1961_in_Canada Knowpia

Decades:	1940s; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s;
See also:	History of Canada; Timeline of Canadian history; List of years in Canada;

Events from the year 1961 in Canada.

Incumbents edit

June 1
- The Canadian Bank of Commerce and the Imperial Bank of Canada merge to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.^[3]
- 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

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

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

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 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 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

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

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 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)

^ "Queen Elizabeth II | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
^ Lentz, Harris M. (4 February 2014). Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-134-26490-2.
^ "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.