# Miss Canada

Miss Canada is a beauty pageant for young women in Canada. It was founded in Hamilton in 1946. No title was awarded from 1993 through 2008. The trademark was purchased in 2009 by a Québec organization who produces the pageant under the name to this day. According to the new Miss Canada and Miss Teen Canada web site, the title was re-established with a focus on personality over physical appearance. The Miss Canada competition is Canada's oldest extant beauty pageant.
Winnifred Blair of Saint John, New Brunswick was proclaimed the first "Miss Canada" on 11 February 1923 at an earlier, unrelated competition during the Montreal Winter Carnival. The runner-up in that event was Muriel Harper of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The first broadcast of the Miss Canada pageant aired on November 10, 1963 on CTV with news anchors Peter Jennings and Baden Langton hosting. Gordon MacRae was hired to sing the first Miss Canada Pageant song. Each of the 23 contestants was escorted by a young officer of the Canadian Armed Forces. Carol Ann Balmer of Toronto won, and Lise Mercier of Quebec City was Miss Congeniality. The escorts were selected and supervised by a young Armoured Corps Officer, J. R. Digger MacDougall, who escorted the runner up, Lise Mercier.
Jennings remained as solo host until 1966 and was replaced by game show host Jim Perry, who hosted the pageant until 1990. Dominique Dufour, the winner of the Miss Canada Pageant in 1981, co-hosted with Perry from 1982 until 1990. The final pageant before its initial cancellation aired in late 1991 and was hosted by Peter Feniak and Liz Grogan.
The show was popular in the 1970s, with up to 5 million viewers, but declined in the 1980s, until it was cancelled in 1992. Producers of the show cited mounting production costs, as the reason for cancellation. The last winner was Miss Canada 1992 Nicole Dunsdon from British Columbia.
Between 1947 and 1962, the Miss Canada Pageant sent delegates to the Miss America pageant. No Miss Canada ever won Miss America but some placed.
The Miss Canada Pageant obtained the franchise for the Miss Universe Pageant in 1978, when that year's first runner-up, Andrea Leslie Eng, competed internationally. From 1979 to the final 1992 contest before cancellation, the winners of Miss Canada went on to compete. Miss Canada 1982, Karen Baldwin, is the only Miss Canada to also win Miss Universe. Since 2003, Canada's representative to Miss Universe has been chosen by the Miss Universe Canada pageant.

## Winners

The following is a list of winners:
| Year | Winner | City, Province | Runner-up (Second Place) |
| 2024 | Tanpreet Parmar | Vancouver, British Columbia | Geneviève McSween |
| 2023 | Ashley Maria Borzellino | Hamilton, Ontario | Melyka Raby |
| 2022 | Marielle David | Sainte-Marie-Saint Raphaël, New Brunswick | Melyka Raby |
| 2021 | Madison Stewart | Vancouver, British Columbia | Rabiah Dhaliwal |
| 2020 | Bremiella De Guzman | Surrey, British Columbia | Jasmin Chahal |
| 2019 | Christine Jamieson | Mission, British Columbia | Marie-Hélène Mallet |
| 2018 | Maria Giorlando | Windsor, Ontario | Beenu Bajwa |
| 2017 | Ciara Thompson | Huntsville, Ontario |
| 2016 | Anabelle Côté | Sherbrooke, Quebec | Karmen Brar |
| 2015 | Dominique Doucette | Campbellton, New Brunswick |
| 2014 | Priya Madaan | Windsor, Ontario |
| 2013 | Inès Gavran | Quebec |
| 2012 | Jaclyn Miles | Amherstburg, Ontario |
| 2011 | Tara Teng | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 2010 | Mélanie Paquin | Gatineau, Quebec |
| 2009 | Lorie Racicot | Montreal, Quebec |
| 1992 | Nicole Dunsdon | Summerland, British Columbia |
| 1991 | Leslie McLaren | Edmonton, Alberta |
| 1990 | Robin Lee Ouzunoff | Niagara Region, Ontario | Tanya Herman |
| 1989 | Juliette Powell | Laurentians Region, Quebec | Kari Lee Hudson |
| 1988 | Melinda Gillies | London, Ontario | Suzie Pilon |
| 1987 | Tina May Simpson | Niagara Region, Ontario | Cindy MacCallum |
| 1986 | Rene Newhouse | Cranbrook, British Columbia | Wynne Anita Kroontje |
| 1985 | Karen Elizabeth Tilley | Calgary, Alberta | Michelle Irene "Mia" Tambling |
| 1984 | Cynthia Kereluk | Edmonton, Alberta | Iris Hope Naumenko |
| 1983 | Jodi Yvonne Rutledge | Manitoba | Lilianne Pelchat |
| 1982 | Karen Dianne Baldwin | London, Ontario | Renee Louise McLoughlin |
| 1981 | Dominique Dufour | Laval, Quebec | Donna Rupert |
| 1980 | Terry MacKay | Calgary, Alberta | Marie Laurin |
| 1979 | Heidi Quiring | Manitoba | Johanne Turenne |
| 1978 | Catherine Swing | Toronto, Ontario | Andrea Leslie Eng |
| 1977 | Yvonne Foster | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Louise Josée Mondoux |
| 1976 | Sylvia McGuire | Nova Scotia | Mary-Lu Zahalan |
| 1975 | Terry Lynne Meyer | Edmonton, Alberta | Manni Mary Fink |
| 1974 | Blair Lancaster | Burlington, Ontario | Line Renaud |
| 1973 | Gillian Regehr | Victoria, British Columbia | Kim Jeffries |
| 1972 | Donna Mary Sawicky | Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario | Patricia Alison Bain |
| 1971 | Caroline Amelia Commisso | Thunder Bay, Ontario | Betty Ann Hopner |
| 1970 | Julie Maloney | Ottawa/Hull, Ontario/Quebec |
| 1969 | Marie-France Beaulieu | Montreal, Quebec |
| 1968 | Carol McKinnon | Prince Edward Island |
| 1967 | Barbara Kelly | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 1966 | Diane Landry | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| 1965 | Linda Douma | Victoria, British Columbia |
| 1964 | Carol Ann Balmer | Toronto, Ontario |
| 1962–63 | Helena "Nina" Holden* | Victoria, British Columbia |
| 1961 | Iris Thurlwell | Toronto, Ontario |
| 1960 | Rosemary Catherine Keenan | Rothesay, New Brunswick |
| 1959 | Danica d'Hondt | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 1958 | Joan May Fitzpatrick | Windsor, Ontario |
| 1957 | Dorothy Moreau | Montreal, Quebec |
| 1956 | Miss Canada title is post-dated | |
| 1955 | Dalyce Smith | Whitehorse, Yukon Territory |
| 1954 | Barbara Joan Markham | Cornwall, Ontario |
| 1953 | Kathleen Archibald | Kelowna, British Columbia |
| 1952 | Marilyn Reddick | Toronto, Ontario |
| 1951 | Marjorie Kelly | Courtland, Ontario |
| 1950 | Margaret Bradford | London, Ontario |
| 1949 | Margaret Lynn Munn | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 1948 | Betty Jean Ferguson | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| 1947 | Margaret Marshall | Toronto, Ontario |
| 1946 | Marion Saver | North York, Ontario |
* Connie-Gail Feller won the Miss Canada 1962 title and competed at Miss America, however was dethroned on 20 September 1961.

## Miss Canada at International Pageants
### Miss Canada at Miss America and Canadian representatives at Miss America

This is a list of women that represented Canada at the Miss America pageant. Canada sent representatives in 1922, 1945, and from 1947-1963. In 1922 and 1945, the delegates that were sent competed as their local titles. From 1947-1963, the winner of Miss Canada represented Canada at Miss America.
* : Declared as Winner
* : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
* : Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
* : Ended as special awards winner
| Year | Miss Canada America | Local Title | Miss America Talent | Placement at Miss America | Special Awards at Miss America | Notes |
| No Representatives since 1964 |||||||
| 1963 | Helena “Nina” Marie Holden | Miss Victoria (BC) | | Unplaced | | |
| 1962 | Connie-Gail Feller | Miss Ottawa (ON) | | Unplaced | | |
| 1961 | Iris Elaine Thurlwell | Miss Northtown, Toronto (ON) | Vocal | Unplaced | Non-Finalist Talent Award (Best Popular Singer) | |
| 1960 | Rosemary Catherine Keenan | Miss Fredericton (NB) | | Top 10 | | |
| 1959 | Danica d'Hondt | Miss Vancouver Centennial | | Unplaced | | |
| 1958 | Joan May Fitzpatrick | Miss Windsor (ON) | | Unplaced | | |
| 1957 | Dorothy Germaine Moreau | Miss Montreal (QC) | | Top 10 | | |
| 1956 | Dalyce Gail Smith | Miss Whitehorse (YT) | | Unplaced | | |
| 1955 | Barbara Joan Markham | Miss Cornwall (ON) | | Unplaced | | |
| 1954 | Kathleen "Kathy" Ann Archibald | Miss Kelowna (BC) | | Unplaced | | |
| 1953 | Marilyn Delores Reddick | Miss Agincourt (ON) | | Unplaced | | |
| 1952 | Marjorie Alma Kelly | Miss Courtland (ON) | | Unplaced | Special Non-Finalist Talent Scholarship ($1,000) | |
| 1951 | Margaret Eleanore Bradford | Miss Windsor (ON) | | Unplaced | | |
| Miss America title was postdated |||||||
| 1949 | Margaret Lynn Munn | Miss Vancouver (BC) | Classical Vocal | Top 15 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| 1948 | Betty Jean Ferguson | Miss Halifax (NS) | | Unplaced | | |
| 1947 | Margaret Marshall | Miss Toronto (ON) | | 2nd Runner-Up | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | |
| No Representative in 1946 |||||||
| 1945 | Georgina Patterson | Miss Northern British Columbia (BC) | | Unplaced | Miss Congeniality | Competed under local title at Miss America |
| No Representatives between 1923—1944 |||||||
| 1922 | Marie Gauthier | Miss Montreal (QC) | N/A | Unplaced | | Multiple Canadian representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America |
| 1922 | Marjorie Smith | Miss Toronto (ON) | N/A | Unplaced | | Multiple Canadian representatives Contestants competed under local title at Miss America |
| No Representative in 1921 |||||||

## Hosts

Jaclyn Miles, a former Miss Canada: 2016-2019
Jim Perry: 1967-1991
Peter Jennings: 1963-1966