1970 in Canada

See also: 1969 in Canada, other events of 1970, 1971 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'.

Incumbents

• Prime Minister – Pierre Trudeau
• Governor General – Roland Michener

• Premier of Alberta – Harry Strom
• Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C. Bennett
• Premier of Manitoba – Edward Schreyer
• Premier of New Brunswick – Louis Robichaud then Richard Hatfield
• Premier of Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood
• Premier of Nova Scotia – George Smith then Gerald Regan
• Premier of Ontario – John Robarts
• Premier of Prince Edward Island – Alexander B. Campbell
• Premier of Quebec – Jean-Jacques Bertrand then Robert Bourassa
• Premier of Saskatchewan – W. Ross Thatcher

Events

• January 1 – The towns 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 16 – Police recover the Grey Cup after it was stolen the previous December
• 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
• The first Artic Winter Games commence in Yellowknife
• March 20 – The Francophonie is established with Canada as a founding member
• April 5 – Bobby Orr becomes the first NHL defensemean to win the scoring title
• May 2 – Montreal is awarded the 1976 Summer Olympics
• May 12 – Robert Bourassa becomes Premier of Quebec after his Liberals defeat the Union Nationale party
• May 22 – The Vancouver Canucks join the NHL
• May 22 – The CRTC 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 23 – The first Juno Awards for Canadian music are held
• June 26 – The federal voting age is lowered from 21 to 18
• 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
• October 5 – October Crisis: British Trade Commissioner James Cross is kidnaped by the FLQ
• October 10 – October Crisis: Quebec Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte is kidnapped by the FLQ
• October 16 – October Crisis: Pierre Trudeau introduces the War Measures Act to deal with the FLQ threat
• 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
• 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
• December 3 – October Crisis: James Cross is released unharmed by the FLQ
• December 28 – October Crisis: The FLQ kidnappers of Pierre Laporte are caught
• The Royal Commission on the Status of Women reports to Parliament
• TV Ontario begins broadcasting
• 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

Arts and Literature

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

Births

• January 1 – Krista Sutton, actor
• February 14 – Raine Maida, singer
• February 23 – Marie-Josée Croze, actor
• February 24 – Jeff Garcia, football player
• April 11 – Trevor Linden, hockey player
• May 4 – Karla Homolka, murderer
• May 9 – Mario Dumont, Quebec politician
• May 11 – Heather Stefanson, politician
• May 12 – Mike Weir, golfer
• May 20 – Jason York, hockey player
• June 12 – Gordon Michael Woolvett, actor
• July 3 – Julie Masse, singer
• August 9 – Rod Brind'Amour, hockey player
• August 19 – James Rajotte, politician
• September 1 – Mitsou, singer
• September 2 – Mike Wolfs, Olympic sailor
• November 9 – Chris Jericho, wrestler
• November 15 – Jeffrey Adams, Paralympian
• December 15 – Michael Shanks, actor
• December 23 – Catriona LeMay Doan, Olympic gold medalist in speed skating
• December 25 – Stu Barnes, hockey player
• Maher Arar
• Lynn Coady, writer
• Sarah Harmer, singer-songwriter
• Naomi Klein, activist writer

Deaths

• January 29 – Lawren Harris, Group of Seven painter
• February 27 – Marie Dionne, one of the Dionne Quintuplets
• March 23 – Del Lord, film director
• June 12 – John Keiller MacKay, 19th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
• October 17 – Pierre Laporte, Quebec Cabinet minister
• Jacob Viner, economist