1960 in Canada

Crown

Head of state (monarch) – Queen Elizabeth II (consort – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)

Federal government

Governor general – Georges Vanier (viceregal consort – Pauline Vanier)

Prime minister – John Diefenbaker

Lieutenant governors

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – John Percy Page

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Frank M. Ross (until October 12) then George Pearkes

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – John S. McDiarmid (until January 15) then Errick Willis

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Joseph Leonard O'Brien

Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Campbell Leonard Macpherson

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Edward Chester Plow

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – John Keiller MacKay

Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Frederick Walter Hyndman

Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Onésime Gagnon

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Frank Lindsay Bastedo

Premiers

Premier of Alberta – Ernest Manning

Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C. Bennett

Premier of Manitoba – Dufferin Roblin

Premier of New Brunswick – Hugh John Flemming (until July 12) then Louis Robichaud

Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood

Premier of Nova Scotia – Robert Stanfield

Premier of Ontario – Leslie Frost

Premier of Prince Edward Island – Walter Shaw

Premier of Quebec – Paul Sauvé (until January 2) then Antonio Barrette (January 8 to July 22) then Jean Lesage

Premier of Saskatchewan – Tommy Douglas

Commissioners

Commissioner of Yukon – Frederick Howard Collins

Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Robert Gordon Robertson

January to June

January – The Board of Broadcast Governors begins hearings in Winnipeg to determine alternatives to CBC Television. Hearings were conducted throughout the country. Eventually, numerous licences were given to: Halifax—the Finlay MacDonald group—CJCH-TV; Montreal—the Canadian Marconi Co.—CFCF-TV; Ottawa—Ernie Bushnell's group—CJOH-TV; Toronto—Baton—the Bassett group—CFTO-TV; Winnipeg—the Moffat group—CJAY-TV (CKY-TV); Edmonton—the CBC (CBXT), (which would relieve CFRN-TV of its CBC affiliation); Calgary—the Love organization—CFCN-TV; Vancouver—the Vantel group—CHAN-TV (BCTV).

January 2 – Paul Sauvé, Premier of Quebec, dies in office

January 8 – Antonio Barrette becomes premier of Quebec

April 24 – Television station CBWFT signs on for the first time as Radio-Canada Winnipeg.

June 8 – Saskatchewan election: Tommy Douglas's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation wins a fifth consecutive majority.

July to December

July 1 – Status Indians are given the right to vote

July 9 – Seven-year-old Roger Woodward became the first person to accidentally fall over the Horseshoe Falls and survive.

July 12 – Louis Robichaud becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Hugh John Flemming

July 22 – Jean Lesage becomes premier of Quebec, replacing Antonio Barrette

July 22 – Vincent Massey becomes the first Canadian to receive the Royal Victorian Chain

July 25–27 – The first First Ministers conference is held

August 10 – The Canadian Bill of Rights is given royal assent

September – York University's first class begins learning

September 19 – The University of Calgary is founded

December 17 – Quebec becomes the last province to agree to the National Health Act.

December 20 - Ontario executed 10,000 cats due to over population

Full date unknown

The Quiet Revolution is usually said to begin in Quebec

French beginning to be recognized as language taught in schools outside of Quebec

L'Anse aux Meadows, evidence of Viking colonization of North America is discovered in Newfoundland

The Ford Frontenac is introduced exclusively to the Canadian market.

Arts and literature

February 16 – The new National Gallery of Canada building opens in Ottawa.

November 2 – The National Theatre School opens in Montreal.

New books

Milton Acorn: Against a League of Liars

Farley Mowat: Ordeal by Ice

Gordon R. Dickson: Necromancer

Awards

See 1960 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.

Stephen Leacock Award: Pierre Berton, Just Add Water and Stir

Sport

January 16 – Gordie Howe becomes the leading scorer in NHL history, passing Maurice Richard.

April 14 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs to win their fifth Stanley Cup in a row.

October 6 – Maurice Richard's number is retired by the Montreal Canadiens.

January to June

January 12 – Oliver Platt, actor

January 24 – Mark Reeds, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)

February 11 – Grant Main, rower and Olympic gold medalist

February 12 – George Elliott Clarke, poet and playwright

February 14 – Walt Poddubny, ice hockey player and coach (d.2009)

February 14 – Meg Tilly, actress and dancer

February 17 – Lindy Ruff, ice hockey player and coach

February 28 – Dorothy Stratten, model, actress and murder victim (d.1980)

March 7 – Gail Greenough, equestrian

March 15 – Carole Rouillard, long-distance runner

March 18 - Guy Carbonneau, retired professional ice hockey player

April 8 - Pat Duncan, politician and sixth (and first female) Premier of Yukon and the first Liberal government

April 10 – Drew Caldwell, politician

April 12 - Toren Smith, manga publisher and translator (d.2013)

April 20 - Eria Fachin, pop singer

April 28 – John Cerutti, baseball player (d.2004)

April 29 – Robert J. Sawyer, science fiction writer

May 5 – Sue Yardley, cook

May 8 - Patrick McKenna, actor

May 11 - Gildor Roy, actor

July to December

July 19 – Atom Egoyan, filmmaker

July 22 – Jane Patterson, judoka

July 25 – Alain Robidoux, snooker player

July 28 – Anna Marie Malone, long-distance runner

July 31 – Dale Hunter, ice hockey player and coach

August 27 – Mike Mahovlich, javelin thrower

August 30

Mark Eyking, politician

Guy A. Lepage, actor

September 14 – Callum Keith Rennie, actor

September 21 – David James Elliott, actor

September 25 - Sonia Benezra, TV and radio interviewer and personality and actress

October 8 - François Pérusse, comedian and humor

November 6 – Kevin Neufeld, rower and Olympic gold medallist

November 8

Anne Dorval, actress

Robert Libman, politician, architect and leader of Equality Party

November 20 - Marc Labrèche, actor, comedian and host

December 28 – Ray Bourque, ice hockey player

Full date unknown

John Greyson – filmmaker

January to June

January 2 – Paul Sauvé, lawyer, soldier, politician and 17th Premier of Quebec (b.1907)

February 16 – James Alexander Murray, politician and Premier of New Brunswick (b.1864)

February 22 – Paul-Émile Borduas, painter (b.1905)

June 13 – Brooke Claxton, politician and Minister (b.1898)

July to December

July 26 – Maud Menten, medical scientist (b.1879)

August 5 – Arthur Meighen, politician and 9th Prime Minister of Canada (b.1874)

November 5 – Mack Sennett, actor, producer, screenwriter and film director (b.1880)

December 12 – Louis Orville Breithaupt, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (b.1890)

December 19 – Jean Désy, diplomat (b.1893)

December 29 – Philippe Panneton, physician, academic, diplomat and writer (b.1895)

December 31 – C. D. Howe, politician and Minister (b.1886)