Events

• January 17, The Interprovincial Bridge connecting Ottawa to Hull, Quebec, opens
• February 16, The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated
• April 4, The 1881 census finds Canada's population to be 4,324,810
• Manitoba's boundaries are extended north, east and west. Ontario disputes the eastward extension.
• May 24, The overloaded Victoria steamer capsizes on the Thames River near London, Ontario, killing 182 people.

Births

• January 2 - Frederick Varley, artist
• January 20 - Fred Dixon, Manitoba politician
• June 17 - Tommy Burns, boxer
• September 27 - James Ralston, Minister of National Defence
• November 4 - Hector Authier, politician
• November 19 - Robert James Manion, politician
• November 24 - Al Christie, film director
• December 20 - Télesphore-Damien Bouchard, Quebec politician
• December 31 - Albert Sévigny, politician

Deaths