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Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. The Weeknd, singer, songwriter (born 16 February 1990 in Scarborough, ON). A global pop superstar, The Weeknd is known for his compelling brand of atmospheric, trip-hop-infused R&B and synth-driven pop music. His debut, House of Balloons (2011), sparked a storm of international attention. His chart-topping sophomore album, Beauty Behind the Madness (2015), solidified his status as a pop phenomenon. In 2015, he became the first artist to simultaneously hold the top three spots on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart. In 2021, his song “Blinding Lights” supplanted Chubby Checker’s 1960 hit “The Twist” as Billboard’s No. 1 Song of All Time. The Weeknd was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 and performed solo at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2021. He has won 17 Juno Awards from 35 nominations, four Grammy Awards and 30 SOCAN Awards, among many other honours.

Pierre Perrault, OQ, film director, poet, writer (born 29 June 1927 in Montréal, QC; died 23 June 1999 in Montréal). Pierre Perrault was one of Quebec’s most significant and celebrated artists. His collective work in radio, film, television and print explores the genesis and nature of French Canadian culture and identity. A pioneer of direct cinema, his elegiac 1963 documentary Pour la suite du monde, co-directed with Michel Brault, is a landmark in Canadian cinema. His writing received three Governor General’s Literary Awards: for poetry, theatre and non-fiction. An Officer of the Ordre national du Québec, Perrault received the Prix Ludger-Duvernay, Prix Albert-Tessier, Prix Victor-Barbeau, the Médaille des Arts et des Lettres from the Government of France, and the Médaille d’argent du Mouvement national des Québécois et Québécoises.

​Freda Ahenakew, OC, Cree scholar, author (born 11 February 1932 on Ahtahkakoop First Nation, SK; died 8 April 2011 at Muskeg Lake First Nation, SK). Ahenakew is recognized as a leader in the acknowledgment and revitalization of the Cree language in Canada. In her life, Ahenakew helped to preserve the oral traditions of the Cree people and share Cree traditions and stories with Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples alike. (See also Indigenous Language Revitalization in Canada.)

Marie-Josée Lord, soprano (born 18 January 1972 in Léogane, Haiti).

Donald Owen, director, producer, editor, writer (born 19 September 1931 in Toronto, ON; died 21 February 2016 in Toronto). Don Owen was a pioneering filmmaker who made two of the most significant English Canadian films of the 1960s. His first feature, the largely improvised Nobody Waved Good-bye (1964), was an important milestone in the development of narrative filmmaking in Canada, and his third, The Ernie Game (1967), won Canadian Film Awards for best feature film and direction. Owen’s films typically explore the role of artists and outcasts in society, and often blend dramatic, documentary and improvisational elements.

Glenn Herbert Gould (born Gold), pianist, broadcaster, writer, composer, conductor, organist (born 25 September 1932 in Toronto, ON; died 4 October 1982 in Toronto, ON).

Natalie Olga Kuzmich (née Belz), educator, producer, adjudicator (born 22 May 1932 in Toronto, ON; died 7 January 2023 in Toronto). B MUS music education (Toronto) 1954, MA musicology (Toronto) 1968.

Sir Cecil Edward Denny, 6th baronet of Tralee Castle, police officer, Indian agent, author (b in Hampshire, Eng 14 Dec 1850; d at Edmonton 24 Aug 1928). Denny is best known as the author of two colourful accounts of life with the North-West Mounted Police - The Riders of the Plains: A Reminiscence of the Early and Exciting Days in the North West (1905) and The Law Marches West (1939).

Peter Erasmus, interpreter (b at Red River Colony [Man] 27 June 1833; d at Whitefish Lk, Alta 28 May 1931). Of Danish-Cree parentage, he studied to become an Anglican clergyman, but was drawn to the free life farther west.

Portia May White, contralto, teacher (born 24 June 1911 in Truro, NS; died 13 February 1968 in Toronto, ON). Portia White was the first Black Canadian concert singer to win international acclaim. She was considered one of the best classical singers of the 20th century. Her voice was described by one critic as “a gift from heaven.” She was often compared to the celebrated African American contralto Marian Anderson. The Nova Scotia Talent Trust was established in 1944 specifically to enable White to concentrate on her professional career. She was named a “person of national historic significance” by the Government of Canada in 1995.

Alexander Begg, writer, historian (b at Québec City 19 July 1839; d at Victoria 6 Sept 1897).

Ginette Noiseux, set and costume designer, theatre artistic director and general manager (born 23 January 1958 in Montreal, QC). Ginette Noiseux has designed costumes for some 60 productions by such theatre companies as Espace Go, Théâtre de Quatre Sous, Théâtre Expérimental de Montréal, the National Arts Centre, Opéra de Montréal and Théâtre de nouveau monde. She is a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de France, a Compagne of the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec, and a Member of the Order of Canada.

Canada's choirs have contributed significantly to religious, educational, and concert activities within the country, and some have earned high reputations abroad. Choral singing in Canada became immensely popular in the second half of the 19th century, reached its first peak -- unsurpassed, certainly, in the quantity of choristers relative to the total population -- in the years preceding the First World War, and entered a new period of vigour and expansion after the middle of the 20th century.

William Phillips, trumpeter, conductor, composer (born 19 September 1937 in Guelph, Ontario; died 17 February 2023 in Plattsburgh, NY). ARCT 1958, BA (Toronto) 1958. His teachers were Joseph Umbrico in Toronto and Maurice André in 1970 at the Paris Conservatory. He served as principal trumpet 1961-2 with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Festival Orchestra, Stratford, 1963-4 with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the CBC Winnipeg Orchestra, and 1965-6 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra. He was assistant conductor 1964-5 of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra.

Giuseppe "Joseph" Mastrocola, violinist, violist (born 19 December 1890 in Campobasso Province, Italy; died 9 October 1957 in Montreal, QC).

Guy Laliberté, OC, OQ, street performer, businessman (born 2 September 1959 in St-Bruno, QC). Laliberté is the fire-breathing accordionist and stilt-walking founder of Cirque du Soleil. He transformed a small band of Québec buskers and street musicians into a performing organization of international repute. Laliberté is also the founder of the One Drop Foundation and in September 2009, he became the first Canadian space tourist.

Trey Anthony (a.k.a. trey anthony), comedian, playwright, screenwriter, producer (born 1974 in London, England). The first Black Canadian woman to have her own prime-time show on a Canadian television network, Trey Anthony is best known for her award-winning play and television series, 'da Kink in my Hair.

Douglas Morely Kirkland, photographer (born 16 August 1934 in Toronto, ON; died 2 October 2022 in Los Angeles, California). Photographer Douglas Kirkland was best known for his highly stylized and artistic portraits of Hollywood celebrities. His best-known work was a series of photographs he took of Marilyn Monroe in 1961. He was also well known for his behind-the-scenes photographs from many film productions. The first still photographer to be made a member of the American Society of Cinematographers, Kirkland authored several books and received numerous awards.

Alexander Cowper Hutchison, architect (born 2 April 1838 in Montreal, QC; died  1 January 1922 in Montreal). Hutchison was one of Montreal's most prolific and prestigious architects (see Architecture). He epitomized the generation of  self-taught men who shaped the city during the second half of the 19th century. He is recognized for several architectural achievements including the Redpath Museum and Montreal’s City Hall, which he designed with architect Henri-Maurice Perrault.

Gaston Brisson, pianist, composer, arranger, actor (born 5 December 1940 in Pointe-au-Père, QC; died 17 February 2019 in Rimouski, QC). BA (Bathurst) 1962, B MUS (Montreal) 1964, M MUS (Montreal) 1966.