Lists of Canadians

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 <small>OC</small> (1892–1988) – architect and city planner
• Joan Burt (1930–2021) – architect
• Douglas Cardinal <small>OC RAIC</small> (born 1934) – architect of Canadian Museum of Civilization
• Mary Clark (born 1936) – architect and transportation planner
• Ernest Cormier <small>OC RAIC</small> (1885–1980) – architect of Supreme Court of Canada building
• A. J. Diamond <small>OC RAIC</small> (1934–2022) – architect of Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
• Margaret Synge Dryer (1921–1963) – architect
• Arthur Erickson <small>CC RAIC</small> (1924–2008) – architect of Simon Fraser University, Robson Square, and the Embassy of Canada in Washington
• David Ewart <small>ISO</small> (1841–1921) – Chief Dominion Architect (1896 to 1914), architect of Dominion Archives Building, Royal Canadian Mint, Victoria Memorial Museum, Connaught Building in Ottawa
• Étienne Gaboury <small>RAIC OAA</small> (1930–2022) – architect of the Embassy of Canada in Mexico and the Royal Canadian Mint building in Winnipeg
• Frank Gehry <small>CC LLD (hc) PhD (hc) DEng (hc) DArch (hc) DA (hc) AIA</small> (1929–2025) – architect of Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Experience Music Project, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Art Gallery of Ontario
• Dan Hanganu <small>OQ DArch (hc) RAIC OAQ</small> (1939–2017) – architect of Pointe-à-Callière Museum and Montreal Archival Centre
• Gregory Henriquez <small>FRAIC OAA AIA</small> (born 1963) RAIC – architect of the Woodward's Building, TELUS Garden, and redevelopment of Honest Ed's location
• Stephen Irwin <small>RAIC RIBA OAA</small> (1939–2019) – architect of Purdy's Wharf
• Bruce Kuwabara <small>FRAIC OAA AIA</small> (born 1949) RAIC – architect of the Gardiner Museum, and Kitchener City Hall
• E. J. Lennox <small>RAIC OAA</small> (1854–1933) – architect of Old City Hall in Toronto, and Casa Loma
• John M. Lyle <small>FRIBA OAA</small> (1872–1945) RAIC – architect of the New York Public Library, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, and Toronto's Union Station
• Raymond Moriyama <small>CC OOnt</small> (1929–2023) – architect of the Ontario Science Centre, Ottawa City Hall, and Canadian War Museum
• Samuel Oghale Oboh <small>FAIA, FRAIC, Architect, AAA</small> (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
• Joseph Perrault (1866–1923) – architect of Centre d'histoire de Montréal
• Francis Rattenbury <small>RAIC AIBC</small> (1867–1935) – architect of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, and the Empress Hotel
• Moshe Safdie <small>CC LLD (hc) FRAIC FAIA</small> (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 (1929–2003) – Massey medal-winning architect, urban and gallery planner
• Brigitte Shim (born 1958) – Order of Canada for architecture, and Integral House
• Bing Thom <small>CM FRAIC AIBC</small> (1940–2016) – architect of Central City Centre
• Ronald Thom <small>FRAIC AIBC</small> (1923–1986) – architect of Massey College, the Shaw Theatre, and Trent University
• Douglas A. Webber (1901–1971) – architect of several buildings in Nova Scotia

Artists

Actors

Animators

• Ryan Larkin (1943–2007) – nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film, Walking, 1969

Broadcasters

Comedians

Musicians

Photographers

• Ivaan Kotulsky (1944–2008)

Visual arts

Cartoonists

• Michael de Adder (born 1967) – editorial cartoonist and caricaturist
• Danny Antonucci (born 1957) – creator of Ed Edd n Eddy
• Kate Beaton (born 1983) – creator of Hark! A Vagrant
• Chester Brown (born 1960) – creator of Yummy Fur, Underwater and Louis Riel
• John Byrne (born 1950) – influenced superhero characters like The Fantastic Four and Superman
• Andy Donato (born 1937) – editorial cartoonist for the Toronto Sun
• Hal Foster (1892–1982) – artist for Tarzan comic strip, creator of Prince Valiant
• J.D. Frazer (born 1965) (moniker: Illiad) – creator of the webcomic User Friendly
• Gregory Gallant (born 1962) (moniker: Seth) – creator of Palookaville
• Lynn Johnston <small>CM OM</small> (born 1947) – creator of For Better or For Worse
• John Kricfalusi (born 1955) (moniker: John K.) – creator of Ren and Stimpy
• Graeme MacKay (born 1968) – editorial cartoonist
• Sean Martin (1950–2020) – creator of the print and webcomic "Doc and Raider"
• Todd McFarlane (born 1961) – creator of Spawn
• Win Mortimer (1919–1998) – illustrator for DC Comics' Superman and Batman
• Terry Mosher <small>OC DLitt (hc)</small> (born 1942) (moniker: Aislin) – Montreal Gazette newspaper
• Len Norris (1919–1997) – long-time editorial columnist for the Vancouver Sun
• Ryan North (born 1980) – creator of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics
• Scott Ramsoomair (born 1981) – creator of the webcomic VG Cats
• Joe Shuster (1914–1992) – co-creator of Superman
• Dave Sim (born 1956) – creator of Cerebus the Aardvark
• Fiona Staples (born 1984) – co-creator of Saga
• Paul Szep (born 1941) – editorial cartoonist for the Boston Globe 1967–2001
• Ben Wicks <small>CM</small> (1926–2000) – illustrator, comic strip cartoonist, and humanitarian

Astronauts

• Roberta Bondar <small>OC OOnt ScD (hc) FRCP(C) FRSC</small> (born 1945) – first Canadian woman in space
• Marc Garneau <small>CC CD ScD (hc)</small> (1949–2025) – first Canadian man in space
• Chris Hadfield <small>OOnt MSC LLD (hc) DEng (hc)</small> (born 1959) – first Canadian to walk in space, first Canadian to command the International Space Station
• Steven MacLean <small>ScD (hc)</small> (born 1954)
• Julie Payette <small>CQ FMC</small> (born 1963)
• David Saint-Jacques (born 1970), B.Eng., Ph.D., M.D.
• Robert Thirsk (born 1953) – holds Canadian record for longest time spent in space (204 days)
• Bjarni Tryggvason <small>ScD (hc)</small> (1945–2022)

Athletes

Businesspeople and entrepreneurs

• Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Baron Beaverbrook <small>PC</small> (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 <small>OC QC OM</small> (1932–2003) – chairman, Canwest Global Communications
• Meghan Athavale – entrepreneur and visual artist
• Jeannine Bailliu – economist, policy advisor at the Bank of Canada
• Keenan Beavis (born 1995) – entrepreneur and investor, founder of Longhouse
• Conrad Black (born 1944) – Lord Black of Crossharbour <small>KCSG LLD (hc)</small> (born 1944) – entrepreneur, publisher
• Willard Boyle (1924–2011) – invented charge-coupled device
• Sophie Brochu (born 1963) – economist and businesswoman, president and CEO of Gaz Métro/Énergir and Hydro-Québec
• Edgar Bronfman, Sr. (1929–2013) – head of Seagram's and long-time president of the World Jewish Congress
• Samuel Bronfman <small>CC</small> (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 <small>Bt</small> (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 <small>OC</small> (1932–2022) – businessman and philanthropist
• Paul Desmarais <small>PC CC</small> (1927–2013) – chairman, Power Corporation of Canada

• Craig Dobbin <small>OC</small> (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 <small>Bt</small> (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 <small></small> (born 1949) – music executive
• Alfred Fuller (1885–1973) – Fuller Brush Company
• Arcadi Gaydamak (born 1952) – owner of Beitar Jerusalem
• Percy Girouard <small>KSMG</small> (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
• K. C. Irving <small>OC ONB</small> (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 <small>CM</small> (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
• Richard L'Abbé <small>OC</small> (born 1956 or 1957) – co-founder and former CEO of Med-Eng Systems Inc, a company specializing in bomb disposal suits and helmets
• Guy Laliberté <small>OC CQ</small> (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
• Michael Lee-Chin <small>LLD (hc)</small> (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 <small>OC FREng</small> (born 1943) – entrepreneur, chairman of Mitel and Wesley Clover
• Louis B. Mayer (1885–1957) – co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios
• Harrison McCain <small>CC ONB</small> (1927–2004) – New Brunswick potato magnate
• Colonel Samuel McLaughlin <small>CC CD ED</small> (1871–1972) – Buick automobile manufacturer
• Simon McTavish (1750–1804) – fur trader
• Hartland Molson <small>OC GOQ OBE</small> (1907–2002) – senator, president of Molson Breweries
• John Molson (1763–1836) – founder of Molson Breweries
• Peter Munk <small>OC</small> (1927–2018) – founder of Barrick Gold
• Saadia Muzaffar – entrepreneur, author and founder of TechGirls Canada
• Stephan Ouaknine – businessman in telecommunications and renewable energy
• Jim Pattison <small>CM OBC</small> (born 1928) – chairman, president, CEO, and owner of the Jim Pattison Group
• Pierre Péladeau <small>CM OQ</small> (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 <small>OC</small> (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 <small>OC</small> (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 <small>OC</small> (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
• Paul Soubry (born 1963) ceo of New Flyers
• John F. Stairs (1848–1904) – entrepreneur, statesman
• Frank Stronach <small>CM</small> (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 <small>GBE </small> (1894–1976) – entrepreneur, publisher
• William Cornelius Van Horne <small>KCMG</small> (1843–1915) – constructed the Canadian Pacific Railway
• Jack L. Warner (1892–1978) – founder of Warner Bros. Studios
• Galen Weston <small>OC OOnt</small> (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

• Marie-Joseph Angélique (1710–1734) – executed for setting the city of Montreal on fire
• Johnson Aziga (born 1956) – first person to be charged with first-degree murder in Canada for spreading HIV
• Paul Bernardo (born 1964) – serial killer, serial rapist
• Richard Blass (1945–1975) – multiple murderer
• Edwin Alonzo Boyd (1914–2002) – bank robber
• Alfonso Caruana (born 1946) – mobster
• Paul Joseph Cini (born 1944) – Canada's first skyjacker, sentenced to life imprisonment
• John Etter Clark (1915–1956) – provincial politician, teacher, farmer, mass murderer
• Robert Cook (1937–1960) – mass murderer
• Jacques Cossette-Trudel (1947–2023) – FLQ terrorist
• Louise Cossette-Trudel (born 1947) – FLQ terrorist
• Vincenzo Cotroni (1911–1984) – mobster
• Frank Cotroni (1931–2004) – mobster
• John Martin Crawford (1962–2020) – serial killer
• Matthew de Grood (born 1993) – mass murderer
• Raynald Desjardins (born 1953) – mobster
• Evelyn Dick (1920–?) – convicted of infanticide; convicted and acquitted of having murdered her husband
• Terry Driver (1965–2021) – murderer
• Valery Fabrikant (born 1940) – former university professor and mass murderer
• Larry Fisher (1949–2015) – convicted of the murder for which David Milgaard (see "Wrongfully convicted", below) was originally convicted and subsequently exonerated
• Charles Guité (born c. 1943) – fraud
• John Hamilton (1899–1934) – bank robber, killer
• Victor Hoffman (1946–2004) – mass murderer
• Karla Homolka (born 1970) – serial killer
• Bindy Johal (1971–1998) – Vancouver gangster
• David Michael Krueger (1939–2010) – serial killer and child rapist
• Jacques Lanctôt (born 1945) – FLQ terrorist
• Yves Langlois (born 1947) – FLQ terrorist
• Robert Latimer (born 1953) – convicted of second-degree murder
• Allan Legere (1948–2026) – serial killer
• Blake Leibel (born 1981) – murderer
• Marc Lépine (1964–1989) – mass murderer
• Denis Lortie (born 1959) – murderer
• Luka Rocco Magnotta (born 1982) – murderer
• Grace Marks (c. 1828–after c. 1873) – convicted of murder in 1843
• Bruce McArthur (born 1951) – serial killer
• Allan McLean (1855–1881) – son of Fort Kamloops Chief Trader and leader and eldest of the group known as the Wild McLean Boys, who went on a killing spree with his brothers and accomplice Alex Hare in the British Columbia Interior in 1876
• Paddy Mitchell (1942–2007) – bank robber, leader of The Stopwatch Gang
• Kenneth Murdock (born 1963) – hitman
• Dale Nelson (1939–1999) – cannibal and mass murderer
• Clifford Olson (1940–2011) – serial child murderer
• Johnny Papalia (1924–1997) – mobster
• Rocco Perri (1887–c. 1944) – gangster, bootlegger
• Robert Pickton (1949–2024) – serial murderer
• Monica Proietti (1940–1967) – bank robber
• Kenneth Ratte (born 1963) – career criminal
• Louis Riel (1844–1885) – executed for treason
• Lucien Rivard (c. 1915–2002) – narcotics smuggler
• Nicolo Rizzuto (1924–2010) – mobster
• Vito Rizzuto (1946–2013) – mobster
• Paul Rose (1943–2013) – FLQ terrorist
• Frank "Dunie" Ryan (1942–1984) – gangster
• Pietro Scarcella (born 1950) – mobster
• Jeffrey Shuman (born 1962) – bank robber
• Francis Simard (1946–2015) – FLQ terrorist
• Slumach (died 1891) – Katzie man convicted and hung for the murder of Louis Bee, a Kanaka (Hawaiian) half-breed
• Cathy Smith (1947–2020) – convicted of manslaughter in death of John Belushi
• Stanley James Tippett – kidnapper and rapist
• Colin Thatcher (born 1938) – murderer
• Mark Twitchell (born 1979) – murderer
• Paolo Violi (1931–1978) – mobster
• Paul Volpe (1927–1983) – mobster
• Elizabeth Wettlaufer (born 1967) – serial killer
• Russell Williams (born 1963) – former RCAF military pilot and wing commander; convicted murderer, rank and decorations revoked upon conviction
• Gabriel Wortman (1968–2020) – spree killer
• Thomas Young (1931–1959) – rapist and mass murderer
• Rocco Zito (1928–2016) – mobster

Wrongfully convicted or lynched

• Robert Baltovich (born 1965) – wrongfully convicted of murder
• Donald Marshall, Jr. (1953–2009) – wrongfully convicted of murder
• David Milgaard (1952–2022) – wrongfully convicted of murder
• Guy Paul Morin (born 1961) – wrongfully convicted of murder
• Louie Sam (c. 1870–1884) – wrongfully accused of murder and hanged by lynch mob in Whatcom County, Washington
• Steven Truscott (born 1945) – wrongfully convicted of murder

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 <small>FRSC</small> (1937–1991) – University of British Columbia professor, geochemist
• Annie Mottram Craig Batten (1883–1964) – professor in the Vocal Faculty of the College of Music, University of Southern California
• Martha Black (1945–2024) – art historian, curator and author
• Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620–1700) – founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal
• Stephen E. Calvert <small>FRSC</small> (born 1935) – University of British Columbia emeritus professor, geologist, oceanographer
• Petr Cerny (1934–2018) <small>ScD (hc) FRSC</small> – 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 <small>ScD (hc) FRSC</small> (1901–1991) – University of British Columbia professor, geologist
• James Edwin Hawley (1897–1965) – professor at Queen's, geologist (Hawleyite)
• Frank Hawthorne <small>OC FRSC</small> (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 <small>CM</small> (1930–2023) – sex educator
• Michael John Keen (1935–1991) – Dalhousie University professor, marine geoscientist
• Sean Kelly (1940–2022) – Pratt Institute, NYC, Humanities & Media Studies, writer
• J. Ross Mackay <small>OC FRSC</small> (1915–2014) – University of British Columbia professor, geologist
• Eric W. Mountjoy <small>FRSC</small> (1931–2010) – McGill University professor, geologist
• Gerard V. Middleton <small>FRSC</small> (1931–2021) – McMaster University professor, geologist
• Anthony J. Naldrett <small>FRSC</small> (1933–2020) – University of Toronto emeritus professor, geologist
• Santa J. Ono <small>FCAHS</small> (born c. 1962) – University of British Columbia 15th president & vice-chancellor, professor, medical scientist
• William Richard Peltier <small>ScD (hc) FRSC</small> (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 <small>OC ScD (hc) FRSC</small> (1917–2016) – University of Alberta professor, petroleum geologist, paleontologist, stratigrapher
• David Strangway <small>OC ScD (hc) FRSC</small> (1934–2016) – geophysicist and university administrator
• Thomas Symons <small>CC OOnt</small> (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 <small>FRSC</small> – McMaster University emeritus professor
• William Winegard <small>PC OC</small> (1924–2019) – educator, engineer, scientist and former member of Parliament

Environmentalists

See .

Fashion

• Jeanne Beker (born 1952) – reporter
• Sahar Biniaz (born November 17, 1985) – model
• Dean and Dan Caten (born 1965) – designers known as Dsquared
• Keshia Chanté (born 1988) – model and singer
• Steven Cojocaru (born 1970) (known as Cojo) – critic and correspondent on Entertainment Tonight
• Taryn Davidson (born 1991) – model
• Linda Evangelista (born 1965) – model
• Shalom Harlow (born 1973) – model and actress
• Winnie Harlow (born 1994) – model
• Irina Lazareanu (born 1982) – model
• Jay Manuel (born 1972) – expert on America's Next Top Model and Canada's Next Top Model
• Heather Marks (born 1988) – model
• Kenneth G. Mills (1923–2004) – designer
• Peter Nygard (born 1941) – designer
• Lana Ogilvie (born 1968) – model
• Coco Rocha (born 1988) – model
• Monika Schnarre (born 1971) – model
• Jessica Stam (born 1986) – model
• Daria Werbowy (born 1983) – Polish-born Canadian model
• Jason Wu (born 1982) – fashion designer, dolls artist

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 <small>FRSC</small> (1837–1902) – psychiatrist, philosopher, early author on human development and human potentials
• Steve Fonyo <small>OC Rescinded 2010</small> (born 1966) – retraced and completed Terry Fox's cross country cancer research fundraising marathon
• Terry Fox <small>CC OD</small> (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 <small>CC OBC LLD (hc) DLitt (hc)</small> (born 1957) – paraplegic athlete who completed an around-the-world marathon for spinal cord injury research
• Stephen Lewis <small>CC</small> (born 1937) – AIDS activist, United Nations special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa
• Harold A. Rogers <small>OC OBE</small> (1899–1994) – founder of Kin Canada
• Jean Vanier <small>CC GOQ</small> (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 <small>KCMG DSc (hc) FRSC</small> (1827–1915) – inventor of the system of Standard Time zones
• Wilbur R. Franks <small>OBE</small> (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 <small>OC</small> (born 1955) – invented Java computer language
• Chris Haney (1950–2010) – co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit
• Sam Jacks (1915–1975) – inventor of ringette
• George Klein <small>OC MBE LLD (hc)</small> (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 <small>ScD (hc) FRSC</small> (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

• J. S. Ewart (1849–1933) – lawyer, advocate for Canadian independence
• Frances Fish (1888–1975) – first woman to be called to the bar of Nova Scotia
• Mabel French (1881– 1955) – the first woman to practice law in two separate Canadian provinces: New Brunswick and British Columbia
• Catherine Latimer – lawyer and criminologist
• Alfred Scow (1927–2013) – First Nations judge

Media

• 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 (1943–2024) – journalist, author
• Richard Gizbert (born 1960) cable network journalist of Al Jazeera English
• Gordon Donaldson (1926–2001) – amateur historian, journalist
• Barbara Frum <small>OC LLD (hc)</small> (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 <small>CM</small> (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 <small>OC LLD (hc)</small> (born 1948) – news anchor of CBC's The National
• Rick Mercer <small>OC </small> (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 <small>CC CD LLD (hc)</small> (1929–2023) – eminent journalist and writer
• Sydney Newman <small>OC</small> (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
• 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 <small>OC LLD (hc)</small> (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 <small>OC</small> (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 <small>CM</small> (1881–1982) – physician and birth control activist
• Frederick Banting <small>KBE MC LLD (hc) ScD (hc) FRSC</small> (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 <small>OC LLD (hc) FRSC</small> (1913–2005) – inventor of the first artificial pacemaker
• Yvette Bonny (born 1938) – pediatrician
• Basil Boulton (1938–2008) – pediatrician and child health advocate
• Anna L. Brown (died 1924) – leading authority on health for girls
• John Callaghan <small>OC AOE</small> (1923–2004) – pioneer of open-heart surgery
• John Dick <small>FRSC</small> (born 1954) – credited with discovery of cancer stem cell
• Tommy Douglas <small>PC CC SOM LLD (hc)</small> (1904–1986) – introduced publicly funded health care in Canada; commonly known as the "father of Medicare"
• Carl Goresky <small>OC</small> (1932–1996) – physician and scientist
• David H. Hubel (1926–2013) – Nobel Prize winner in medicine for mapping the visual cortex
• Harold E. Johns <small>OC</small> (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 <small>CM OOnt FRSC FRS</small> (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 <small>CM LLD (hc)</small> (1923–2013) – abortion care provider who helped legalize abortion in Canada and strengthen the power of jury nullification
• William Osler <small>Bt</small> (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 <small>OM CC CMG FRS</small> (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 <small> CC FRSC </small> (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 (1920–1997) – pediatrician and neonatologist particularly known for his work with sudden infant death syndrome
• James Till <small>OC OOnt FRSC FRS</small> (1931–2025) – biophysicist, credited for the discovery of stem cell with Ernest McCulloch
• A. Ross Tilley (1904–1988) <small> MD FRCS(C) OBE OC</small> – plastic surgeon
• Irene Ayako Uchida <small>OC</small> (1917–2013) – cytogenticist, Down syndrome researcher
• Amelia Yeomans (1842–1913) – physician and suffragist, first female physician in Manitoba

Military figures

• General Maurice Baril <small>OMM CD</small> (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 <small>DSO MBE</small> (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 <small>CM OBE DFC OOnt CD DMSc (hc) LLD (hc)</small> (1915–2004) – war hero
• Air Marshall Billy Bishop <small>VC CB DSO* MC DFC ED</small> (1894–1956) (commonly known as Billy Bishop) –World War I flying ace
• Brigadier-General Jean Boyle <small>CMM CD</small> (born 1947) – fighter pilot, and businessman
• Major General Sir Isaac Brock <small>KB</small> (1769–1812) – War of 1812 general
• Captain Roy Brown <small>DSC* RNAS</small> (1893–1944) – World War I fighter pilot officially credited with shooting down the Red Baron
• Colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave <small>DSO*</small> (1890–1971) – Canadian signatory to the Japanese Instrument of Surrender
• General Harry Crerar <small>CH CB DSO CD PC</small> (1888–1965) – "leading field commander" in World War II
• Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie <small>KCB GCMG</small> (1875–1933) – first Canadian commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
• Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire <small>OC CMM GOQ MSC CD LLD (hc) ScDHum (hc) DHL (hc)</small> (born 1946) – UN peacekeeping General, attempted to prevent the Rwandan genocide
• Guy D'Artois <small>DSO GM</small> (1917–1999) – SOE agent, recipient of the Croix de Guerre
• General John de Chastelain <small>CH OC CMM CD LLD (hc) ScDMil (hc) FLMH</small> (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 <small>PC OC QC CBE DSO</small> (1912–1991) – soldier, businessman, and politician
• John Weir Foote <small>VC CD</small> (1904–1988) – military chaplain, Ontario cabinet minister, and recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Captain Nichola Goddard <small>MSM</small> (1980–2006) – first female Canadian soldier killed in combat
• William Hall <small>VC</small> (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 <small>VC</small> (1899–1918) – fighter pilot, youngest Canadian-born winner of the Victoria Cross
• General Andrew McNaughton <small>CH CB CMG DSO CD PC</small> (1887–1966) – Co-Minister of Defence during World War II
• Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Meighen (1905–1979) – lawyer and philanthropist
• Lieutenant Colonel Charles Merritt <small>VC</small> (1908–2000) – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Major General Sydney Chilton Mewburn <small>PC</small> (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 <small>MM & Bar</small> (1884–1918) – sniper in World War I
• Lieutenant-Colonel George Pearkes <small>VC PC CC CB DSO MC CD</small> (1888–1984) – recipient of the Victoria Cross, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
• Francis Pegahmagabow <small>MM**</small> (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 <small>CM DSC CD ScDMil (hc)</small> (1913–2005) – war hero
• George Lawrence Price (1898–1918) – last soldier killed in World War I
• Tommy Prince <small>MM</small> (1915–1977) – one of Canada's most decorated soldiers, member of the Devil's Brigade
• James Ralston <small>PC</small> (1881–1948) – Co-Minister of Defence during World War II
• Thomas Ricketts <small>VC</small> (1901–1967) – recipient of the Victoria Cross (Newfoundlander at the time of his award)
• Harold A. Rogers <small>OC OBE</small> (1889–1994) – founder of Kin Canada
• Roméo Sabourin (1923–1944) – SOE agent, executed by the Nazis
• General Guy Simonds <small>CC CB CBE DSO CD</small> (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 <small>CB KCMG MVO</small> (1851–1919) – member of the North-West Mounted Police, commander of Yukon detachment
• William Stephenson <small>CC MC DFC</small> (1897–1989) (codename: Intrepid) – senior representative of British intelligence for the Western Hemisphere in World War II
• Lieutenant-General Kenneth Stuart <small>CB DSO MC</small> (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 <small>CMM DSC CD</small> (1920–2006) – first Canadian to be decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross
• General Christopher Vokes <small>CB CBE DSO CD</small> (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 <small>CMM CD LLD (hc)</small> (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:

• List of Canadian monarchs
• Canadian Royal Family

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

• Lloyd Axworthy <small>PC OC OM</small> (born 1939) – former Cabinet minister
• Thomas Bain (1834–1915) – former speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
• Robert Baldwin (1804–1858)
• Maude Barlow <small>LLD (hc) DHL (hc)</small> (born 1947) – activist, chairperson of the Council of Canadians
• Perrin Beatty <small>PC</small> (born 1950) – former cabinet minister, president of CBC
• Monique Bégin <small>PC OC ScD (hc) FRSC</small> (1936–2023) – former cabinet minister
• Thomas R. Berger <small>OC OBC</small> (1933–2021) – jurist
• Ethel Blondin-Andrew <small>PC</small> (born 1951) – former Cabinet minister
• Henri Bourassa (1868–1952) – Quebec politician
• Pierre Bourgault (1934–2003) – president of Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale
• Ed Broadbent <small>PC CC</small> (1936–2024) – former New Democratic Party leader
• George Brown (1818–1880)
• Rosemary Brown <small>PC CC OBC LLD (hc)</small> (1930–2003)
• Tim Buck (1891–1973) – leader of the Canadian Communist Party
• George-Étienne Cartier <small>Bt KSMG PC</small> (1814–1873) – Cabinet minister
• Brock Chisholm <small>CC MC* LLD (hc)</small> (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 <small>PC</small> (born 1952)
• Victor Copps (1919–1988) – mayor of Hamilton
• John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, Earl of Durham <small>GCB PC</small> (1792–1840)
• Ellen Fairclough <small>PC CC OOnt</small> (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 <small>PC</small> (1886–1960) – Cabinet minister
• Joseph Howe <small>PC</small> (1804–1873) – "father of Confederation"
• Michael Kerzner – Solicitor General of Ontario
• Stan Keyes <small>PC</small> (born 1953)
• Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine <small>Bt</small> (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 <small>PC</small> (1950–2011) – leader of the New Democratic Party
• William Lyon Mackenzie (1795–1861) – mayor of Toronto
• Allan MacNab <small>Bt</small> (1798–1862) – prime minister of Upper Canada
• Agnes Macphail (1890–1954) – first female member of Parliament (MP)
• Thomas D'Arcy McGee <small>PC</small> (1825–1868)
• Beverley McLachlin <small>PC LLD (hc)</small> (born 1943) – chief justice of Canada
• James McMillan (1838–1902) – US senator from Michigan
• Cory Morgan (born 1971) – Alberta independence politician
• John Munro <small>PC</small> (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:

• List of premiers of Alberta
• List of premiers of British Columbia
• List of premiers of Manitoba
• List of premiers of New Brunswick
• List of premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador
• List of premiers of Nova Scotia
• List of premiers of Ontario
• List of premiers of Prince Edward Island
• List of premiers of Quebec
• List of premiers of Saskatchewan

Territorial premiers

Main articles:

• List of premiers of the Northwest Territories
• List of premiers of Nunavut
• List of premiers of Yukon

Indigenous leaders

• Shawn Atleo (born 1967)
• William Beynon (1888–1958)
• Big Bear (1825–1888) – Cree leader
• Joseph Brant (1742–1807) – Mohawk leader
• Mary Brant (1736–1796) – leader of Six Nations women's federation
• Frank Calder (1877–1943) – Nisga'a
• Joe Capilano (c. 1854–1910) – Squamish
• Rose Charlie (1930–2018)
• Arthur Wellington Clah (1831–1916)
• Heber Clifton (1871–1964)
• Cumshewa – 18th-century Haida chief at the inlet now bearing his name
• Harley Desjarlais
• Alfred Dudoward (ca. 1850–1914)
• Dan George (1899–1981) – Tsleil-Waututh (Burrard)
• Joseph Gosnell (1936–2020) – Nisga'a
• Simon Gunanoot (1874–1933) – Gitxsan
• Guujaaw (born 1953) – modern-day Haida leader
• Elijah Harper (1949–2013) – Cree
• Chief Hunter Jack (died 1905) – St'at'imc
• Mary John, Sr. (1913–2004)
• August Jack Khatsahlano (1877–1971) – Squamish
• Klattasine (died 1864) – Tsilhqot'in war chief, surrendered on terms of amnesty in times of war, hanged for murder
• Koyah (fl. 1787–1795) – 18th-century chief of the Haida
• George Manuel (1921–1989)
• Maquinna – 18th-century Nuu-chah-nulth chief (Yuquot/Mowachaht)
• Harriet Nahanee (1935–2007) – Squamish and Nuu-chah-nulth (Pacheedaht)
• Nicola (1780/1785–c. 1865) – Grand chief of the Okanagan people, and jointly chief of the Nlaka'pamux-Okanagan-Nicola Athapaskan alliance in the Nicola Valley and of the Kamloops group of the Secwepemc
• Andy Paull (1892–1959) – Squamish
• Stewart Phillip – Okanagan leader
• Chief Poundmaker (c. 1842–1886) – Cree chief
• Piapot (c. 1816–1908) – Cree chief
• Steven Point (born 1951) – modern leader, current Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia
• Louis Riel (1844–1885) – leader of two Métis rebellions before being hung for treason
• James Sewid (1913–1988) – Kwakwaka'wakw
• Tecumseh (1768–1813) – Shawnee leader
• Alec Thomas (1894–?) – Tseshaht politician
• Wickanninish – 19th-century Nuu-chah-nulth chief (Opitsaht/Tla-o-qui-aht)
• Walter Wright (died 1949)
• Muriel Stanley Venne (1937–2024) – Métis community leader and Indigenous rights activist

Producers

Religious figures

Martyrs

• St. Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620–1700) – first Canadian saint
• St. Noël Chabanel (1613–1649) – Jesuit missionary
• St. Anthony Daniel (1601–1648) – Jesuit missionary
• St. Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649) – Jesuit missionary
• St. Jean de Lalande (died 1646) – Jesuit missionary
• St. Saint Charles Garnier (1606–1649) – Jesuit missionary
• St. René Goupil (1608–1642) – first North American martyr of the Roman Catholic Church
• St. Isaacs Jogues (1607–1646) – Jesuit missionary
• St. Gabriel Lallemant (1610–1649) – Jesuit missionary

Religious community leaders

• 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
• Bramwell Tillsley (1931–2019) – general of The Salvation Army, 1993–1994
• Clarence Wiseman (1907–1985) – general of The Salvation Army, 1974–1977

Religious cult figures

• Roch Thériault (1947–2011) – cult leader
• Brother XII (1878–1934) – cult leader

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 (1938–2026) – 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 <small>FRSC</small> (1841–1917) – geologist
• Walter A. Bell (1889–1969) – geologist, paleontologist
• Manjul Bhargava (born 1974) – mathematician and Fields medallist
• Selwyn G. Blaylock <small>ScD (hc)</small> (1879–1945) – chemist and mining executive
• Stewart Blusson <small>OC</small> (born 1939) – geologist, diamond prospector, multimillionaire and philanthropist
• Adolfo J. de Bold (1942–2021) – 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 <small>CC FRSC</small> (1918–2003) – designer of the Triple-Axis Neutron Spectrometer, winner of Nobel Prize for Physics
• Georges Brossard <small>CM CQ ScD (hc)</small> (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 <small>FRSC</small> (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 <small>CMG FRS FRSC</small> (1820–1899) – first Canadian-born scientist of worldwide reputation
• Duncan R. Derry <small>LLD (hc)</small> (1906–1987) – economic geologist
• Raymond Desjardins – agrometeorologist
• Donald B. Dingwell – earth scientist
• Martine Dorais – plant physiologist, organic horticulture
• Robert John Wilson Douglas <small>FRSC</small> (1920–1979) – petroleum geologist
• Eugenia Duodu – chemist
• Lorne Elias – chemist, inventor of the explosives vapour detector EVD-1
• John Charles Fields <small>FRS FRSC</small> (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 <small>PC CC ScD (hc) LLD (hc) FRSC FRS</small> (1904–1999) – Nobel Prize winner in chemistry for molecular spectroscopy
• James Hillier <small>OC</small> (1915–2007) – inventor of the electron microscope
• Vanessa M. Hirsch – veterinary pathologist and virologist
• Paul F. Hoffman <small>OC FRSC</small> (born 1941) – geologist noted for research into Snowball Earth events
• Edward A. Irving <small>CM ScD (hc) FRSC FRS</small> (1927–2014) – provided the first physical evidence of continental drift
• Charles Legge (1829–1881) – civil engineer
• Victor Ling <small>CC</small> (born 1944) – medicine, drug resistance in cancer
• Sir William Edmond Logan <small>FRS</small> (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 <small>FRSC</small> (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 <small>CC FRSC FRS</small> (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 <small>PC CC FRSC FRS</small> (born 1929) – Nobel Prize in chemistry recipient for infrared chemiluminescence
• Isabella Preston (1881–1965) – ornamental horticulturalist
• Raymond A. Price <small>OC ScD (hc) FRSC</small> (1933–2024) – geologist
• Hubert Reeves <small>CC OQ</small> (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 <small>LLD (hc) ScD (hc) FRSC</small> – 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
• Yoshua Bengio (born 1964) – computer scientist and winner of the Turing Award
• Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein – animal ethologist
• Hans Selye <small>CC</small> (1907–1982) – pioneering stress researcher
• Michael Smith <small>CC OBE</small> (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 <small>CC OBC LLD (hc) ScD (hc) ScDEnv (hc) ScDComm (hc) DHL (hc)</small> (born 1936) – geneticist and science popularizer
• Felicitas Svejda (1920–2016) – horticulturalist
• Henry Taube <small>FRSC</small> (1915–2005) – Nobel Prize in chemistry for electron transfer reactions
• Richard Taylor <small>CC FRSC FRS</small> (1929–2018) – Nobel Prize in physics recipient for verifying the quark theory
• James Till <small>CC FRS</small> (1931–2025) – 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 <small>FRSC</small> (1934–2010) – geologist, expert on the Appalachian Mountains
• John Tuzo Wilson <small>CC OBE ScD (hc) FRSC FRS FRSE</small> (1908–1993) – geophysicist, expert in plate tectonics

Singers

Viceroys

• List of governors general of Canada
• List of lieutenant governors of Alberta
• List of lieutenant governors of British Columbia
• List of lieutenant governors of Manitoba
• List of lieutenant governors of New Brunswick
• List of lieutenant governors of Newfoundland and Labrador
• List of lieutenant governors of Nova Scotia
• List of lieutenant governors of Ontario
• List of lieutenant governors of Prince Edward Island
• List of lieutenant governors of Quebec
• List of lieutenant governors of Saskatchewan

Writers

Other personalities

• 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
• William J. Bruce III – author, producer and celebrity publicist
• Donnelly family (known as the Black Donnellys) – participants and/or victims of a vicious community feud
• Dylan Ehler (born 2017) – child who mysteriously disappeared in 2020
• Josiah Henson (1789–1883) – former slave, believed to be the inspiration for Uncle Tom's Cabin
• Marshal Iwaasa (born 1993) – man who mysteriously dissappeared in 2019
• 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 <small>CV</small> – recipient of the Cross of Valour
• Devon Larratt (born 1975) – professional armwrestler
• Sunny Leone (born 1981) – Canadian and Indian pornographic actress; Bollywood actress
• René Lepage de Sainte-Claire (1656–1718) – lord-founder of Rimouski, Quebec
• Bat Masterson (1853–1921) – gunfighter, fight promoter, sports journalist
• Marie-Louise Meilleur (1880–1998) – oldest Canadian person in history and the 6th oldest known person in history (as of January 2026)
• 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
• Karen O'Shannacery (born 1950) – homeless advocate
• Minnie Patterson (died 1911) – heroine noted for her daring rescue of everyone on board 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
• Byron Sonne, activist
• Alexandre Trudeau (born 1973) &ndash; author, filmmaker and journalist
• Margaret Trudeau (born 1948) – widow; former wife of Pierre Elliott Trudeau
• Sarah Rowell Wright (1862–1930), reformer, newspaper editor, and suffragist

Fictional characters

• Amuro Ray – main character in the mecha anime Mobile Suit Gundam and varying roles in subsequent sequels
• Ike Broflovski – character on South Park
• Tom Evans (known as Captain Canuck) – cartoon character
• Benton Fraser – Mountie on the 90s television show Due South
• James Howlett (aka "Logan", aka "Wolverine") – member of the X-Men
• Justin Jones from Justin Time
• Rodney McKay – character on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis
• Bob and Doug McKenzie – characters on SCTV
• Darren Oak (known as Captain Canuck) – cartoon character
• Trevor Philips – one of the three protagonists of Grand Theft Auto V
• Scott Pilgrim – from the graphic novel series of the same name
• Sergeant William Preston – heroic Mountie of radio and TV series from the 1950s
• Peter Puck – Hockey Night in Canada symbol from the 1970s
• Robin Scherbatsky – supporting character on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother
• Dave Semple (known as Captain Canuck) – cartoon character
• Anne Shirley – known as Anne of Green Gables
• Terrance and Phillip – characters on South Park
• Wade Wilson (aka "Deadpool") – comic book anti-hero

Other

National

• Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
• List of companions of the Order of Canada
• List of inductees of Canada's Walk of Fame
• The Greatest Canadian

Groupings and articles of relevance

• Aboriginal Canadian personalities
• Asian Canadians
• Black Canadians
• European Canadians
• List of First Nations people
• List of Canadian Jews
• List of Canadians by net worth

Geographic

• Lists of Canadians by city

Lists by province/territory

Search

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References

External links

• The Dictionary of Canadian Biography &nbsp;– biographies of Canadians from 1000 to 1930 CE
• Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada &nbsp;– biographies of Canadian architects and lists of their buildings from 1800 to 1950
• "Canada Questions and Answers: Everything You Need to Know About Canada" by canadafaq.ca
• The Canadian Encyclopedia – click on "people" for links to articles about Canadians; English/French availability