hockey player
* June 2 — Patricia Noall, freestyle swimmer
* June 12 — Gordon Michael Woolvett, actor
* June 23 — Kerri Buchberger, volleyball player
* July 3 — Julie Masse, singer
* July 14 — Michelle Sawatzky, volleyball player
* August 6 — Michael Strange, boxer
* August 9 — Rod Brind'Amour, ice hockey player
* August 16 — Tina Connelly, track and field athlete
* August 19 — James Rajotte, politician
* September 1 — Mitsou, singer
* September 7 — Keltie Duggan, breaststroke swimmer
* October 8 — Heather Jones, field hockey player
* November 9 — Chris Jericho, wrestler
* November 10 — Sue Reid, field hockey player
* November 12 — Sarah Harmer, singer-songwriter
* November 15 — Jeffrey Adams, wheelchair athlete
* December 15 — Michael Shanks, actor
* December 19 — Jonathan Cleveland, breaststroke swimmer
* December 23 — Catriona LeMay Doan, ice speed skater
* December 25 — Stu Barnes, ice hockey player
* Maher Arar
* Lynn Coady, writer

Deaths

* January 29 - Lawren Harris, Group of Seven painter
* February 27 - Marie Dionne, one of the Dionne Quintuplets
* March 23 - Del Lord, film director
* June 12 - John Keiller MacKay, 19th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
* October 17 - Pierre Laporte, Quebec Cabinet minister
* September 12 - Jacob Viner, economist