Search for "New France"

Lara Fabian (b Crokaert). Singer, songwriter, b Etterbeek, Belgium, 9 Jan 1970, naturalized Canadian 1995. The daughter of a Belgian father (who sang back-up vocals for Petula Clark) and a Sicilian mother, Lara Fabian enrolled at the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music at age eight.

On 5 July 1916, the Department of Defence and Militia authorized the formation of No. 2 Construction Battalion. It was the largest Black unit in Canadian history. Its members continued the proud tradition of service to king and country that went back to the American Revolution and continued through the War of 1812 and the Rebellions of 1837–38 to the start of the First World War. But there were many obstacles: Black soldiers and communities faced racism both at home and overseas, despite their commitment to the war effort.

Jacques Labrecque. Baritone, folksinger, storyteller, producer, publisher, ethnologist, ( St. Benoît, near Montreal, 8 Jun 1917 - Longueuil, QC, 18 March 1995). He developed a taste for singing while living on his parents' farm.

An artist of colour closely associated with the Vancouver School, Stan Douglas examines the complexities of social reality and history and the means by which they are represented. While his initial reputation was as a video and installation artist, more recently he has been acclaimed for his large format back-lit photographs of elaborately re-staged historical scenes.

William Douglas, "Bill," Choreographer, dancer, teacher (b at Amherst, NS 25 Sept 1953; d at Montréal, Qué 10 March 1996).

Gloria Saarinen (b Manson). Pianist, teacher, administrator, b Dunedin, New Zealand 21 Sep 1934, naturalized Canadian 1964; LRSM, B MUS (Otago, New Zealand) 1956, honorary ARAM (London) 1999.

George Black, lawyer, politician, commissioner of the Yukon Territory, MP (b at Woodstock, NB 10 Apr 1873; d at Vancouver, BC 23 Aug 1965).

(Marie Josée) Louise Forand. Pianist, coach, b Granby, Que, 12 Aug 1941; B MUS (Montreal) 1962, M MUS (Montreal) 1964. She studied piano 1959-64 at the École Vincent-d'Indy with Yvonne Hubert and Lucille Brassard.

William (Willy or Willi) Amtmann. Historian, violinist, b Vienna 10 Aug 1910, d Ottawa 22 Jul 1996; B MUS (Toronto) 1950, M MUS (ESM, Rochester) 1952, D LITT musicology (Strasbourg) 1956. He received a diploma after studying 1924-30 at the Vienna Academy of Music and arrived in Canada in 1940.

Erika Ritter, playwright, essayist, broadcaster (b at Regina, Sask 26 Apr 1948). She was educated at McGill University (BA 1968) and the University of Toronto's Graduate Centre for the Study of Drama (MA 1970).

John Clarence Webster, physician, historian, nationalist (b at Shediac, NB 21 Oct 1863; d there 16 Mar 1950). Educated in Shediac and at Mount Allison and Edinburgh universities, from 1890 to 1896 he was an assistant instructor at Edinburgh and Berlin.

Alvaro Pierri. Guitarist, teacher, b Montevideo, Uruguay, 18 Jan 1953. Born into a family of musicians, he began studying piano at four with his mother, Ada Estades, and one year later he began taking guitar lessons with his aunt, Olga Pierri.

Mavis Leslie Gallant, CC, writer (born 11 August 1922 in Montréal, QC; died 18 February 2014 in Paris, France). In 1950, 28-year-old Montréal native Mavis Gallant decided to do something that many, many before and after her have done.

Isaac Jogues, Jesuit missionary, martyr (b at Orléans, France 10 Jan 1607; d at Auriesville, NY 18 Oct 1646). Jogues entered the Society of Jesus in 1624. Sent to the Canadian missions in 1636, he was captured and tortured

Francis Mankiewicz, filmmaker (b at Shanghai, China 15 Mar 1944; d at Montréal, Qué 14 Oct 1993). His parents fled Nazi Germany, landing in France, then China and Montréal. He studied film in England at the

Jean Guyon, priest, artist (b at Château-Richer, Qué 5 Oct 1659; d at Paris, France 10 Jan 1687). Bishop LAVAL had great hopes for this young Canadian priest, who died before he could create any significant body of work.

1st Viscount Wolseley, Garnet Joseph Wolseley, soldier (b at Golden Bridge House, Ire 4 June 1833; d at Menton, France 25 Mar 1913). Wolseley served with the British army in India, the Crimea and China. In 1861 he was sent to

Jean Belland. Cellist, teacher, b Le Mans, France, 16 Jun 1895, d Montreal 7 Jan 1965; premier prix cello (Cons du Mans) 1911, premier prix cello (Paris Cons). After studies in his native city, he entered the Paris Cons in 1914.

Paul-Émile Borduas, painter (b at St-Hilaire, Qué 1 Nov 1905; d at Paris, France 22 Feb 1960). Leader of the Automatistes and main author of the manifesto Refus Global, he had a profound influence on art in Québec.