Canadians are people who are identified with Canada through residential, legal , historical , or cultural means . This list groups people by their area of notability.
Architects
Hans Blumenfeld OC (1892–1988) – architect and city planner
Joan Burt (1930–2021) – architect
Douglas Cardinal OC RAIC (born 1934) – architect of Canadian Museum of Civilization
Mary Clark (born 1936) – architect and transportation planner
Ernest Cormier OC RAIC (1885–1980) – architect of Supreme Court of Canada building
A. J. Diamond OC RAIC (1934–2022) – architect of Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Margaret Synge Dryer (1921–1963) – architect
Arthur Erickson CC RAIC (1924–2008) – architect of Simon Fraser University , Robson Square , and the Embassy of Canada in Washington
David Ewart ISO (1841–1921) – Chief Dominion Architect (1896 to 1914), architect of Dominion Archives Building , Royal Canadian Mint , Victoria Memorial Museum , Connaught Building in Ottawa[ 1]
Étienne Gaboury RAIC OAA (1930–2022) – architect of the Embassy of Canada in Mexico and the Royal Canadian Mint building in Winnipeg
Frank Gehry CC LLD (hc ) PhD (hc ) DEng (hc ) DArch (hc ) DA (hc ) AIA (born 1929) – architect of Guggenheim Museum Bilbao , Experience Music Project , Walt Disney Concert Hall , and the Art Gallery of Ontario
Dan Hanganu OQ DArch (hc ) RAIC OAQ (1939–2017) – architect of Pointe-à-Callière Museum and Montreal Archival Centre
Gregory Henriquez FRAIC OAA AIA (born 1963) RAIC – architect of the Woodward's Building , TELUS Garden , and redevelopment of Honest Ed's location
Stephen Irwin RAIC RIBA OAA (1939–2019) – architect of Purdy's Wharf
Bruce Kuwabara FRAIC OAA AIA (born 1949) RAIC – architect of the Gardiner Museum , and Kitchener City Hall
E. J. Lennox RAIC OAA (1854–1933) – architect of Old City Hall in Toronto, and Casa Loma
John M. Lyle FRIBA OAA (1872–1945) RAIC – architect of the New York Public Library , the Royal Alexandra Theatre , and Toronto's Union Station
Raymond Moriyama CC OOnt (1929–2023) – architect of the Ontario Science Centre , Ottawa City Hall , and Canadian War Museum
Samuel Oghale Oboh FAIA , FRAIC , Architect, AAA (born 1971) – 2015 President of the RAIC – architect of the International Law Enforcement Academy Botswana and the Botswana Police College ; Lead Architect of the Alberta Legislature Centre Redevelopment Master Plan
John Ostell (1813–1892) – architect of the McGill University Arts Building, and the Montreal Custom House
Francis Rattenbury RAIC AIBC (1867–1935) – architect of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings , and the Empress Hotel
Moshe Safdie CC LLD (hc ) FRAIC FAIA (born 1938) – architect of Habitat 67 , the National Gallery of Canada , and Vancouver Library Square
Fariborz Sahba (born 1948) – Master's degree from Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran, architect of Lotus Temple , and Terraces (Baháʼí)
Henry Sears FRAIC (1929–2003) – Massey medal-winning architect, urban and gallery planner
Brigitte Shim (born 1958) – Order of Canada for architecture, and Integral House
Bing Thom CM FRAIC AIBC (1940–2016) – architect of Central City Centre
Ronald Thom FRAIC AIBC (1923–1986) – architect of Massey College , the Shaw Theatre, and Trent University
Artists
Actors
Animators
Ryan Larkin (1943–2007) – nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film, Walking , 1969
Broadcasters
Musicians
Photographers
Visual arts
Cartoonists
Astronauts
Roberta Bondar
Athletes
Businesspeople and entrepreneurs
Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook , Baron Beaverbrook PC (1879–1964) – publishing baron, entrepreneur
Francesco Aquilini (born 1969) – Chairman of the Aquilini Investment Group and owner of the Vancouver Canucks
David Asper (born 1958) – chairman, Canwest Global Communications
Izzy Asper OC QC OM (1932–2003) – chairman, Canwest Global Communications
Meghan Athavale – entrepreneur and visual artist
Jeannine Bailliu – economist, policy advisor at the Bank of Canada
Conrad Black – Lord Black of Crossharbour KCSG LLD (hc ) (born 1944) – entrepreneur, publisher
Willard Boyle (1924–2011) – invented charge-coupled device
Edgar Bronfman, Sr. (1929–2013) – head of Seagram 's and long-time president of the World Jewish Congress
Samuel Bronfman CC (1889–1971) – founder of Seagram 's
Robert Campeau (1923–2017) – real-estate mogul
Jack Kent Cooke (1912–1997) – owner of the Los Angeles Lakers , Los Angeles Kings , Washington Redskins and the Chrysler Building
James Alexander Cowan (1901–1978) – public relations consultant and founder of Stratford Shakespeare Festival
Samuel Cunard Bt (1787–1865) – founder of Cunard Line
William Davidson (1740–1790) – lumberman, shipbuilder, merchant
Christine M. Day (born 1962) – former CEO of the Canadian clothing company Lululemon Athletica
Michael DeGroote OC (1932–2022) – businessman and philanthropist
Paul Desmarais PC CC (1927–2013) – Chairman, Power Corporation of Canada
Timothy Eaton
Craig Dobbin OC (1935–2006) – founder, chairman and CEO of CHC Helicopter Corporation
Denzil Doyle (born 1932/1933) – founding president of Digital Equipment Corporation 's Canadian subsidiary
James Hamet Dunn Bt (1874–1956) – financier, steel magnate
Timothy Eaton (1834–1907) – founder of Eaton's department stores
Bernie Ebbers (1941–2020) – former CEO of WorldCom
Sam Feldman OBC (born 1949) – music executive
Alfred Fuller (1885–1973) – Fuller Brush Company
Arcadi Gaydamak (born 1952) – owner of Beitar Jerusalem
Percy Girouard KSMG (1867–1932) – railway builder, governor
Angèle Grenier – maple syrup producer known for her legal battles with the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers
Elliot Grove , founder of Raindance Film Festival , British Independent Film Awards and the Independent Film Trust .
Charles Guillimin (1676–1739) – shipbuilder, merchant and moneylender
Zabeen Hirji (born 1960) – speaker, writer, former Chief Human Resources Officer, Royal Bank of Canada
Janet Holder – business executive, head of Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines
Robin Ingle – CEO and Chairman of the Ingle Group of Companies
K. C. Irving OC ONB (1899–1992) – industrialist
Suresh Joachim (born 1968) – co-founder of WBBAS, No Poverty No Disease No War, World Peace Marathon and Suresh Joachim International Group of Companies
F. Ross Johnson (1931–2016) – former CEO of RJR Nabisco
Ron Joyce CM (1930–2019) – original partner with Horton in Tim Hortons , primary builder of the chain
Moez Kassam (born 1980) – hedge fund manager, founder of Anson Group
Izaak Walton Killam (1885–1955) – major financier
James L. Kraft (1874–1953) – entrepreneur and inventor, founder of L. Kraft & Bros. Company, which later became Kraft Foods Inc
Guy Laliberté OC CQ (born 1959) – founder and owner of the Cirque du Soleil
Bernard Lamarre (1931–2016) – Chairman & C.E.O., Lavalin Group, 1972–1991; senior advisor, SNC-Lavalin Inc., 1991–2016
Cindy Lee – founder of T & T Supermarket [ 2]
Michael Lee-Chin LLD (hc ) (born 1951) – CEO of AIC Diversified Canada Split Corp. and the National Commercial Bank of Jamaica
Li Ka-shing (born 1928) – Chairman of the Board of Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa
Victor Li (born 1964) – deputy chairman of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited
William Secondo Lombardo (1930–2009) – owner of Lombardo Construction and CEO of Peerless-Cascade Plastics
Pete Luckett (born 1953) – owner of Pete's Frootique and host of The Food Hunter
William Christopher Macdonald (1831–1917) – tobacco manufacturer, education philanthropist
Terry Matthews OC FREng (born 1943) – entrepreneur, chairman of Mitel and Wesley Clover
Louis B. Mayer (1885–1957) – co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios
Harrison McCain CC ONB (1927–2004) – New Brunswick potato magnate
Colonel Samuel McLaughlin CC CD ED (1871–1972) – Buick automobile manufacturer
Simon McTavish (1750–1804) – fur trader
Hartland Molson OC GOQ OBE (1907–2002) – Senator , President of Molson Breweries
John Molson (1763–1836) – founder of Molson Breweries
Peter Munk OC (1927–2018) – founder of Barrick Gold
Stephan Ouaknine – businessman in telecommunications and renewable energy
Jim Pattison CM OBC (born 1928) – chairman, president, CEO, and owner of the Jim Pattison Group
Pierre Péladeau CM OQ (1925–1997) – founder of Quebecor Inc.
Pierre Karl Péladeau (born 1961) – President, CEO of Quebecor Inc. , Québecor Média Inc. and Sun Media Corporation
Marie Penny (died 1970) – owner and operator of one of the largest 20th-century frozen fish companies in Newfoundland
John Draper Perrin (1890–1967) – entrepreneur, financier, mining executive
Richard Porritt OC (1901–1985) – mining industry executive
Jean Pouliot (1923–2004) – founder of CFCF et Télévision Quatre Saisons
John Redpath (1796–1869) – canal builder, sugar refinery founder
Paul Reichmann (1930–2013) – developer of Canary Wharf
Edward Samuel Rogers OC (1933–2008) – president and CEO of Rogers Communications
John Roth (born 1942) – former CEO of Nortel Networks
Lino Saputo (born 1937) – founder of Saputo
Isadore Sharp OC (born 1931) – founder of the Four Seasons Hotel chain
E. D. Smith (1858–1943) – founder of E. D. Smith & Sons Ltd
Levy Solomons (1730–1792) – merchant and fur trader
John F. Stairs (1848–1904) – entrepreneur, statesman
Frank Stronach CM (born 1932) – entrepreneur, founder of Magna International
E. P. Taylor (1901–1989) – entrepreneur, thoroughbred horse breeder
Nat Taylor (1906–2004) – originator of Cineplex Entertainment
Kenneth Thomson , Baron Thomson of Fleet (1923–2006)
Roy Thomson , Baron Thomson of Fleet GBE (1894–1976) – entrepreneur, publisher
William Cornelius Van Horne KCMG (1843–1915) – constructed the Canadian Pacific Railway
Jack L. Warner (1892–1978) – founder of Warner Bros. Studios
Galen Weston OC OOnt (1940–2021) – owner of Loblaws , Holt Renfrew , and Selfridges
Chip Wilson (born 1956) – founder of Lululemon Athletica
Walter Wolf (born 1939) – oil drilling equipment supplier and Formula 1 team owner
Bob Young (born 1953/1954) – self-publishing website, owner of CFL Hamilton Tiger Cats
Criminals and suspects
Wrongfully convicted or lynched
Directors
Educators
J. Willis Ambrose (1911–1974) – Professor at the Queen's University at Kingston
Sonia Aïssa – Professor at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique
Richard Lee Armstrong FRSC (1937–1991) – University of British Columbia professor, geochemist
Martha Black – art historian, curator and author
Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620–1700) – founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal
Stephen E. Calvert FRSC (born 1935) – University of British Columbia emeritus professor, geologist, oceanographer
Petr Cerny (1934–2018) ScD (hc ) FRSC – University of Manitoba professor, mineralogist and crystallographer
Aleksis Dreimanis (1914–2011) – University of Western Ontario emeritus professor, quaternary geologist
George Georgiou (living) – university professor
James E. Gill (1901–1980) – McGill University professor, geologist
Henry C. Gunning ScD (hc ) FRSC (1901–1991) – University of British Columbia professor, geologist
James Edwin Hawley (1897–1965) – Professor at Queen's, geologist (Hawleyite )
Frank Hawthorne OC FRSC (born 1946) – University of Manitoba professor, mineralogist and crystallographer
Adelaide Hoodless (1858–1910) – education and women's activist
Michael Ignatieff (born 1947) – University of Toronto , Harvard University , University of Oxford and University of Cambridge professor, political science
Sue Johanson CM (1930–2023) – sex educator
Michael John Keen (1935–1991) – Dalhousie University professor, marine geoscientist
Sean Kelly (born 1940) – Pratt Institute , NYC, Humanities & Media Studies, writer
J. Ross Mackay OC FRSC (1915–2014) – University of British Columbia professor, geologist
Eric W. Mountjoy FRSC (1931–2010) – McGill University professor, geologist
Gerard V. Middleton FRSC (1931–2021) – McMaster University professor, geologist
Anthony J. Naldrett FRSC (1933–2020) – University of Toronto emeritus professor, geologist
Santa J. Ono FCAHS (born c. 1962) – University of British Columbia 15th President & Vice-Chancellor, professor, medical scientist
William Richard Peltier ScD (hc ) FRSC (born c. 1942) – University of Toronto professor, physicist
Jordan Peterson (born 1962) – Canadian clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto
Paula Rochon – Chair in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Toronto in 2022
Egerton Ryerson (1803–1882) – public education advocate
Dora Sakayan (born 1931) – full professor, Department of German Studies, McGill University; Armenology, Contrastive Linguistics, Language Acquisition, Translation, Genocide Studies
Colin Simpson (born c. 1965) – George Brown College , best-selling author
Charles R. Stelck OC ScD (hc ) FRSC (1917–2016) – University of Alberta professor, petroleum geologist, paleontologist, stratigrapher
David Strangway OC ScD (hc ) FRSC (1934–2016) – geophysicist and university administrator
Thomas Symons CC OOnt (1929–2021) – founding president of Trent University, Professor of Canadian Studies
Claude Vivier (1948–1983) – organ pedagogue and professor at Collège Montmorency
Roger G. Walker FRSC – McMaster University emeritus professor
William Winegard PC OC (1924–2019) – educator, engineer, scientist and former Member of Parliament
Environmentalists
See Canadian environmentalists .
Fashion
Humanitarians
Louise Arbour (born 1947) – former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights , former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada , former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda
J. Esmonde Barry (1923–2007) – healthcare activist and political commentator in New Brunswick
Norman Bethune (1890–1939) – physician and medical innovator
Richard Maurice Bucke FRSC (1837–1902) – psychiatrist, philosopher, early author on human development and human potentials
Steve Fonyo OC Rescinded 2010 (born 1966) – retraced and completed Terry Fox's cross country cancer research fundraising marathon
Terry Fox CC OD (1958–1981) – attempted one-legged cross country run for cancer research
Marc Kielburger (born 1977) – author, social entrepreneur, columnist, humanitarian and activist for children's rights; co-founder, with his brother Craig , of the We Movement
Grey Owl (1888–1938) (real name Archibald Stanfield Belaney) – conservationist who falsely presented himself as an Aboriginal person and worked to save the beavers of Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Rick Hansen CC OBC LLD (hc ) DLitt (hc ) (born 1957) – paraplegic athlete who completed an around-the-world marathon for spinal cord injury research
Stephen Lewis CC (born 1937) – AIDS activist, United Nations special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa
Harold A. Rogers OC OBE (1899–1994) – founder of Kin Canada
Jean Vanier CC GOQ (1928–2019) – activist for the mentally disabled, founder of L'Arche
Inventors
Scott Abbott – co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit
Thomas Ahearn PC (1855–1938) – invented the electric cooking range and the electric car heater
Anthony R. Barringer (1925–2009) – holds 70 patents for mineral exploration technology
Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995) – co-invented rodeo's side-delivery chute, invented reverse-opening side-delivery chute, hornless bronc saddle, one-hand bareback rigging and high-cut chaps
Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922) – born in Scotland, invented the telephone in Canada and developed it in the United States
Joseph-Armand Bombardier (1907–1964) – invented the snowmobile
Gerald Bull (1928–1990) – invented the G5 howitzer and the Iraqi supergun
Herbert Henry Dow (1866–1930) – invented a method of bromine extraction known as the Dow process
Mathew Evans – co-inventor of the first electric light bulb
Charles Fenerty (c. 1821–1892) – inventor of the wood pulp process for making paper
Reginald Fessenden (1866–1932) – radio inventor who made the first radio-transmitted audio transmission and the first two-way transatlantic radio transmission; also invented sonar and patented the first television system
Sir Sandford Fleming KCMG DSc (hc ) FRSC (1827–1915) – inventor of the system of Standard Time zones
Wilbur R. Franks OBE (1901–1986) – invented the anti-black-out-suit (the G-suit )
Abraham Pineo Gesner (1797–1864) – inventor of kerosene; known as the "father of the petroleum industry"
James Gosling OC (born 1955) – invented Java computer language
Chris Haney (1950–2010) – co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit
Sam Jacks (1915–1975) – inventor of ringette
George Klein OC MBE LLD (hc ) (1904–1992) – developed: electric wheelchairs, microsurgical staple gun, the ZEEP nuclear reactor, and the Canadarm
James L Kraft (1874–1953) – entrepreneur and inventor, founder of L. Kraft & Bros. Company, which later became Kraft Foods Inc ; patented processed cheese (AKA American cheese)
Thomas Edvard Krogh ScD (hc ) FRSC (1936–2008) – developed technique of radiometric uranium -lead dating to further the precision of geochronology
Hugh Le Caine (1914–1977) – invented the music synthesizer in 1945
Cluny MacPherson (1879–1966) – invented the first general-issue gas mask used by the British Army in World War I
Wilson Markle (1938–2020) – invented film colorization process in 1983
Elijah McCoy (1844–1929) – developed automatic machinery lubricator, lawn sprinkler, the "Real McCoy"
James Naismith (1861–1939) – invented basketball
P. L. Robertson (1879–1951) – invented the Robertson screw
Henry Ruttan (1792–1871) – invented air-conditioned railway coach
Thomas F. Ryan (1872–1971) – invented five-pin bowling
Arthur Sicard (1876–1946) – invented the snowblower in 1925
Lewis Urry (1927–2004) – invented the long-lasting alkaline battery
Harry Wasylyk (1925–2013) – invented the disposable green polyethylene garbage bag in 1950
Thomas Willson (1860–1915) – invented arc lamps and process for creating calcium carbide
Henry Woodward – co-inventor of the first electric light bulb
Law
Samantha Bee (born 1969) – host of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Stephen Brunt (born 1959) – lead sports columnist for The Globe and Mail since 1989
Stevie Cameron (born 1943) – journalist, author
Richard Gizbert (born 1960) – cable network journalist of Al Jazeera English
Gordon Donaldson (1926–2001) – amateur historian, journalist
Barbara Frum OC LLD (hc ) (1937–1992) – CBC radio and television journalist
Jian Ghomeshi (born 1967) – former musician and radio broadcaster
Ken Hechtman (born 1967) – maverick journalist jailed by Afghanistan 's Taliban government as a suspected United States spy in 2001
Kenny Hotz (born 1967) – only registered Canadian journalist to cover the Gulf War
Mark Irwin CSC/ASC (born 1950) – Hollywood Director of Photography
Peter Jennings CM (1938–2005) – ABC news anchor
Jason Jones (born 1967) – senior correspondent for The Daily Show
Pat Kiernan (born 1968) – morning anchor of NY1 since 1997
Michael Kesterton (1946–2018) – The Globe and Mail columnist
Lisa LaFlamme (born 1964) – journalist, occasional chief anchor, and senior editor for CTV National News
L. Ian MacDonald (born 1947) – author, columnist, broadcaster, and diplomat
Neil Macdonald (born 1957) – CBC reporter
Robert MacNeil (1931–2024) – journalist, author, longtime co-anchor of The MacNeil/Lehrer Report on PBS
Peter Mansbridge OC LLD (hc ) (born 1948) – news anchor of CBC's The National
Rick Mercer OC (born 1969) – comedian, TV personality, political satirist and author
Mosha Michael (c. 1948–2009) – Canada's first Inuk filmmaker
Cory Morgan (born 1971) – blogger, Alberta independence politician and activist, and columnist
Margaret Lally "Ma" Murray (1888–1982) – editor and co-publisher of the Bridge River-Lillooet News
Peter C. Newman CC CD LLD (hc ) (born 1929) – eminent journalist and writer
Sydney Newman OC (1917–1997) – supervisor of drama at the CBC , head of drama at the BBC , creator of the Doctor Who television series, chairman of the NFB
David Oancia (1929–1995) – journalist[ 3]
Steve Paikin (born 1960) – journalist, film producer and author, best known for hosting TVOntario 's Studio 2
Pete Parker (1895–1991) – made the first ever broadcast of a professional hockey game
Sandie Rinaldo (born 1950) – journalist and occasional news anchor for CTV National News
John Roberts (born 1956) – Fox News Channel reporter, previously a CNN reporter and host of The New Music on MuchMusic
Lloyd Robertson OC LLD (hc ) (born 1934) – senior editor and former longtime anchor for CTV National News
Morley Safer (1931–2016) – investigative journalist for CBS News and 60 Minutes
Linus Sebastian (born 1986) – owner and founder of Linus Media Group
Shane Smith (born 1969) – founder of Vice
George Stroumboulopoulos (born 1972) – television journalist
Scott Taylor (born 1960) – publisher, Esprit de Corps Magazine
Peter Trueman OC (1934–2021) – original newsman on Global TV
Robyn Urback (born 1988) – journalist and political commentator
Jan Wong (born 1952) – journalist
Medical
Evan Adams (born 1966) – First Nations medical doctor, medical advisor, Deputy Provincial Health Advisor (BC), and actor
Maria Louisa Angwin (1849–1898) – first woman licensed to practice medicine in Nova Scotia
Elizabeth Bagshaw CM (1881–1982) – physician and birth control activist
Frederick Banting KBE MC LLD (hc ) ScD (hc ) FRSC (1891–1941) – Nobel laureate , co-discoverer of insulin
John Cameron Bell (born 1953) – pioneer of oncolytic virus therapies for cancer
Norman Bethune (1890–1939) – surgeon, inventor, socialist, battlefield doctor in Spain and China
Wilfred Bigelow OC LLD (hc ) FRSC (1913–2005) – inventor of the first artificial pacemaker
Yvette Bonny (born 1938) – pediatrician
Basil Boulton (1938–2008) – pediatrician and child health advocate
John Callaghan OC AOE (1923–2004) – pioneer of open-heart surgery
John Dick FRSC (born 1954) – credited with discovery of cancer stem cell
Tommy Douglas PC CC SOM LLD (hc ) (1904–1986) – introduced publicly funded health care in Canada; commonly known as the "father of Medicare "
Carl Goresky OC (1932–1996) – physician and scientist
David H. Hubel (1926–2013) – Nobel Prize winner in medicine for mapping the visual cortex
Harold E. Johns OC (1915–1998) – medical physicist, noted for his extensive contributions to the use of ionizing radiation to treat cancer
Doreen Kimura (1933–2013) – behavioural psychologist, world expert on sex differences in the brain
William Harding le Riche (1916–2010) – epidemiologist
Jeanne Mance (1606–1673) – established the first hospital in North America – the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal – in 1644
Ernest McCulloch CM OOnt FRSC FRS (1926–2011) – cellular biologist credited with the discovery of stem cell with James Till
Frances Gertrude McGill (1882–1959) – pioneering forensic pathologist and criminologist
Henry Morgentaler CM LLD (hc ) (1923–2013) – abortion care provider who helped legalize abortion in Canada and strengthen the power of jury nullification
William Osler Bt (1849–1919) – physician, called the "father of modern medicine"; wrote Principles and Practice of Medicine
Daniel David Palmer (1845–1913) – founded the chiropractic profession
Edgar Randolph Parker (1871–1951) (known as "Painless" Parker) – flamboyant dentist
Wilder Penfield OM CC CMG FRS (1891–1976) – neurosurgeon, discovered electrical stimulation of the brain
Jack Pickup (1919–1996) – general practitioner and surgeon, also known as the "Flying Doctor of British Columbia"
Octavia Ritchie (1868–1948) – physician, suffragist and the first woman to receive a medical degree in Québec
David Sackett CC FRSC (1934–2015) – founded the first department of clinical epidemiology in Canada at McMaster University
Mary Elizabeth MacCallum Scott (1865–1941) – physician and missionary in Ceylon
Sydney Segal CM OBC (1920–1997) – pediatrician and neonatologist particularly known for his work with sudden infant death syndrome
James Till OC OOnt FRSC FRS (born 1931) – biophysicist, credited for the discovery of stem cell with Ernest McCulloch
A. Ross Tilley (1904–1988) MD FRCS(C) OBE OC – plastic surgeon
Irene Ayako Uchida OC (1917–2013) – cytogenticist, Down Syndrome researcher
Amelia Yeomans (1842–1913) – physician and suffragist, first female physician in Manitoba
Billy Bishop
John McCrae
General Maurice Baril OMM CD (born 1943) – military advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General , head of the Military Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations of the United Nations , and Chief of the Defence Staff
Gustave Biéler DSO MBE (1904–1944) – Special Operations Executive agent, executed by the Nazis
Louis-Nicolas-Emmanuel de Bigault d'Aubreville – head of the nightwatch in Montreal
Air Commodore Leonard Birchall CM OBE DFC OOnt CD DMSc (hc ) LLD (hc ) (1915–2004) – war hero
Air Marshall Billy Bishop VC CB DSO* MC DFC ED (1894–1956) (commonly known as Billy Bishop) –World War I flying ace
Brigadier-General Jean Boyle CMM CD (born 1947) – fighter pilot, and businessman
Major General Sir Isaac Brock KB (1769–1812) – War of 1812 general
Captain Roy Brown DSC* RNAS (1893–1944) – World War I fighter pilot officially credited with shooting down the Red Baron
Colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave DSO* (1890–1971) – Canadian signatory to the Japanese Instrument of Surrender
General Harry Crerar CH CB DSO CD PC (1888–1965) – "leading field commander" in World War II
Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie KCB GCMG (1875–1933) – first Canadian commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire OC CMM GOQ MSC CD LLD (hc ) ScDHum (hc ) DHL (hc ) (born 1946) – UN peacekeeping General, attempted to prevent the Rwandan genocide
Guy D'Artois DSO GM (1917–1999) – SOE agent, recipient of the Croix de Guerre
General John de Chastelain CH OC CMM CD LLD (hc ) ScDMil (hc ) FLMH (born 1937) – head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning
Peter Dmytruk (1920–1943) – WWII Flight Sergeant and member of the French Resistance
Brigadier-General Dury, Charles PC OC QC CBE DSO (1912–1991) – soldier, businessman, and politician
John Weir Foote VC CD (1904–1988) – military chaplain, Ontario cabinet minister, and recipient of the Victoria Cross
Captain Nichola Goddard MSM (1980–2006) – first female Canadian soldier killed in combat
William Hall VC (1827–1904) – first Nova Scotian recipient of the Victoria Cross
John Kenneth Macalister (1914–1944) – SOE agent, executed by the Nazis
Vice-Admiral Bruce MacLean CMM, CD – Chief of the Maritime Staff 2004–2006
Captain Simon Mailloux (born 1983) – first Canadian soldier with an amputation to deploy on a combat mission; recipient of the Sacrifice Medal
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae (1872–1918) – soldier, poet, author of In Flanders' Fields
Alan Arnett McLeod VC (1899–1918) – fighter pilot, youngest Canadian-born winner of the Victoria Cross
General Andrew McNaughton CH CB CMG DSO CD PC (1887–1966) – Co-Minister of Defence during World War II
Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Meighen (1905–1979) – lawyer and philanthropist
Lieutenant Colonel Charles Merritt VC (1908–2000) – recipient of the Victoria Cross
Major General Sydney Chilton Mewburn PC (1863–1956) – lawyer and politician, Minister of Militia and Defence
Minnie "Jerri" Mumford (1909–2002) – serving member of the Canadian Women's Army Corps (CWAC) during World War II
Rear Admiral Leonard W. Murray (1896–1971) – Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Northwest Atlantic during World War II
Henry Norwest MM & Bar (1884–1918) – sniper in World War I
Lieutenant-Colonel George Pearkes VC PC CC CB DSO MC CD (1888–1984) – recipient of the Victoria Cross, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
Francis Pegahmagabow MM** (1891–1952) – the most highly decorated aboriginal Canadian soldier of World War I
Frank Pickersgill (1915–1944) – SOE agent, executed by the Nazis
Rear Admiral Desmond Piers CM DSC CD ScDMil (hc ) (1913–2005) – war hero
George Lawrence Price (1898–1918) – last soldier killed in World War I
Tommy Prince MM (1915–1977) – one of Canada 's most decorated soldiers, member of the Devil's Brigade
James Ralston PC (1881–1948) – Co-Minister of Defence during World War II
Thomas Ricketts VC (1901–1967) – recipient of the Victoria Cross (Newfoundlander at the time of his award)
Harold A. Rogers OC OBE (1889–1994) – founder of Kin Canada
Roméo Sabourin (1923–1944) – SOE agent, executed by the Nazis
General Guy Simonds CC CB CBE DSO CD (1903–1974) – commander of the II Canadian Corps
Ernest Smith (1914–2005) – VC , CM , OBC , CD , Seaforth Highlander Private/ Sergeant, the last living Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross , awarded for gallantry in actions at the River Savio, Northern Italy 1944
Sam Steele CB KCMG MVO (1851–1919) – member of the North-West Mounted Police , commander of Yukon detachment
William Stephenson CC MC DFC (1897–1989) (codename: Intrepid ) – senior representative of British intelligence for the Western Hemisphere in World War II
Lieutenant-General Kenneth Stuart CB DSO MC (1891–1945) – Chief of the General Staff 1941–1943, educator
Tecumseh (1768–1813) – Leader of First Nations British Allies, War of 1812, died defeating American invasion
Rear Admiral Robert Timbrell CMM DSC CD (1920–2006) – first Canadian to be decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross
General Christopher Vokes CB CBE DSO CD (1904–1985) – General Officer commanding the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Europe
Brigadier Sir Edward Oliver Wheeler (1890–1962) – Corps of Royal Engineers surveyor
General Ramsey Muir Withers CMM CD LLD (hc ) (1930–2014) – Chief of the Defense Staff
Sir James Lucas Yeo (1782–1818) – commander of Royal Navy forces in Canada during the War of 1812
Monarchs and Canadian Royal Family
Main articles:
Magicians
Shawn Farquhar (born 1962) – magician, winner of the Grand Prix Close Up at the 2009 FISM World Championship of Magic
Doug Henning (1947–2000) – credited with reviving the magic show in North America
Leon Mandrake (1911–1993) – Mandrake the Great; and his sons Lon and Ron, born in 1948 and 1949, respectively
James Randi (1928–2020) – magician, writer, skeptical investigator of paranormal and pseudo-scientific claims, founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation
Dai Vernon (1894–1992) – magician, known as "the man who fooled Houdini"
Musicians
Politicians
Jean Chrétien
Lloyd Axworthy PC OC OM (born 1939) – former Cabinet minister
Thomas Bain (1834–1915) – former Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
Robert Baldwin (1804–1858)
Maude Barlow LLD (hc ) DHL (hc ) (born 1947) – activist , Chairperson of the Council of Canadians
Perrin Beatty PC (born 1950) – former cabinet minister, president of CBC
Monique Bégin PC OC ScD (hc ) FRSC (born 1936) – former cabinet minister
Thomas R. Berger OC OBC (1933–2021) – jurist
Ethel Blondin-Andrew PC (born 1951) – former Cabinet minister
Henri Bourassa (1868–1952) – Quebec politician
Pierre Bourgault (1934–2003) – President of Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale
Ed Broadbent PC CC (1936–2024) – former New Democratic Party leader
George Brown (1818–1880)
Rosemary Brown PC CC OBC LLD (hc ) (1930–2003)
Tim Buck (1891–1973) – leader of the Canadian Communist Party
George-Étienne Cartier Bt KSMG PC (1814–1873) – Cabinet minister
Brock Chisholm CC MC* LLD (hc ) (1896–1971) – first Director-General of the World Health Organization
Joe Clark (born 1939) – 16th Prime Minister of Canada, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada 1976–1983, and again 1998–2003
Sheila Copps PC (born 1952)
Victor Copps (1919–1988) – Mayor of Hamilton
John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham , Earl of Durham GCB PC (1792–1840)
Ellen Fairclough PC CC OOnt (1905–2004) – first female member of the Canadian Cabinet
The Famous Five – 1920s women's rights activists
Janice Filmon (born 1943) – Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba since 2015
Iqwinder Singh Gaheer (born 1993) – member of Parliament for the riding of Mississauga—Malton
Jennifer Granholm (born 1959) – first female governor of Michigan
Gurmant Grewal (born 1957) – the "Ironman of Canadian Parliament"
Nina Grewal (born 1958) – first South Asian and Sikh woman elected to Parliament; with her husband Gurmant, the Grewals are the first married couple to concurrently serve in Canadian Parliament
Elijah Harper (1949–2013) – Cree chief (Red Sucker Lake Nation), MLA Manitoba, successfully blocked the Meech Lake Accord (proposed Constitutional amendment)
C. D. Howe PC (1886–1960) – Cabinet minister
Joseph Howe PC (1804–1873) – "father of Confederation"
Michael Kerzner – Solicitor General of Ontario
Stan Keyes PC (born 1953)
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Bt (1807–1864) – co-premier of the United Province of Canada
Franklin K. Lane (1864–1921) – 1910s United States Secretary of the Interior (1913–1920)
Jack Layton PC (1950–2011) – leader of the New Democratic Party
William Lyon Mackenzie (1795–1861) – Mayor of Toronto
Allan MacNab Bt (1798–1862) – Prime Minister of Upper Canada
Thomas D'Arcy McGee PC (1825–1868)
Agnes Macphail (1890–1954) – first female Member of Parliament (MP)
Beverley McLachlin PC LLD (hc ) (born 1943) – Chief Justice of Canada
James McMillan (1838–1902) – US Senator from Michigan
Cory Morgan (born 1971) – Alberta independence politician
John Munro PC (1931–2003)
Papineau (1786–1871) – reformer and 1837 rebellion leader
Pierre Poilievre (born 1979) – Member of Parliament, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the leader of the Official Opposition
Allan Studholme (1846–1919)
Nathan Eldon Tanner (1898–1982)
Provincial premiers
Main articles :
Territorial premiers
Main articles :
Indigenous leaders
Aatsista-Mahkan , taken by Edward Curtis
Louis Riel , leader of the Red River Rebellion and North-West Rebellion
Producers
Martyrs
Alexis André (1832–1893) – Catholic missionary priest, spiritual advisor to Louis Riel
Aloysius Matthew Ambrozic (1930–2011) – Archbishop Emeritus of Toronto
André Besette (1845–1937) – Holy Cross Brother known as the "Miracle Man of Montreal"
Linda Bond (born 1946) – General of The Salvation Army , 2011–2013
Arnold Brown (1913–2002) – General of The Salvation Army , 1977–81
Hugh B. Brown (1883–1975) – Latter-day Saint apostle
Ranj Dhaliwal (born 1976) – Sikh , writer, activist and co-founder of the Sikh Youth orthodox political party in Surrey, British Columbia
Lionel Groulx (1878–1967) – Roman Catholic priest, historian, nationalist, and traditionalist
Albert Lacombe (1827–1916) – Roman Catholic missionary
John G. Lake (1870–1935) – leader of the Pentecostal Movement, born in St. Marys, Ontario
Cardinal Paul-Émile Léger (1904–1991) – Catholic clergyman and humanitarian
Merlin Lybbert (1926–2001) – general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
David Mainse (1936–2017) – broadcaster, founder of 100 Huntley Street and CITS-TV
Aimee Semple McPherson (1890–1944) – founder of the Foursquare Church
William D. Morrow – General Superintendent of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
Bishop Michael Power (1804–1847) – Roman Catholic Bishop of Toronto
Alexandre-Antonin Taché (1823–1894) – Roman Catholic priest, missionary of the Oblate order
Nathan Eldon Tanner (1898–1982) – Latter-day Saint apostle
John Taylor (1808–1887) – president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680) – "The Lily of the Mohawks", first Native American canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church
Rúhíyyih Khanum (1910–2000) – wife of Shoghi Effendi , the head of the Baháʼí Faith until 1957; she was appointed as a Hand of the Cause ; in 2004, CBC viewers voted her number 44 on the list of "greatest Canadians " on the television show The Greatest Canadian [ 4]
Bramwell Tillsley (1931–2019) – General of The Salvation Army , 1993–94
Clarence Wiseman (1907–1985) – General of The Salvation Army , 1974–77
Scholars
Louise Arbour (born 1947) – jurist
Marc van Audenrode (born 1961) – economist
Pratima Bansal – economist
Timothy Brook (born 1951) – professor, historian and writer
Joseph-Alphonse-Paul Cadotte (1897–1979) – professor, author
Jack Chambers (born 1938) – linguist
Thomas H. Clark (1893–1996) – McGill geology professor, namesake of Thomasclarkite
Gerald Cohen (1941–2009) – Oxford Philosopher
Northrop Frye (1912–1991) – influential critic, Shakespeare and Blake scholar
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908–2006) – economist
George Grant (1918–1988) – philosopher
John Peters Humphrey (1905–1995) – legal scholar, principal drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Harold Innis (1894–1952) – political economist; author of seminal works on Canadian economic history, media and communications
Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980) – communications theorist, coined phrases "the medium is the message" and "global village"
Steven Pinker (born 1954) – psychologist, cognitive scientist, writer of popular science
John Ralston Saul (born 1947) – businessman, essayist, diplomat
F. R. Scott (1899–1985) – law professor, philosopher, poet
Guy Sylvestre (1918–2010) – literary critic
David Sztybel (born 1967) – philosopher
Charles Taylor (born 1931) – philosopher
William R. White (born 1943) – economist
Marc Zender – Mayanist
Scientists
Robert Campbell Aitken (born 1963) – electrical engineer
Judie Alimonti (1960–2017) – immunologist
Sidney Altman (1939–2022) – molecular biologist, winner of Nobel Prize in chemistry
Brenda Andrews (born 1957) – academic, researcher and biologist specializing in systems biology and molecular genetics.
Albert Bandura (1925–2021) – psychologist
Neil Banerjee – earth scientist
Karen Bailey – plant pathologist
Karen Beauchemin (born 1956) – livestock ruminant nutrition
Robert Bell FRSC (1841–1917) – geologist
Walter A. Bell (1889–1969) – geologist, paleontologist
Manjul Bhargava (born 1974) – mathematician and Fields medallist
Selwyn G. Blaylock ScD (hc ) (1879–1945) – chemist and mining executive
Stewart Blusson OC (born 1939) – geologist, diamond prospector, multimillionaire and philanthropist
Adolfo J. de Bold (born 1942) – biomedical scientist, discoverer of hormone secreted by heart muscle cells
Willard Boyle (1924–2011) – inventor of the charge coupled device, winner of nobel prize in physics
Bertram Brockhouse CC FRSC (1918–2003) – designer of the Triple-Axis Neutron Spectrometer, winner of Nobel Prize for Physics
Georges Brossard CM CQ ScD (hc ) (1940–2019) – entomologist, television personality and founder of the Montreal Insectarium
Moira Brown – North Atlantic Right Whale researcher and conservationist
Vernon Burrows (1930–2020) – oat breeder
John J. Clague FRSC (born 1946) – authority in quaternary and environmental earth sciences
Kate Crooks (1833–1871) – botanist
Claire Cupples – microbiologist
Philip J. Currie (born 1949) – palaeontologist
John William Dawson CMG FRS FRSC (1820–1899) – first Canadian-born scientist of worldwide reputation
Duncan R. Derry LLD (hc ) (1906–1987) – economic geologist
Raymond Desjardins – agrometeorologist
Donald B. Dingwell – earth scientist
Martine Dorais – plant physiologist, organic horticulture
Robert John Wilson Douglas FRSC (1920–1979) – petroleum geologist
Eugenia Duodu – chemist
Lorne Elias – chemist, inventor of the explosives vapour detector EVD-1
John Charles Fields FRS FRSC (1863–1932) – mathematician and founder of the Fields Medal
J. Keith Fraser (born 1922) – geographer
Hu Gabrielse (1926–2024) – geologist with the Geological Survey of Canada
William Giauque (1895–1982) – Nobel Prize winner in chemistry
Anne-Claude Gingras – molecular geneticist
Cynthia Grant – soil fertility and crop nutrition specialist
Donald O. Hebb FRS (1904–1985) – neuroscientist, published his theory of Hebbian learning
Gerhard Herzberg PC CC ScD (hc ) LLD (hc ) FRSC FRS (1904–1999) – Nobel Prize winner in chemistry for molecular spectroscopy
James Hillier OC (1915–2007) – inventor of the electron microscope
Vanessa M. Hirsch – veterinary pathologist and virologist
Paul F. Hoffman OC FRSC (born 1941) – geologist noted for research into Snowball Earth events
Edward A. Irving CM ScD (hc ) FRSC FRS (1927–2014) – provided the first physical evidence of continental drift
Charles Legge (1829–1881) – civil engineer
Victor Ling CC (born 1944) – medicine, drug resistance in cancer
Sir William Edmond Logan FRS (1798–1875) – founded the Geological Survey of Canada
Mary MacArthur – botanist, cytologist, horticulturalist
John Macoun (1831–1920) – botanist
Tak Wah Mak (born 1946) – immunologist who discovered the T-cell receptor
Claude Hillaire-Marcel FRSC (born 1943) – world leader in quaternary research
Rudolph A. Marcus (born 1923) – Nobel Prize in chemistry recipient for electron transfer reactions
Jerrold E. Marsden (1942–2010) – applied mathematician, founder of the Fields Institute
Ernest McCulloch CC FRSC FRS (1926–2011) – cellular biologist who, with James Till, demonstrated the existence of stem cells
Maud Menten (1879–1960) – medical scientist, made groundbreaking work in enzyme kinetics
Robert Mundell (1932–2021) – economist and Nobel laureate
John Charles Polanyi PC CC FRSC FRS (born 1929) – Nobel Prize in chemistry recipient for infrared chemiluminescence
Isabella Preston (1881–1965) – ornamental horticulturalist
Raymond A. Price OC ScD (hc ) FRSC (1933–2024) – geologist
Hubert Reeves CC OQ (1932–2023) – astrophysicist and science popularizer
Soon Jai Park (1937–2018) – dry bean breeder
Elizabeth Pattey – agricultural micrometeorologist
Henry de Puyjalon (1841–1905) – biologist and ecologist
Carmelle Robert (born 1962) – astrophysicist
Laurie Rousseau-Nepton – astrophysicist, first indigenous woman in Quebec to obtain a PhD in astrophysics
Donald F. Sangster LLD (hc ) ScD (hc ) FRSC – geologist
Charles E. Saunders (1867–1937) – agronomist
Arthur Schawlow (1921–1999) – Nobel Prize winner in physics (for lasers)
David Schindler OC (1940–2021) – limnologist
Myron Scholes (born 1941) – Nobel Prize winner in economics
Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein – animal ethologist
Hans Selye CC (1907–1982) – pioneering stress researcher
Michael Smith CC OBE (1932–2000) – Nobel Prize winner in chemistry for site-based mutagenesis
Ralph M. Steinman (1943–2011) – Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity
Peter A Stewart (1921–1993) – physiologist, quantitative acid-base physiology
Donna Strickland (born 1959) – Nobel Prize winner in Physics, optical physicist and pioneer in the field of pulsed lasers
Richard Summerbell (born 1956) – mycologist
David Suzuki CC OBC LLD (hc ) ScD (hc ) ScDEnv (hc ) ScDComm (hc ) DHL (hc ) (born 1936) – geneticist and science popularizer
Felicitas Svejda (1920–2016) – horticulturalist
Henry Taube FRSC (1915–2005) – Nobel Prize in chemistry for electron transfer reactions
Richard Taylor CC FRSC FRS (1929–2018) – Nobel Prize in physics recipient for verifying the quark theory
James Till CC FRS (born 1931) – biophysicist who, with Ernest McCulloch, demonstrated the existence of stem cells
Joseph Tyrrell (1858–1957) – geologist, cartographer, discoverer of dinosaur bones in Alberta
William Vickrey (1914–1996) – Nobel Prize winner in economics
Harold Williams FRSC (1934–2010) – geologist, expert on the Appalachian Mountains
John Tuzo Wilson CC OBE ScD (hc ) FRSC FRS FRSE (1908–1993) – geophysicist, expert in plate tectonics
Singers
Viceroys
Writers
Other personalities
Daniel Negreanu
Sunny Leone
Alexandre Trudeau (born 1973) – author, filmmaker and journalist
Janis Babson (1950–1961) – organ donor, subject of two books
Antonio Barichievich (1925–2003) (known as The Great Antonio) – strongman, showman, and eccentric
Grant Bristow (born 1958) – CSIS undercover agent who started the Heritage Front, planted as political operative within Reform Party
René Lepage de Sainte-Claire (1656–1718) – lord-founder of Rimouski, Quebec
Donnelly family (known as the Black Donnellys) – participants and/or victims of a vicious community feud
Josiah Henson (1789–1883) – former slave, believed to be the inspiration for Uncle Tom's Cabin
Trevor James (born 1988) – YouTuber
Harold Kandel (1906–1995) – legendary theatregoer from Toronto , Ontario known for speaking out during theatre events, now commemorated through the Harold Awards
Marc Karam (born 1980) – professional poker player
Anna Ruth Lang CV – recipient of the Cross of Valour
Sunny Leone (born 1981) – Canadian and Indian pornographic actress ; Bollywood actress
Bat Masterson (1853–1921) – gunfighter, fight promoter, sports journalist
Charles Vance Millar (1853–1926) – lawyer, financier, and posthumous practical joker
Sorel Mizzi (born 1986) – professional poker player
John Wilson Murray (1840–1906) – Canada's first major detective
Daniel Negreanu (born 1974) – professional poker player
Minnie Patterson (died 1911) – heroine noted for her daring rescue of men from the barkentine (barque) Coloma during a severe storm in 1906
Sue Rodriguez (1950–1994) – amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) sufferer and right to die advocate
Alexander Milton Ross (1832–1897) (known as The Birdman) – pre-American Civil War abolitionist and participant in the Underground Railroad
Craig Russell (1948–1990) – female impersonator and actor
Laura Secord (1775–1868) – heroine of the War of 1812 , warned the British of a surprise American attack at Battle of Beaver Dams
Chris Sky (born 1983) – conspiracy theorist
Joshua Slocum (1844–1909) – first man to sail around the world solo
Margaret Trudeau (born 1948) – widow; former wife of Pierre Elliott Trudeau
Fictional characters
Other
National
Groupings and articles of relevance
Geographic
Lists by province/territory
References
External links
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