• Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell, teacher of the deaf, inventor, scientist: Alexander Graham Bell is generally
considered second only to Thomas Edison among 19th and 20th century inventors and, through their
inventions, originators of social change. A scientific approach, an awareness of the electric telegraph, and
the invention of a successful microphone led to the invention of the telephone.

• Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan, filmmaker: Atom Egoyan is part of the generation of writer-directors who emerged in the
1980s. Born to Armenian parents, he moved with his family at a very young age to Victoria, BC, an
experience in cultural displacement he has often cited as a profound influence on his life and work.
Recurring themes in Egoyan’s work such as alienation, voyeurism and the futile pursuit of emotional
fulfilment can be seen as the director’s attempt to express the condition of cultural dislocation. His
filmography includes Exotica (1994), The Sweet Hereafter (1997) and, Where the Truth Lies (2005).

• Catriona Ann Le May Doan

Catriona Ann Le May Doan is a Canadian speed skater and a double Olympic champion in the 500 m.
Catriona Le May Doan was the fastest woman on ice. After carrying the Canadian flag into the 2002
Olympic Winter Games opening ceremonies (her fourth Olympics), Catriona defended her Olympic title
with a gold medal performance in the 500-metre event, becoming the only Canadian individual to defend
a gold medal at any Olympic Games. She held the World Record in the 500m for 10 years and still
currently holds the Olympic Record. During her career Catriona broke 13 World Records.

• Chantal Petitclerc
Montréal’s Chantal Petitclerc won 5 gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics in the 100, 200, 400, 800
and 1500 metre wheelchair racing events, setting world records in all but the 100 and 200 m races.
Petitclerc also is a five-time Paralympian, having participated at Beijing, Athens, Sydney, Atlanta and
Barcelona in wheelchair racing, winning a total of 21 Paralympic medals.

• Donovan Bailey
Donovan Bailey, sprinter: Donovan Bailey was a teenager when he came to Canada in 1981. He held the
world record for the 100-metre race following his gold medal performance in the 1996 Olympic Games.
He was the first Canadian to legally break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m.

• Emily Carr
Emily Carr, painter, writer: Along with Tom Thomson, the GROUP OF SEVEN, and David Milne, Emily Carr
was one of the preeminent, and perhaps most original, Canadian painters of the first half of the twentieth
century.

• Jean Paul Riopelle

Jean Paul Riopelle, painter, sculptor and engraver: He trained under two completely different masters: the
academic painter Henri Bisson, who considered even the Impressionists a bit too extreme, and Paul-Émile
Borduas, who was totally immersed in the avant-garde and surrealist movements. Riopelle joined the
AUTOMATISTES school, exhibited with them in Montréal in 1946 and 1947, and in 1948 signed the REFUS
GLOBAL (worldwide refusal) manifesto.

• John Alexander Hopps

John Alexander “Jack” Hopps, was one of the pioneers of the artificial pacemaker and is known as the
“father of biomedical engineering in Canada”.

• Joseph-Armand Bombardier
Joseph-Armand Bombardier is the inventor of the snowmobile, a light-weight winter vehicle.
 • Kenojuak Ashevak
Kenojuak Ashevak, artist: She remains perhaps the best-known Inuk artist because of her famous print
The Enchanted Owl, which was featured on a Canada Post stamp. Her drawings, primarily of birds, were
characterized by a strong sense of composition, colour, design and draughtsmanship.

• Laura Secord
Laura Secord, née Ingersoll, Loyalist, mythologized historic figure: During the War of 1812, Laura Secord
walked 30 km from Queenston to Beaver Dams, near Thorold, to warn James Fitzgibbon that the
Americans were planning to attack his outpost. The story of her trek has become legendary, and Secord
herself mythologized in Canadian history.

• Mark Tewksbury
Mark Tewksbury, swimmer: He is best known for winning the gold medal in the 100 metres backstroke at
the 1992 Summer Olympics. He also hosted the first season of How It’s Made, a Canadian documentary
series, in 2001. Tewksbury was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) in 1993 for being a
“motivational speaker and a gifted athlete.”

• Norman Jewison
Norman Frederick Jewison, film director, producer, author: Norman Jewison has an international
reputation as a filmmaker of talent and integrity. His filmography record includes In the Heat of the Night
(1967), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) and, Moonstruck (1987).

• Paul Garnet Henderson

Paul Garnet Henderson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. In 1972, hescored the
winning goal for Canada in the Canada-Soviet Summit Series. This goal is often referred to as “the goal
heard around the world” and is still remembered today as an important event in both sports and cultural
history.

• Reginald Fessenden
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, radio inventor: He contributed to the invention of radio, sending the first
wireless voice message in the world.

• Sir Frederick Grant Banting

Sir Frederick Grant Banting, co-discoverer of Insulin, a hormone to treat diabetes that has saved 16 million
lives worldwide.

• Sir John Alexander Macdonald

Sir John Alexander Macdonald, lawyer, businessman, politician, first prime minister of Canada: John
Alexander Macdonald was the dominant creative mind which produced the BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT
and the union of provinces which became Canada. As the first prime minister of Canada, he oversaw the
expansion of the Dominion from sea to sea. His government dominated politics for a half century and set
policy goals for future generations of political leaders.

• Terry Fox
Terrance Stanley Fox (Terry), “Marathon of Hope” runner: Terry Fox was a good athlete who lost a leg to
cancer. While recovering, he developed the idea for a “Marathon of Hope” – a run across Canada to raise
money and generate publicity for cancer research. For his efforts, he was made a Companion of the Order
of Canada and a BC mountain was named after him. Thousands annually participate in a fund-raising run
named after him.

• Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky, hockey player: Gretzky was a hockey prodigy. He played for the Edmonton Oilers from
1979 to 1988.
 • 1215
Signing of Magna Carta in England

• 1497
European exploration begins with the expedition of John Cabot, who was the first to draw a map of
Canada’s East Coast

• 1534 to 1542
Jacques Cartier makes three voyages across the Atlantic, claiming the land for King Francis I of France

• 1550s
The name of Canada begins appearing on maps

• 1604
The first European settlement north of Florida is established by French explorers Pierre de Monts and
Samuel de Champlain

• 1608
Samuel de Champlain builds a fortress at what is now Quebec City

• 1610
English settlement begins

• 1670
King Charles II of England grants the Hudson’s Bay Company exclusive trading rights over the watershed
draining into Hudson Bay

• 1700s
The maple leaf is adopted as a symbol in Canada

• 1701
The French and the Iroquois make peace

• 1755 to 1763
“Great Upheaval” during the war between Britain and France, more than two-thirds of the Acadians are
deported from their homeland.

• 1758
The first representative assembly is elected in Halifax, Nova Scotia

• 1759
The British defeat the French in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Quebec City marking the end of
France’s empire in America

• 1763
The Aboriginal territorial rights are first guaranteed

• 1774
The British Parliament passes the Quebec Act

• 1776
The thirteen British colonies to the south of Quebec declare independence and form the United States.
Joseph Brant leads thousands of loyalist Mohawk Indians into Canada
 • 1791
The Constitutional Act is passed and divides the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada (later Ontario)
The name ‘Canada’ becomes official

• 1793
Upper Canada becomes the first province in the Empire to move toward abolition

• 1800s
Ice hockey is developed in Canada

• 1805
The defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte’s fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar

• 1812
The United States launch an invasion in June to conquer Canada

• 1814
The American attempt to conquer Canada fails

• 1815
The Duke of Wellington defeats Napoleon

• 1832
The Montreal Stock Exchange is open

• 1833
British Parliament abolishes slavery throughout the Empire

• 1840
Upper and Lower Canada are united as the Province of Canada

• 1847-48
Nova Scotia becomes the first British North American colony to attain full responsible government

• 1849
Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, a champion of French language rights, becomes the first head of a
responsible government

• 1854
The Victoria Cross, the highest honour available to Canadians, started to be awarded that year

• 1857
Ottawa, located on the Ottawa River, was chosen as the capital by Queen Victoria

• 1860s
The Parliament buildings were completed

• 1864
Sir Leonard Tilley suggested the term “Dominion of Canada”
 • 1867
On July 1st, the Fathers of Confederation established the Dominion of Canada, the birth of the country
that we know today
The British Parliament passed the British North America Act, now known as the Constitution Act
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, a Father of Confederation, became Canada’s first Prime Minister
Canada became a constitutional monarchy
The responsibilities of the federal and provincial governments were defined

• 1869
Canada took over the vast Northwest region from the Hudson’s Bay Company

• 1873
The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) was created

• 1890s
Yukon Gold Rush

• 1891
Basketball was invented by Canadian James Naismith

• 1916
Manitoba becomes the first province to grant voting rights to women

• 1917
The Canadian Corps capture Vimy Ridge, securing the Canadians’ reputation for valour as the ‘shock
troops of the British Empire’

• 1918
Most Canadian female citizens aged 21 and over are granted the right to vote in federal elections

• 1920
Foundation of the Group of Seven who developed a style of painting to capture the rugged wilderness
landscapes

• 1921
King George V assigns Canada’s national colours (white and red)

• 1927
The Peace Tower is completed, in memory of the First World War
Old Age Security is devised

• 1929
Stock market crashes which leads to the Great Depression or the ‘Dirty Thirties’

• 1934
The Bank of Canada is created

• 1940
Unemployment insurance is introduced by the federal government

• 1944
In the Second World War, the Canadians capture Juno Beach on June 6, as part of the Allied invasion of
Normandy on D-Day
 • 1947
The discovery of oil in Alberta begins Canada’s modern energy industry

• 1948
Japanese-Canadians gain the right to vote

• 1951
For the first time, a majority of Canadians are able to afford adequate food, shelter and clothing

• 1952
Queen Elizabeth II becomes Queen of Canada

• 1960s
Quebec experiences an era of rapid change known as the Quiet Revolution

• 1965
The new Canadian flag, as we know it today, is raised for the first time
The Canada and Quebec Pension Plans are devised

• 1967
Canada starts its own honours system with the Order of Canada

• 1969
Parliament passes the Official Languages Act which guarantees French and English services in the federal
government across Canada

• 1970s
The term First Nations is used

• 1980
Terry Fox begins a cross-country run; to raise money for cancer research. He becomes a hero to
Canadians.
O Canada is proclaimed as the National Anthem

• 1982
The Constitution of Canada is amended to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Queen Elizabeth II proclaims the amended Constitution in Ottawa.

• 1988
Canada enacts free trade with the United States

• 2006
The House of Commons recognizes that the Quebecois form a nation within a united Canada

• 2008
Ottawa formally apologized to former Aboriginal students for forcing them to assimilate into the
mainstream Canadian culture by placing them in residential school from the 1800s until the 1980s.
 • Alberta
Capital: Edmonton
Population: 3,645,257 (2011)
Premier: Jim Prentice
Confederation Entry: September 1, 1905

Alberta is the most populous Prairie province. The province, and the world-famous Lake Louise in the
Rocky Mountains, were both named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, fourth daughter of Queen
Victoria. Alberta has five national parks, including Banff National Park, established in 1885. The rugged
Badlands house some of the world’s richest deposits of prehistoric fossils and dinosaur finds. Alberta is
the largest producer of oil and gas, and the oil sands in the north are being developed as a major energy
source. Alberta is also renowned for agriculture, especially for the vast cattle ranches that make Canada
one of the world’s major beef producers.

• British Columbia
Capital: Victoria
Population: 4,400,057 (2011)
Premier: Christy Clark
Confederation Entry: July 20, 1871

British Columbia (B.C.), on the Pacific Coast, is Canada’s western most province, with a population over
four million. The Port of Vancouver is our gateway to the Asia-Pacific. About one-half of all the goods
produced in this province are forestry products, including lumber, newsprint, and pulp and paper
products—the most valuable forestry industry in Canada. British Columbia is also known for mining,
fishing, and the fruit orchards and wine industry of the Okanagan Valley. British Columbia has the most
extensive park system in Canada, with approximately 600 provincial parks. The province’s large Asian
communities have made Chinese and Punjabi the most spoken languages in the cities after English. The
capital, Victoria, is a tourist centre and headquarters of the navy’s Pacific fleet.

• Manitoba
Capital: Winnipeg
Population: 1,208,268 (2011)
Premier: Greg Selinger
Confederation Entry: July 15, 1870

Manitoba’s economy is based on agriculture, mining and hydro-electric power generation. The province’s
most populous city is Winnipeg, whose Exchange District includes the most famous street intersection in
Canada, Portage and Main. Winnipeg’s French Quarter, St. Boniface, has Western Canada’s largest
Francophone community at 45,000. Manitoba is also an important centre of Ukrainian culture, with 14%
reporting Ukrainian origins, and the largest Aboriginal population of any province, at over 15%.
 • Newfoundland and Labrador
Capital: St John’s
Population: 512,536 (2011)
Premier: Paul Davis
Confederation Entry: March 31, 1949

Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly point in North America and has its own time zone. In
addition to its natural beauty, the province has a unique heritage linked to the sea. The oldest colony of
the British Empire and a strategic prize in Canada’s early history, the province has long been known for its
fisheries, coastal fishing villages and distinct culture. Today off-shore oil and gas extraction contributes a
substantial part of the economy. Labrador also has immense hydro-electric resources.

• New Brunswick
Capital: Fredericton
Population: 751,171 (2011)
Premier: Brian Gallant
Confederation Entry: July 1, 1867

Situated in the Appalachian Range, the province was founded by the United Empire Loyalists and has the
second largest river system on North America’s Atlantic coastline, the St. John River system. Forestry,
agriculture, fisheries, mining, food processing and tourism are the principal industries. Saint John is the
largest city, port and manufacturing centre; Moncton is the principal Francophone Acadian centre; and
Fredericton, the historic capital. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province, and about one-
third of the population lives and works in French. The province’s pioneer Loyalist and French cultural
heritage and history come alive in street festivals and traditional music.

• Northwest Territories
Capital: Yellowknife
Population: 41,462 (2011)
Premier: Bob McLeod
Confederation Entry: July 15, 1870

The Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) were originally made up in 1870 from Rupert’s Land and the North-
Western Territory. The capital, Yellowknife (population 20,000), is called the “diamond capital of North
America.” More than half the population is Aboriginal (Dene, Inuit and Métis). The Mackenzie River, at
4,200 kilometres, is the second-longest river system in North America after the Mississippi and drains an
area of 1.8 million square kilometres.

• Nova Scotia
Capital: Halifax
Population: 921,727 (2011)
Premier: Stephen McNeil
Confederation Entry: July 1, 1867

Nova Scotia is the most populous Atlantic Province, with a rich history as the gateway to Canada. Known
for the world’s highest tides in the Bay of Fundy, the province’s identity is linked to shipbuilding, fisheries
and shipping. As Canada’s largest east coast port, deep-water and ice-free, the capital, Halifax, has played
an important role in Atlantic trade and defence and is home to Canada’s largest naval base. Nova Scotia
has a long history of coal mining, forestry and agriculture. Today there is also off-shore oil and gas
exploration. The province’s Celtic and Gaelic traditions sustain a vibrant culture. Nova Scotia is home to
over 700 annual festivals, including the spectacular military tattoo in Halifax.
 • Nunavut
Capital: Iqaluit
Population: 31,906 (2011)
Premier: Peter Taptuna
Confederation Entry: Apri 1, 1999

Nunavut, meaning “our land” in Inuktitut, was established in 1999 from the eastern part of the Northwest
Territories, including all of the former District of Keewatin. The capital is Iqaluit, formerly Frobisher Bay,
named after the English explorer Martin Frobisher, who penetrated the uncharted Arctic for Queen
Elizabeth I in 1576. The 19-member Legislative Assembly chooses a premier and ministers by consensus.
The population is about 85% Inuit, and Inuktitut is an official language and the first language in schools.

• Ontario
Capital: Toronto
Population: 12,851,821 (2011)
Premier: Kathleen Wynne
Confederation Entry: 1 July, 1867

At more than 12 million, the people of Ontario make up more than one-third of Canadians. The large and
culturally diverse population, natural resources and strategic location contribute to a vital economy.
Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the country’s main financial centre. Many people work in the
service or manufacturing industries, which produce a large percentage of Canada’s exports. The Niagara
region is known for its vineyards, wines and fruit crops. Ontario farmers raise dairy and beef cattle,
poultry, and vegetable and grain crops. Founded by United Empire Loyalists, Ontario also has the largest
Frenchspeaking population outside of Quebec, with a proud history of preserving their language and
culture. There are five Great Lakes located between Ontario and the United States: Lake Ontario, Lake
Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan (in the U.S.A.) and Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world.

• Prince Edward Island

Capital: Charlottetown
Population: 140,204 (2011)
Premier: Robert Ghiz
Confederation Entry: July 1, 1873

Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) is the smallest province, known for its beaches, red soil and agriculture,
especially potatoes. P.E.I. is the birthplace of Confederation, connected to mainland Canada by one of the
longest continuous multispan bridges in the world, the Confederation Bridge. Anne of Green Gables, set in
P.E.I. by Lucy Maud Montgomery, is a much-loved story about the adventures of a little red-headed
orphan girl.
 • Quebec
Capital: Quebec City
Population: 7,903,001 (2011)
Premier: Philippe Couillard
Confederation Entry: July 1, 1867

Almost eight million people live in Quebec, the vast majority along or near the St. Lawrence River. More
than three-quarters speak French as their first language. The resources of the Canadian Shield have
helped Quebec to develop important industries, including forestry, energy and mining. Quebec is Canada’s
main producer of pulp and paper. The province’s huge supply of fresh water has made it Canada’s largest
producer of hydro-electricity. Quebecers are leaders in cutting-edge industries such as pharmaceuticals
and aeronautics. Quebec films, music, literary works and food have international stature, especially in La
Francophonie, an association of French-speaking nations. Montreal, Canada’s second largest city and the
second largest mainly French-speaking city in the world after Paris, is famous for its cultural diversity.

• Saskatchewan
Capital: Regina
Population: 1,033,381 (2011)
Premier: Brad Wall
Confederation Entry: September 1, 1905

Saskatchewan, once known as the “breadbasket of the world” and the “wheat province,” has 40% of the
arable land in Canada and is the country’s largest producer of grains and oilseeds. It also boasts the
world’s richest deposits of uranium and potash, used in fertilizer, and produces oil and natural gas.
Regina, the capital, is home to the training academy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Saskatoon,
the largest city, is the headquarters of the mining industry and an important educational, research and
technology centre.

• Yukon
Capital: Whitehorse
Population: 33,897 (2011)
Premier: Darrell Pasloski
Confederation Entry: June 13, 1898

Thousands of miners came to the Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s, as celebrated in the poetry of
Robert W. Service. Mining remains a significant part of the economy. The White Pass and Yukon Railway
opened from Skagway in neighbouring Alaska to the territorial capital, Whitehorse in 1900 and provides a
spectacular tourist excursion across precipitous passes and bridges. Yukon holds the record for the coldest
temperature ever recorded in Canada (-63°C).