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1980 Winter Olympic Games
The XIII Olympic Winter Games were held in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The opening ceremony was held on the 13th of Febuary, and the closing ceremony on the 24th. -
Terry Fox begins his Marathon of Hope
In St. John's, Newfoundland, Terry Fox begins his run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. The Marathon of Hope raised over $10 million before Fox's run ended on Sept 1 in Thunder Bay, Ont, after cancer was found in his lungs. -
Canada Boycotts Olympics
Parliament announced Canada would join the US-led boycott of the Moscow Summer Olympics over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. -
Atlanta Flames move to Calgary
In 1980, after a poor season performance, businessman Nelson Skalbania brought the Flames hockey team from Atlanta to Calgary. -
Québec Referendum "Non"
60% of the quebec p[opulation voted "non" to quebec sovereignty. -
"O Canada" Becomes Anthem
Canada's national anthem, "O Canada", was approved by Parliament under the National Anthem Act. -
First Arctic Winter Games
Arctic Winter Games The first games were held in Yellowknife, NWT in 1980 with participants from the Yukon, NWT, and Alaska -
The British House of Commons passed the Canada Act of 1982.
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The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Charter guarantees all Canadians fundamental rights, democratic rights, mobility rights, legal rights, equality rights and linguistic rights. -
Canada Day Named
Legislation was passed renaming Dominion Day to Canada Day. -
National Order of Quebec Created
The National Order of Quebec is awarded by the governor-in-council to a current or former quebec resident to commemorate any significant achievements -
New Metric Policy
The federal government unveiled a new metric policy under which businesses would be allowed to sell and advertise food, gasoline and home furnishings in imperial measurements in addition to the mandatory metric units. -
Atlantic Accord Signed
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Newfoundland premier Brian Peckford signed the Atlantic Accord, an offshore energy agreement to develop the province's offshore petroleum resources. -
Armenians Attack Embassy
Armenian terrorists attacked the Turkish embassy in Ottawa, killing a Canadian security guard. -
Rick Hansen Starts Man In Motion
Wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen left Vancouver on his around-the-world Man In Motion tour to raise money for spinal-cord research. In 26 months he would travel 40 000 km through 34 countries. -
Singh Case
In the Singh Case, the Supreme Court of Canada concluded that a refugee has the right not to "be removed from Canada to a country where his life or his freedom would be threatened." -
Tornado Hits Barrie
A tornado hit Barrie, Ont, in the worst inland storm since Hurricane Hazel. Some 300 houses were destroyed, at least 8 were killed and thousands were left homeless. -
Air India Flight 182 Terrorist Attack
A Boeing 747 was destroyed by a bomb mid flight above the Atlantic Ocean. The bomb was placed on the plane by a group of Sikh-Canadian militants. -
Indian Status Restored
Changes in the Indian Act restored Indian status to many women and their children as well as to enfranchised veterans. -
Titanic Wreck Found
A US-led expedition discovered the wreck of the Titanic, 590 km southeast of Newfoundland at a depth of 3810 m. -
Parrsboro, NS, Dinosaur Find
In 1986, a major dinosaur find near Parrsboro, NS, revealed 100 000 fossilized jaws, skulls and teeth. It was the largest find in the world from the Triassic and Jurassic periods. -
Bombardier Buys Canadair
Bombardier purchased troubled Canadair Ltd for $120 million in 1986. -
Halley's Comet Sighted
Halley's Comet was briefly and faintly seen from Canadian latitudes. Its next perihelion passage will be in July 2061. -
Expo 86 Opens
Expo 86 at Vancouver, BC, was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales. It ran to 13 October 1986 and had 20 million visitors. -
Commonwealth Games
Canada won a total of 115 medals (51 gold) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, second only to England. The outstanding Canadian was swimmer Jane Kerr who won 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. The Games lasted from July 24-August 2, 1986 -
First Speaker Chosen by Ballot
The members of the House of Commons selected a new speaker by secret ballot for the first time. -
Iqaluit Named
The town of Frobisher Bay, NWT, changed its name to Iqaluit. -
Québec City Awarded Heritage Status
Québec City was the first city in North America to be awarded World Heritage status. -
National Gallery Opens
The new National Gallery of Canada, designed by Moshe Safdie, officially opened in Ottawa. -
Seoul Olympics
The Games of the XXIV Olympiad were held in Seoul, South Korea. The opening Ceremony was held on the 17th of September and the closing ceremony on the 2nd of October. Lennox Lewis (boxing), Michelle Cameron & Carolyn Waldo (synchro duet), and Carolyn Waldo (synchro solo) won gold medals at the Seoul Olympics. Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal in the 100 m dash when he tested positive for steroids. -
The Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the US
The Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the US went into effect. The pact, later expanded through NAFTA, would profoundly alter the economic relationship between Canada and the United States. -
Order of British Columbia Created
The Order of British Columbia was established to honour people of great distinction who excel in any field of endeavour benefiting the people of BC. -
First Game in SkyDome
The Toronto Blue Jays played their first home game in the new SkyDome, against the Milwaukee Brewers. The SkyDome was the first stadium with a successful retractable roof. -
Food Bank Association Formed
Forty-three food banks from nine provinces became the founding members of the Canadian Association of Food Banks (now Canada Food Banks).
