1960 in Canada

Incumbents

Crown

• Monarch – Elizabeth II

  Federal government

• Governor general – Georges Vanier
• Prime minister – John Diefenbaker
• Chief Justice – Patrick Kerwin
• Parliament – 24th

  Provincial governments

Lieutenant governors

• Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – John Percy Page
• Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Frank M. Ross then George Pearkes
• Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – John S. McDiarmid 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 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 then Antonio Barrette then Jean Lesage
• Premier of Saskatchewan – Tommy Douglas

  Territorial governments

Commissioners

• Commissioner of Yukon – Frederick Howard Collins
• Commissioner of Northwest Territories – Robert Gordon Robertson

  Events

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 ; Edmonton—the CBC, ; Calgary—the Love organization—CFCN-TV; Vancouver—the Vantel group—CHAN-TV.
• 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 – Montreal Canadiens won their Twelfth Stanley Cup by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4 games to 0. The deciding game was played in Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
• May 8 - Ontario Hockey Association's St. Catharines Teepees won their Second Memorial Cup by defeating Central Alberta Hockey League's Edmonton Oil Kings 4 games to 2. The deciding Game 6 was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
• October 6 – Maurice Richard's number is retired by the Montreal Canadiens in a ceremony at the Montreal Forum
• November 26 - Ottawa Rough Riders won their Fifth Grey Cup by defeating the Edmonton Eskimos 16 to 6 in the 48th Grey Cup played at Vancouver's Empire Stadium. Toronto, Ontario's Ron Stewart became the first Canadian to win the game's official MVP award.

  Births

January to June

• January 12 – Oliver Platt, actor
• January 24 – Mark Reeds, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
• 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
• 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
• March 7 – Gail Greenough, equestrian
• March 13 - John Greyson, filmmaker
• March 15 – Carole Rouillard, long-distance runner
• March 18 - Guy Carbonneau, retired professional ice hockey player
• April 8 - Pat Duncan, politician and sixth Premier of Yukon and the first Liberal government
• April 10 – Drew Caldwell, politician
• April 12 - Toren Smith, manga publisher and translator
• April 20 - Eria Fachin, pop singer
• 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 17 – Chris Potter, actor
• 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 2 – Paul Martini, pair skater
• 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

  Deaths

January to June

• January 2 – Paul Sauvé, lawyer, soldier, politician and 17th Premier of Quebec
• February 16 – James Alexander Murray, politician and Premier of New Brunswick
• February 22 – Paul-Émile Borduas, painter
• June 13 – Brooke Claxton, politician and Minister

  July to December

• July 26 – Maud Menten, medical scientist
• August 5 – Arthur Meighen, politician and 9th Prime Minister of Canada
• November 5 – Mack Sennett, actor, producer, screenwriter and film director
• December 12 – Louis Orville Breithaupt, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
• December 19 – Jean Désy, diplomat
• December 29 – Philippe Panneton, physician, academic, diplomat and writer
• December 31 – C. D. Howe, politician and Minister