1964 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 – Lester B. Pearson

Lieutenant governors

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – John Percy Page

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – George Pearkes

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – Errick Willis

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Joseph Leonard O'Brien

Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland – Fabian O'Dea

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Henry Poole MacKeen

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – William Earl Rowe

Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – Willibald Joseph MacDonald

Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Paul Comtois

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Robert Hanbidge

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 – John Robarts

Premier of Prince Edward Island – Walter Shaw

Premier of Quebec – Jean Lesage

Premier of Saskatchewan – Woodrow Lloyd (until May 2) then Ross Thatcher

Commissioners

Commissioner of Yukon – Gordon Robertson Cameron

Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Bent Gestur Sivertz

Events

March 13 – Canada begins a decades-long peacekeeping mission in Cyprus

March 23 – George Stanley first describes and sketches the proposal for Canada's new flag that is eventually accepted

March 26 – The White Paper on Defence is tabled.

March 27 – Several towns in coastal British Columbia, including Prince Rupert, Tofino, Port Alberni and Zeballos, suffer damage from tsunamis associated with the Good Friday earthquake in Alaska. Overall damage is estimated at $10 million.

April – Canadians are issued Social Insurance cards for the first time

April 22 – Saskatchewan election: Ross Thatcher's Liberals win a majority, defeating Woodrow Lloyd's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation

May 2 – W. Ross Thatcher is sworn in as Premier of Saskatchewan

May 27 – The Prime Minister unveils the "Pearson Pennant", his preferred, but ultimately unsuccessful, design for a new national flag.

June 15 – The Great Canadian Flag Debate begins in the House of Commons.

June 19 - The Hall Commission Report recommending the creation of Canada's medicare programme was tabled in the House of Commons.

July 16 – Canada extends its exclusive fishing zone to 12 miles off-shore

September 10 – After almost three months of debate in the Commons, the flag question is referred to an all-party committee.

September 17 – The flag committee meets for the first time.

October 5 – Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh begin an eight-day visit to Canada.

October 22 – The flag committee makes its final selection of the design that will become the national flag.

November 9 - Max Saltsman wins Waterloo South by-election, campaigning against a mere flag taking priority over important social issues such as medicare

November 30 – John Diefenbaker launches a filibuster to try to prevent the introduction of a new Canadian flag

December 16 – Bill creating the new Flag of Canada passed in the House of Commons after much controversy.

Full date unknown

Canada pulls its peacekeepers out of Zaire

Glenn Gould gives up doing live performances

Governor General Georges Vanier hosts the "Canadian Conference of the Family"

Innis College founded at the University of Toronto

Canada passes act to change Air Canada's name.

New books

Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man: Marshall McLuhan

The Circle Game: Margaret Atwood

The Laughing Rooster: Irving Layton

Flowers for Hitler: Leonard Cohen

The Stone Angel: Margaret Laurence

Awards

See 1964 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.

Stephen Leacock Award: Harry J. Boyle, Homebrew and Patches Clarke Irwin

Vicky Metcalf Award: John F. Hayes

Television

October 4 – The controversial news show This Hour Has Seven Days premieres on CBC.

Sport

May 2 – Northern Dancer wins the Kentucky Derby.

Summer – At the Olympic Games held in Tokyo, Japan, Canada wins only a single gold medal.

Stanley Cup – Toronto Maple Leafs win 4–3 over the Detroit Red Wings

Grey Cup – BC Lions win 34–24 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

January to June

January 10 – Brad Roberts, lead singer and guitarist

January 31 – Sylvie Bernier, diver and Olympic gold medalist

February 1 – Sharon Bruneau, bodybuilder and fitness competitor

February 10 – Victor Davis, swimmer, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion (d.1989)

February 10 – Gregory Edgelow, wrestler

April 1 – Scott Stevens, ice hockey player

April 17 - Rachel Notley, politician and 17th Premier of Alberta

May 13 – Robert Marland, rower and Olympic gold medalist

May 17 - Elfi Schlegel, gymnast

May 24 – Clayton Gerein, Paralympic athlete

May 26 – Paul Okalik, politician and 1st Premier of Nunavut

June 9 – Gloria Reuben, singer and actress

June 14 – Randall Thompson, boxer

June 16 – Brad Fay, sportscaster

June 21 – Rick Duff, boxer

July to December

July 14 - Craig McKinley, physician and aquanaut (NEEMO 7 mission) (d. 2013)

July 24 – Erminia Russo, volleyball player

August 6 – Alison Baker, racewalker

August 9 – Brett Hull, ice hockey player and coach

August 17 – Colin James, singer, guitarist and songwriter

August 26 – Dave Boyes, rower and Olympic silver medalist

August 27 – Paul Bernardo, serial killer and rapist

August 30 – Milena Gaiga, field hockey player

September 2 – Keanu Reeves, actor

September 12 – Greg McConnell, indie rock musician (d. 1999)

September 14 – Terrence Paul, rower and Olympic gold medalist

September 18 – Kelly-Ann Way, track cyclist and road bicycle racer

September 22 – Wayne Yearwood, basketball player and coach

September 23 – Diana Dutra, female boxer

September 25 – Ray Lazdins, discus thrower

October 14 – David Kaye, actor and voice actor

October 26 – Marc Lépine, murderer responsible for the École Polytechnique massacre (d.1989)

October 29 – May Allison, long-distance runner

November 9 – Leah Pells, track and field athlete

November 10 – Stephen McNeil, politician and 28th Premier of Nova Scotia

November 14 – Silken Laumann, rower

November 15 – David Caplan, politician and Minister

November 16 – Diana Krall, jazz pianist and singer

December 19 – Lorie Kane, golfer

December 27 – Kevin Patterson, medical doctor and writer

Full date unknown

Gary Barwin, poet, author and musician

Maurice Vellekoop, artist and illustrator

Deaths

January 1 – William Herbert Burns, politician (b. 1878)

January 12 – Byron Ingemar Johnson, politician and 24th Premier of British Columbia (b. 1890)

February 18 – Joseph-Armand Bombardier, inventor, businessman and founder of Bombardier Inc. (b. 1907)

March 3 – Angus MacInnis, politician (b. 1884)

April 4 – Sarah Ramsland, politician, first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (b. 1882)

April 26 – E. J. Pratt, poet (b. 1882)

June 9 – Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, business tycoon, politician and writer (b. 1879)

August 7 – Arsène Gagné, Quebec politician (b. 1910)

September 5 – William Sherring, marathon runner and Olympic gold medalist (b. 1878)

December 9 – Elmore Philpott, journalist and politician (b. 1896)

December 14 – Roland Beaudry, politician, journalist, publicist and publisher (b. 1906)

Full date unknown

Léoda Gauthier, politician (b. 1904)