EVENTS

1980 - The Government of Canada, through Fitness and Amateur Sport, (Sport Canada) creates a Women's Program Source: Status of Women Canada.  Adult fact Sheet Women and sports in Canada: an historical overview. (Ottawa, 2002)

1980 - The Association of Canadian Medical Colleges  reports that 32% of graduate doctors are women Source: Canadian Chronology  (accessed April 28, 2003)

1980 - The provincial Advisory Council of the Status of Women for Newfoundland and Labrador is established for social, cultural and political equity for women

1980 - Terry James becomes the 1st Black female police Officer in the Toronto Police Force Source: Herstory: Milestones in the History of the Toronto Police Service Women Online Accessed June 2011.

1980 - Sandra Post (1948-   ) who earned over $1000,000 US on Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour is voted by the Canadian Press as winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canada's Top Female Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row

Births 1980:
January 30, 1980 - Born Margot Finlay (1980-   ) actor
March 7, 1981 - Born Alena Sharp (1981-   ) champion golfer
June 23, 1980 - Born Gillian Ferrari (1980-  ) member of Canada's gold medal winning hockey teams in 1990's. and 2000's
August 29, 1980 - Born Perdita Felicien (1980 ---) international track & field champion in hurdles
August 29, 1980 - Born Genevieve Jeanson (1981-   ) champion cyclist
September 24, 1980 - Born Amy Sky (1980-  ) contemporary singer
November 18, 1980 - Born Carol Huynk (1980-  ) Olympic Gold Medalist in wrestling

Deaths 1980:
1980 - Died Lovedy Josephine Campbell Scott (1894-1980) lawyer
1980- Died Lilias Torrance Newton (1896-1980) artist
1980- Died Edith Louise Patterson (1891-1980) judge in the juvenile court & 1st woman  member of the Law Society of British Columbia
1980 - Died Elizabet 'Lizzie' von Rummel (1897-1980) businesswoman, environmentalist & mountaineer
March 15, 1980 - Born Shelly-Anne Marie Brown (1980-   ) Olympic medalist in bobsledding
March 31, 1980 - Died Jean Flatt Davey (  -1980) 1st Canadian woman doctor to enter the Canadian Armed forces.
April 19, 1980 - Born Bardish Chagger (1980-  ) 1st women to be appointed as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
May 1980 - Born Johanna Shively Skibsrud (1980-   ) award winning author
May 17, 1980 - Died Kathleen Shield Perrin-Helliwell (1894-1980) World War l Nursing Sister
August 9, 1980 - Died Mary Eileen Abbott (1896-1980) Manitoba community volunteer
August 18, 1980 - Died Elizabeth Stern (1915-1980) pioneer medical researcher credited with early detection of cervical cancer
August 23, 1980 - Died Catherine DeNully Fraser (1879-1980) World War 1 Nursing Sister
September 1980 - Died Mary Lee Edward (1885-1980) physician who was given Croix de Guerre for service on front lines in WW1
September 28, 1980 - Died Alice C. Green (1908-1980) missionary nurse in Canadian northwest and community activist P E I
October 27, 1980 - Died Judy Verlyn LaMarsh (1924-1980) Liberal politician & Doyenne of Canada's Centennial celebrations 1967
November 4, 1980 - Died Elsie Gregory McGill (1905-1980) Canada's 1st woman graduate in electrical engineering & 1st to design aircraft
November 24, 1980 - Died Molly Reilly (1922-1980) 1st woman commercial pilot
November 27, 980 - Died Ethel Kirk Grayson (1890-1980) novelist
December 9, 1980 - Died Dorise Neilsen (1902-1980) first Communist Member of Parliament
December 22, 1980 - Died Ethel Davis Wilson (1888-1980) novelist for whom a British Columbia Literary Award is named, Order of Canada
December 26, 1980 - Died Elizabeth Carmichael Monk (1898-1980) lawyer, one of four women 1st to be called to the Quebec Bar

1981 - Second-Lieutenant Inge Plug is the 1st woman helicopter pilot in the Canadian Forces Source "Women throughout Canadian military history." in Canadian Forces Personnel Newsletter Issue 2/05 23 February 2005.

April 1981 - Section 28 is adopted as part of the Charter of Rights & Freedoms, it will be signed into law in 1982 as part of the Charter

1981 - Abby Hoffman (1947-   )   becomes the 1st woman director of Sport Canada, a part of the federal government Source: Status of Women Canada.  Adult fact Sheet Women and sports in Canada: an historical overview. (Ottawa, 2002)

July 30, 1981 -The United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) rules that for Sandra Lovelace, who had lost her Indian Status after her marriage to a non-status Indian, that her loss of status was tantamount to cultural interference

1981 - The Ontario Federation of Labour and Action Day Care holds public forums across the province of Ontario resulting in the formation of an ongoing Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care to lobby Ontario Members of Provincial Parliament

1981 - Jean Paré publishes the 1st cookbook in the series Company's Coming: 150 Delicious squares.

1981- The Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology is founded. This is a non profit association that promotes, encourages and empowers women and girls in science, engineering and technology

1981 - The Women in Coaching Program is established by the Coaching Association of Canada.

1981 - 19% of academic staff at the University of Alberta are women. Only 55 of these women are in the faculty of Science and 2% in Engineering. Source: Herstory: The Canadian Women's calendar. 2008  (Saskatoon Women's Calendar Collective / Coteau Books, 2007)

1981 - 47% of students in university undergraduate programs are women. 37% of women enrolled in university graduate programs are women.

1981 - The Canadian Historic Sites and Monuments Board declares Tookoolito and her husband, Ipirvik, National Historic Persons.

1981 - Pat Messner (1954-   ) national, international and Olympic medalist in water skiing is awarded Member in the Order of Canada.

1981 - Tracey Wainman (1967-   ) winner of the St Ivel International figure skating competition is voted by the Canadian Press as winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canada's Top Female Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row

1981 - Susan Nattrass (1950-  ) shooting champion is voted by the Canadian Press to be awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's Top Overall Athlete of the year

Births 1981:
November 24, 1981 - Born Lauren Wollstencroft (1981-   ) one of Canada's top Paralympic athletes

Deaths 1981:
1981 - Died Rosa L. Shaw (1895-1981) journalist
1982 - Died Jean Cairns (1886-1982) the 5th woman to be called to the bar (Lawyer) in Ontario
January 4, 1981 - Died Ruth Lowe-Sandler (1914-1981) pianist and songwriter I'll never smile again.
January 8, 1981 - Died Myrtle MacKinnon (1889-1981) milner, businesswoman, and matron of a home for unwed girls in Toronto
January 20, 1981 - Died Beatrice Lillie (1894-1989) outstanding comedic actor known as the funniest woman in the world
February 9, 1981 - Died Anna Selick-Raginsky (1891-1981) social activist in the Canadian Zionist movement
February 26, 1981 - Died Jane "Jennie" Smillie Robertson (1878-1981) perhaps 1st woman doctor to perform surgery in Canada
March 20, 1981 - Died Ruby Belle Dickie (1890-1981) World War l Nursing Sister
April 9, 1981- Born Geneviève Castrée-Elverum (1981-2016) cartoonist, illustrator, and musician
April 19, 1981 - Died Irene Baird-Grierson (1900-1981) novelist
May 31, 1981 - Died Edwina Chamier (1890-1981) Olympic alpine skier
October 17, 1981 - Died Dorothy Louise Walton (1909-1981) one of the top badminton players in Canada
November 2, 1981 - Died Thérèse Casgrain (1896-1981),1st individual Canadian woman to appear on Canadian money
December 4, 1981 - Died Marie-Angèle ‘Jovette’ Alice Bernier (1900-1981) poet and journalist
 

1985 - The Canadian Indian Act is changed to restore Indian status to many women and their children as well as to enfranchised native veterans. This bill ends more than 100 years of legislative discrimination against aboriginal women not having native status. The United nations Human Rights Commission high lighted this injustice with a ruling for a complaint brought before the UNHRC in 1977 by Sandra Lovelace

1985 - The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms legally gives women equal rights

June 17, 1885 - Bill C-31 in the House of Commons in Ottawa eliminates sexual discrimination form the Indian Act for First Nations Women so that Aboriginal women's rights of status would be upheld when she marries a non-status Indian

1985 - The Canadian Divorce Act eliminates discrimination on the basis of sex with respect to the right to divorce or the custody of children

1985 - The Canada Pension Act is amended to continue disability pensions at the married rate for one year after the death of a veteran

1985 - The Association for Women's Equity in the Canadian Armed Forces is founded  

1985 - The Canadian First Minister's Conference on the Economy endorses 'A framework for Economic Equality for Canadian Women' Source: Progress towards equality of women in Canada . Canada. Status of Women Canada. 1995.

1985 - Shirley Theresa Dysart (1926-2016) becomes the 1st woman to serve as interim leader of the Opposition in the New Brunswick legislature

April 17, 1985 - Canada Post issues a commemorative stamp honouring the life of Thérèse Casgrain (1896-1981), a leader in rights for Canadian women and respected politician

August  1985 - Lisa Buscombe retains her title as World Champion in the sport of Field Archery Source: Federation of Canadian Archers.

1985 - Bonnie Cappuccino (1934-   ) is director and founder of Child Haven International, a not-for-profit organization that helps destitute women and children around the world

1985 - Lynn Johnston (1947-   )  is the 1st woman to win the Reuben Award for outstanding cartoonist of the year from the national Cartoonist Society and in 1988 she became the first woman to be president of this society

1985 - Anne of Green Gables, the television mini series, wins many awards including 10 Gemini Awards, and Emmy Award, and a Peabody Award

1985 - The Sister Vision Black Women and Women of Colour Press is formed to publish books by and for women of colour

1985 - Carling Bassett (1967-   ) ranked 17th in the world Women's Tennis is voted by the Canadian Press as winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canada's Top Female Athlete of the Year for the second time

Births 1985:
September 4, 1985 - Born Kaillie Humphries (1985-   ) international & Olympic champion in bobsleigh

Deaths 1985:
1985 - Died Lillian Beatrice Allen (1904-1985) artist & teacher
1985 - Died Elsie Catherine Barclay (1902-1985) co-founder of Hostelling in North America
1885 - Died Marie-Alice Dumont (1892-1985) professional photographer in Eastern Quebec
1985 - Died Esther Marjorie Hill, (1895-1985) 1st Canadian woman to become a graduate architect
1985 - Died Helen May McKercher (1911-1985) agricultural education activist
February 2, 1985 - Died Micheline Saint-Marcoux (1938-1985) composer & teacher
February 16, 1985 - Died Marion Ruth Engel (1933-1985) acclaimed author
March 18, 1985 - Died Myrtle Alice Cook (1902-1985) acclaimed athlete and Olympic team member 1928
April 9, 1985 - Died Mary Elizabeth 'Mary Beth' Brugger Dolin (1936-1985) politician
April 27, 1985 - Died Marcelle Ferron. (1924-1985) member of a group of artists known as Les Automatistes
April 28, 1985 - Died Ada Annie Rae-Arthur (1888-1985) pioneer botanist know as 'Cougar Annie '
June 8, 1985 - Died Blanche Macdonald (1931-1985) educator & Aboriginal rights activist on the west coast
June 12, 1985 - Died Elizabeth Pauline MacCallum (1895-1985) diplomat
June 15, 1985 - Died Anne Terry (????-1985) broadcaster know as 'First Lady of Cape Breton'
September 6, 1985 - Died Jessie Isabel Meighen (1883-1985) wife of Prime minister Arthur Meighen (1874-1960)
October 5, 1885 - Died Jessie Louise Beattie (1896-1895) poet & novelist, member of the City of Cambridge (Ontario) Hall of Fame 
November 3, 1985 - Died Anna Gertrude Lawson Cheney (1897 - 1985) portrait painter & 1st medical artist in British Columbia
December 14, 1985 - Died Catherine de Hueck Doherty (1896 1985) founder of Madonna House, Cumbermere, Ontario
December 26, 1985 - Died Cornelia Lucinda Wood (1892-1985) Alberta provincial politician

1987 - The Raging Grannies is 1st organized in Victoria British Columbia. They were looking for a different way to protest and set off a spark for a future international organization that allows older women to serve with a purpose

1987 - Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace (1943-   ) is the 1st woman appointed Chair of the Science Council of Canada

1987 - The Elektra Woman's Choir is founded by Diane Mary Loomer (1940-2012). It becomes recognized internationally. ^{Source: “Choral conductor had a gift for getting the best from her singers” by Suzanne A Hearne, The Globe and Mail January 9, 2013.}

1987 - In the Canadian Air Force, combat roles, including flying fighter aircraft like the CF-18 and tactical helicopters become open to women for the 1st time Source Canada Women's Foundation. History of the women's movement: selected moments of importance in the history of Canadian women , 2004

1987 - Colonel Sheila A. Hellstrom, a graduate of National Defense College, becomes the 1st woman serving as a Regular Force officer to be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General.  Source: National Defense and the Canadian Armed Forces, Fact sheet. Online (Accessed March 2014)

1987 - The federal government's Canadian Jobs Strategy is amended to enable immigrant women to access language training in order to compete in the labour market Source: Progress towards equality of women in Canada . Canada. Status of Women Canada. 1995.

1987 - Herizon, Canada's Feminist Magazine goes into a publishing hiatus only resurfacing in 1992

1987 - The British Columbia Coalition for Abortion Clinics ( Now the Pro-choice Action Network) is founded to establish abortion clinics in British Columbia Source : A History of Abortion in Canada  (accessed July 30, 2003)
 
1987 - Wendy Murphy invents the world's 1st evacuation stretcher for infants, the WEEVACS6 after having see the destructive earthquake rescues in Mexico in 1985

1987 - Carolyn Waldo (1964-   ) winner of two Gold Medals at the World Aquatic Championships is voted by the Canadian Press as winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canada's Top Female Athlete of the Year

^{Births 1987:
September 7, 1987 - Born Aleksandra Woznisak (1987-   ) top ranking tennis player}

Deaths 1987:
1987 - Died Aileen Alethea Meagher (1910-1987) medal winning track athlete
1987 - Died Mary Louise Northway (1909-1987) psychologist, businesswoman & philanthropist
1987 - Died Lillian Alice Chase (    -1987) medical doctor
1987 - Died Gladys "Gladdy" Balsillie (1919-1987) businesswoman who was a burlesque agent.
1987 - Died Christine Hamilton (1921-1987) social activist in Hamilton, Ontario
1987 - Died Marian Lucille Skillen-Stoneham (1890-1987) World War l Nursing Sister
January 1, 1989 - Died Flora Velma Abbott (1929-1987) played with the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.
January 5, 1987 - Died Margaret Lawrence, (1926-1987) award winning author.
February 2, 1987 - Died Olive Bend Little (1917-1987) member of the American Girls  Professional Baseball League
February 7, 1987 - Died Georgette Vachon (1900-1987) author
February 18, 1987 - Died Lida Bell Pearson Sturdy (1895-1987), who on November 3, 1921 is the 1st woman lawyer in Preston Ontario with her own practice.
March 5, 1987 - Died Isabella Sinclair-Trotter (1889-1987) World War l Nursing Sister
May 10, 1987 - Died Violet Keene (1883-1987) acclaimed portrait photographer
May 31, 1987 - Died Gladys A. Bunn (1892-1987) piano teacher & artist
August 1 , 1987- Died Evelyn Merle Nelson (1943-1987) renowned mathematician.
August 30, 1988 - Died Joan Miller (1910-1988) actor
September 26, 1987 - Died Ethel Catherwood, (1908-1987) member of the first Canadian women's Olympic team
November 6, 1987 - Died Simone Routier (1901-1987) poet
November 14, 1986 - Died Alice Theodora 'Dora' Oliver (1888-1986) World War l Nursing Sister
November 24, 1987 - Died Jehane Benoit (1904-1987) renowned chef & author, officer in the Order of Canada
November 29, 1987 - Died Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941-1987) renowned poet

Births 1988:
October 10, 1988 - Born Karen Percy (1988-   ) Olympic medalist in skiing.

Deaths 1988:
1988 - Died Helen Grossman (1905?-1988), one of the early Jewish women lawyers in Canada
1988 - Died Pearl Steen (1893-1988), social activist, President of National Council of Women 1964-1967
1988 - Died Agnes Harrigan (   1988), one of the first women park guides in Canada.
January 2, 1988 - Died Vega Dawson (1894- 1988), Order of the British Empire for war services.
January 15, 1988 - Died Audrey Burger (1912-1988), Social activist for public housing.
January 20, 1988 - Born Ethel Davis Wilson (1888-1980), novelist for who the British Columbia Literary Award is named, Order of Canada.
February 18, 1988 - Died Dorothy Bruce Garbutt (1897-1988), journalist & historian, host of the CBC program "Houses I have known."
February 18, 1988 - Died Dorothy Bruce Garbutt (1897-1988), journalist & historian, host of the CBC program "Houses I have known."
March 2, 1988 - Died Sister Ethelberta (1900-1988), brought her religious order to Canada and was hospital administrator.
April 5, 1988 - Died Marjorie Brook (1898-1988), hospital administrator.
April 19, 1988 - Died Ethel Mary Bennett (1891-1988), award winning writer of historical novels.
April 26, 1988 - Died Dorothy Danzker (    -1988), Winnipeg community worker.
May 3, 1988 - Died Sheila Cantor (1939-1988), internationally renowned researcher in the field of schizophrenia.
May 17, 1988 - Died Nora Ellen Dunwoody (1899-1988), she was known for establishing gift shops as fund raisers for hospital auxiliaries
June 6, 1988 - Died Margaret Craig Eaton Dunn (1913-1988), Director General Canadian Women's Army Corp 1944.
July 2, 1988 - Died Allie Vibert Douglas (1894-1988), 1st woman in Canada to graduate with a PhD in astrophysics.
July 4, 1988- Died Constance Eleda Brewster (1888-1988), a well respected nursing administrator in Hamilton, Ontario. 
July 4, 1988 - Died Gwendda Dorothy Owen Davies (1896-1988), concert pianist and teacher of music.
July 22, 1988 - Died Ann Conner Brimer (1940-1988), educator and promoter of books for children.
July 31, 1988 - Died Margaret Eileen Stuart Underhill (1889-1988), badminton player and member of the British Columbia Sport Hall of Fame.
August 1988 - Died Alix Goolden (1897-1988), social activist and philanthropist.
August 10, 1988 - Died Agnes Fontaine (1912-1988), a mother of 15 who received the QE Coronation Medal for community Services. 
August 22, 1988 - Died Frances Adaskin (1903-1988), award winning singer who championed the works of Canadian composers.
October 28, 1988 - Died Ethel Viola Bieber (1920-1988), national and provincial swimming champion of the 1930's.
November 1988- Died Laura Banks (1914-1988), TV broadcaster who used the name of Laura Lindsay.
November 10, 1988 - Died Margaret Bennie (1897-1988) award winning educator. .
November 10, 1988 - Died Margaret Bennie (1897-1988), award winning educator.
November 19, 1988 - Died Helen Birdsall (1906-1988), dance instructor and choreographer to the CNE in the 1920's and 1930's
December 19, 1988 - Died Lotta Dempsey (1905-1988), journalist known for her column in the Toronto Starr and her large hats.
December 31, 1988 - Died Eleanor Reed Townsend (1944-1988), champion Fiddler.

1989 - Chantal Daigle of Chibougamou, Quebec has an abortion, despite her former boyfriend’s seeking of an injunction preventing the abortion which was upheld by the Quebec Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court overturned the case in favor of Daigle

1989 - Doreen Wicks (1935-2004) is inducted into the Order of Canada. Her husband Ben was inducted in 1986, making them the 1st husband & wife to be inducted into the Order

1989 - Dr Henry Morgentaler is arrested in Nova Scotia when he operates a clinic in the province after the provincial government passes legislation prohibition abortions at clinics Source : A History of Abortion in Canada (accessed July 30, 2003)

1989 - The federal government introduces Bill C-43, an amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada that would prohibit abortion unless a doctor finds the pregnancy is a threat to the woman's physical, mental or psychological health Source : A History of Abortion in Canada  (accessed July 30, 2003)
 
1989 - The Canadian one dollar bill is replaced with a coin. The depiction of a common loon, a type of bird, on the coin leads to the coin being commonly called a "loonie"

1989 -  Mrs. June Rowlands becomes the 1st woman Chairperson of the Metropolitan Toronto Board of Commissioners of Police Source: Herstory: Milestones in the History of the Toronto Police Service Women Online Accessed June 2011.

1989 - Helen Kelesi (1969-   ) ranked at 13th in the World Women's Tennis is voted by the Canadian Press as winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canada's Top Female Athlete of the Year  

Births 1989:
January 17,1989 - Born Mo Zhang (1989-   ) Canadian champion in table tennis
October 21, 1989 - Born Ashley Callinbull-Burnham (1989-   ) 1st Canadian & 1st First Nations woman to win Miss Universe pageant

Deaths 1989:
1989 - Died Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Graham-Jenkinson (1905-1989) pioneer hockey player who wore a face mask in 1927
1989 - Died Marion Elder Grant (1900-1989) psychologist &President of the Federation of University Women
1989 - Died Tmima Mamie Littner Cohn (1907-1989) lawyer & strong supporter for women's rights
1989 - Died Helen Mary Creighton (1899-1989) distinguished folklorist
1989 - Died Mattie Rotenberg (1897- 1989) 1st woman & 1st Jew to earn a PhD in physics at the University of Toronto
1989 - Died Eliza May Stewart (1887-1989) World War I nursing sister
January 29, 1989 - Died Beatrice Lillie, (1894-1989) outstanding comedic actor of her era
March 9, 1989 - Died Hilda Strike (1910 - 1989) Olympic medalist in 1932
April 9, 1989 - Die4d Betty Farrally (1915-1989) dancer & co-founder of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet
May 5, 1989 - Died Jennifer Hodge de Silva (1951-1989) acclaimed Black filmmaker
May 25, 1989 - Died Helen Frances Gregor (1921-1989) textile artist
June 15, 1989 - Died Bessie Portigal Buchwald (1901-1989) early Canadian Zionist
July 28, 1989 - Died Norah Louise Hughes (1905-1989) 1st woman to be head of a Conference in the United Church of Canada
October 3, 1989 - Died Fredelle Bruser Maynard (1922-1989) writer & journalist who lived in Cabbagetown, Toronto
October 10, 1989 - Died Imelda Dallaire (Sister Marie-Joseph) (1902-1989) hospital manager
October 30, 1989 - Died Agnes Watts (1899-1989) philanthropist
November 18, 1989 - Died Mildred Amanda Gottfriedson (1918-1989) Aboriginal leader & 1st Aboriginal woman to receive Order of Canada
December 8, 1989 - Died Annie Powers (1907-1989) 1st francophone women in Ontario to become a doctor.