From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
See also: 1982 in Canada, other events of 1983, 1984 in Canada and the Timeline of Canadian history.
Incumbents
- Prime Minister - Pierre Trudeau
- Governor General - Edward Schreyer
- Premier of Alberta - Peter Lougheed
- Premier of British Columbia - Bill Bennett
- Premier of Manitoba - Howard Pawley
- Premier of New Brunswick - Richard Hatfield
- Premier of Newfoundland - Brian Peckford
- Premier of Nova Scotia - John Buchanan
- Premier of Ontario - Bill Davis
- Premier of Prince Edward Island - James Lee
- Premier of Quebec - René Lévesque
- Premier of Saskatchewan - Grant Devine
Events
- January 21 - JoAnn Thatcher, wife of Saskatchewan MLA Colin Thatcher, is murdered in her Regina home. Colin would later be convicted of the crime.
- February 1 - Pay television begins operating in Canada.
- February 15 - the Tamarack Review ceases publication
- March 4 - Bertha Wilson is appointed Canada's first female Supreme Court justice
- March 5 - Steve Podborski wins Gold at the World Cup of Skiing
- April 17 - Queen Elizabeth II signs Canada's newly repatriated constitution in Ottawa
- June 9 - Bill 101, protecting the French language in Quebec is ruled unconstitutional
- June 11 - Brian Mulroney replaces Joe Clark as leader of Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
- June 19 BC Place in Vancouver opens
- July 23 - Gimli Glider: Air Canada flight 143 crash-lands in Gimli, Manitoba.
- October 1 - North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization is established
- October 26 - Dominion Day renamed Canada Day
- November 17 - The Western Grain Transportation Act is passed
- December 23 - Jeanne Sauvé is appointed Canada's first female Governor General
- Canada agrees to allow testing of American cruise missiles in the west
- Grey Cup - Toronto Argonauts won 18-17 over the British Columbia Lions
- Vanier Cup - Calgary Dinos won 31-21 over the Queen's Golden Gaels
- The Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station, the first Nuclear power plant in the Maritimes
Arts and Literature
- New Books
- A Time for Judas - Morley Callaghan
- Unearthing Suite - Margaret Atwood
- Seagull on Yonge Street - Bill Bissett
- See 1983 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
- Books in Canada First Novel Award: W.P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe
- Gerald Lampert Award: Diana Hartog, Matinee Light
- Pat Lowther Award: Rhea Tregebov, Remembering History
- Stephen Leacock Award: Morley Torgov, The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick
- Vicky Metcalf Award: Claire Mackay
- Graham Greene makes his film debut in Running Brave
- David Cronenberg's The Dead Zone is released
- A film is made of Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf
Births
Deaths

