# List of Canadian poets

This is a list of Canadian poets. Years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" articles.
* A
* B
* C
* D
* E
* F
* G
* H
* I
* J
* K
* L
* M
* N
* O
* P
* Q
* R
* S
* T
* U
* V
* W
* X
* Y
* Z

## A

* Mark Abley (born 1955), poet, journalist, editor, and non-fiction writer.
* Milton Acorn (1923–1986), poet, writer, and playwright
* José Acquelin (born 1956)
* Gil Adamson, novelist, poet, and short-story writer
* Randell Adjei, spoken word poet, first Poet Laureate of Ontario
* Marie-Célie Agnant (born 1953), Haitian native living in Canada since 1970; novelist, poet and writer of children's books
* Neil Aitken (born 1974), poet, editor, and translator
* Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm (born 1965), Anishinaabe writer and poet from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation, founder (in 1993) of Kegedonce Press, specializing in indigenous writers
* Donald Alarie (born 1945), writer, poet, and teacher
* Edna Alford, editor, author, and poet who co-founded the magazine Dandelion
* Sandra Alland (born 1973), Scottish-Canadian writer, multimedia artist, bookseller, small press publisher, and activist
* Donna Allard, editor and poet
* Lillian Allen (born 1951), dub poet
* Anne-Marie Alonzo (1951–2005), playwright, poet, novelist, critic, and publisher, born in Egypt and moved to Canada at the age of 12
* George Amabile (born 1936)
* Madhur Anand (born 1971), poet and scientist
* Marguerite Andersen (1924–2022), German-born, primarily francophone writer, academic and editor
* Patrick Anderson (1915–1979), English-born Canadian poet and academic
* Robert T. Anderson (1880–1960), Alberta poet.
* Rod Anderson (1935), poet, musician, and accountant
* Michael Andre (born 1946), poet, critic, and editor living in the United States
* Jeannette Armstrong (born 1948), Syilx Okanagan author, educator, artist, and activist
* Tammy Armstrong (born 1974), poet and novelist
* David Arnason (born 1940), author and poet
* Joanne Arnott (born 1960), Métis poet, essayist, and activist writer
* Margaret Atwood (born 1939), poet, novelist, literary critic, feminist, and activist
* Charlotte Aubin
* Martine Audet (born 1961)
* Emily Austin
* Oana Avasilichioaei, poet and translator
* Margaret Avison (1918–2007)

## B

* Ken Babstock (born 1970)
* Elizabeth Bachinsky (born 1976), poet and editor
* Britta Badour
* Alfred Bailey (1905–1997), poet, anthropologist, ethno-historian, and academic administrator
* Jacob Bailey (1731–1808), Church of England clergyman and poet born in the United States (colony of New Hampshire), immigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada in 1779
* Marie Annharte Baker (born 1942) is an Anishnabe poet and author
* Chris Banks (born 1970), poet and high school teacher
* Kaushalya Bannerji, Indian-born poet
* Frances Bannerman (1855–1944), painter and poet
* Simina Banu
* Joelle Barron
* John Barton (born 1957)
* Gary Barwin (born 1964), author, composer, children's writer, and poet
* Jalal Barzanji (born 1953), Kurdish poet and writer living in Canada since 1998
* Shaunt Basmajian (1950–1990), poet and author
* Angèle Bassolé-Ouédraogo (born 1967)), Ivoirian born poet and journalist
* Bill Bauer (1932–2010), American-born, living in Canada since 1965, husband of Nancy Bauer
* Nancy Bauer (born 1934), American-born, living in Canada since 1965, wife of Bill Bauer
* Doug Beardsley (born 1941), poet and academic
* Nérée Beauchemin (1850–1931), francophone poet and physician
* Derek Beaulieu (born 1973), poet, publisher, and anthologist.
* Joseph-Isidore Bédard (1806–1833), poet, lawyer, and politician
* Ven Begamudré (born 1956), Indian-born poet, short-story writer, novelist, and academic
* Henry Beissel (born 1929), poet, author, writer, and editor
* Billy-Ray Belcourt
* Ken Belford (born 1946)
* Lesley Belleau
* Marlène Belley (born 1963),
* John Bemrose, arts journalist, novelist, poet, and playwright
* Gwen Benaway
* Roxanna Bennett
* Robbie Benoit (died 2007), poet and writer
* Jovette Bernier (1900–1981), Quebec poet, novelist, and journalist
* Jean-Philippe Bergeron (born 1978), francophone writer and poet
* Craven Langstroth Betts (1853–1941), author and poet
* Navtej Bharati, Indian-born poet and writer in Punjabi and English, publisher of Third Eye Press
* Bertrand Bickersteth
* Robert Billings (1949–1986), poet and editor
* Brandi Bird
* Earle Birney (1904–1995)
* Bill Bissett (born 1939)
* Cassandra Blanchard
* Mark Blagrave (born 1956), writer, short-story writer, playwright, poet, and academic
* Robin Blaser (1925–2009), author and poet
* Laurie Block (born 1949), poet and educator
* E. D. Blodgett (1935–2018), poet, literary critic, and translator
* Ali Blythe, poet and editor
* Selina Boan
* Robert Boates (born 1954)
* Christian Bök, (born Christian Book 1966), poet and author
* Dennis E. Bolen, (born 1953), novelist, journalist and poet
* Stephanie Bolster (born 1969), poet and academic
* Shane Book
* Roo Borson pen name of Ruth Elizabeth Borson (born 1952), American native living in Canada
* Hédi Bouraoui (born 1932), Tunisian-born Canadian poet, novelist, and academic
* Arthur Bourinot (1893–1969), poet and lawyer
* George Bowering (born 1935), novelist, poet, historian, and biographer
* Marilyn Bowering (1949), poet, novelist, and playwright
* Tim Bowling (born 1964), poet and novelist
* Alex Boyd (born 1969), poet, fiction writer, critic, essayist, and editor
* Frances Boyle
* D. M. Bradford
* Kate Braid (born 1947), poet and teacher
* Lawrence Ytzhak Braithwaite (1963–2008), novelist, spoken word artist, dub poet, essayist, digital drummer, and short-story writer
* Shannon Bramer (born 1973), poet and teacher
* Dionne Brand (born 1953), poet, novelist, and non-fiction writer born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago before moving to Canada
* Di Brandt née "Diana Ruth Janzen" (born 1952), poet and literary critic
* Jacques Brault (1933–2022), French Canadian poet and translator
* Diana Brebner (1956–2001)
* Brian Brett (born 1950), poet and novelist
* Elizabeth Brewster (1922–2012), poet and academic
* Robert Bringhurst (born 1946), poet, typographer, and author
* Eve Brodlique (1867–1949), poet, author, journalist
* David Bromige (1933–2009), Canadian poet living in the United States since 1962
* Nicole Brossard (born 1943), francophone poet and novelist
* Audrey Alexandra Brown (1904–1998)
* Ronnie R. Brown (born 1946), United States-born living in Canada for most of her adult life
* Colin Browne
* Charles Tory Bruce (1906–1971), poet, journalist and fiction writer
* Julie Bruck
* Suzanne Buffam
* April Bulmer (born 1963)
* Murdoch Burnett (1953–2015), poet, performance artist, editor, and community activist
* Mick Burrs (1940–2021)
* Aaron Bushkowsky (born 1957)
* Arthur de Bussières (1877–1913)

## C

* Charmaine Cadeau
* Alison Calder (born 1969), poet and academic
* Frank Oliver Call (1878–1956)
* Barry Callaghan (born 1937), author, poet, and son of the author Morley Callaghan
* Jason Camlot (born 1967), poet, scholar, and songwriter
* Anne Cameron (born 1938), novelist, poet, screenwriter, and short-story writer
* George Frederick Cameron (1854–1885), poet, lawyer, and journalist
* Wilfred Campbell (1858–1918), poet and Anglican clergyman
* Natalee Caple (born 1970), novelist and poet
* Paul Cargnello (born 1979), Montreal poet, lyricist
* Bliss Carman (1861–1929), poet and critic
* Anne Carson (born 1950), poet, essayist, translator, and academic
* Kate Cayley, poet, writer, and theatre director
* Weyman Chan (born 1963), poet
* Catherine Chandler (born 1950), poet, translator, and academic
* William Chapman (1850–1917), poet, journalist, and bureaucrat
* Jean Charbonneau (1875–1960), francophone poet who was the primary founder of the Montreal Literary School
* Herménégilde Chiasson (born 1946), Acadian poet, playwright, journalist, academic, and the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick
* Robert Choquette (1905–1991), novelist, poet, and briefly (1968–1970) a diplomat
* Lesley Choyce (born 1951), novelist, writer, children's book writer, poet, and academic who founded Pottersfield Press and hosts the television program "Choyce Words" and "Off the Page"; born in the United States and immigrated to Canada in 1979
* Margaret Christakos (born 1962), poet and university writing teacher
* Evie Christie (born 1979), poet
* Jillian Christmas, poet
* Chuan Sha, Chinese-born Canadian poet and author
* Dave Clark, musician (Rheostatics) and poet
* George Elliott Clarke (born 1960), poet and playwright.
* Wayne Clifford (born 1944)
* Fred Cogswell (1917–2004)
* Leonard Cohen (1934–2016), singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist
* Matt Cohen, (1942–1999), writer and poet
* Victor Coleman
* Don Coles (1928–2017), poet, author, and academic
* Stephen Collis, poet and academic
* John Robert Colombo (born 1936), poet, anthologist, editor, essayist, and humorist
* Daria Colonna
* Anne Compton (born 1947), poet, critic, and anthologist
* Wayde Compton (born 1972), poet, writer, turntable-based "sound poetry" performer, academic who co-founded Commodore Books, the first black-oriented press in Western Canada
* Jan Conn (born 1952), Canadian-born geneticist and poet living in the United States
* Karen Connelly (born 1969), writer and poet
* Kevin Connolly (born 1962), poet, writer, and critic
* Dennis Cooley (born 1944), poet and academic
* Afua Cooper (born 1957), Jamaican-born historian and dub poet
* Judith Copithorne (born 1939), concrete and visual poet
* Paulo da Costa, Canadian-Portuguese author, editor, and translator
* Sonia Cotten (born 1974), poet
* Maya Cousineau Mollen
* Dani Couture (born 1978), poet, essayist, critic, and journalist
* Thomas Cowherd (1817–1907), tinsmith and poet
* Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850–1887), poet, novelist, and short-story writer
* Octave Crémazie (1827–1879), francophone poet who has been called "the father of French-Canadian poetry" for his patriotic verse
* Lynn Crosbie (born 1963), poet and novelist
* Lorna Crozier (born 1948), writes under the name Lorna Uher
* Michael Crummey (born 1965), poet and writer
* Julie Crysler, journalist and poet
* Nancy Jo Cullen, poet and short story writer
* Jen Currin, United States-born poet
* Kayla Czaga (born 1989), poet

## D

* Cyril Dabydeen (born 1945), native Guyana poet and writer living in Canada
* Kalli Dakos (born 1950), children's poet and teacher
* Michel Dallaire (1957–2017), novelist and poet
* Mary Dalton, poet and academic
* Joseph A. Dandurand, Native American poet, playwright, and archaeologist
* Jean-Paul Daoust (born 1946), poet
* Beverley Daurio (born 1953)
* Frank Davey (born 1940), poet and academic
* Lynn Davies (born 1954), poet
* Nicholas Flood Davin (1840–1901), lawyer, journalist, politician, and poet
* Tanya Davis, spoken-word poet and musician
* Tom Dawe (born 1940), writer, poet, children's book author, and artist
* Adriana de Barros (born 1976), Portuguese native who moved to Canada at age 3; illustrator, web designer, and poet
* Sadiqa de Meijer (born 1966)
* James Deahl (born 1945), moved to Canada from the United States in 1970 and a citizen of both countries; poet, academic, and publisher of Unfinished Monument Press; founding member of the Canadian Poetry Association
* Kris Demeanor, poet, musician and actor
* Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, performance art duo who have collaborated on performances, films, videos, publications, and public art projects since 1989
* Barry Dempster (born 1952), poet and novelist
* Joe Denham, poet and fiction writer
* Adebe DeRango-Adem
* Michelle Desbarats, poet
* Anne-Marie Desmeules, poet
* Christopher Dewdney (born 1951), poet, writer, artist, creative-writing teacher, and writer-in-residence at various universities
* Ann Diamond (born 1951), an award-winning Montreal poet, novelist, and short-story writer
* Pier Giorgio Di Cicco (1949–2019), Italian-born, Canadian poet and priest
* Mary di Michele (born 1949), Italian-born, Canadian poet, author, and creative-writing teacher
* Adam Dickinson, poet
* Robert Dickson (1944–2007), poet, translator, and academic
* Kildare Dobbs (1923–2013), Indian-born teacher, poet, editor, short-story writer, and travel writer who moved to Canada in 1950
* Jeramy Dodds (born 1974), poet
* Don Domanski (born 1950)
* Magie Dominic (born 1944), poet and artist
* Jeffery Donaldson, poet and critic
* David Donnell (1939–2020), poet and writer
* Candas Dorsey (born 1952), poet and science fiction novelist
* Clive Doucet (born 1946), writer, poet, and politician
* Gordon Downie (1964–2017), songwriter, poet, and musician
* Orville Lloyd Douglas (born 1976), poet and writer
* Stan Dragland (born 1942), novelist, poet and literary critic
* William Henry Drummond (1854–1907), Irish-born Canadian poet
* Louis Dudek (1918–2001), poet, literary critic and publisher
* Marilyn Dumont (born 1955), poet and educator
* Klara du Plessis, poet

## E

* Evelyn Eaton (1902–1983), novelist, short-story writer, poet, and academic
* Vic Elias (1948–2006), American-born, living in Canada from 1979, poet and academic
* David Elliott (1923–1999), poet and academic
* Rebecca Elson (1960–1999), Canadian-American astronomer, academic writer, and poet
* Crispin Elsted
* Karen Enns
* Reuben Epp (1920–2009) teacher, school administrator, writer and poet in Plautdietsch (Mennonite Low German)
* Michael Estok (1939–1989)

## F

* Margaret Fairley (1885–1968), English-born Canadian writer, educator and political activist
* Brian Fawcett (1944–2022), poet, novelist, nonfiction author and writer
* Charles Fenerty (c. 1821–1892), poet, journalist, and inventor. Published two poems in book format in 1855 and 1866, and wrote over 32 poems (mostly published in local newspapers).
* Paola Ferrante
* Ferron, born Debby Foisy (1952), folk singer, songwriter and poet
* George Fetherling, wrote as "Doug Feathering" or "Douglas Fetherling" until 1999 when he began using his middle name (born 1949), American-born poet, novelist, journalist and essayist who moved to Canada at age 18 and became a Canadian citizen
* Connie Fife
* Robert Finch (1900–1995), poet and academic whose area of expertise was French poetry
* Joan Finnigan (1925–2007), writer, poet, teacher and newspaper reporter
* Jon Paul Fiorentino, poet, novelist, short-story writer, academic and editor of Matrix magazine
* Red Fisher (1914-2006), sporting goods retailer, radio and television personality, poet
* Judith Fitzgerald (born 1952), poet and journalist
* Polly Fleck
* Robert Ford (1915–1998), poet, translator and diplomat
* Raymond Fraser (born 1941), novelist, poet, biographer, essayist and editor
* Louis-Honoré Fréchette (1839–1908), French Canadian poet, politician, playwright and short-story writer
* Pauline Fréchette (1889–1943), French Canadian poet, dramatist, journalist, and Catholic nun
* Patrick Friesen (born 1946), poet and university-level creative writing teacher
* Mark Frutkin (born 1948), American-born novelist and poet who moved to Canada in 1970 as a Vietnam War draft resister

## G

* Rhonda Ganz
* Keith Garebian (born 1943) critic, biographer, and poet; born in Bombay, India, and immigrated to Canada in 1961
* François-Xavier Garneau (1809–1866), French Canadian notary, poet, civil servant, and historian
* Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau (1912–1943), first modernist French Canadian poet
* Bill Gaston (born 1953), novelist, playwright, short-story writer, and poet
* Antoine Gérin-Lajoie (1824–1882), French Canadian poet and novelist
* Marty Gervais (born 1946), poet, photographer, professor, journalist, and publisher of Black Moss Press
* Chantal Gibson
* Elsa Gidlow
* Angus Morrison Gidney (1803–1882), educator, poet, and journalist
* Gerry Gilbert
* Charles Ignace Adélard Gill (1871–1918), painter and poet
* John Glassco (1909–1981), poet, memoirist, and novelist
* Jacques Godbout (born 1933), novelist, essayist, children's writer, journalist, filmmaker, and poet
* Gérald Godin (1938–1994), French Canadian poet and politician
* Oliver Goldsmith (1794–1861)
* Leona Gom (born 1946), novelist and poet
* Katherine L. Gordon
* Spencer Gordon, Toronto-based writer
* Phyllis Gotlieb (1926–2009), science fiction novelist and poet
* Nora Gould
* Susan Goyette (born 1964), poet and novelist
* Neile Graham (born 1958), poet and academic
* Alain Grandbois (1900–1975), French Canadian poet
* Hannah Green
* Richard Greene
* Leslie Greentree, poet, short-story writer, and freelance writer
* Ralph Gustafson (1909–1995), poet and academic
* Genni Gunn (born 1949), novelist, poet, and translator
* Kristjana Gunnars, Icelandic-Canadian poet and novelist
* Stephen Guppy

## H

* Paul Haines (1933–2003), poet and jazz lyricist, born in the United States and later a Canadian resident
* Helen Hajnoczky (born 1985), visual poet
* Phil Hall (born 1953), poet, academic, and publisher of broadsides and chapbooks under the Flat Singles Press imprint since 1976
* Jane Eaton Hamilton (born 1954), short-story writer, poet, and photographer
* Jennica Harper
* Claire Harris (1937–2018)
* Michael Harris
* Richard Harrison
* Paul Hartal (born 1936), painter and poet, born in Hungary
* Jill Hartman (born 1974 in poetry), poet and editor
* Diana Hartog
* Elisabeth Harvor (née Deichman) (born 1936), novelist and poet
* Robert Hayman (1575–1629), poet, colonist and Proprietary Governor of Bristol's Hope colony in Newfoundland
* Charles Heavysege (1816–1876)
* Anne Hébert (1916–2000), French-Canadian novelist and poet
* Wilfrid Heighington (1897–1945), soldier, writer, poet, lawyer, and politician
* Steven Heighton (1961–2022), novelist and poet
* David Helwig (1938–2018), poet, novelist, and essayist; father of Maggie Helwig
* Maggie Helwig (born 1961), poet, novelist, peace and human rights activist, Anglican priest at Church of St Stephen-in-the-Fields; daughter of David Helwig
* Anna Minerva Henderson (1887–1987), poet and civil servant
* Brian Henderson (born 1948), poet, academic, and editor
* Jason Heroux (born 1971), third poet laureate of Kingston, Ontario, born in Montreal
* Benjamin Hertwig
* Robert Hilles (born 1951), poet and novelist
* Robert Hogg (1942–2022)
* Susan Holbrook (born 1967), poet, poetry textbook author, playwright
* Clive Holden
* Norah M. Holland (1876–1925), poet, playwright, journalist, editor
* Nancy Holmes
* Cornelia Hoogland (born 1952), poet and academic
* Hilda Mary Hooke (1898–1978), poet and playwright
* Leah Horlick
* Sean Horlor (born 1981) poet, former speechwriter, freelance writing consultant
* Karen Houle
* Liz Howard
* Harry Howith (1934–2014)
* Ray Hsu, poet and academic
* David Huebert
* Annie Campbell Huestis, (1878-1960) poet
* Helen Humphreys (born 1961), poet and novelist
* Al Hunter poet, author, tribal leader, and activist
* Aislinn Hunter (born 1969), poet and author
* Bruce Hunter (born 1952), teacher, poet, fiction writer, and lifewriter
* Catherine Hunter (born 1957), poet, novelist, editor, academic, and critic
* Chris Hutchinson (born 1972)
* Douglas Smith Huyghue (1816–1891), Canadian and Australian poet, fiction writer, essayist, and artist
* Maureen Hynes (born 1948), poet

## I

* Susan Ioannou (born 1944)
* Doyali Islam
* Frances Itani (born 1942), novelist, short-story writer, poet, and essayist

## J

* Suzanne Jacob (born 1943), novelist, poet, playwright, singer-songwriter, and critic
* Edna Jaques (1891-1978), poet
* Jemeni (born 1976), actress, writer and activist
* E. A. Jenns (1860-1930), poet
* Paulette Jiles (born 1943), American-born poet and novelist who moved to Canada in 1969
* Rita Joe (1932–2007), Mi'kmaq-Canadian poet and songwriter, called the "poet laureate of the Mi'kmaq people"
* E. Pauline Johnson, also known as "Tekahionwake" (1861–1913)
* Jim Johnstone
* D. G. Jones (1929–2016), poet, translator, and educator
* El Jones, poet and activist
* Julie Joosten
* Clifton Joseph
* Eve Joseph (born 1953), poet and author

## K

* Surjeet Kalsey, poet, dramatist, short-story writer, and translator who writes in both Punjabi and English
* Smaro Kamboureli, poet and academic
* Donna Kane
* Adeena Karasick, poet and academic
* Rupi Kaur, poet and illustrator
* Lionel Kearns, poet and teacher
* Diane Keating
* Kaie Kellough
* M. T. Kelly (born 1946), novelist, poet, and playwright.
* Penn Kemp, novelist, playwright, poet and sound poet
* Leo Kennedy (1907–2000), modernist poet, published in the 1930s
* Robert Kirkland Kernighan (1854–1926), poet, journalist, and farmer
* Roy Kiyooka (1926–1994), photographer, poet, and artist
* Barbara Klar
* Johann Peter Klassen (1868–1947), Russian Mennonite poet and writer who immigrated to Canada in 1923 and wrote primarily in German
* Sarah Klassen (born 1932), poet and fiction writer
* A. M. Klein (1909–1972), poet, journalist, novelist, and short-story writer
* Raymond Knister (1899–1932), novelist, short-story writer, poet, critic, and journalist
* Joy Kogawa (born 1935), poet and novelist
* Jules Arita Koostachin
* Maka Kotto (born 1961), Cameroon-born francophone Canadian, provincial level politician, former Canadian House of Commons member who published a book of poetry in 2002
* Shane Koyczan (born 1976), spoken word poet
* Robert Kroetsch (1927–2011), novelist, poet, non-fiction writer, and academic
* Aaron Kreuter
* Janice Kulyk Keefer (born 1952), novelist, poet, and academic

## L

* Kama La Mackerel
* Sonnet L'Abbé, poet and critic
* Pierre Labrie (born 1972), French Canadian poet
* Edward A. Lacey
* Ben Ladouceur
* Chloé LaDuchesse
* Dany Laferrière (born 1953), Haitian-born francophone novelist, journalist, and poet who moved to Canada in 1976
* Annie Lafleur
* Catherine Lalonde (born 1974), French Canadian poet and journalist
* Archibald Lampman (1861–1899)
* Tim Lander (born 1938)
* Patrick Lane (1939–2019)
* M. Travis Lane (born 1934), American-born Canadian poet who moved to Canada in 1960
* Rina Lasnier (1915–1997), French Canadian poet and playwright
* Evelyn Lau (born 1971), poet and novelist
* Edythe Morahan de Lauzon
* Irving Layton (1912–2006)
* Georgette LeBlanc
* Gérald Leblanc (1947–2005), French Canadian poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, and writer
* Félix Leclerc (1914–1988), songwriter, musician, poet, novelist, actor, radio announcer, radio scriptwriter, and writer
* Dennis Lee (born 1939), poet, writer and children's fiction author
* John B. Lee (born 1951), author, poet, and academic
* Lily Alice Lefevre (1854–1938)
* Sylvia Legris (born 1960)
* John Lent (1948–2006), poet and novelist
* Douglas LePan (1914–1998), diplomat, poet, novelist, and academic
* Alex Leslie
* Lilian Leveridge (1879–1953), poet, short story writer, and non-fiction writer
* Katherine Leyton
* T. Liem
* Tim Lilburn (born 1950), poet and essayist
* Charles Lillard (born 1944–1997), poet and historian
* Dorothy Livesay (1909–1996)
* Billie Livingston (born 1965), novelist and poet
* Douglas Lochhead (1922–2011), poet, librarian, and academic
* Jennifer LoveGrove
* Pat Lowther (1935–1975)
* Laura Lush
* Richard Lush (born 1934)
* Michael Lynch

## M

* Rozena Maart (born 1962), poet, short-story writer, novelist, playwright, academic, and psychotherapist; South African living in Canada
* Annick MacAskill
* Kathy Mac
* Karen Mac Cormack (born 1956), experimental poet born in Zambia, who holds dual British/Canadian citizenship, she has moved from Toronto to Buffalo, New York, with her husband, poet Steve McCaffery
* Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald (1864–1922), poet, children's literature, short story writer and essayist
* Hugh MacDonald (born 1945), poet, children's writer and editor
* Wilson MacDonald (1880–1967)
* Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941–1987), novelist and poet
* Walter Scott MacFarlane (1896–1979), poet and soldier
* Tom MacInnes (1867–1951), poet and writer
* Andrea MacPherson, poet and novelist
* Jay Macpherson (13 June 1931 – 21 March 2012), poet and academic (a woman)*
* Keith Maillard (born 28 February 1942), author and poet
* Charles Mair (1838/1840–1927), poet and political activist
* Robert Majzels (born 1950), novelist, poet, playwright, and translator
* Alice Major, contemporary poet
* Kim Maltman (born 1951), poet and physicist (a man)
* Donato Mancini
* Eli Mandel (1922–1992), poet, essayist, and academic
* Ahdri Zhina Mandiela (born 1953), Jamaican-born dub poet, theatre producer, and artistic director; Jamaican native living in Canada
* David Manicom (born 1960), diplomat, poet, and novelist
* Lee Maracle (born 1950), Native American poet and author
* Blaine Marchand
* Nicole Markotic, poet and novelist
* Daphne Marlatt, née Buckle (born 1942)
* Tom Marshall (1938–1993), Canadian poet and novelist
* Émile Martel
* Garth Martens
* Camille Martin (born 1956), poet and collage artist
* Sid Marty (born 1944), poet, author, and musician
* Robin Mathews (born 1931), poet and professor, known for his political activism in support of Canadian independence from U.S. domination
* Seymour Mayne (born 1944), poet and literary translator
* Micheline Maylor (born 1970), poet and academic
* Chandra Mayor (born 1973), poet and novelist
* Robert McBride (1811/1812–1895), Irish-born Canadian poet
* Steven McCabe, contemporary artist and poet
* Steve McCaffery (born 1947), poet and academic born in England and moved to Toronto in 1968; husband of poet Karen MacCormack
* Julia McCarthy
* Susan McCaslin (born 1947), poet and academic
* Alma Frances McCollum (1879–1906), poet and composer
* Kathleen McCracken
* John McCrae (1872–1918), poet, physician, author, artist, and soldier during World War I, and a surgeon during the battle of Ypres; best known for writing the famous war memorial poem In Flanders Fields.
* Roy McDonald (1937–ca. 2018), poet and busker (street performer)
* David McFadden (born 11 October 1940), poet, fiction writer, and travel writer
* Robin McGrath
* Wendy McGrath, poet and novelist
* David McGimpsey, poet, humorist, and academic
* Nadine McInnis (born 1956), poet, short-story writer and essayist
* James McIntyre (1828–1906), called The Cheese Poet
* Don McKay (born 1942) poet editor and educator
* Barry McKinnon (born 1944)
* Brendan McLeod (born 1979), poet novelist, member of The Fugitives.
* Emily Julian McManus (1865–1918), poet, author, and educator
* Susan McMaster (born 1950), poet literary editor and spoken word performer
* Amber McMillan, poet and writer
* Eugene McNamara (1930–2016), poet, author and teacher
* Steve McOrmond (born 1957), poet and academic
* George McWhirter, Irish-born poet, author, translator and educator
* Mary Melfi (born 1951), Italian-born poet novelist, and playwright who immigrated to Canada as a young child
* Joshua Mensch
* Iman Mersal (born 1966), Egyptian-born Egyptian/Canadian poet and professor of Arabic literature
* Bruce Meyer (born 1957), poet and academic
* Shayne Michael
* Anne Michaels (born 1958), poet and novelist
* Pauline Michel, novelist, poet, playwright, songwriter and screenwriter
* Marianne Micros
* Roy Miki (born 1942), poet and academic
* Phebe Florence Miller (1889–1979), poet and diarist
* Kenneth G. Mills (1923–2004)
* Roswell George Mills
* Gaston Miron (1928–1996), French Canadian poet writer and editor
* Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942), primarily an author, but also a poet from Prince Edward Island
* Marion E. Moodie (1867–1958), nurse, botanist, and poet
* Susanna Moodie (1803–1885), British-born Canadian author and poet
* Jacob McArthur Mooney (born 1983)
* Shani Mootoo
* Pamela Mordecai (born 1942), Jamaican writer, teacher, scholar, and poet living in Canada since 1994
* Pierre Morency (born 1942), French Canadian writer, poet, and playwright
* Dwayne Morgan spoken word artist, motivational speaker, event organizer, and poet
* Jeffrey Morgan, primarily a writer, but with poetry published in Rolling Stone and Bakka Magazine
* Kim Morrissey (born 1955), poet and playwright
* Colin Morton (born 1948)
* A. F. Moritz (born 1947), poet and academic
* Garry Thomas Morse
* Daniel David Moses (born 1952), Native American Canadian poet and playwright
* Erín Moure (born 1955)
* Jane Munro (born 1943)
* Sachiko Murakami
* William Murdoch (1823–1887), Scottish-Canadian poet, writer and gasworks manager who immigrated to Canada in 1854
* George Murray, poet and associate editor at Maisonneuve Magazine, contributing editor at several literary magazines
* Susan Musgrave (born 1951), poet and children's writer

## N

* Akhtar Naraghi
* André Narbonne
* Roger Nash (born 1942), English-born philosopher, poet, and academic
* Jim Nason, poet, fiction writer, caregiver, publisher
* Lyle Neff (born 1969), poet, journalist, essayist, and literary critic
* Lorri Neilsen Glenn, poet, ethnographer, essayist, and academic
* Émile Nelligan (1879–1941), francophone poet from Quebec
* Holly Nelson (2005–2006), writer, poet, activist, journalist, leader of the Green Party of Manitoba
* Pierre Nepveu (born 1946), French Canadian poet, novelist, and essayist
* W. H. New (born 1938), poet, editor, and literary critic
* bpNichol (1944–1988), born Barrie Phillip Nichol, who often went by his lower-case initials and last name, with no spaces, poet and writer
* Cecily Nicholson
* Emilia Nielsen
* John Newlove (1938–2003)
* Alden Nowlan (1933–1983), poet, novelist, playwright, and journalist

## O

* Patrick O'Connell (1944–2005)
* Alexandra Oliver
* Tolu Oloruntoba, poet and physician
* Sheree-Lee Olson, novelist, poet, and journalist
* Michael Ondaatje (born 1943), Sri Lankan novelist and poet with Canadian citizenship
* Heather O'Neill, novelist, poet, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist
* Gabriel Osson
* Fernand Ouellette (born 1930)
* Madeleine Ouellette-Michalska (born 1930), French-Canadian writer, novelist, essayist, and poet
* Richard Outram (1930–2005), poet and writer; co-founder with his wife, Barbara Howard, of The Gauntlet Press
* Catherine Owen, poet and musician

## P

* Susan Paddon
* P. K. Page (1916–2010)
* Corrado Paina (born 1954), Italian poet living in Canada since 1987, editorial director of the quarterly magazine ItalyCanada Trade
* Arleen Paré
* Fawn Parker
* Lisa Pasold
* John Pass (born 1947), English-born Canadian poet and academic who has lived in Canada since 1953; married to poet and novelist Theresa Kishkan
* Philip Kevin Paul
* Amy Parkinson (1855–1938), English-born Canadian poet
* Neil Peart (1952–2020), musician, songwriter, producer, author, and drummer of the Canadian Rock band Rush
* Soraya Peerbaye
* Bradley Peters
* W. T. Pfefferle, poet, writer, and academic
* Anthony Phelps
* M. NourbeSe Philip (born 1947), poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, and short-story writer
* Ben Phillips (born 1947), poet, teacher, and publisher
* Alison Pick, poet and novelist
* Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (born 1975), American-born poet, spoken-word poet, writer, educator, and social activist living in Canada
* Jean-Guy Pilon (1930–2021), French Canadian poet
* Sarah Pinder
* George Pirie (1799–1870), newspaper publisher and poet
* Alycia Pirmohamed
* Al Pittman (1940–2001), poet and playwright
* Michel Pleau
* Emily Pohl-Weary, novelist, poet, and magazine editor
* Craig Poile
* Laurent Poliquin (born 1975), French Canadian poet and academic
* Sandy Pool
* Joël Pourbaix
* B. W. Powe (born 1955), author, poet, and academic
* Claire Pratt (1921–1995), artist, poet, and editor; daughter of writer and editor Viola Whitney and E. J. Pratt, a poet and academic
* E. J. Pratt (1882–1964), poet and academic
* Frank Prewett (1893–1962), poet and broadcaster, who spent most of his life in the United Kingdom; a war poet of World War I
* Robert Priest (born 1951), poet and children's author
* Stefan Psenak (born 1969), French Canadian poet, playwright, and novelist
* Al Purdy (1918–2000), writer, editor, and poet

## Q

* Andy Quan (born 1969), author who moved to Australia
* Marion Quednau
* Joseph Quesnel (1746–1809), French Canadian composer, poet, and playwright
* Sina Queyras, poet and academic

## R

* Kenneth Radu
* Gurcharan Rampuri poet of Punjabi descent who writes in the Punjabi language
* Theodore Harding Rand (1835–1900), educator and poet
* Ian Iqbal Rashid (born 1971), Canadian/British Muslim poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker of Indian descent; has lived primarily in London
* Angela Rawlings (a.k.a. a.rawlings)
* James Reaney (1926–2008), poet, playwright, and literary critic
* Michael Redhill (born 1966), American-born Canadian poet, playwright, and novelist
* Beatrice Redpath (1886–1937), poet and short story writer
* D. C. Reid (born 1952), poet, novelist, and short-story writer
* Jamie Reid (1941–2015)
* Shane Rhodes
* Robin Richardson
* Lisa Richter (born c. 1977), poet, winner of the 2020 (U.S.) National Jewish Book Award for poetry
* Emily Riddle
* Sandra Ridley
* Charles G.D. Roberts (1860–1943), poet and prose writer; called the "Father of Canadian Poetry" for his influence on other poets
* Lisa Robertson (born 1961), poet, essayist, and writer
* Matt Robinson (born 1974)
* Shima Aisha Robinson aka Dwennimmen, Edmonton's Poet Laureate
* Ajmer Rode, poet, playwright, and writer in Punjabi and English
* Gordon Rodgers (born 1952), poet, novelist, and clinical psychologist
* Carmen Rodríguez (born 1948), Chilean-Canadian author, poet, educator, political social activist, co-founder of Aquelarre Magazine; exiled from Chile after the 1973 coup; writes in both Spanish and English and translates her own work
* Janet Marie Rogers, Mohawk First Nations poet
* Linda Rogers (born 1944), poet and children's writer
* Joe Rosenblatt (1933–2019), Governor General's Award-winning experimentalist
* Laisha Rosnau (born 1972), novelist and poet
* Bruce Ross, poet, author, academic, and past president of the Haiku Society of America
* Stuart Ross (born 1959), writer, poet, editor, and creative-writing instructor
* W.W.E. Ross (born 1894), imagist poet of the 1920s and 1930s, has been called "Canada's first modern poet"
* Annie Rothwell (1837–1927), writer of paeans to colonial forces during the North-West Rebellion and other imperial wars, she was known among contemporary critics mainly as a war poet.
* Nancy-Gay Rotstein
* Stephen Rowe (born 1980)
* André Roy

## S

* Lake Sagaris (born 1956), journalist, poet, and translator living in Chile
* Rodney Saint-Éloi
* Denis St-Jules (1950-2024)
* Trish Salah, academic, writer, and poet whose first volume of poetry appeared in 2002
* Rebecca Salazar
* Peter Sanger (born 1943), poet and prose writer, critic, editor, and academic born in England, immigrated to Canada in 1953
* Charles Sangster (1822–1893)
* Robyn Sarah (born 1949)
* Félix-Antoine Savard (1896–1982), priest, academic, poet, novelist, and folklorist
* Jacob Scheier, poet whose first collection of verses won the 2008 Governor General's Award for English poetry, editor, son of Libby Scheier, lives in New York City
* Libby Scheier (1946–2000), United States-born poet and short-story writer who moved to Canada in 1975, mother of Jacob Scheier
* Andreas Schroeder (born 1946), German-born poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer
* Stephen Scobie (born 1943), poet, critic, and academic
* Gregory Scofield (born 1966)
* Duncan Campbell Scott (1862–1947), poet and writer
* F. R. Scott, also known as Frank Scott (1899–1985), poet, intellectual and constitutional expert
* Jordan Scott
* Peter Dale Scott (born 1929), poet and academic
* Olive Senior (born 1941), Jamaican poet and short-story writer living in Canada
* Robert W. Service (1874–1958), poet and writer
* Kathy Shaidle (born 1964), author, columnist, and poet
* Francis Sherman (1871–1926)
* Joseph Sherman (1945–2006), poet and visual arts editor
* Carol Shields (1935–2003), American-born Canadian novelist, short-story writer, poet, playwright, and writer
* Trish Shields, poet and novelist
* Ann Shin
* Sandy Shreve, poet, newspaper reporter, and office worker
* Goran Simic (born 1952), Bosnian-born poet, playwright, and short-story writer living in Canada since 1995
* Melanie Siebert
* Bren Simmers
* Anne Simpson (born 1956), poet and novelist
* jaye simpson
* Bardia Sinaee
* Sue Sinclair
* George Sipos
* Sonja Skarstedt (born 1960), poet, short-story writer, playwright, painter, and illustrator who founded and edited the now-defunct literary magazine Zymergy (1987–1991), and founded Empyreal Press in 1990
* Robin Skelton, sometimes wrote under the pseudonym "Georges Zuk", a purported French surrealist (born 1925–1997), British-born Canadian academic, writer, poet, translator, and anthologist who immigrated to Canada in 1963; a founder and editor of The Mahalat Review
* Daniel Sloate (1931–2009), translator, poet, playwright, and academic
* Carolyn Smart (born 1952), English-born poet, author and academic
* Elizabeth Smart (1913–1986), poet and novelist whose book, By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, detailed her romance with English poet George Barker
* A. J. M. Smith (1902–1980), poet and academic
* Clara Kathleen Smith (1911–2004), poet and educator
* Douglas Burnet Smith (born 1949)
* John Smith (born 1927–2018), poet and academic
* Michael V. Smith novelist, poet and filmmaker
* Ron Smith (born 1943), poet, author, editor, playwright, and former academic; founder and co-publisher of Oolichan Books in 1984; influential in the founding of Theytus Books in 1971
* Steven Ross Smith (born 1945), poet, arts journalist, Poet Laureate of Banff, previous Director Literary Arts, Banff Centre
* Karen Solie (born 1966)
* David Solway (born 1941), poet, educational theorist, travel writer, and literary critic
* Madeline Sonik (born 1960), novelist, short-story writer, children's-book author, editor, and poet
* Carolyn Marie Souaid (born 1959), poet and editor, living in Montreal, co-founder of Poetry Quebec magazine
* Raymond Souster (1921–2012), Toronto poet
* Esta Spalding (born 1966), American-born Canadian author, screenwriter, and poet
* Heather Spears (1934–2021), poet, novelist, and artist living in Denmark since 1962
* Birk Sproxton (1943–2007), poet and novelist
* George Stanley, American-born poet and academic associated with the San Francisco Renaissance in his early years, moved to Canada in the 1970s; associated with New Star Books and the Capilano Review
* Carmine Starnino, essayist, educator, and editor
* Jason Stefanik
* John Steffler (born 1947), poet and novelist
* Ian Stephens (died 1996), journalist, musician, and poet associated with the spoken word movement
* Ricardo Sternberg (born 1948), poet born in Brazil, educated in the United States
* Richard Stevenson
* Shannon Stewart
* W. Gregory Stewart (born 1950), poet, science fiction author, short-story writer who works at a public utility and lives in Los Angeles, California
* John Stiles, poet living in London, United Kingdom
* Anne Stone, poet, writer, and performance artist
* Betsy Struthers (born 1951), poet and novelist
* Andrew Suknaski (1942–2012), Saskatchewan poet
* Alan Sullivan (1868–1947), poet, short-story writer, railroad surveyor, and mining engineer
* Rosemary Sullivan (born 1947), poet, biographer, academic, and anthologist
* Moez Surani (born 1979), poet
* John Sutherland (1919–1956), poet, literary critic, and magazine editor who founded and edited First Statement in 1942 and its successor publication, Northern Review in 1945
* Robert Swanson (1905–1994)
* Robert Sward (1933–2022), American and Canadian poet and novelist
* George Swede (born 1940), Latvian-born Canadian children's writer and poet who writes Haiku in English
* Todd Swift (born 1966), poet, editor, and academic living in the United Kingdom
* Anne Szumigalski (1922–1999)

## T

* Proma Tagore
* Bruce Taylor (born 1960)
* Heather Taylor (born 1977), poet, playwright, and teacher living in England since 2002
* Ruth Taylor (1961–2006), poet, editor, and academic
* John Terpstra, poet and carpenter
* Souvankham Thammavongsa, poet and short story writer
* Sharon Thesen (born 1946), poet and academic
* Serge Patrice Thibodeau (born 1959)
* Kai Cheng Thom
* Edward William Thomson (1849–1924), journalist, writer, and poet
* John Thompson (1938–1976)
* Russell Thornton, poet
* Matthew Tierney (born 1970)
* Jose Tlatelpas (born 1953), Mexican native and Canadian resident; Native cultures poet, publisher, and political activist
* Mohamud Siad Togane (born 1943), Somali native and Canadian resident; poet, academic, and political activist
* Lola Lemire Tostevin (born 1937), poet, novelist, and writer
* Michaël Trahan (born 1984), poet
* Kim Trainor, Vancouver poet
* Rhea Tregebov (born 1953), poet and children's writer
* Raymond D. Tremblay, poet, writer, social services agency official
* Roland Michel Tremblay (born 1972), French-Canadian author, poet, scriptwriter, development producer, and science-fiction consultant who moved to London, England in 1995
* Tony Tremblay (born 1968), French-Canadian poet, writer, spoken word artist, journalist, and radio personality
* Peter Trower (1930–2017), poet and novelist
* Mark Truscott (born 1970), born in the United States
* Élise Turcotte (born 26 June 1957), French-Canadian writer and poet
* Arielle Twist
* John Tyndall
* Daniel Scott Tysdal (born 1978)

## U

* Marie Uguay (1955–1981), French-Canadian poet
* Priscila Uppal (born 1974), poet and novelist
* David UU (David W. Harris) (1948–1994), visual poet

## V

* Léonise Valois (1868–1936), first French Canadian woman to publish a collection of poetry
* Peter van Toorn (born 1944)
* R. M. Vaughan (1965–2020), poet, novelist, and playwright
* Paul Vermeersch (born 1973)
* Katherena Vermette
* Gilles Vigneault (born 1928), Quebec poet, publisher, and singer-songwriter; Quebec nationalist and sovereigntist
* Pamelia Sarah Vining (1826–1897)
* Garth Von Buchholz (also G.A. Buchholz), British Columbia poet, dark fiction author, playwright, journalist, and arts critic
* Prvoslav Vujčić (born 1960)

## W

* Miriam Waddington (née Dworkin 1917–2004), poet, short-story writer, and translator
* Michael Wade (1944–2004)
* Fred Wah (born 1939), poet, novelist, and scholar
* Bronwen Wallace (1945–1989), poet and short-story writer
* Tom Walmsley (born 1948), playwright, novelist, poet, and screenwriter
* Agnes Walsh (born 1950), actor, poet, playwright, and storyteller
* David Waltner-Toews (born 1948), epidemiologist, essayist, poet, fiction writer, veterinarian, and a specialist in the epidemiology of food and waterborne diseases, zoonoses, and ecosystem health
* Terry Watada author, writer, and poet
* Alison Watt (born 1957), writer, poet, and painter
* Tom Wayman (born 1945), poet and academic
* Phyllis Webb (1927–2021), poet and radio broadcaster
* John Weier (born 1949)
* Matthew James Weigel
* Robert Stanley Weir (1856–1926), judge and poet most famous for writing the English lyrics to O Canada, the national anthem of Canada
* Zachariah Wells (born 1976), poet, critic, essayist, and editor
* Darren Wershler-Henry (born 1966), experimental poet, non-fiction writer, and cultural critic
* David Wevill (born 1935)
* Dawud Wharnsby (born 1972), singer-songwriter, poet, performer, educator, and television personality
* Michael Whelan (born 1858–1937) teacher, bookkeeper, and poet
* Joshua Whitehead
* Bruce Whiteman (born 1952), poet, writer, scholar, and essayist
* Isabella Whiteford (1835–1905), poet who also write under the name Caed Mille Failtha
* Zoe Whittall (born 1976), poet and novelist
* Anne Wilkinson (1910–1961), poet, writer, and essayist
* Alan R. Wilson
* Anne Elizabeth Wilson (1901–1946) poet, writer, editor
* Sheri-D Wilson, poet and playwright
* Rob Winger, poet and academic
* Theresa Wolfwood, political activist and poet
* George Woodcock (1912–1995), poet, essayist, critic, biographer, and historian; the founder (in 1959) of the journal Canadian Literature
* Lance Woolaver (born 1948), author, poet, playwright, and director

## Y

* Isa Hasan al-Yasiri (1942), Iraqi-Canadian poet
* J. Michael Yates (1938–2019), poet and dramatist
* Leo Yerxa
* Jean Yoon (born 1962), actor, poet, and playwright
* D'bi Young, born in Jamaica, moved to Canada in 1993; dub poet, actor, and playwright
* Ian Young
* Josée Yvon

## Z

* A. Light Zachary
* Robert Zend (1929–1985), Hungarian-Canadian poet, fiction writer, and multi-media artist
* David Zieroth
* Rachel Zolf, poet and editor
* Daniel Zomparelli
* Carolyn Zonailo (born 1947), poet and publisher
* Jan Zwicky (born 1955), philosopher, poet, essayist, and violinist