1970 in Canada

Events from the year 1970 in Canada.

Crown

 * Monarch – Elizabeth II

Federal government

 * Governor General – Roland Michener
 * Prime Minister – Pierre Trudeau
 * Chief Justice – John Robert Cartwright (Ontario) (until 23 March) then Gérald Fauteux (Quebec)
 * Parliament – 28th

Lieutenant governors

 * Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Grant MacEwan
 * Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – John Robert Nicholson
 * Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Richard Spink Bowles (until September 2) then William John McKeag
 * Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Wallace Samuel Bird
 * Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Ewart John Arlington Harnum
 * Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Victor de Bedia Oland
 * Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – William Ross Macdonald
 * Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – John George MacKay
 * Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Hugues Lapointe
 * Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Robert Hanbidge (until February 2) then Stephen Worobetz

Premiers

 * Premier of Alberta – Harry Strom
 * Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C. Bennett
 * Premier of Manitoba – Edward Schreyer
 * Premier of New Brunswick – Louis Robichaud (until November 12) then Richard Hatfield
 * Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood
 * Premier of Nova Scotia – G.I. Smith (until October 28) then Gerald Regan
 * Premier of Ontario – John Robarts
 * Premier of Prince Edward Island – Alexander B. Campbell
 * Premier of Quebec – Jean-Jacques Bertrand (until May 12) then Robert Bourassa
 * Premier of Saskatchewan – Ross Thatcher

Commissioners

 * Commissioner of Yukon – James Smith
 * Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Stuart Milton Hodgson

January to June

 * 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 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
 * March 20 - The Francophonie is established with Canada as a founding member
 * May 1 - The Capitol Cinema, Ottawa's only movie palace, is closed and later demolished
 * May 12 - Robert Bourassa becomes Premier of Quebec after his Liberals defeat the Union Nationale party
 * 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 26 - The federal voting age is lowered from 21 to 18

July to December

 * 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 - The Sudbury, Ontario tornado event, with winds up to 100 miles per hour, hits Sudbury and Field, Ontario. It was one of the worst tornadoes in Canadian history — killing six people, injuring 200, and causing C$17 million dollars in property damage.
 * September 24 - Deb was born
 * September 27 - TVOntario begins broadcasting
 * October - Canada establishes formal relations with the People's Republic of China.
 * 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 FLQ.
 * October 13 - Canada and the People's Republic of China establish diplomatic relations.
 * October 16 - October Crisis: Pierre Trudeau introduces the War Measures Act to deal with the FLQ threat. Trudeau also addresses the nation in a televised speech explaining why he invoked the War Measures Act.
 * 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 in the 1970 election.
 * 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 in the 1970 election.
 * December 3 - October Crisis: James Cross is released unharmed by FLQ
 * December 28 - October Crisis: The FLQ kidnappers of Pierre Laporte are caught.

Full date unknown

 * The Royal Commission on the Status of Women reports to Parliament
 * 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
 * Louis Cyr Monument

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

Music

 * June 23 - The first Juno Awards for Canadian music are held.

Sport

 * February 16 - Police recover the Grey Cup after it was stolen the previous December.
 * March 7 - Toronto Varsity Blues won their Fourth University Cup by defeating the Saint Mary's Huskies 3 to 2. The Final game was played in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
 * April 5 - Bobby Orr becomes the first National Hockey League (NHL) defenceman to win the scoring title.
 * May 2 - Montreal is awarded the 1976 Summer Olympics.
 * May 10 - Parry Sound, Ontario's Bobby Orr is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy
 * May 12 - Ontario Hockey Association's Montreal Jr. Canadiens won their fourth and final Memorial Cup by defeating the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League'sWeyburn Red Wings 4 games to 0. All games were played at the Montreal Forum
 * May 22 - The National Hockey League adds a third Canadian team as the Vancouver Canucks are established.
 * November 21 - Manitoba Bisons won their second consecutive Vanier Cup by defeating the Ottawa Gee-Gees 38–11 in the 6th Vanier Cup played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto
 * November 28 - Montreal Alouettes won their Second Grey Cup by defeating the Calgary Stampeders 23–10 in the 58th Grey Cup played at Exhibition Stadium at Toronto.
 * The first Arctic Winter Games commence in Yellowknife.

January to March

 * January 6 - David Saint-Jacques, astronaut
 * January 19 - Donald Haddow, swimmer
 * January 24 - Lynn Coady, novelist and journalist
 * February 18 - Raine Maida, singer and songwriter
 * February 22 – Nicole Oliver, actress, voice actress, and singer
 * February 23 - Marie-Josée Croze, actress
 * March 5 - Paul Whelan, detainee in Russia
 * March 18 - Ian Bird, field hockey player
 * March 20 - Andrew Kishino, actor, voice actor, and rapper

April to June

 * April 8 - J. R. Bourne, actor
 * April 11 - Trevor Linden, ice hockey player
 * May 3 - Marie-Soleil Tougas, Quebec actress and TV host (d. 1997)
 * May 4
 * Will Arnett, actor
 * Karla Homolka, convicted murderer
 * May 6 - Kavan Smith, actor
 * May 8 - Naomi Klein, author and activist
 * May 11 - Heather Stefanson, politician
 * May 12 - Mike Weir, golfer
 * May 19
 * Mario Dumont, politician
 * Jason Gray-Stanford, actor
 * May 20 - Jason York, ice hockey player
 * June 2 - Patricia Noall, swimmer and Olympic bronze medalist
 * June 3 - Julie Masse, pop singer
 * June 4 - Donald Farley, cross-country skier (d. 2016)
 * June 12 - Gordon Michael Woolvett, actor
 * June 23 - Kerri Buchberger, volleyball player

July to September

 * July 14 - Michelle Sawatzky, volleyball player
 * July 17 - Gavin McInnes, far right commentator
 * July 28 - Isabelle Brasseur, pair skater
 * July 31 - Amanda Stepto, actress
 * August 6 - Michael Strange, boxer
 * August 9 - Rod Brind'Amour, ice hockey player
 * August 16
 * Tina Connelly, track and field athlete
 * Dean Del Mastro, politician
 * Daren Millard, sportscaster
 * August 19 - James Rajotte, politician
 * August 31 - Zack Ward, actor
 * September 1 - Mitsou, pop singer, businesswoman, television and radio host and actress
 * September 7
 * Keltie Duggan, swimmer
 * Gino Odjick, ice hockey player (d. 2023)
 * September 19 - Kathryn Humphreys, CityNews sports anchor
 * September 24 - Isabelle Turcotte Baird, triathlete

October to December

 * October 5 - Tina Poitras, race walker
 * October 8 - Heather Jones, field hockey player
 * November 9 - Chris Jericho, wrestler, actor, author, radio and television host and rock musician
 * November 10 - Sue Reid, field hockey player
 * November 12 - Sarah Harmer, singer-songwriter and activist
 * November 15 - Jeff Adams, wheelchair athlete, multiple Paralympic medalist and World Champion
 * December 15 - Michael Shanks, actor
 * December 18 - Victoria Pratt, actress and model
 * December 19 - Jonathan Cleveland, swimmer and Olympic bronze medalist
 * December 20 - Nicole de Boer, actress
 * December 22 - Ted Cruz, politician, and U.S. Senator from Texas since 2013
 * December 23 - Catriona Le May Doan, speed skater, double Olympic gold medalist and World Champion
 * December 25 - Stu Barnes, ice hockey player and coach

Full date unknown

 * Maher Arar, engineer and rendition victim

Deaths

 * January 23 - Nell Shipman, actress, screenwriter, producer, and animal trainer (b.1892)
 * January 29 - Lawren Harris, Group of Seven painter (b.1885)
 * February 21 - Louis-René Beaudoin, politician and Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada (b.1912)
 * February 27 - Marie Dionne, one of the Dionne quintuplets (b.1934)
 * March 11 - William Stewart Wallace, historian
 * April 6 - Émile Coderre, French-Canadian poet
 * May 9 - Andrew Watson Myles, politician (b.1884)
 * May 31 - Terry Sawchuk, ice hockey player (b.1929)
 * June 12 - John Keiller MacKay, soldier, jurist and 19th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (b.1888)
 * June 22 - William Melville Martin, politician and Premier of Saskatchewan (b.1876)
 * October 17 - Pierre Laporte, Quebec politician and Minister, kidnapped and murdered by Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) (b.1921)
 * September 12 - Jacob Viner, economist (b.1892)