Notable Canadians to know for the citizenship test
The Discover Canada guide mentions many notable people, from the age of exploration to today. Here are the ones that come up most often, summed up from our study sheet 4.
Explorers and founders
| Person | To remember | Page |
|---|---|---|
| John Cabot | 1497: first to map Canada's East Coast, for England | 14 |
| Jacques Cartier | 1534–1542: first European to explore the St. Lawrence; source of the name "Canada" | 14 |
| Samuel de Champlain | Founds Quebec City; allies the French with the Algonquin and Huron | 15 |
| Pierre de Monts | Co-founder of the first European settlement north of Florida (1604) | 15 |
Fathers of Confederation and prime ministers
| Person | To remember | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Sir John A. Macdonald | 1st Prime Minister (1867), born in Scotland; on the $10 bill; his day is January 11 | 19 |
| Sir George-Étienne Cartier | Quebec's key architect of Confederation | 19 |
| Sir Leonard Tilley | Proposed the name "Dominion of Canada", inspired by Psalm 72 | 18 |
| Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine | Led the first responsible government (1849); champion of francophone rights | 18 |
| Sir Wilfrid Laurier | 1st French-Canadian Prime Minister since Confederation; on the $5 bill | 20 |
| Sir Robert Borden | Prime Minister during the First World War; gave women the federal vote | 21 |
Historical figures
| Person | To remember | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Isaac Brock | Hero of the War of 1812, killed at Queenston Heights | 17 |
| Tecumseh | Shawnee chief, British ally in 1812 | 17 |
| Laura Secord | Walked about 30 km in 1813 to warn the British of an attack | 17 |
| Louis Riel | Métis leader, founder of Manitoba; took Fort Garry in 1869 | 19 |
| Mary Ann Shadd Cary | 1853: Canada's first woman newspaper publisher, anti-slavery activist | 16 |
| John Graves Simcoe | 1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, which started abolishing slavery | 16 |
| Arthur Currie | Canada's greatest soldier; led the Canadian Corps in the last 100 days of the First World War | 21 |
| Agnes Macphail | 1921: first woman MP | 21 |
| Emily Stowe | First woman to practise medicine in Canada; founder of the suffrage movement | 21 |
Victoria Cross recipients
The Victoria Cross, the country's highest honour, rewards outstanding bravery (p. 41). To remember: Alexander Roberts Dunn, the first Canadian awarded (Crimean War, 1854); William Hall, the first Black person awarded (1857); Filip Konowal (1917); the flying ace Billy Bishop; and Robert Hampton Gray, the last Canadian awarded to date (August 1945).
Inventors and scientists
- Alexander Graham Bell: the idea of the telephone, at his summer house in Canada.
- Banting and Best: the discovery of insulin.
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier: the snowmobile.
- Sir Sandford Fleming: the worldwide system of time zones.
- Reginald Fessenden: the first wireless voice message.
- John A. Hopps: the first pacemaker.
- SPAR and the NRC: the Canadarm, the robotic arm used in space.
(See the guide, p. 27.)
Test yourself
Summary taken from our study sheet 4; see the Discover Canada guide, pp. 14 to 27, 41 and 66.