Notable figures
People who shaped Canada.
76 figures drawn from the Discover Canada study guide. Photos sourced from Wikipedia where available — names without a photo show a coloured monogram.
Agnes MacPhail
In 1921, she became Canada's first female Member of Parliament (MP).
Alexander Graham Bell
Invented the telephone at his summer house in Canada.
Anne of Green Gables
A much-loved fictional character from the novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery, set in Prince Edward Island.
Bill Reid
A celebrated artist from the Haida Nation, renowned for his masterful totem poles and sculptures.
- BM
Brig. James Wolfe & Marquis de Montcalm
The British and French commanders, respectively, at the pivotal Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. Both were killed in the battle.
Catriona Le May Doan
An Olympic gold medalist in speed skating, winning at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Chantal Petitclerc
A celebrated Canadian Paralympic athlete who has won multiple gold medals in wheelchair racing.
Chief Tecumseh
A leader of the Shawnee First Nation who, with Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, allied with Canadian forces during the War of 1812.
- DJ
David Johnston
Served as the 28th Governor General of Canada (2010-2017).
- DE
Denys Arcand, Norman Jewison, Atom Egoyan
Acclaimed Canadian filmmakers who have received international recognition for their work.
- DS
Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona)
A director of the Canadian Pacific Railway, famous for driving the "last spike" that completed the transcontinental railway.
Donovan Bailey
An Olympic champion sprinter who won the gold medal in the 100-metre dash at the 1996 Olympics.
- DS
Dr. Emily Stowe
The founder of the women's suffrage movement in Canada and the first Canadian woman to practice medicine.
- DH
Dr. John A. Hopps
Invented the world's first cardiac pacemaker in 1950.
- DP
Dr. Wilder Penfield
A pioneering neurosurgeon at McGill University in Montreal, once known as “the greatest living Canadian.”
Duke of Wellington
Chose Bytown (Ottawa) as the endpoint of the Rideau Canal, a decision instrumental in its selection as Canada's capital.
Emily Carr
A celebrated West Coast artist and writer, associated with the Group of Seven, who painted scenes of nature and Indigenous life.
- FC
Fathers of Confederation
The group of leaders who worked together between 1864 and 1867 to create the Dominion of Canada.
- GD
Gabriel Dumont
A key Métis leader and the commander of the Métis military forces during the Northwest Resistance of 1885.
- GC
General Sir Arthur Currie
A senior officer of the Canadian Army in WWI, considered Canada's greatest soldier for his tactical command.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Canada's long-reigning Head of State and Queen of Canada from 1952 to 2022.
Jacques Cartier
A French explorer who made three voyages to Canada (1534-1542), claiming the land for the King of France. He first recorded the word "kanata" (village).
James Naismith
The Canadian physical educator who invented the game of basketball in 1891.
- JF
Jean Talon, Bishop Laval & Count Frontenac
Leaders who built the French Empire in North America, which reached from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.
Jean-Paul Riopelle
A famous abstract artist from Quebec and a member of the Les Automatistes movement.
- JT
John Buchan (1st Baron Tweedsmuir)
As a popular Governor General (1935-1940), he advocated for immigrant groups to maintain their cultural individuality.
John Cabot
An Italian explorer who, sailing for England, was the first European to map Canada's Atlantic shore in 1497.
Joseph-Armand Bombardier
A Quebec inventor who created the snowmobile.
Kenojuak Ashevak
A celebrated Inuk artist who pioneered modern Inuit art with her renowned prints and sculptures.
King Charles II of England
In 1670, this king granted the Hudson's Bay Company exclusive trading rights over the vast watershed draining into Hudson Bay.
King George III of England
His Royal Proclamation of 1763 established the basis for negotiating treaties with Indigenous peoples.
King George V
In 1921, formally assigned red and white as Canada's national colours.
Laura Secord
A heroine of the War of 1812 who made a perilous 32-km (20-mile) journey to warn British forces of a planned American attack.
Lord Durham
An English reformer who recommended merging Upper and Lower Canada and introducing responsible government after the rebellions of 1837-38.
Lord Elgin
The Governor of United Canada who introduced responsible government in 1849.
- LG
Lord Grey
The Governor General who, in 1909, donated the Grey Cup, the championship trophy for the Canadian Football League.
Lord Stanley
The Governor General who, in 1892, donated the Stanley Cup, the championship trophy for the National Hockey League.
Louis Riel
A Métis leader who led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and is considered the founder of Manitoba.
Louis-Philippe Hébert
A celebrated sculptor from Quebec, known for his historical monuments.
- LS
Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe
Upper Canada's first Lieutenant Governor and the founder of the City of York (now Toronto).
- LM
Lt. Col. John McCrae
A Canadian doctor, soldier and poet who wrote the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" during World War I.
- MB
Major Gen. Sir Isaac Brock
A British Army officer known as the "Hero of Upper Canada" for his leadership during the War of 1812 before his death at the Battle of Queenston Heights.
- MT
Marjorie Turner-Bailey
A Canadian Olympian and a descendant of the Black Loyalists.
- MI
Marshall McLuhan & Harold Innis
Pioneer Canadian thinkers in the fields of communication and media studies.
- MC
Mary Ann (Shadd) Cary
An outspoken activist against slavery, who became the first woman publisher in Canada in 1853.
- MW
Matthew Evans & Henry Woodward
Co-inventors of the first electric light bulb, who later sold their patent to Thomas Edison.
- MB
Mike Lazaridis & Jim Balsillie
Co-CEOs of Research in Motion (RIM), the company that created the BlackBerry smartphone.
- NS
Nobel Prize-Winning Scientists
Includes Gerhard Herzberg, John Polanyi, Sidney Altman, Richard E. Taylor, Michael Smith, and Bertram Brockhouse.
- NM
Novelists, Poets & Musicians
Includes Stephen Leacock, Louis Hémon, Sir Charles G.D. Roberts, Pauline Johnson, Emile Nelligan, Robertson Davies, Margaret Laurence, and Mordecai Richler.
- OF
Orville Fisher
An official Canadian war artist during WWII, whose paintings depict key events like the D-Day landings on Juno Beach.
Paul Henderson
A hockey player who scored the winning goal for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.
- PE
Phil Edwards
A track and field champion from British Guiana who won five Olympic bronze medals for Canada in the 1928, 1932, and 1936 games.
Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville
A hero of New France who won many victories over the British in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Princess Louise Caroline Alberta
The fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, for whom Lake Louise and the province of Alberta are named.
Reginald Fessenden
A Canadian inventor who made important contributions to the development of radio technology.
Rick Hansen
Circled the globe in his wheelchair on the "Man in Motion World Tour" to raise funds for spinal cord research.
Samuel de Champlain
A French explorer who established the first permanent European settlements in Canada, including Quebec City in 1608.
- SW
Sir Ernest MacMillan & Healey Willan
Prominent Canadian musicians and composers.
- ST
Sir Etienne-Paschal Taché
A reformer and a key Father of Confederation, who chaired the Quebec Conference in 1864.
- SB
Sir Frederick Banting & Charles Best
Canadian scientists credited with the discovery of insulin in 1922.
Sir George-Étienne Cartier
A key architect of Confederation from Quebec who helped negotiate the entry of the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, and B.C. into Canada.
Sir Guy Carleton
Governor of Quebec who defended the rights of the Canadiens and supervised the migration of Loyalists after the American Revolution.
Sir John A. Macdonald
Canada's first Prime Minister and a principal Father of Confederation. His portrait is on the $10 bill.
- ST
Sir Leonard Tilley
A Father of Confederation from New Brunswick who suggested the term "Dominion of Canada."
- SF
Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine
A champion of French language rights who, with Robert Baldwin, became the first head of a responsible government.
Sir Robert Borden
Prime Minister of Canada during WWI. His government extended the vote to women.
Sir Sam Steele
A distinguished member of the North-West Mounted Police and a frontier hero.
Sir Sandford Fleming
An engineer and inventor who created the worldwide system of standard time zones.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier
The first French-Canadian Prime Minister. His portrait is on the $5 bill.
Terry Fox
After losing his leg to cancer, he began a cross-country "Marathon of Hope" to raise money for cancer research.
Thérèse Casgrain
A Quebec feminist whose work was instrumental in Quebec granting women the right to vote in 1940.
- VR
Victoria Cross Recipients
Includes 96 Canadians awarded this highest military honour for bravery, such as Lt. A.R. Dunn, Seaman William Hall, Cpl. Filip Konowal, Cpt. Billy Bishop, Cpt. Paul Triquet, and Lt. R.H. Gray.
Wayne Gretzky
A Canadian ice hockey icon, widely regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time.
- WR
Writers
Includes Joy Kogawa, Michael Ondaatje, and Rohinton Mistry, who are celebrated contemporary Canadian authors.
