2005 in Canada

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Incumbents

January 7: Minister of Health Ujjal Dosanjh arrives in Sri Lanka to survey the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami damage.
January 8: Disaster Assistance Response Team arrives in Sri Lanka to provide fresh water, tents, food and medical assistance to victims of the tsunami disaster.
January 10: The Canadian government increases its monetary contribution in the Humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake to $425 million.
January 14: Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Judy Sgro resigns from her cabinet post as she is being investigated for illegal immigration practices.
January 16: Prime Minister Paul Martin begins a nine-day trip to Asia in Indonesia surveying the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami damage. Martin also travelled to Sri Lanka, India, Japan and China.
January 20: Norman Kwong is appointed the new Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, following the death in office of Lois Hole.
January 21: China opens its borders to allow tourists to travel to Canada.

February 1: Ontario Progressive Conservative Party member Ernie Eves resigns from the Ontario legislature.
February 2: Harjit Singh is deported to India.
February 6: A group of Ontarians file a class action lawsuit against Agropur Cooperative after they became sick from chocolate milk tainted by chemical cleaner.
February 8: Controversial Toronto police chief Julian Fantino is appointed Ontario's new commissioner of emergency management.
February 8: Edmonton police chief Fred Rayner is fired after news of a police sting targeting a journalist and the chair of the city's police board comes to light.
February 10: Wal-Mart says it will close one of its stores in Jonquière, Québec, just as its 200 workers are about to win the first-ever union contract from the world's largest retailer.
February 14: The Canadian government signs a multi-billion dollar deal with Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia for offshore natural resource revenues.
February 18: Quebec Premier Jean Charest does a cabinet shuffle to improve his party's popularity.
February 22: Canada rejects a proposed missile defence plan with the United States.
February 23: The 2005 Canadian budget is presented.
February 25: The Anglican Church of Canada is temporarily banned from the Anglican Consultative Council for endorsing same-sex marriage in Canada.

March 1 – Frank McKenna becomes the new Canadian Ambassador to the United States.
March 3 – Four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers — Peter Schiemann, Lionide Johnston, Anthony Gordon and Brock Myrol — are killed by local James Roszko in a drug raid on his farm in Mayerthorpe, Alberta.
March 10 – Governor General Adrienne Clarkson announces that she will create a trophy for women's hockey in Canada. (The National Hockey League's Stanley Cup was donated in 1892 by a predecessor of Clarkson's, Lord Frederick Stanley.)
March 11 – 2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal: The Canadian government launches a $39 million lawsuit against Lafleur Communication Marketing, GroupAction, Groupe Everest and Le Groupe Polygone.
March 11 – Jetsgo ceases operations.
March 16 – Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri are found not guilty by the Supreme Court of British Columbia at the Air India Trial.
March 24 – Paul Martin arranges the appointment of Roméo Dallaire, Art Eggleton, Lillian Dyck, Jim Cowan, Elaine McCoy, Grant Mitchell, Robert Peterson, Nancy Ruth and Claudette Tardif to the Senate of Canada.

April 1 – Thompson Rivers University is born from the merger of University College of the Cariboo and British Columbia Open University.
April 12 – Kelly Ellard is found guilty of second degree murder in the 1997 murder of Reena Virk.
April 13 – Neo-Nazi leader Wolfgang Droege, leader of the Heritage Front, is found shot dead in his apartment.
April 21 – Prime Minister Paul Martin and the leaders of the opposition address the nation separately on television on the subject of the sponsorship scandal and the possibility of a general election being called this spring.
April 26 – The Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party announce that they have come to an agreement in principle on the 2005 Canadian budget. This agreement is a move by the Liberals to avoid a vote of no confidence in the House, which would cause a general election to be called.
April 29 – Sean Eagan dies while climbing Mount Everest from a heart condition.

May 1 – Canada imposes a 15% surtax sanction on U.S. imports of cigarettes, oysters and live swine, after the Byrd Amendment was found to be illegal by the World Trade Organization.
May 5 – A Canadian Forces Maritime Command board of inquiry finds no one accountable for the fatal fire aboard HMCS Chicoutimi.
May 10 – The House passes a motion, which the opposition says should topple the government. The governing Liberals refuse to resign following this by claiming that this is a procedural matter and not a vote of no confidence.
May 13 – Jetsgo declares bankruptcy
May 17 – British Columbia general election and electoral reform referendum

February 25: Frank Parker Day's novel Rockbound is named the winner of Canada Reads 2005
March 26: Ian and Sylvia's "Four Strong Winds" is named the greatest Canadian song of all time on CBC Radio One's 50 Tracks

January 4: The Canadian junior men's hockey team wins the IIHF World Junior Championship, defeating Russia 6–1. The team, which went undefeated over the course of the tournament, was touted as the "Greatest Team" to ever play in the Junior men's tournament. They won Canada's first gold medal at the tournament since 1997.