Every name in the artwork has a Canadian story. Tap an entry to see the connection.
What counts? Invented, developed or created in Canada; created by a Canadian; or a person whose life and work are meaningfully Canadian. Where credit is shared or debated, we say so.
Ideas and inventions
Snowmobile
Joseph-Armand Bombardier developed the modern tracked snow vehicle in Quebec.Standard time zones
Canadian engineer Sir Sandford Fleming led the international push for worldwide standard time.G-suit
Dr. Wilbur Franks developed the first practical anti-gravity flying suit at the University of Toronto.Alouette I
Designed and built in Canada, it made Canada the third country to construct its own satellite.Insulin
Banting, Best, Macleod and Collip developed insulin as a treatment at the University of Toronto.Pacemaker
John Hopps developed an early external electronic pacemaker through Canada’s National Research Council.Stem cells
James Till and Ernest McCulloch supplied the experimental proof of stem cells in Toronto.Cobalt-60 cancer therapy
Canadian teams in Saskatchewan and Ontario pioneered cobalt-60 treatment in 1951.Electric wheelchair
NRC engineer George Klein led the Canadian team that created a practical powered wheelchair.IMAX
The cinema system was created by Canadians Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr and William Shaw.Garbage bag
Canadians Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen developed disposable polyethylene garbage bags.Deep learning
Geoffrey Hinton’s University of Toronto research helped turn neural networks into modern AI.Canola
Canadian plant breeders including Baldur Stefansson and Keith Downey developed the crop.Marquis wheat
Charles Saunders developed it at Canada’s Central Experimental Farm.Snowblower
Arthur Sicard built the first practical rotary snowblower in Quebec.Rotary railroad snowplow
Toronto inventor J.W. Elliot patented the concept; Orange Jull later refined it.de Havilland Beaver
The bush plane was designed and built by de Havilland Canada in Ontario.Crash position indicator
Canadian aviation research helped develop deployable aircraft crash-location technology.Pablum
The fortified infant cereal was developed at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.AC radio
Canadian-born Reginald Fessenden pioneered AM radio and wireless voice transmission.Canadarm and Canadarm2
Both space robotics systems were designed and built by Canadian aerospace teams.Robertson screw
P.L. Robertson invented and manufactured the square-drive screw system in Ontario.STEM antenna
The compact extendible space boom was developed at Canada’s National Research Council.Basketball
Invented in Massachusetts by Canadian-born educator James Naismith: American location, Canadian inventor.Food, drink and games
Poutine
Fries, cheese curds and gravy came together in rural Quebec in the 1950s.Caesar cocktail
Walter Chell created it in Calgary in 1969.Hawaiian pizza
Sam Panopoulos created it in Chatham, Ontario, in 1962.Ginger beef
The dish is traced to Calgary’s Chinese-Canadian restaurant scene.Nanaimo bars
The dessert is inseparable from Nanaimo, B.C., though its precise inventor is debated.Butter tarts
Recipes have appeared in Canadian cookbooks since the early twentieth century.Trivial Pursuit
Chris Haney and Scott Abbott created the game in Montreal.Stories, screens and stages
Anne of Green Gables
L.M. Montgomery wrote and set Anne’s story in Prince Edward Island.The Handmaid’s Tale
Written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood.Schitt’s Creek
Created by Canadians Eugene and Dan Levy and produced in Canada.SCTV
Second City Television began in Toronto.Degrassi
The franchise was created and produced in Toronto.The Kids in the Hall
The Canadian sketch troupe formed in Toronto.Cirque du Soleil
It grew from a group of Quebec street performers.Writers and musicians
Margaret Atwood
Ottawa-born novelist, poet and essayist.Leonard Cohen
Montreal-born poet, novelist and songwriter.Joni Mitchell
Born in Alberta and raised in Saskatchewan.Gordon Lightfoot
Born in Orillia, Ontario.Oscar Peterson
Montreal-born jazz pianist.Céline Dion
Born in Charlemagne, Quebec.Shania Twain
Born in Windsor and raised in Timmins.Bryan Adams
Born in Kingston and built his career from Vancouver.Neil Young
Born in Toronto and raised in Ontario and Manitoba.Alanis Morissette
Ottawa-born singer-songwriter.Sarah McLachlan
Born in Halifax and based in Vancouver.Rush
The rock band formed in Toronto.The Tragically Hip
The band formed in Kingston, Ontario.The Weeknd
Abel Tesfaye was born and raised in Toronto.Drake
The Toronto-born performer began on Canadian television.Justin Bieber
Born in London and raised in Stratford, Ontario.Film, television and comedy
Lorne Michaels
Born in Toronto and began in broadcasting at the CBC.William Shatner
Montreal-born actor.Jim Carrey
Born in Newmarket, Ontario, and began performing in Toronto.Martin Short
Born in Hamilton; his career grew through Canadian theatre and SCTV.Eugene Levy
Hamilton-born actor and writer who emerged from SCTV.Catherine O’Hara
Toronto-born performer who came to prominence through SCTV.Michael J. Fox
Born in Edmonton and began acting in Canadian television.Ryan Reynolds
Vancouver-born actor.Keanu Reeves
Raised in Toronto, a Canadian citizen who began acting in Canada.Pamela Anderson
Born in Ladysmith, British Columbia.Mike Myers
Toronto-born comedian who began with Second City.Dan Aykroyd
Ottawa-born comedian who developed his early career in Canada.Donald Sutherland
Born in Saint John and raised in Atlantic Canada.Kiefer Sutherland
Raised in Toronto with deep Canadian film and theatre roots.John Candy
Toronto-born SCTV performer.Christopher Plummer
Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal.Paul Shaffer
Thunder Bay-born musician and bandleader.Seth Rogen
Born and raised in Vancouver.David Cronenberg
Toronto-born filmmaker.James Cameron
Born in Kapuskasing, Ontario.Dan Levy
Toronto-born co-creator of Schitt’s Creek.A Canadian who belongs on every list
Terry Fox
The Winnipeg-born, B.C.-raised athlete began the Marathon of Hope in 1980.This is a living list. Canadian stories are rarely simple, and reasonable people can debate origins and credit. We describe the specific Canadian connection so you can decide for yourself.