See also: 1860 in Canada, other events of 1861, 1862 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'

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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 - Britain declares its neutrality in American Civil War.
• June 1 - Britain 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 Northern warship in international waters. Two Confederate diplomats taken off and imprisoned in Boston.
• November 28 - Viscount Monck becomes Governor-General.
• December 3 - Britain sends reinforcements to British North America.
• December 23 - Britain demands release of Confederate diplomats taken from Trent.
• December 26 - Confederate diplomats taken from Trent released.
• Joseph Howe became Premier of Nova Scotia
• Dr. Anderson Fuffin Abbott becomes the first Canadian Born Black to graduate from medical school.

Births

• January 15 - Joseph-Mathias Tellier, Quebec premier
• March 10 - E. Pauline Johnson, poet
• March 10 - Clifford Sifton, politician
• March 19 - Lomer Gouin, politician
• April 13 - Margaret Saunders, artist
• April 15 - Bliss Carman, poet
• June 7 - George H. Murray, Premier of Nova Scotia
• September 5 - Tobias C. Norris, Premier of Manitoba
• September 18 - Ella Cora Hind, journalist
• September 19 - Charles Ernest Gault, Quebec politician
• November 4 - Raoul Dandurand, politician
• November 6 - James Naismith, inventor of basketball
• November 17 - Archibald Lampman, poet
• December 22 - Sara Jeannette Duncan, journalist

Deaths