See also: 1959 in Canada, other events of 1960, 1961 in Canada and the Timeline of Canadian history.

Incumbents

• Prime Minister - John Diefenbaker
• Governor General - Georges Vanier

• Premier of Alberta - Ernest Manning
• Premier of British Columbia - W.A.C. Bennett
• Premier of Manitoba - Duff 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

Events

• January 2 - Paul Sauvé, Premier of Quebec, dies in office
• January 8 - Antonio Barrette becomes premier of Quebec
• January 16 - Gordie Howe becomes the leading scorer in NHL history, passing Maurice Richard
• February 16 - The new National Gallery of Canada building opens in Ottawa
• April 14 - The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs to win their fifth Stanley Cup in a row
• June 8 - Saskatchewan election: Tommy Douglas's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation wins a fifth consecutive majority
• July 1 - Treaty Indians are given the right to vote
• 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
• October 6 - Maurice Richard's number is retired by the Montreal Canadiens
• November 2 - The National Theatre School opens in Montreal
• December 17 - Quebec becomes the last province to agree to the National Health Act
• The Quiet Revolution is usually said to begin in Quebec
• The Canadian Bill of Rights is approved by Parliament
• 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
• Seven-year-old Roger Woodward became the first person to accidentally fall over the Horseshoe Falls and survive.

Arts and Literature

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

Births

• January 12 - Oliver Platt, actor
• January 25 - John Anderson Alleyne , choreographer
• February 12 - George Elliott Clarke, author
• February 14 - Meg Tilly, actor
• February 17 - Lindy Ruff, hockey player and coach
• February 28 - Dorothy Stratten, actor
• March 7 - Gail Greenough , author
• April 10 - Drew Caldwell, politician
• April 28 - John Cerutti, baseball pitcher
• April 29 - Robert J. Sawyer, Science fiction writer
• May 23 - Cheryl Gallant, politician
• July 19 - Atom Egoyan, filmmaker
• July 21 - Dale Hunter, hockey player
• July 25 - Alain Robidoux, snooker player
• August 30 - Mark Eyking, politician
• September 14 - Callum Keith Rennie, actor
• September 21 - David James Elliott, actor
• December 28 - Ray Bourque, hockey player

Deaths

• January 2 - Paul Sauvé, Premier of Quebec
• February 22 - Paul-Émile Borduas, abstract painter
• November 5 - Mack Sennett, comedian
• December 12 - Louis Orville Breithaupt, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario