1961 in Canada

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Events from the year 1961 in Canada.

Incumbents[]

Crown[]

  • Monarch – Elizabeth II

Federal government[]

  • Governor General – Georges Vanier[1]
  • Prime Minister – John Diefenbaker
  • Chief Justice – Patrick Kerwin (Ontario)
  • Parliament – 24th

Provincial governments[]

Lieutenant governors[]

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[]

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.[2]
    • 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[]

Wayne Gretzky
  • 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[]

Floyd Roland
  • 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[]

References[]

  1. ^ Lentz, Harris M. (4 February 2014). Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-134-26490-2.
  2. ^ "A New Bank, 1961-1986". The Story of CIBC. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
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