See also: 1984 in Canada, other events of 1985, 1986 in Canada and the Timeline of Canadian history.
Incumbents
See 1985 Canadian incumbents for more
Events
- January 26: Frank Miller elected leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party replacing Bill Davis
- January 30: The federal government relaxes laws requiring businesses to use the metric system
- February 8: Frank Miller becomes premier of Ontario, replacing Bill Davis after the Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election
- February 10: A supergroup of Canadian musicians, Northern Lights, gathers to record the charity single Tears Are Not Enough for famine relief in Ethiopia.
- February 11: The federal and Newfoundland governments sign the Atlantic Accord paving the way for joint development of Newfoundland's offshore oil and gas reserves
- February 12: Minister of National Defence Robert Coates resigns after it is revealed that he visited a strip-club while on government business in Germany
- February 13: Denis Lortie is found guilty of murder for his attack on the Quebec National Assembly that killed three
- February 28: Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel is found guilty of publishing false news and fomenting racial intolerance
- March: Willard Phelps becomes premier of Yukon, replacing Chris Pearson
- March: At the so-called Shamrock Summit between Prime Minister Mulroney and President Ronald Reagan the two agree on cooperation on Missile Defence and free trade
- March 12: Heavily armed Armenian terrorists storm the Turkish embassy in Ottawa. They kill a security guard and hold a dozen people hostage for four hours
- March 21: Rick Hansen launches his Man in Motion world tour to raise money for spinal cord research
- March 29: 10 are killed after two military planes collide near CFB Edmonton
- April 24: The Supreme Court rules the Lord's Day Act violates Canadians' freedom of religion
- May: Tony Penikett becomes government leader of Yukon, replacing Willard Phelps
- May 2: Ontario election: Frank Miller's PCs win a minority, but David Peterson's Liberals will form a coalition with the NDP, forcing Miller to resign
- May 9: The Supreme Court rules that Orders-in-Council are subject to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- May 31: A tornado in Barrie, Ontario kills twelve
- June 23: Air India flight 182 explodes en route from Toronto to London; Sikh terrorists are blamed.
- June 26: David Peterson becomes premier of Ontario, replacing Frank Miller
- September 1: The wreck of the RMS Titanic is found off the coast of Newfoundland
- September 6: The Canadian Encyclopedia is launched
- September 17: The tunagate scandal erupts
- September 20: Lincoln Alexander becomes the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, the first Black person to hold a vice regal position in Canadian history
- September 25: The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology opens in Drumheller, Alberta
- October 3: Pierre-Marc Johnson becomes premier of Quebec, replacing René Lévesque
- November 1: Don Getty becomes premier of Alberta, replacing Peter Lougheed
- November 5: Nick Sibbeston becomes government leader of the Northwest Territories, replacing Richard Nerysoo
- December 2: In the Quebec election, Robert Bourassa's Liberals gain a majority, defeating the Parti Québécois.
- December 12: Robert Bourassa becomes premier of Quebec for the second time, replacing Pierre-Marc Johnson
- December 12: The worst airplane accident in Canadian history occurs when Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashes on take-off from Gander International Airport. 256 people are killed.
- Corel is founded in Ottawa.
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