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Mungo Martin, or Nakapankam, meaning a potlatch chief "ten times over," or Datsa, meaning "grandfather," Northwest Coast carver, painter, singer, songwriter, teacher (b at Fort Rupert, Vancouver Island 1879; d at Victoria 16 Aug 1962), stepson of Charlie James (recognized Kwakwaka'wakw carver), and tutor to Henry Hunt, Tony Hunt, and Bill Reid.

Christi Belcourt, Métis visual artist, activist, author (born 24 September 1966, in Scarborough, ON). Though born in Ontario, Belcourt is from the Métis community manitow sâkahikan (Lac Ste Anne), Alberta. The vibrant colours and themes of her art reflect the interconnectedness of nature and human beings. Her art speaks to the struggle for Indigenous identity and sovereignty. Belcourt’s activism focuses on Indigenous issues related to justice, education and meaningful reconciliation. ( See also Contemporary Indigenous Art in Canada and Important Indigenous Artists in Canada.)

Guido Basso, CM, flugelhornist, trumpeter, arranger, composer, conductor, harmonica player (born 27 September 1937 in Montreal, QC; died 13 February 2023 in Toronto). One of Canada’s pre-eminent jazz trumpeters, Guido Basso was also known for the lyricism of his flugelhorn work. He was credited with the theory that one attacks the trumpet and makes love to a flugelhorn. Basso appeared on some 30 recordings by the Boss Brass, and on albums by Anne Murray, Ian Tyson, Holly Cole, Lenny Solomon, Oliver Jones and others. Basso’s Lost in the Stars won the 2004 Juno Award for Traditional Jazz Album of the Year. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1994.

Sandra Brewster, visual artist (born in 1973 in Toronto, ON).

​Carl Beam (Carl Edward Migwans), artist (born 24 May 1943 in West Bay, Manitoulin Island, ON [now M’Chigeeng First Nation]; died 30 July 2005 in M’Chigeeng First Nation). The first contemporary Indigenous artist whose work was acquired by the National Gallery of Canada, Beam was one of Canada’s most ground-breaking Indigenous artists. (See also Contemporary Indigenous Art in Canada.)

Jacques Poulin, novelist (b at Saint-Gédéon de Beauce, Qc 23 Sep. 1937). Jacques Poulin, the author of nine novels and winner of several literary awards including the Prix David in 1995, is among the most widely read Québécois novelists of his generation and the most respected by critics.

According to legend, Sheila Na Geira (also spelled NaGeira and Nagira) was an Irish aristocrat or princess who, 300 or 400 years ago, while travelling between France and Ireland, was captured by a Dutch warship and then rescued by British privateers. She fell in love and was married to one of the privateers, Lieutenant Gilbert Pike. They settled at western Conception Bay. By the early 20th century, the legend was being told as part of Newfoundland’s oral tradition, and has since been popularized by poems, novels, scholarly articles and several plays.

Graham Greene, CM, actor (born 22 June 1952 in Six Nations Reserve, Brantford, ON). Graham Greene is one of the most-respected Indigenous actors of his generation.

Jack Lawrence Granatstein, OC, historian, professor (born 21 May 1939 in Toronto, Ontario). One of the most prolific Canadian historians of his generation, Granatstein has written widely on Canadian history and current affairs. A professor of history until his retirement in 1995, Granatstein later became director and CEO of the Canadian War Museum from 1998-2000. He has written over 60 books and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Simu Liu, actor, writer, director, producer, stuntman, model (born 19 April 1989 in Harbin, China). Simu Liu is best known for his role as Shang-Chi, Marvel’s first Asian superhero, and for his role as Jung Kim on the hit CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience. A former stuntman and model who also produces his own projects, the Chinese Canadian Liu has also become an advocate for equal race representation in the entertainment industry. He was named one of the top 500 entertainment business leaders of 2021 by Variety and one of the 100 most influential people of 2022 by Time magazine.

Abel Joseph (Jack) Diamond, OC, OOnt, architect (born 8 November 1932 in Piet Retief, South Africa; died 30 October 2022). An Officer of the Order of Canada and multiple winner of the Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, Jack Diamond was one of the most significant and successful Canadian architects of his generation (see Architecture). He was made a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in 1980 and in 1994 was made an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

Edward Alexander Partridge, farmer, farm leader, author (b at Whites' Corners [Dalston] near Barrie, Canada W 5 Nov 1862; d at Victoria 3 Aug 1931).

John Beckwith, CM, composer, writer, educator, pianist, broadcaster, administrator (born 9 March 1927 in Victoria, BC; died 5 December 2022 in Toronto, ON). One of English Canada’s most distinctive composers, John Beckwith created a wealth of music rooted in his sensitive experience of the Canadian environment. Widely read and highly articulate in both official languages, he was dean of the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto (1970–77) as well as a writer, administrator and broadcaster. A committed champion of Canadian music, Beckwith was for five decades one of the most important influences on Canada’s musical life. He was a Member of the Order of Canada and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre.

Michael James Aleck Snow, CC, RCA, artist, filmmaker, musician (born 10 December 1929 in Toronto, ON; died 5 January 2023). Michael Snow was one of Canada’s most acclaimed visual artists and avant garde filmmakers. His work was concerned with redefining the relationships between various media, the acts and interpretations of perception, and the complex interplay of sound, language and meaning. A Companion of the Order of Canada and a Chevalier of France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, he was the first recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. He also won a Molson Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Gershon Iskowitz Prize, among many other honours.

Gordon Edward Pinsent, CC, FRSC, actor, writer, director (born 12 July 1930 in Grand Falls, NL; died 25 February 2023). A cultural icon in his native Newfoundland, Gordon Pinsent was a fixture in Canadian film, theatre and television for more than 60 years. Often described as a Renaissance man, the former soldier and noted painter rose to prominence as the lead in CBC-TV’s Quentin Durgens, M.P. (1966–69). He adapted two of his novels, The Rowdyman and John and the Missus, to the big screen, starring in both and directing the latter. His more than 150 credits as an actor include the movies The Shipping News (2001), Away from Her (2006) and The Grand Seduction (2013), as well as the TV series Street Legal, Due South, The Red Green Show and Republic of Doyle. A Companion of the Order of Canada and an inductee to Canada’s Walk of Fame, Pinsent won a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 2004 and numerous lifetime achievement awards.

Eleanor Koldofsky, record and film producer, arts patron (born 9 September 1920 in Toronto, ON; died 14 February 2023). Eleanor Koldofsky came from a family that valued music. The sister of the violinist Adolph Koldofsky, sister-in-law of pianist Gwendolyn Koldofsky, and former wife of Sam Sniderman, she helped establish the sound-recording archive of the University of Toronto Faculty of Music in 1963 and continued to assist in its development until 1985.

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, CC, OBC, landscape architect (born 20 June 1921 in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany; died 22 May 2021 in Vancouver, BC). Cornelia Oberlander moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1953, where she founded her own architectural firm. During her career, Oberlander established herself as a landscape architect and became recognized for her social and environmental approach to architectural design. (See also Landscape Architecture.) Oberlander was the recipient of numerous awards and honours throughout her career and life.

Sarah Polley, OC, actor, director, writer, producer (born 8 January 1979 in Toronto, ON). Sarah Polley is an acclaimed director and screenwriter and one of Canada's most talented and well-known actors. Her work as a child actor in such TV series as CBC’s Road to Avonlea (1990–96) and in such films as Atom Egoyan's Exotica (1994) and The Sweet Hereafter (1997) established her as a rising star. She later embarked on a highly successful career as a writer-director with such award-winning films as Away from Her (2006), Take This Waltz (2011), Stories We Tell (2012), and Women Talking (2022), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. She has won multiple Genie and Gemini Awards and was the first woman to receive a Genie Award for best director. She is also an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Elliot Page (born Ellen Philpotts-Page), actor, activist, producer (born 21 February 1987 in Halifax, NS). Elliot Page is a serious, soulful and intelligent actor, and one of Canada’s biggest movie stars. A seasoned child performer, Page started out in Canadian feature films and TV series, winning two Gemini Awards by the age of 18. Page’s intense performance in the American indie Hard Candy (2005) led to high-profile roles in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and the indie smash Juno (2007). Juno earned Page an Independent Spirit Award and an Oscar nomination. Adept at quirky comedy (Whip It, Super), intimate drama (Marion Bridge, Mouth to Mouth) and big-budget blockbusters (Inception, the X-Men franchise), Page is equally well-known for environmental activism, advocacy for LGBTQ rights and a grounded, socially-conscious persona.

Brendan James Fraser, actor (born at Indianapolis, Indiana 3 Dec 1968). Brendan Fraser rose to fame in the 1990s as a handsome leading man in comedies, dramas, and action/adventure movies, such as Encino Man (1992), School Ties (1992), Airheads (1994), George of the Jungle (1997), Gods and Monsters (1998), and The Mummy (1999) and its sequels. He was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2006 and won an Academy Award for his lead performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale (2022) in 2023.