The Greatest Canadian
Top 10
Table:
Rank

Image

Name

Notability

Birthplace

Advocate

10

Wayne Gretzky

Hockey player, holder of numerous NHL records

Brantford, Ontario

Deborah Grey[2]

9

Alexander Graham Bell

Scientist, inventor,
founder of the Bell Telephone Company

Edinburgh, Scotland

Evan Solomon

8

Sir John A. Macdonald

First Prime Minister of Canada

Glasgow, Scotland

Charlotte Gray

7

Don Cherry

Hockey coach and commentator

Kingston, Ontario

Bret Hart

6

Lester B. Pearson

Fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada,
United Nations General Assembly President,
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Toronto, Ontario

Paul Gross

5

David Suzuki

Environmentalist

Vancouver, British Columbia

Melissa Auf der Maur

4

Sir Frederick Banting

Medical scientist, co-discoverer of insulin,
winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Alliston, Ontario

Mary Walsh

3

Pierre Trudeau

Fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada

Montreal, Quebec

Rex Murphy

2

Terry Fox

Athlete, activist, humanitarian

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Sook-Yin Lee

1

Tommy Douglas

Father of Medicare, Premier of Saskatchewan

Falkirk, Scotland

George Stroumboulopoulos

With reference to the table together with the supporting text below.

Respond to the question below: What was the birthplace of the Greatest Canadian who fought to block provincial efforts to take power back from the national government in Ottawa ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

Wayne Douglas Gretzky CC ( /ˈɡrɛtski/ ; born January 26 , 1961 ) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach . He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) for four teams from 1979 to 1999 . Nicknamed The Great One , he has been called the greatest hockey player ever by many sportswriters , players , and the NHL itself . Gretzky is the leading scorer in NHL history , with more goals and assists than any other player . He garnered more assists than any other player scored total points , and is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season - a feat he accomplished four times . In addition , Gretzky tallied over 100 points in 16 professional seasons , 14 of them consecutive . At the time of his retirement in 1999 , he held 61 NHL records : 40 regular season records , 15 playoff records , and 6 All-Star records . Born and raised in Brantford , Ontario , Canada , Gretzky honed his skills at a backyard rink and regularly played minor hockey at a level far above his peers . Despite his unimpressive stature , strength and speed , Gretzky 's intelligence and reading of the game were unrivaled . He was adept at dodging checks from opposing players , and consistently anticipated where the puck was going to be and executed the right move at the right time . Gretzky became known for setting up behind his opponent 's net , an area that was nicknamed Gretzky 's office . In 1978 , Gretzky signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) , where he briefly played before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers .
The National Hockey League ( NHL ; French : Ligue nationale de hockey - LNH ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America , currently comprising 31 teams : 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada . The NHL is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world , and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada . The Stanley Cup , the oldest professional sports trophy in North America , is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season . The National Hockey League was organized on November 26 , 1917 , at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal after the suspension of operations of its predecessor organization , the National Hockey Association ( NHA ) , which had been founded in 1909 in Renfrew , Ontario . The NHL immediately took the NHA 's place as one of the leagues that contested for the Stanley Cup in an annual interleague competition before a series of league mergers and foldings left the NHL as the only league left competing for the Stanley Cup in 1926 . At its inception , the NHL had four teams - all in Canada , thus the adjective National in the league 's name . The league expanded to the United States in 1924 , when the Boston Bruins joined , and has since consisted of American and Canadian teams . From 1942 to 1967 , the league had only six teams , collectively ( if not contemporaneously ) nicknamed the Original Six . The NHL added six new teams to double its size at the 1967 NHL expansion . The league then increased to 18 teams by 1974 and 21 teams in 1979 . Between 1991 and 2000 , the NHL further expanded to 30 teams . It added its 31st team in 2017 and has approved the addition of a 32nd team in 2021 .
Brantford ( 2016 population 97,496 ; CMA population 134,203 ) is a city in southwestern Ontario , Canada , founded on the Grand River . It is surrounded by Brant County , but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully independent of the county 's municipal government . Brantford is named after Joseph Brant , an important Mohawk chief during the American Revolutionary War and later , who led his people in their first decades in Upper Canada . Many of his descendants , and other First Nations citizens , live on the nearby Reserve of Six Nations of the Grand River , 20 kilometers from Brantford ; it is the most populous reserve in Canada . Brantford is known as the Telephone City as the city 's famous resident , Alexander Graham Bell , invented the first telephone at his father 's homestead , Melville House , now the Bell Homestead .
Ontario is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada . Located in Central Canada , it is Canada 's most populous province , with 38.3 percent of the country 's population , and is the second-largest province in total area . Ontario is fourth-largest jurisdiction in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included . It is home to the nation 's capital city , Ottawa , and the nation 's most populous city , Toronto , which is also Ontario 's provincial capital . Ontario is bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west , Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north , and Quebec to the east and northeast , and to the south by the U.S. states of ( from west to east ) Minnesota , Michigan , Ohio , Pennsylvania , and New York . Almost all of Ontario 's 2,700 km ( 1,678 mi ) border with the United States follows inland waterways : from the westerly Lake of the Woods , eastward along the major rivers and lakes of the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence River drainage system . These include Rainy River , Pigeon River , Lake Superior , St. Marys River , Lake Huron , St. Clair River , Lake St. Clair , Detroit River , Lake Erie , Niagara River , Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River from Kingston , Ontario , to the Quebec boundary just east of Cornwall , Ontario . There is only about 1 km ( 0.6 mi ) of land border , made up of portages including Height of Land Portage on the Minnesota border . Ontario is sometimes conceptually divided into two regions , Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario . The great majority of Ontario 's population and arable land is in the south . In contrast , the larger , northern part of Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and heavy forestation .
Deborah Cleland Grey , PC OC ( born July 1 , 1952 ) is a Canadian former Member of Parliament from Alberta for the Reform Party of Canada , the Canadian Alliance , and the Conservative Party of Canada . She was the first female Leader of the Opposition in Canadian history . She currently serves on the advisory board of the Leaders ' Debates Commission .
Alexander Graham Bell ( /ˈɡreɪ.əm/ ; March 3 , 1847 - August 2 , 1922 ) was a Scottish-born [ N 2 ] American inventor , scientist , and engineer who is credited with inventing and patenting the first practical telephone . He also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company ( AT & T ) in 1885 . Bell 's father , grandfather , and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech and both his mother and wife were deaf , profoundly influencing Bell 's life 's work . His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone , on March 7 , 1876 . [ N 3 ] Bell considered his invention an intrusion on his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study . [ N 4 ] Many other inventions marked Bell 's later life , including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications , hydrofoils , and aeronautics . Although Bell was not one of the 33 founders of the National Geographic Society , he had a strong influence on the magazine while serving as the second president from January 7 , 1898 , until 1903 . Beyond his scientific work , Bell was an advocate of compulsory sterilization , and served as chairman or president of several eugenics organizations .
The Bell Telephone Company , a common law joint stock company , was organized in Boston , Massachusetts on July 9 , 1877 , by Alexander Graham Bell 's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard , who also helped organize a sister company - the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company . The Bell Telephone Company was started on the basis of holding potentially valuable patents , principally Bell 's master telephone patent # 174465 . The two companies merged on February 17 , 1879 , to form two new entities , the National Bell Telephone Company of Boston , and the International Bell Telephone Company , soon after established by Hubbard and which became headquartered in Brussels , Belgium . Theodore Vail then took over its operations at that point , becoming a central figure in its rapid growth and commercial success . The National Bell Telephone Company merged with American Speaking Telephone Company on March 20 , 1880 , to form the American Bell Telephone Company , also of Boston , Massachusetts . Upon its inception , the Bell Telephone Company was organized with Hubbard as trustee , although he was additionally its de facto president , since he also controlled his daughter 's shares by power of attorney , and with Thomas Sanders , its principal financial backer , as treasurer . The American Bell Telephone Company evolved into the American Telephone & Telegraph Company ( AT & T ) , at times the world 's largest telephone company .
Edinburgh ( /ˈɛdɪnbərə/ ( listen ) ; Scots : Edinburgh ; Scottish Gaelic : Dùn Èideann [ ˈt̪uːn ˈeːtʲən̪ˠ ] ) is the capital of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas . Historically part of the county of Midlothian ( interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921 ) , it is located in Lothian on the Firth of Forth 's southern shore . Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century , Edinburgh is the seat of the Scottish Government , the Scottish Parliament and the supreme courts of Scotland . The city 's Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland . The city has long been a centre of education , particularly in the fields of medicine , Scots law , literature , philosophy , the sciences and engineering . It is the second largest financial centre in the United Kingdom ( after London ) and the city 's historical and cultural attractions have made it the United Kingdom 's second most popular tourist destination attracting 1.75 million visits from overseas in 2016 . Edinburgh is Scotland 's second most populous city and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom . The official population estimates are 488,050 ( 2016 ) for the Locality of Edinburgh ( Edinburgh pre 1975 regionalisation plus Currie and Balerno ) , 518,500 ( 2018 ) for the City of Edinburgh , and 1,339,380 ( 2014 ) for the city region . Edinburgh lies at the heart of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland city region comprising East Lothian , Edinburgh , Fife , Midlothian , Scottish Borders and West Lothian . The city is the annual venue of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland . It is home to national institutions such as the National Museum of Scotland , the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery . The University of Edinburgh , founded in 1582 and now one of four in the city , is placed 20th in the QS World University Rankings for 2020 .
Evan Solomon ( born April 20 , 1968 ) is a Canadian columnist , political journalist , and radio host . He is the host of The Evan Solomon Show on Toronto-area talk radio station CFRB , a writer for Maclean 's magazine , and the host of CTV 's national political news program Question Period .
Sir John Alexander Macdonald [ a ] ( 11 January 1815 [ b ] - 6 June 1891 ) was the first prime minister of Canada ( 1867-1873 , 1878-1891 ) . The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation , he had a political career which spanned almost half a century . Macdonald was born in Scotland ; when he was a boy his family immigrated to Kingston in the Province of Upper Canada ( today in eastern Ontario ) . As a lawyer he was involved in several high-profile cases and quickly became prominent in Kingston , which elected him in 1844 to the legislature of the Province of Canada . By 1857 , he had become premier under the colony 's unstable political system . In 1864 , when no party proved capable of governing for long , Macdonald agreed to a proposal from his political rival , George Brown , that the parties unite in a Great Coalition to seek federation and political reform . Macdonald was the leading figure in the subsequent discussions and conferences , which resulted in the British North America Act , 1867 and the birth of Canada as a nation on 1 July 1867 . Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of the new nation , and served 19 years ; only William Lyon Mackenzie King served longer . In 1873 , he resigned from office over a scandal in which his party took bribes from businessmen seeking the contract to build the Canadian Pacific Railway . However , he was re-elected in 1878 , continuing until he died in office in 1891 . Macdonald 's greatest achievements were building and guiding a successful national government for the new Dominion , using patronage to forge a strong Conservative Party , promoting the protective tariff of the National Policy , and completing the railway . He fought to block provincial efforts to take power back from the national government in Ottawa .
The Prime Minister of Canada is an official who serves as the primary minister of the Crown , chair of the Cabinet , and thus head of government of Canada . Officially , the prime minister is appointed by the Governor General of Canada , but by constitutional convention , the prime minister must have the confidence of the elected House of Commons . Normally , this is the leader of the party caucus with the greatest number of seats in the house . But if that leader lacks the support of the majority , the governor general can appoint another leader who has that support or may dissolve parliament and call a new election . By constitutional convention , a prime minister holds a seat in parliament and , since the early 20th century , this has more specifically meant the House of Commons . The office is not outlined in any of the documents that constitute the written portion of the Constitution of Canada ; executive authority is formally vested in the sovereign and exercised on his or her behalf by the governor general . The prime ministership is part of Canada 's constitutional convention tradition . The office was modelled after that which existed in Britain at the time . Sir John A. Macdonald was commissioned by the Viscount Monck on 24 May 1867 , to form the first government of the Canadian Confederation . On 1 July 1867 , the first ministry assumed office . The date for which a prime minister begins his or her term has been determined by the date that he or she is sworn into his or her portfolio , as an oath of office as prime minister is not required . However , since 1957 , the incoming prime minister has sworn an oath as prime minister .
Glasgow ( /ˈɡlæzɡoʊ/ , also UK : /ˈɡlɑːzɡoʊ , ˈɡlɑːsɡoʊ/ , US : /ˈɡlæsɡoʊ , ˈɡlæskoʊ/ ; Scots : Glesga [ ˈɡlezɡə ] ; Scottish Gaelic : Glaschu [ ˈkl̪ˠas̪əxu ] ) is the most populous city in Scotland , and the third most populous city in the United Kingdom , as of the 2017 estimated city population of 621,020 . Historically part of Lanarkshire , the city now forms the Glasgow City council area , one of the 32 council areas of Scotland ; the local authority is Glasgow City Council . Glasgow is situated on the River Clyde in the country 's West Central Lowlands . It is the fifth most visited city in the UK . Inhabitants of the city are referred to as Glaswegians or , informally , as Weegies . Glasgow is also known for the Glasgow patter , a distinct dialect of the Scots language that is noted for being difficult to understand by those from outside the city . Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde to become the largest seaport in Scotland , and tenth largest by tonnage in Britain . Expanding from the medieval bishopric and royal burgh , and the later establishment of the University of Glasgow in the fifteenth century , it became a major centre of the Scottish Enlightenment in the eighteenth century . From the eighteenth century onwards , the city also grew as one of Great Britain 's main hubs of transatlantic trade with North America and the West Indies . With the onset of the Industrial Revolution , the population and economy of Glasgow and the surrounding region expanded rapidly to become one of the world 's pre-eminent centres of chemicals , textiles and engineering ; most notably in the shipbuilding and marine engineering industry , which produced many innovative and famous vessels . Glasgow was the Second City of the British Empire for much of the Victorian era and Edwardian period , although many cities argue the title was theirs . In the late 19th and early 20th centuries , Glasgow 's population grew rapidly , reaching a peak of 1,127,825 people in 1938 .
Charlotte Gray , CM ( born January 3 , 1948 ) is a British born Canadian historian and author . The Winnipeg Free Press has called her one of Canada 's best-loved writers of popular history and literary biography .
Donald Stewart Cherry ( born February 5 , 1934 ) is a Canadian ice hockey commentator . He is also a sports writer , as well as a retired professional hockey player and National Hockey League ( NHL ) coach . Cherry played one game with the Boston Bruins , and later coached the team for five seasons after concluding a successful playing career in the American Hockey League . From 1986 to 2019 , Cherry co-hosted Coach 's Corner - a segment aired during CBC 's Saturday-night NHL broadcast Hockey Night in Canada , with Ron MacLean . Nicknamed Grapes , he is known for his outspoken manner and opinions , and his flamboyant dress . By the 2018-19 NHL season , Cherry and MacLean had hosted Coach 's Corner for 33 seasons . From 1984 to 2019 , Cherry also hosted Grapeline , a short-form radio segment with fellow sportscaster Brian Williams , and also created the video series Rock'em Sock'em Hockey . In 2004 , Cherry was voted by viewers as the seventh-greatest Canadian of all-time in the CBC miniseries The Greatest Canadian . In March 2010 , his life was dramatized in a two-part CBC movie , Keep Your Head Up , Kid : The Don Cherry Story , based on a script written by his son , Timothy Cherry . In March 2012 , CBC aired a sequel , The Wrath of Grapes : The Don Cherry Story II . Cherry has sometimes proven controversial for making political comments during Coach 's Corner , having faced criticism for remarks regarding Canada 's lack of support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq , insinuating that only Europeans and French guys wore visors on their helmets , and denying climate change . In November 2019 , Cherry was fired by Sportsnet from Hockey Night in Canada for comments that suggested Canadian immigrants benefit from the sacrifices of veterans but do not wear Remembrance Day poppies .
Hockey is a sport in which two teams play against each other by trying to manoeuvre a ball or a puck into the opponent 's goal using a hockey stick . There are many types of hockey such as bandy , field hockey , ice hockey and rink hockey . In most of the world , the term hockey by itself refers to field hockey , while in Canada , the United States , Finland , Sweden , Latvia , the Czech Republic and Slovakia , the term usually refers to ice hockey .
Kingston is a city in Eastern Ontario , Canada . It is on the eastern end of Lake Ontario , at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River ( south end of the Rideau Canal ) . The city is midway between Toronto , Ontario and Montreal , Quebec . The Thousand Islands tourist region is nearby to the east . Kingston is nicknamed the Limestone City because of the many heritage buildings constructed using local limestone . Growing European exploration in the 17th century , and the desire for the Europeans to establish a presence close to local Native occupants to control trade , led to the founding of a French trading post and military fort at a site known as Cataraqui ( generally pronounced kah-tah-ROCK-way ) in 1673 . This outpost , called Fort Cataraqui , and later Fort Frontenac , became a focus for settlement . Cataraqui would be renamed Kingston after the British took possession of the fort , and Loyalists began settling the region in the 1780s . Kingston was named the first capital of the United Province of Canada on February 10 , 1841 . While its time as a capital city was short ( ending in 1844 ) , the community has remained an important military installation . Kingston was the county seat of Frontenac County until 1998 . Kingston is now a separate municipality from the County of Frontenac .
Bret Sergeant Hart ( born July 2 , 1957 ) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler , amateur wrestler , writer and actor . A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler , he has an amateur wrestling background , wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College . A major international draw within professional wrestling , he has been credited with changing the perception of mainstream North-American professional wrestling in the early 1990s by bringing technical in-ring performance to the fore . Hart is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time ; Sky Sports noted that his legacy is that of one of , if not the greatest , to have ever graced the squared circle . For most of his career , he used the nickname Hitman . Hart joined his father Stu Hart 's promotion Stampede Wrestling in 1976 as a referee and made his in-ring debut in 1978 . He gained championship success during the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF , now WWE ) , where he helmed The Hart Foundation stable . He left for World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) following the controversial Montreal Screwjob in November 1997 , where he remained until October 2000 . Having been inactive from in-ring competition since January 2000 , owing to a December 1999 concussion , he officially retired in October 2000 , shortly after his departure from the company . He returned to sporadic in-ring competition from 2010-2011 with WWE , where he won his final championship , headlined the 2010 SummerSlam event , and served as the general manager of Raw . Throughout his career , Hart headlined WrestleMania IX , X , and XII , and participated in the main event of Starrcade 1997 and 1999 - as a special enforcer and referee in the former . [ c ] Hart has held championships in five decades from the 1970s to the 2010s , with a total of 32 held throughout his career , and 17 held between the WWF/WWE and WCW .
Lester Bowles Mike Pearson PC OM CC OBE ( 23 April 1897 - 27 December 1972 ) was a Canadian scholar , statesman , soldier , prime minister , and diplomat , who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis . He was the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968 , as the head of two back-to-back Liberal minority governments following elections in 1963 and 1965 . During Pearson 's time as prime minister , his Liberal minority governments introduced universal health care , student loans , the Canada Pension Plan , the Order of Canada , and the Maple Leaf flag . His Liberal government also unified Canada 's armed forces . Pearson convened the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism , and he kept Canada out of the Vietnam War . In 1967 , his government passed Bill C-168 , which de facto abolished capital punishment in Canada by restricting it to a few capital offences for which it was never used , and which themselves were abolished in 1976 . With these accomplishments , together with his groundbreaking work at the United Nations and in international diplomacy , Pearson is generally considered among the most influential Canadians of the 20th century and is ranked among the greatest Canadian prime ministers .
The United Nations General Assembly ( UNGA or GA ; French : Assemblée générale , AG ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations ( UN ) , the only one in which all member nations have equal representation , and the main deliberative , policy-making , and representative organ of the UN . Its powers are to oversee the budget of the UN , appoint the non-permanent members to the Security Council , appoint the Secretary-General of the United Nations , receive reports from other parts of the UN , and make recommendations in the form of General Assembly Resolutions . It has also established numerous subsidiary organs . The General Assembly currently meets under its president or secretary-general in annual sessions at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City , the main part of which lasts from September to December and part of January until all issues are addressed ( which often is just before the next session 's start ) . It can also reconvene for special and emergency special sessions . Its composition , functions , powers , voting , and procedures are set out in Chapter IV of the United Nations Charter . The first session was convened on 10 January 1946 in the Methodist Central Hall in London and included representatives of 51 nations . Voting in the General Assembly on certain important questions , namely , recommendations on peace and security , budgetary concerns , and the election , admission , suspension or expulsion of members is by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting . Other questions are decided by a straightforward majority . Each member country has one vote . Apart from approval of budgetary matters , including adoption of a scale of assessment , Assembly resolutions are not binding on the members . The Assembly may make recommendations on any matters within the scope of the UN , except matters of peace and security under Security Council consideration .
The President of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted for by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly ( UNGA ) on a yearly basis . The President presides over the sessions of the General Assembly . On June 4 , 2019 , Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of Nigeria was elected the President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly and later succeeded María Fernanda Espinosa , whose term officially ended in September 2019 .
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist , inventor , and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel , along with the prizes in Chemistry , Physics , Physiology or Medicine , and Literature . Since March 1901 , it has been awarded annually ( with some exceptions ) to those who have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations , for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses . Per Alfred Nobel 's will , the recipient is selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee , a five-member committee appointed by the Parliament of Norway . Since 1990 , the prize is awarded on 10 December in Oslo City Hall each year . The prize was formerly awarded in the Atrium of the University of Oslo Faculty of Law ( 1947-1989 ) , the Norwegian Nobel Institute ( 1905-1946 ) , and the Parliament ( 1901-1904 ) . Due to its political nature , the Nobel Peace Prize has , for most of its history , been the subject of numerous controversies .
Paul Michael Gross , OC ( born April 30 , 1959 ) is a Canadian actor , producer , director , singer , and writer born in Calgary , Alberta . He is known for his lead role as Constable Benton Fraser in the television series Due South as well as his 2008 war film Passchendaele , which he wrote , produced , directed , and starred in . During Due South 's final season , Gross acted as executive producer in addition to starring , wrote the season three opener and finale , the two part series finale and wrote and sang songs for the show , some of which can be found on the two Due South soundtracks . He later found success with another Canadian TV series , Slings and Arrows . He also produced one film with Akshay Kumar called Speedy Singhs starring Camilla Belle and Vinay Virmani .
David Takayoshi Suzuki CC OBC FRSC ( born March 24 , 1936 ) is a Canadian academic , science broadcaster and environmental activist . Suzuki earned a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961 , and was a professor in the genetics department at the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001 . Since the mid-1970s , Suzuki has been known for his television and radio series , documentaries and books about nature and the environment . He is best known as host of the popular and long-running CBC Television science program The Nature of Things , seen in over 40 countries . He is also well known for criticizing governments for their lack of action to protect the environment . A longtime activist to reverse global climate change , Suzuki co-founded the David Suzuki Foundation in 1990 , to work to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that does sustain us . The Foundation 's priorities are : oceans and sustainable fishing , climate change and clean energy , sustainability , and Suzuki 's Nature Challenge . The Foundation also works on ways to help protect the oceans from large oil spills such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico . Suzuki has also served as a director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association from 1982 to 1987 . Suzuki was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 2009 . His 2011 book , The Legacy , won the Nautilus Book Award . He is a Companion of the Order of Canada .
British Columbia ( BC ; French : Colombie-Britannique ) is the westernmost province in Canada , located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains . With an estimated population of 5.1 million as of 2019 [ update ] , it is Canada 's third-most populous province . The first British settlement in the area was Fort Victoria , established in 1843 , which gave rise to the City of Victoria , at first the capital of the separate Colony of Vancouver Island . Subsequently , on the mainland , the Colony of British Columbia ( 1858-1866 ) was founded by Richard Clement Moody and the Royal Engineers , Columbia Detachment , in response to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush . Moody was Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works for the Colony and the first Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia : he was hand-picked by the Colonial Office in London to transform British Columbia into the British Empire 's bulwark in the farthest west , and to found a second England on the shores of the Pacific . Moody selected the site for and founded the original capital of British Columbia , New Westminster , established the Cariboo Road and Stanley Park , and designed the first version of the Coat of arms of British Columbia . Port Moody is named after him . In 1866 , Vancouver Island became part of the colony of British Columbia , and Victoria became the united colony 's capital . In 1871 , British Columbia became the sixth province of Canada . Its Latin motto is Splendor sine occasu ( Splendour without Diminishment ) . The capital of British Columbia is Victoria , the fifteenth-largest metropolitan region in Canada , named for Queen Victoria , who ruled during the creation of the original colonies . The largest city is Vancouver , the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada , the largest in Western Canada , and the second-largest in the Pacific Northwest .
Melissa Gaboriau Auf der Maur ( /ˌɔːf dər ˈmaʊər/ ; born March 17 , 1972 ) is a Canadian musician , singer-songwriter , photographer and actress . Auf der Maur began performing in 1993 after forming the indie rock band Tinker while she was a student at Concordia University . She was recruited as the bassist for the American alternative rock band Hole in the summer of 1994 and is included on several Hole releases , including the album Celebrity Skin ( 1998 ) . Following her departure from Hole in 1999 , Auf der Maur briefly joined The Smashing Pumpkins as a touring member for its 2000 tour and began her solo career ; her debut studio album , Auf der Maur , was released in 2004 on Capitol Records and her second studio album , Out of Our Minds , was released in 2010 on her own independent record label , PHI-MAdM Music . She has also collaborated with Indochine , Rufus Wainwright , Ric Ocasek and Neverending White Lights . Auf der Maur is also a photographer and occasional actress . Her photographs have been included in National Geographic and exhibited at Sotheby 's . She has acted in How to Make the Cruelest Month ( 1998 ) , Beyond Borders ( 2003 ) and Collaborator ( 2011 ) . As part of her 2009 multidisciplinary project Out of Our Minds - which produced an album , a single , a film and a comic book - Auf der Maur acted as a film and record producer , working alongside her husband and filmmaker Tony Stone . Stone and Auf der Maur are the creative directors and owners of Basilica Hudson , an arts and performance center in Hudson , New York . VH1 placed Auf der Maur at number 68 on its list of 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll in 2007 and her solo albums have received favorable reviews .
Sir Frederick Grant Banting KBE MC FRS FRSC ( November 14 , 1891 - February 21 , 1941 ) was a Canadian medical scientist , physician , painter , and Nobel laureate noted as the co-discoverer of insulin and its therapeutic potential . In 1923 Banting and John James Rickard Macleod received the Nobel Prize in Medicine . Banting shared the honours and award money with his colleague , Dr. Charles Best . As of November 2018 [ update ] , Banting , who received the Nobel Prize at age 32 , remains the youngest Nobel laureate in the area of Physiology/Medicine . In 1923 the Government of Canada granted Banting a lifetime annuity to continue his work . In 1934 he was knighted by King George V .
Insulin ( from Latin insula , island ) is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets ; it is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body . It regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates , fats and protein by promoting the absorption of carbohydrates , especially glucose from the blood into liver , fat and skeletal muscle cells . In these tissues the absorbed glucose is converted into either glycogen via glycogenesis or fats ( triglycerides ) via lipogenesis , or , in the case of the liver , into both . Glucose production and secretion by the liver is strongly inhibited by high concentrations of insulin in the blood . Circulating insulin also affects the synthesis of proteins in a wide variety of tissues . It is therefore an anabolic hormone , promoting the conversion of small molecules in the blood into large molecules inside the cells . Low insulin levels in the blood have the opposite effect by promoting widespread catabolism , especially of reserve body fat . Beta cells are sensitive to blood sugar levels so that they secrete insulin into the blood in response to high level of glucose ; and inhibit secretion of insulin when glucose levels are low . Insulin enhances glucose uptake and metabolism in the cells , thereby reducing blood sugar level . Their neighboring alpha cells , by taking their cues from the beta cells , secrete glucagon into the blood in the opposite manner : increased secretion when blood glucose is low , and decreased secretion when glucose concentrations are high . Glucagon increases blood glucose level by stimulating glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in the liver . The secretion of insulin and glucagon into the blood in response to the blood glucose concentration is the primary mechanism of glucose homeostasis .
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Foundation for outstanding discoveries in the fields of life sciences and medicine . One of five prizes bequested in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel , it is an award for scientific progress through laboratory discoveries in experimental physiology . The Nobel Prize is presented annually on the anniversary of Nobel 's death , 10 December . As of 2019 , 110 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded to 207 men and 12 women . The first one was awarded in 1901 to the German physiologist Emil von Behring , for his work on serum therapy and the development of a vaccine against diphtheria . The first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine , Gerty Cori , received it in 1947 for her role in elucidating the metabolism of glucose , important in many aspects of medicine , including treatment of diabetes . The prize consists of a medal along with a diploma and a certificate for the monetary award . The front side of the medal displays the same profile of Alfred Nobel depicted on the medals for Physics , Chemistry , and Literature ; the reverse side is unique to this medal . The most recent Nobel prize was announced by Karolinska Institute on 7 October 2019 , and has been awarded to Americans William Kaelin Jr. , Gregg L. Semenza and British Peter J. Ratcliffe - for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability . Some awards have been controversial . This includes one to António Egas Moniz in 1949 for the prefrontal lobotomy , bestowed despite protests from the medical establishment . Other controversies resulted from disagreements over who was included in the award .
Alliston is a settlement in Simcoe County in the Canadian province of Ontario . It has been part of the Town of New Tecumseth since the 1991 amalgamation of Alliston and nearby villages of Beeton , Tottenham , and the Township of Tecumseth . The primary downtown area is located along Highway 89 , known as Victoria Street . The town grew as a commercial centre for the area farmers and was best known as a potato-growing area . It is still a major industry in the town and is celebrated by the annual Alliston Potato Festival . Honda of Canada Manufacturing operates a large auto manufacturing facility southeast of Alliston , currently consisting of three major factories . In the 2016 census , the town of Alliston grew by 25% since 2011 to 19,243 residents making it one of the top 10 fastest growing communities in Canada . This is over 5 times greater than the average growth recorded in Ontario during the same period . [ citation needed ]
Mary Cynthia Walsh CM ( born May 13 , 1952 ) is a Canadian actress , comedian , and writer . She is known for her work on This Hour Has 22 Minutes .
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau PC CC CH QC FRSC ( /ˈtruːdoʊ , truːˈdoʊ/ TROO-doh , troo-DOH , French : [ pjɛʁ tʁydo ] ; October 18 , 1919 - September 28 , 2000 ) , mostly referred to as simply Pierre Trudeau , or by the initials PET , was a Canadian politician who was the 15th prime minister of Canada and leader of the Liberal Party , between 1968 and 1984 , with a brief period as Leader of the Opposition , from 1979 to 1980 . His tenure of 15 years and 164 days makes him Canada 's third longest-serving Prime Minister , behind William Lyon Mackenzie King and John A. Macdonald . Trudeau rose to prominence as a lawyer , intellectual , and activist in Quebec politics . He joined the Liberal Party of Canada and was elected to the Canadian Parliament in 1965 , quickly being appointed as Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson 's Parliamentary Secretary . In 1967 , he was appointed Minister of Justice . Trudeau 's outgoing personality caused a media sensation , inspiring Trudeaumania , and helped him to win the leadership of the Liberal Party in 1968 , when he was appointed Prime Minister of Canada . From the late 1960s until the early 1980s , Trudeau 's personality dominated the political scene to an extent never before seen in Canadian political life . After his appointment as Prime Minister , he won the 1968 , 1972 and 1974 elections , before narrowly losing in 1979 . He won a fourth election victory shortly afterwards , in 1980 , and eventually retired from politics shortly before the 1984 election . Despite his personal motto , Reason before passion , his personality and political career aroused polarizing reactions throughout Canada during his time in office . Admirers praised what they consider to be the force of Trudeau 's intellect and his political acumen , maintaining national unity over the Quebec sovereignty movement , suppressing a Quebec terrorist crisis , fostering a pan-Canadian identity , and in achieving sweeping institutional reform , including the implementation of official bilingualism , patriation of the Constitution , and the establishment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms . Critics accused him of arrogance , of economic mismanagement , and of unduly centralizing Canadian decision-making to the detriment of the culture of Quebec and the economy of the Prairies .
Montreal ( /ˌmʌntriˈɔːl/ ( listen ) MUN-tree-AWL ; officially Montréal , French : [ mɔ̃ʁeal ] ( listen ) ) is the most populous municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec and the second-most populous municipality in Canada . Originally founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie , or City of Mary , it is named after Mount Royal , the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city . The city is centred on the Island of Montreal , which got its name from the same origin as the city , and a few much smaller peripheral islands , the largest of which is Île Bizard . It has a distinct four-season continental climate with warm to hot summers and cold , snowy winters . In 2016 , the city had a population of 1,704,694 , with a population of 1,942,247 in the urban agglomeration , including all of the other municipalities on the Island of Montreal . The broader metropolitan area had a population of 4,098,247 . French is the city 's official language and is the language spoken at home by 49.8% of the population of the city , followed by English at 22.8% and 18.3% other languages ( in the 2016 census , not including multi-language responses ) . In the larger Montreal Census Metropolitan Area , 65.8% of the population speaks French at home , compared to 15.3% who speak English . The agglomeration Montreal is one of the most bilingual cities in Quebec and Canada , with over 59% of the population able to speak both English and French . Montreal is the second largest primarily French-speaking city in the developed world , after Paris . It is situated 196 km ( 122 mi ) east of the national capital Ottawa , and 258 km ( 160 mi ) south-west of the provincial capital Quebec City . Historically the commercial capital of Canada , Montreal was surpassed in population and in economic strength by Toronto in the 1970s .
Quebec ( /k ( w ) ɪˈbɛk/ ( listen ) ; French : Québec [ kebɛk ] ( listen ) ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada . It is bordered to the west by the province of Ontario and the bodies of water James Bay and Hudson Bay ; to the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay ; to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador ; and to the south by the province of New Brunswick and the U.S. states of Maine , New Hampshire , Vermont , and New York . It also shares maritime borders with Nunavut , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia . Quebec is Canada 's largest province by area and its second-largest administrative division ; only the territory of Nunavut is larger . It is historically and politically considered to be part of Central Canada ( with Ontario ) . Quebec is the second-most populous province of Canada , after Ontario . It is the only one to have a predominantly French-speaking population , with French as the sole provincial official language . Most inhabitants live in urban areas near the Saint Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City , the capital . Approximately half of Quebec residents live in the Greater Montreal Area , including the Island of Montreal . English-speaking communities and English-language institutions are concentrated in the west of the island of Montreal but are also significantly present in the Outaouais , Eastern Townships , and Gaspé regions . The Nord-du-Québec region , occupying the northern half of the province , is sparsely populated and inhabited primarily by Aboriginal peoples . The climate around the major cities is four-seasons continental with cold and snowy winters combined with warm to hot humid summers , but farther north long winter seasons dominate and as a result the northern areas of the province are marked by tundra conditions .
Rex Murphy ( born March 1947 ) is a Canadian commentator and author , primarily on Canadian political and social matters . He was the regular host of CBC Radio One 's Cross Country Checkup , a nationwide call-in show , for 21 years before stepping down in September 2015 . He currently writes for the National Post and has a YouTube channel called RexTV .
Terrance Stanley Fox CC OD ( July 28 , 1958 - June 28 , 1981 ) was a Canadian athlete , humanitarian , and cancer research activist . In 1980 , with one leg having been amputated due to cancer , he embarked on an east to west cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research . Although the spread of his cancer eventually forced him to end his quest after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres ( 3,339 mi ) , and ultimately cost him his life , his efforts resulted in a lasting , worldwide legacy . The annual Terry Fox Run , first held in 1981 , has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world 's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research ; over C $ 750 million has been raised in his name , as of January 2018 . Fox was a distance runner and basketball player for his Port Coquitlam , British Columbia , high school and Simon Fraser University . His right leg was amputated in 1977 after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma , though he continued to run using an artificial leg . He also played wheelchair basketball in Vancouver , winning three national championships . In 1980 , he began the Marathon of Hope , a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research . He hoped to raise one dollar from each of Canada 's 24 million people . He began with little fanfare from St John 's , Newfoundland and Labrador , in April and ran the equivalent of a full marathon every day . Fox had become a national star by the time he reached Ontario ; he made numerous public appearances with businessmen , athletes , and politicians in his efforts to raise money . He was forced to end his run outside Thunder Bay when the cancer spread to his lungs .
Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life , whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans , in order to better humanity for moral , altruistic and logical reasons . It is the philosophical belief in movement toward the improvement of the human race in a variety of areas , used to describe a wide number of activities relating specifically to human welfare . A practitioner is known as a humanitarian .
Winnipeg ( /ˈwɪnɪpɛɡ/ ( listen ) ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada . It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers , near the longitudinal centre of North America . The city is named after the nearby Lake Winnipeg ; the name comes from the Western Cree words for muddy water . The region was a trading centre for Indigenous peoples long before the arrival of Europeans . French traders built the first fort on the site in 1738 . A settlement was later founded by the Selkirk settlers of the Red River Colony in 1812 , the nucleus of which was incorporated as the City of Winnipeg in 1873 . As at 2016 [ update ] , Winnipeg is the seventh-most populated municipality in Canada , with a resident population of about 778,500 . Being far inland , the local climate is extremely seasonal even by Canadian standards with average January lows of around −21 °C ( −6 °F ) and average July highs of 26 °C ( 79 °F ) . Known as the Gateway to the West , Winnipeg is a railway and transportation hub with a diversified economy . This multicultural city hosts numerous annual festivals , including the Festival du Voyageur , the Winnipeg Folk Festival , the Jazz Winnipeg Festival , the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival , and Folklorama . Winnipeg was the first Canadian host of the Pan American Games . It is home to several professional sports franchises , including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers ( Canadian football ) , the Winnipeg Jets ( ice hockey ) , Manitoba Moose ( ice hockey ) , Valour FC ( soccer ) , and the Winnipeg Goldeyes ( baseball ) .
Manitoba ( /ˌmænɪˈtoʊbə/ ( listen ) ) is a province at the longitudinal centre of Canada . It is often considered one of the three prairie provinces ( with Alberta and Saskatchewan ) and is Canada 's fifth-most populous province with its estimated 1.369 million people . Manitoba covers 649,950 square kilometres ( 250,900 sq mi ) with a widely varied landscape , stretching from the northern oceanic coastline to the southern border with the United States . The province is bordered by the provinces of Ontario to the east and Saskatchewan to the west , the territories of Nunavut to the north , and Northwest Territories to the northwest , and the U.S. states of North Dakota and Minnesota to the south . Indigenous peoples have inhabited what is now Manitoba for thousands of years . In the late 17th century , fur traders arrived on two major river systems , what is now called the Nelson in northern Manitoba and in the southeast along the Winnipeg River system . A Royal Charter in 1670 granted all the lands draining into Hudson 's Bay to the British company and they administered trade in what was then called Rupert 's Land . During the next 200 years , communities continued to grow and evolve , with a significant settlement of Michif in what is now Winnipeg . The assertion of Métis identity and self-rule culminated in negotiations for the creation of the province of Manitoba . There are many factors that led to an armed uprising of the Métis people against the Government of Canada , a conflict known as the Red River Rebellion . The resolution of the assertion of the right to representation led to the Parliament of Canada passing the Manitoba Act in 1870 that created the province . Manitoba 's capital and largest city , Winnipeg , is the eighth-largest census metropolitan area in Canada .
Sook-Yin Lee is a Canadian broadcaster , musician , film director , and actress , best known as a former MuchMusic VJ and a former radio host on CBC Radio .
Thomas Clement Douglas PC CC SOM ( 20 October 1904 - 24 February 1986 ) was a Canadian politician who served as Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and Leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971 . A Baptist minister , he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in 1935 as a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation ( CCF ) . He left federal politics to become Leader of the Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and then the seventh Premier of Saskatchewan . His cabinet was the first democratic socialist government in North America and it introduced the continent 's first single-payer , universal health care program , commonly known as Medicare . After setting up Saskatchewan 's Medicare program , Douglas stepped down and ran to lead the newly formed federal New Democratic Party ( NDP ) , the successor party of the national CCF . He was elected as its first federal leader in 1961 . Although Douglas never led the party to government , through much of his tenure the party held the balance of power in the House of Commons . He was noted as being the main opposition to the imposition of the War Measures Act during the 1970 October Crisis . He resigned as leader the next year , but remained as a Member of Parliament until 1979 . Douglas was awarded many honorary degrees , and a foundation was named for him and his political mentor M. J. Coldwell in 1971 . In 1981 , he was invested into the Order of Canada , and he became a member of Canada 's Privy Council in 1984 , two years before his death . In 2004 , a CBC Television program named Tommy Douglas The Greatest Canadian , based on a Canada-wide , viewer-supported survey .
Medicare ( French : assurance-maladie ) is an unofficial designation used to refer to the publicly funded , single-payer health care system of Canada . Canada does not have a unified national health care system ; instead , the system consists of 13 provincial and territorial health insurance plans that provide universal health care coverage to Canadian citizens , permanent residents , and certain temporary residents . These systems are individually administered on a provincial or territorial basis , within guidelines set by the federal government . The formal terminology for the insurance system is provided by the Canada Health Act and the health insurance legislation of the individual provinces and territories . The name is a contraction of medical and care , and was used in the United States for health care programs since at least 1953 . Under the terms of the Canada Health Act , all insured persons are entitled to receive insured services without copayment . Such services are defined as medically necessary services if provided in hospital , or by 'practitioners ' ( usually physicians ) . Approximately 70 percent of expenditures for health care in Canada come from public sources , with the rest paid privately ( both through private insurance , and through out-of-pocket payments ) . The extent of public financing varies considerably across services . For example , approximately 99 percent of physician services , and 90 percent of hospital care , are paid by publicly funded sources , whereas almost all dental care is paid for privately . Most physicians are self-employed private entities which enjoy coverage under each province 's respective healthcare plans . Services of non-physicians working within hospitals are covered ; conversely , provinces can , but are not forced to , cover services by non-physicians if provided outside hospitals .
This is a list of the premiers of the province of Saskatchewan , Canada , since it was formed in 1905 . Saskatchewan uses a unicameral Westminster-style parliamentary government , in which the premier is the leader of the party that has the support of a majority in the Legislative Assembly . The premier , sometimes called the prime , or first , minister , is Saskatchewan 's head of government . The premier chooses a cabinet from the elected members to form the Executive Council of Saskatchewan , and presides over that body . Members are first elected to the legislature during general elections . General elections must be conducted every five years from the date of the last election , but the premier may ask for early dissolution of the legislative assembly . An election may also happen if the Governing party loses the confidence of the legislature , by the defeat of a supply bill or tabling of a confidence motion . Prior to 1905 , Saskatchewan was part of the North-West Territories and was governed by the Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories from 1870 until 1897 , and the Premier of the North-West Territories from 1897 to 1905 .
Falkirk ( /ˈfɔːlkɜːrk/ ; Scots : The Fawkirk ; Scottish Gaelic : An Eaglais Bhreac ) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland , historically within the county of Stirlingshire . It lies in the Forth Valley , 23.3 miles ( 37.5 km ) north-west of Edinburgh and 20.5 miles ( 33.0 km ) north-east of Glasgow . Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the 2001 UK Census . The population of the town had risen to 34,570 according to a 2008 estimate , making it the 20th most populous settlement in Scotland . Falkirk is the main town and administrative centre of the Falkirk council area , which has an overall population of 156,800 and inholds the nearby towns of Grangemouth , Bo'ness , Denny , Larbert and Stenhousemuir , and the cluster of Braes villages . The town is at the junction of the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals , a location which proved key to its growth as a centre of heavy industry during the Industrial Revolution . In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries , Falkirk was at the centre of the iron and steel industry , underpinned by the Carron Company in nearby Carron . The company was responsible for making carronades for the Royal Navy and later manufactured pillar boxes . Within the last fifty years , heavy industry has waned , and the economy relies increasingly on retail and tourism . Despite this , Falkirk remains the home of many international companies like Alexander Dennis ; the largest bus production company in the United Kingdom . Falkirk has a long association with the publishing industry . The company now known as Johnston Press was established in the town in 1846 .
George Mark Paul Stroumboulopoulos ( /ˌstrɒmbəˈlɒpələs/ ; Greek : Γεώργιος Μάρκος Παύλος Στρουμπουλόπουλος ; born August 16 , 1972 ) is a Canadian media personality . He is best known as formerly being a VJ for the Canadian music television channel MuchMusic and being the host of the CBC Television talk show George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight ( formerly The Hour ) from 2005 to 2014 . From 2014 to 2016 , Stroumboulopoulos worked for Rogers Media , anchoring Hockey Night in Canada and the NHL on Rogers . He is currently ( as of December , 2019 ) a radio host on CBC Music .