1861 in Canada

Years in Canada:	1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864
Centuries:	18th century · 19th century · 20th century
Decades:	1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s
Years:	1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864

Events from the year 1861 in Canada.

Events

• April 14 - A major flood hits Montreal
• April 15 - Nova Scotia: resolution for provincial union by Joseph Howe for referral to the other British North American provinces in July.
• May 13 - The UK declares its neutrality in American Civil War.
• June 1 - The UK bans naval craft or privateers of American belligerents from carrying prizes into British ports or territorial waters.
• November 8 - The Trent Affair: British packet steamer Trent stopped by United States warship in international waters. Two Confederate diplomats taken off and imprisoned in Boston.
• November 28 - Viscount Monck becomes Governor-General.
• December 3 - The UK sends reinforcements to British North America.
• December 23 - The UK demands release of Confederate diplomats taken from Trent.
• December 26 - Confederate diplomats taken from Trent released.

Full date unknown

• Joseph Howe became Premier of Nova Scotia
• Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott becomes the first Canadian-born Black to graduate from medical school.
• Newfoundland general election, 1861
• The Cariboo Gold Rush starts in British Columbia.

Births

January to June

Lomer Gouin

• January 15 - Joseph-Mathias Tellier, politician (died 1952)
• March 10 - Pauline Johnson, poet, writer and performer (died 1913)
• March 10 - Clifford Sifton, politician and Minister (died 1929)
• March 19 - Lomer Gouin, politician and 13th Premier of Quebec (died 1929)
• March 20 - Herménégilde Boulay, politician (died 1942)
• April 13 - Margaret Saunders, artist
• April 15 - Bliss Carman, poet (died 1929)
• June 7 - George Henry Murray, politician and Premier of Nova Scotia (died 1929)

July to December

• July 11 - John Best, politician (died 1923)
• September 5 - Tobias Norris, politician and 10th Premier of Manitoba (died 1936)
• September 18 - Ella Cora Hind, journalist and women's rights activist (died 1942)
• September 19 - Charles Ernest Gault, politician (died 1946)
• October 31 - James Bowman, politician (died 1940)
• November 4 - Raoul Dandurand, politician (died 1942)
• November 6 - James Naismith, sports coach and innovator, inventor of basketball (died 1939)
• November 17 - Archibald Lampman, poet (died 1899)
• December 22 - Sara Jeannette Duncan, author and journalist (died 1922)

Deaths

• February 3 - Louis-Théodore Besserer, notary, soldier, politician, and businessman (born 1785)
• February 13 - Denis-Benjamin Viger, politician, businessman and politician (born 1774)
• November 9 - Howard Douglas, soldier, educator, author, inventor, and colonial administrator (born 1776)