1985 in Canada

"See also:"
1984 in Canada,
other events of 1985,
1986 in Canada and the
Timeline of Canadian history.

Incumbents

* Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II
* Governor General: Jeanne Sauvé
* Prime Minister: Brian Mulroney
* Premier of Alberta: Peter Lougheed 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 then Frank Miller then David Peterson
* Premier of Prince Edward Island: James Lee
* Premier of Quebec: René Lévesque then Pierre-Marc Johnson then Robert Bourassa
* Premier of Saskatchewan: Grant Devine

See 1985 Canadian incumbents for more

Events

* 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 10: A supergroup of Canadian musicians, Northern Lights, gathers to record the charity single "Tears Are Not Enough" for famine relief in Ethiopia.
* 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 on the Quebec National Assembly 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 President Ronald Reagan the two agree on cooperation on Missile Defence and free trade
* March 12: Heavily armed Armenian terrorists 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 24: The Supreme Court 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
* June 23: Air India flight 182 explodes en route from Toronto to London; Sikh terrorists are blamed.
* June 26: David Peterson becomes premier of Ontario, replacing Frank Miller
* 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 Canadian history
* 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.
* Corel is founded in Ottawa.

Arts and literature

: New books
* Margaret Atwood: "The Handmaid's Tale"
* Colin Thatcher: "Backrooms: A Story of Politics"
* Brian Moore: "Black Robe
* Erin Mouré: "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

Births

* February 27: Fefe Dobson, singer
* November 11: Kalan Porter, singer
* Marc Hall, rights activist

Deaths

* April 21: Foster Hewitt, broadcaster