Persons of National Historic Significance (National Historic People) are people designated by the Canadian government as being nationally significant in the history of the country. [1] Designations are made by the Minister of the Environment on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Approximately 70 nominations are submitted to the board each year. A person is eligible to be listed 25 years after death, but Prime Ministers may be designated any time after death. [2] Parks Canada administers the program, and installs and maintains the federal plaques commonly erected to commemorate each person, usually placed at a site closely associated with them. The intent is generally to honour the person's contribution to the country but is always to educate the public about that person.
Canada has related programs for the designation of National Historic Sites and National Historic Events. [3] Events, Sites, and Persons are each typically marked by a federal plaque, but the markers do not indicate which designation a subject has been given. The Welland Canal is an Event, while the Rideau Canal is a Site. The cairn and plaque to John McDonell (Aberchalder) does not refer to a National Historic Person, but is erected because his home, Glengarry House, is a National Historic Site. [4] [5] Similarly, the plaque to John Guy officially marks not a Person, but an Event—the Landing of John Guy. [6]
As of November 2023 [update] this list contains 734 entries. The searchable database provided by Parks Canada [7] returns 732 records, and may not be up to date.
| Name | Role | Year designated |
|---|---|---|
| Maude Abbott | Medical researcher | 1993 |
| John Abbott | Prime Minister | 1938 |
| William Aberhart | Premier (Alberta), Social Credit leader | 1974 |
| Gabriel Acquin | Hunter, cultural broker, Maliseet guide | 1999 |
| Frank Dawson Adams | Geologist | 1943 |
| Mary Electa Adams | Women's education reformer | 2004 |
| Thomas Adams | Town planner | 2019 |
| William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook | Businessman, press baron, philanthropist | 2016 |
| Thomas Beamish Akins | Historian | 1938 |
| Emma Albani | Musician (opera soprano) | 1937 |
| William Donald Albright | Journalist, agriculturalist, promoted development of Peace River district | 1954 |
| Grant Allen | Author | 1938 |
| Susan Louisa Moir Allison | Author, historian (First Nations) | 2007 |
| Walter Seymour Allward | Sculptor | 2002 |
| Adams George Archibald | Father of Confederation, Lieutenant-Governor (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia) | 1938 |
| Edith Archibald | Women's rights | 1997 |
| Edward William Archibald | Surgeon | 1998 |
| Samuel George William Archibald | Attorney General (Nova Scotia), Chief Justice (Prince Edward Island) | 1939 |
| Joseph E. Atkinson | Publisher, philanthropist | 1986 |
| Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé | Author | 1974 |
| Charles Aubert de La Chesnaye | Businessman | 1971 |
| George Back | Artist, Arctic explorer | 1973 |
| William Baffin | Arctic explorer | 1972 |
| Charles Bagot | Governor General (British North America), role in responsible government | 1926 |
| Frederick Walker Baldwin | Engineer | 1957 |
| Robert Baldwin | Co-premier (Province of Canada), reformer, role in responsible government | 1937 |
| Frederick Banting | Medical researcher (insulin), shared Nobel Prize | 1945 |
| Marius Barbeau | Ethnographer, folklorist | 1985 |
| William George Barker | Military, World War I pilot | 1998 |
| Robert Bartlett | Arctic explorer | 1969 |
| Arthur Beauchesne | Parliamentary expert | 2003 |
| François Beaulieu | Métis leader | 2000 |
| Adam Beck | Politician, founded Ontario Hydro | 1938 |
| William George Beers | Dentist, developed modern sport of lacrosse | 1976 |
| Matthew Baillie Begbie | Judge, Chief Justice (British Columbia) | 1959 |
| Edward Belcher | Naval officer, surveyor | 1938 |
| Georges-Antoine Belcourt | Missionary, banker | 1959 |
| Mabel Hubbard Bell | Aeronautical investor, founder of educational & social organizations | 2018 |
| Robert Bell | Geologist (Chief Geologist of Canada), explorer | 1938 |
| John Wilson Bengough | Cartoonist, journalist, poet, lecturer | 1938 |
| Charles Fox Bennett | Businessman, politician | 1975 |
| R. B. Bennett | Prime Minister | 1949 |
| William Berczy | Pioneer, painter | 2016 |
| Joseph-Elzéar Bernier | Mariner (promoted Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic Archipelago) | 1961 |
| Norman Bethune | Physician, political activist | 1972 |
| William Beynon (Gusgai'in) | First Nations chief, ethnographer | 1989 |
| Michel Bibaud | Poet, historian | 1944 |
| Mary and Henry Bibb | Author, abolitionist, publisher (African Canadian community) | 2002 |
| Big Bear (Misto-ha-a-Musqua) | First Nations leader (Plains Cree), role in North-West Rebellion | 1971 |
| Billy Bishop | World War I pilot, Victoria Cross recipient | 1980 |
| Davidson Black | Physician, paleontologist (Peking Man) | 1974 |
| Martha Black | Politician (second woman Member of Parliament) | 1987 |
| Thornton and Lucie Blackburn | Escaped slaves, founded Toronto's first taxi operation | 1999 |
| Edward Blake | Premier (Ontario) | 1937 |
| Richard Blanshard | Governor (Vancouver Island) | 1951 |
| Jean Blewett | Journalist, poet | 1946 |
| La Bolduc (Mary Travers) | Musician | 1992 |
| Joseph-Armand Bombardier | Businessman, inventor (snowmobile) | 1994 |
| Robert Bond | Prime Minister (Newfoundland, pre-Confederation) | 1975 |
| Robert Borden | Prime Minister | 1938 |
| Jim Boss | Assisted First Nations in the Yukon | 2001 |
| Pierre Boucher | Author, government official, First Nations interpreter | 1978 |
| Joseph Bouchette | Author, cartographer, Surveyor General of Lower Canada | 1937 |
| Sieurs de La Boularderie (Louis-Simon le Poupet de la Boularderie, his son Antoine) | Settlers (Cape Breton) | 1964 |
| Henri Bourassa | Politician, publisher ( Le Devoir ) | 1962 |
| Marguerite Bourgeoys | Nun, founded first Canadian religious community (Congregation of Notre Dame) | 1985 |
| John George Bourinot | House of Commons clerk, founded Royal Society of Canada | 1938 |
| Mackenzie Bowell | Prime Minister | 1945 |
| Joseph W. Boyle | Businessman (mining) | 1984 |
| Joseph Brant (Thayendanega) | First Nations leader (Mohawk), British ally, settler, slave trader [8] | 1972 |
| Mary Brant (Tekonwatonti) | First Nations leader (Six Nations) | 1994 |
| John Gough Brick | Missionary, settler | 1954 |
| Emmanuel Briffa | Theatre decorator | 2007 |
| Isaac Brock | Soldier | 2010 |
| Allan Brooks | Artist (wildlife) | 1999 |
| Harriet Brooks | Nuclear physicist | 2005 |
| Joseph Broussard | Acadian leader and defender | 2023 |
| George Brown | Father of Confederation, publisher ( Globe ), abolitionist (Underground Railroad) | 1950 |
| George Browne | Architect | 2008 |
| James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin | Governor General (British North America, pre-Confederation), role in responsible government | 1953 |
| Étienne Brûlé | Explorer, Coureur de bois, lived among First Nations | 1984 |
| George Bryce | Educator (Manitoba College), historian | 1947 |
| Douglas Brymner | Archivist, founded Public Archives of Canada | 1938 |
| John Buchan | Governor-General | 2010 |
| Patrick Burns | Rancher, businessman, Senator | 1960 |
| Thomas Button | Arctic explorer | 1972 |
| John By | Engineer (Rideau Canal) | 1954 |
| George Frederick Cameron | Journalist, poet | 1946 |
| Lydia Campbell | Author | 2009 |
| Alexander Campbell | Father of Confederation | 1939 |
| William Wilfred Campbell | Writer | 1938 |
| Charles Camsell | Geologist, Commissioner (Northwest Territories) | 2001 |
| William Canniff | Physician, historian, teacher | 1945 |
| Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester | Governor (Quebec, pre-Confederation), Governor-in-Chief (British North America) | 1974 |
| John Carling | Brewer, politician, founded Dominion Experimental Farms | 1938 |
| Bliss Carman | Poet | 1945 |
| Emily Carr | Author, painter | 1950 |
| Father Henry Carr | College leader, Univ. of Toronto president | 2012 |
| William Carson | Businessman, physician, reformer | 1954 |
| Frederick Carter | Father of Confederation, Prime Minister (Newfoundland, pre-Confederation) | 1959 |
| George-Étienne Cartier | Father of Confederation, French-Canadian statesman | 1937 |
| Jacques Cartier | Early French explorer paved way for settlement | 2011 |
| Richard John Cartwright | Politician | 1938 |
| Joseph Casavant | Manufacturer (pipe organs) | 1974 |
| Thérèse Casgrain | Suffragist, politician | 2022 |
| Ethel Catherwood | Athlete | 2023 |
| René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle | Explorer, founded Lachine, rebuilt Fort Frontenac | 1934 |
| Claude Champagne | Musician (composer) | 1988 |
| Samuel de Champlain | Explorer, founded Quebec City, "The Father of New France" | 1929 |
| Edward Barron Chandler | Father of Confederation, Lieutenant-Governor (New Brunswick) | 1939 |
| Jean-Charles Chapais | Father of Confederation, Senator | 1943 |
| Thomas Chapais | Historian, Senator | 1955 |
| Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau | Premier (Quebec), politician | 1974 |
| Margaret Ridley Charlton | Medical librarian, co-founder Medical Library Association | 2003 |
| William Henry Chase | Businessman, philanthropist | 1939 |
| Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry | Seigneur, military leader, politician | 2006 |
| Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve | Military officer, founded Montreal | 1985 |
| Robert Christie | Historian, politician | 1938 |
| Francis Clergue | Businessman (Sault Ste. Marie industry) | 1987 |
| Lucille Clifton ('Wii Nii Puun) (1876–1962) [9] | Clan leader, cultural defender | 2016 |
| John Clinch | Clergyman, physician (vaccination) | 1964 |
| William Coaker | Union leader, politician | 1985 |
| James Cockburn | Father of Confederation, first House of Commons Speaker | 1939 |
| Kathleen Blake Coleman | Innovative newspaper editor | 2011 |
| George Coles | Father of Confederation | 1939 |
| Enos Collins | Businessman (Halifax) | 1974 |
| Lionel Conacher | Athlete (Grey Cup, NHL) | 1976 |
| Ralph Connor (Charles William Gordon) | Novelist | 1938 |
| James Cook | Explorer, surveyor | 1954 |
| Chloe Cooley | Enslaved protestor | 2022 |
| George Copway (Kahgegagahbowh) | Writer, indigenous rights leader | 2018 |
| William Cormack | Explorer (Newfoundland) | 1953 |
| Ernest Cormier | Architect | 2018 |
| Louis de la Corne, Chevalier de la Corne | Military officer | 1953 |
| Edward Cornwallis | Military officer, Governor (Nova Scotia), founded Halifax | 1974 |
| Phillips Cosby | Military commander (Royal Navy, Mediterranean) | 1945 |
| Laurence Coughlan | Itinerant preacher | 1965 |
| George Albertus Cox | Businessman, Senator | 1990 |
| James Henry Coyne | President Ontario Historical Society, member Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada | 1945 |
| Isabella Valancy Crawford | Poet, writer | 1947 |
| Helen Creighton | Folklorist, author | 2018 |
| James George Aylwin Creighton | Lawyer, engineer, journalist, athlete (development of ice hockey) | 2008 |
| Octave Crémazie | Poet | 1937 |
| Thomas Crerar | Politician (Progressive Party leader) | 2004 |
| Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier | Bishop | 1990 |
| A. E. Cross | Businessman, politician, co-founder Calgary Stampede | 1971 |
| Crowfoot (Isapo-Muxika) | First Nations leader, role in North-West Rebellion | 1945 |
| Ernest Alexander Cruikshank | Historian, original chairman Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada | 1943 |
| Maurice Galbraith Cullen | Artist | 1944 |
| Samuel Cunard | Businessman (shipping) | 1937 |
| Arthur Currie | Military officer (World War I) | 1934 |
| Augustin Cuvillier | Speaker (Lower Canada), banker (Bank of Montreal) | 1969 |
| Louis Cyr | Wrestler, weightlifter | 1976 |
| John Wesley Dafoe | Journalist ( Winnipeg Free Press ) | 1974 |
| William Davidson | Lumberman, politician | 1949 |
| Louis Henry Davies | Premier (Prince Edward Island), judge (Chief Justice) | 1937 |
| Nicholas Flood Davin | Publisher ( The Leader , Regina), politician | 1947 |
| John Davis | Arctic explorer | 1972 |
| George Mercer Dawson | Scientist, surveyor | 1937 |
| John William Dawson | Geologist, university administrator (McGill) | 1943 |
| Robert MacGregor Dawson | Political scientist | 1975 |
| Louis de Buade de Frontenac | Governor General (New France, pre-Confederation) | 1974 |
| Louis-Hector de Callière | Politician, diplomat | 2001 |
| Amor De Cosmos | Premier (British Columbia), journalist ( British Colonist ) | 1938 |
| Dorimène Desjardins | Business and co-op organizer | 2012 |
| Mazo de la Roche | Novelist | 1976 |
| James De Mille | Novelist, humorist, professor | 1937 |
| Agathe de Saint-Père de Repentigny (1657–1747) [10] | Symbol of women's entrepreneurism in New France | 2016 |
| Charles de Salaberry | Military officer (War of 1812) | 1934 |
| Demasduit | Among the final surviving Beothuks | 2000 |
| Modeste Demers | Bishop, missionary | 1973 |
| George Taylor Denison | Soldier, community leader, founded Canada First Movement, Imperial Federation League, role in North-West Rebellion | 1937 |
| Nicolas Denys | Explorer, trader, colonizer (Acadia) | 1924 |
| Carrie Derick | Botanist | 2007 |
| Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres | Lieutenant-Governor (Cape Breton), cartographer | 1925 |
| Alphonse Desjardins | Businessman, began Caisse Populaire system | 1971 |
| Viola Desmond | Civil rights activist | 2018 |
| Edouard Deville | Surveyor General, developed photogrammetry | 1971 |
| Edgar Dewdney | Lieutenant-Governor (Northwest Territories, British Columbia), reassigned territorial capital to Regina | 1975 |
| Robert B. Dickey | Father of Confederation | 1939 |
| Punch Dickins | Bush pilot | 1995 |
| John Diefenbaker | Prime Minister | 1981 |
| George Dixon | Boxer | 2021 |
| Thomas Dixson | Soldier (Fort Beauséjour) | 1938 |
| Donnacona | First Nations leader (Iroquois), kidnapped by Jacques Cartier | 1981 |
| Antoine-Aimé Dorion | Cabinet minister (Justice), Chief Justice (Quebec) | 1937 |
| Onésime Dorval | Teacher (Saskatchewan) | 1954 |
| Arthur Doughty | Dominion Archivist, historian | 1991 |
| David Douglas | Botanist (Douglas Fir) | 1979 |
| Howard Douglas | Lieutenant-Governor (New Brunswick), Chancellor (King's College, University of New Brunswick) | 1925 |
| James Douglas | Governor (Vancouver Island, British Columbia) | 1944 |
| Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas (1904–1986) [11] | Premier, founding leader of the NDP, father of single payer healthcare | 2016 |
| Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk | Philanthropist, colonizer | 1943 |
| Gordon Drummond | Military leader, role in War of 1812 | 1928 |
| Charles Carter Drury | Naval leader | 1938 |
| Lyman Duff | Chief Justice, constitutional expert | 1971 |
| Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava | Governor General, diplomat, traveller, writer | 1975 |
| Jeanne Dugas | Acadian survivor of multiple displacements, symbol of resilience | 2016 |
| Margaret Duley | Novelist (Newfoundland) | 1976 |
| Gabriel Dumont | Métis leader, role in North-West Rebellion | 1981 |
| Sara Jeannette Duncan | Journalist, author | 2016 |
| Charles Avery Dunning | Premier (Saskatchewan); cabinet minister (Finance) | 1985 |
| Robert Dunsmuir | Coal miner, industrialist, politician | 1971 |
| Maurice Duplessis | Premier (Quebec), founded Union Nationale | 1974 |
| Ernest Melville DuPorte | Scientist and teacher known for study of parasites | 2010 |
| Ludger Duvernay | Printer-publisher in Lower Canada, revived Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebrations | 2019 |
| Dorothy Dworkin [12] | Nurse, businesswoman, supported Jewish immigrants | 2009 |
| Timothy Eaton | Businessman | 1971 |
| Ezra Butler Eddy | Businessman (forestry products, matches) | 1976 |
| Charles Edenshaw (Tahagen, Tahayren) | Artist (Haïda) | 1971 |
| Henrietta Edwards | Women's rights activist, reformer | 1962 |
| Mina Benson Hubbard Ellis | Explorer, author | 2018 |
| J. S. Ewart | Lawyer, role in Manitoba schools dispute | 1966 |
| Robert Falconer | University president | 1944 |
| Aegidius Fauteux | Librarian, historian | 1955 |
| Edward Feild | Clergyman, bishop, academic | 2003 |
| Reginald Fessenden | Inventor (radio, sonic depth finder) | 1943 |
| Peter Fidler | Explorer, trader, surveyor (Hudson's Bay Company) | 1953 |
| William Stevens Fielding | Premier (Nova Scotia), cabinet minister (Finance) | 1938 |
| Charles Fisher | Father of Confederation, Premier (New Brunswick) | 1939 |
| Charles Fitzpatrick | Chief Justice, Lieutenant-Governor (Quebec), role in North-West Rebellion, lawyer for Louis Riel | 1973 |
| Michael Anthony Fleming | Bishop | 2003 |
| Sandford Fleming | Engineer and inventor (Standard Time) | 1950 |
| James Fletcher | Entomologist | 2016 |
| Marc-Aurèle Fortin | Painter | 2011 |
| Pierre-Étienne Fortin | Politician, physician | 1953 |
| Rose Fortune | Businesswoman, first female police officer in Canada | 2018 |
| George Eulas Foster | Politician, academic (League of Nations) | 1938 |
| Terry Fox | Humanitarian, athlete (Marathon of Hope) | 2008 |
| Luke Fox | Arctic explorer | 1972 |
| Gustave Francq | Trade unionist, publisher (Le Monde ouvrier/The Labor World) | 2008 |
| John Franklin | Arctic explorer | 1945 |
| Archibald Fraser | Industrialist (lumber) | 1975 |
| Simon Fraser (1776–1862) [13] | Explorer, fur trader | 2016 |
| Louis-Honoré Fréchette | Poet, author | 1937 |
| Lillian Bilsky Freiman | Organizer, philanthropist | 2008 |
| Benjamin Frobisher | Fur trader (North West Company) | 1973 |
| Joseph Frobisher | Fur trader, businessman (North West Company) | 1973 |
| Martin Frobisher | Arctic explorer | 1957 |
| Thomas Frobisher | Fur trader, established Île-à-la-Crosse post | 1973 |
| Northrop Frye | Educator, author, literary critic & theorist | 2018 |
| Thomas Fuller (1823–1898) [14] | Architect | 2016 |
| Marie-Anne Gaboury | Settler, grandmother of Louis Riel | 1982 |
| William James Gage | Publisher (W. J. Gage, textbooks) | 1938 |
| Clarence Gagnon | Artist | 1944 |
| Larry Gains | Heavyweight boxing champion | 2020 |
| Alexander Tilloch Galt | Father of Confederation, politician, businessman | 1944 |
| William Francis Ganong | Botanist, cartographer, historian | 1945 |
| James Garfield Gardiner | Premier (Saskatchewan), cabinet minister (Agriculture) | 1975 |
| François-Xavier Garneau | Historian | 1937 |
| Pierre Gaultier de La Vérendrye | Explorer, fur trader | 1920 |
| Cyril Genik | Supported Ukrainian immigration in western Canada | 1995 |
| Antoine Gérin-Lajoie | Journalist, lawyer | 1939 |
| Marie Lacoste Gérin-Lajoie | Women's rights activist | 1997 |
| Abraham Pineo Gesner | Physician, geologist, inventor of kerosene | 1954 |
| John Murray Gibbon | Writer, cultural promoter (Canadian Authors' Association) | 1954 |
| Mifflin Wistar Gibbs | Politician, businessman, human rights activist | 2009 |
| Alexander Gibson | Industrialist | 2007 |
| Robert Giffard de Moncel | Nobleman, colonizer, physician, surgeon | 1955 |
| Humphrey Gilbert | Unsuccessful colonizer (Newfoundland) | 1981 |
| Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard | Military engineer, developed African railways | 1938 |
| Oliver Goldsmith | Poet | 1944 |
| Glenn Gould | Classical musician | 2012 |
| Enid Gordon Graham | Physiotherapist | 2014 |
| Mary Grannan | Children's author & broadcaster | 2018 |
| Cuthbert Grant | Métis leader | 1972 |
| George Monro Grant | Educator, writer, university principal (Queen's) | 1937 |
| Louis-Pierre Gravel | Promoted settlement and agriculture | 1956 |
| John Hamilton Gray | Father of Confederation, Speaker (New Brunswick) | 1939 |
| John Hamilton Gray | Father of Confederation, Premier (Prince Edward Island) | 1939 |
| Wilfred Grenfell | Medical missionary (Newfoundland and Labrador) | 1959 |
| Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney) | Conservationist, author, speaker | 1993 |
| Lionel Groulx | Clergyman, historian, Quebec nationalist | 1972 |
| Helena Gutteridge | Suffragette and politician | 2010 |
| Casimir Gzowski | Lieutenant-Governor (Ontario), engineer, constructed railroads, Niagara Parks Commission chair | 1956 |
| Roderick Langmere Haig-Brown | Writer, conservationist | 2016 |
| Frederick Haldimand | Governor (Quebec), settler | 1974 |
| Arthur Lawrence Haliburton (Lord Haliburton) | Military officer, civil servant | 1938 |
| Thomas Chandler Haliburton | Author, satirist | 1936 |
| William Neilson Hall | First Victoria Cross recipient of African heritage | 2008 |
| Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair | Established Victorian Order of Nurses, National Council of Women | 1979 |
| Ned Hanlan | Athlete (rowing champion) | 1938 |
| Arthur Sturgis Hardy | Premier, Attorney General (Ontario) | 1948 |
| James B. Harkin | First national parks commissioner, established Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada | 1955 |
| Lawren Harris | Artist (Group of Seven) | 1970 |
| Robert Harris | Artist (painted Fathers of Confederation) | 1945 |
| Ezekiel Hart | Entrepreneur, politician, first Jew to be elected a legislator in the British Empire | 1995 |
| Julia Catherine (Beckwith) Hart | Author (St. Ursula's Convent) | 1951 |
| John Harvey | Lieutenant-Governor (Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick), Governor (Newfoundland) | 1974 |
| Frederick W. A. G. Haultain | Premier (Northwest Territories), Chief Justice (Saskatchewan) | 1946 |
| Thomas Heath Haviland | Father of Confederation | 1939 |
| Sir Edmund Walker Head, 8th Baronet | Lieutenant-Governor (New Brunswick), Governor General (British North America, pre-Confederation) | 1974 |
| Abraham Albert Heaps | Politician and labour leader | 2010 |
| Samuel Hearne | Explorer, Governor (Prince of Wales Fort) | 1936 |
| Louis-Philippe Hébert | Artist (Quebec sculptor) | 1937 |
| Theodor August Heintzman | Manufacturer (pianos) | 1974 |
| Anthony Henday | Explorer, fur trader | 1953 |
| John Hendry | Industrialist (lumber) | 1988 |
| Louis Hennepin | Clergyman, explorer, cartographer | 2008 |
| Alexander Henry the elder | Fur trader | 1973 |
| Alexander Henry the younger | Fur trader (North West Company) | 1973 |
| William Alexander Henry | Father of Confederation | 1939 |
| Josiah Henson | Author, abolitionist, minister, role in Underground Railroad | 1995 |
| William Hespeler | Businessman, immigration agent, politician | 2000 |
| James Jerome Hill | Businessman (Red River Transportation Company, Great Northern Railway) | 1938 |
| Francis Hincks | Politician | 1969 |
| Ella Cora Hind | Women's rights activist | 1997 |
| Henry Youle Hind | Scientist, explorer, surveyor, author | 2018 |
| Gilles Hocquart | Administrator, Intendant (New France), established Les Forges du Saint-Maurice | 1974 |
| Samuel Holland | Engineer, Surveyor General (Quebec) | 1989 |
| Luther Hamilton Holton | Businessman, banker, cabinet minister (Finance) | 1938 |
| Adelaide Hoodless | Educational reformer | 1960 |
| Frederic William Howay | Historian, lawyer, judge | 1944 |
| C. D. Howe | Cabinet minister, established Atomic Energy of Canada | 1984 |
| Joseph Howe | Premier (Nova Scotia), role in responsible government | 1983 |
| William Pearce Howland | Father of Confederation | 1959 |
| James Patrick Howley | Naturalist, geologist | 2016 |
| Henry Hudson | Arctic explorer (Hudson and James Bays) | 1973 |
| Sam Hughes | Cabinet minister (Militia and Defence), journalist, soldier | 1969 |
| William Roper Hull | Businessman, philanthropist, developer | 1988 |
| John Peters Humphrey | Human rights advocate, jurist, scholar | 2022 |
| George Hunt | Linguist, ethnologist (West Coast cultures) | 1989 |
| Harold Innis | Economist, historian (communications theory) | 1972 |
| Ipirvik and Taqulittuq | Inuit couple, assisted Arctic exploration | 1981 |
| James Isbister | Métis leader | 1997 |
| A. Y. Jackson | Artist (Group of Seven) | 1974 |
| Charles William Jefferys | Artist | 1954 |
| Diamond Jenness | Anthropologist (First Nations culture) | 1973 |
| Louis-Amable Jetté | Lieutenant-Governor and Chief Justice (Quebec) | 1945 |
| Sylvester Joe | Aboriginal guide | 2002 |
| Ethel Johns | Nurse, educator, administrator | 2009 |
| Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwakeh) | Poet, speaker (First Nations) | 1945 |
| Edward Johnson | Singer, manager (Metropolitan Opera Company) | 1974 |
| John Mercer Johnson | Father of Confederation | 1939 |
| Louis Jolliet | Explorer (Mississippi River, with Marquette) | 1944 |
| Sigtryggur Jónasson | Manitoba politician and Icelandic-Canadian leader | 2010 |
| William Judge | Missionary (Yukon) | 1987 |
| Peter Jones (Kahkewaquonaby) | First Nations leader, clergyman | 1996 |
| Israel Isaac Kahanovitch | Manitoba rabbi and leader | 2010 |
| Paul Kane | Artist (Canadian West paintings) | 1937 |
| Thomas Keefer | Engineer, railroader (Hamilton Waterworks) | 1938 |
| Henry Kelsey | Explorer, fur trader | 1931 |
| John Kennedy | Civil engineer (Montreal harbour) | 2001 |
| William Frederick King | Surveyor, astronomer, civil servant (established Geodetic Survey of Canada, Dominion Observatory) | 1959 |
| Reverend William King | Clergyman, abolitionist | 2005 |
| William Lyon Mackenzie King | Prime Minister | 1967 |
| Charles Edmund Kingsmill | Founder of the Navy | 2010 |
| William Kirby | Writer, historian (Annals of Niagara) | 1946 |
| David Kirke | Adventurer, colonizer, Governor (Newfoundland) | 1968 |
| A. M. Klein | Writer, lawyer (Jewish literature) | 2007 |
| Otto Julius Klotz | Astronomer, geographer (Dominion Observatory) | 1938 |
| Leon Joseph Koerner | Industrialist (forestry) | 2009 |
| Kondiaronk | Negotiator (Treaty of 1701) | 2001 |
| Cornelius Krieghoff | Artist | 1972 |
| Chief Kw'eh | Leader of Dakelh people, British Columbia | 2011 |
| John Kinder Labatt | Businessman (brewery) | 1971 |
| Curé Antoine Labelle | Colonizer of the Laurentians, priest, politician | 2019 |
| Albert Lacombe | Missionary | 1932 |
| Édouard Lacroix | Businessman, politician | 2006 |
| Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine | Jurist, statesman, co-Premier (Province of Canada, pre-Confederation) | 1937 |
| Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière | Trapper, grandfather of Louis Riel | 1981 |
| David Laird | Lieutenant-Governor (Northwest Territories), cabinet minister (Interior) | 1950 |
| John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham | Governor General, High Commissioner (British North America) | 1974 |
| Catherine Beaulieu Bouvier Lamoureux | Defender of Métis culture | 2011 |
| Archibald Lampman | Poet | 1920 |
| Pierre-Amand Landry | Lawyer, judge, politician, first Acadian to be knighted | 1955 |
| Franklin Knight Lane | American politician, born in Prince Edward Island | 1938 |
| Hector-Louis Langevin | Father of Confederation, cabinet minister (Public Works) | 1938 |
| Sam Langford | Boxer | 1987 |
| Ernest Lapointe | Cabinet minister | 1954 |
| Margaret Laurence | Novelist, academic | 2016 |
| Wilfrid Laurier | Prime Minister | 1938 |
| François de Laval | Bishop | 1972 |
| Calixa Lavallée | Musician ("O Canada") | 1966 |
| Marguerite Vincent Lawinonkié | Artist | 2008 |
| Sheridan Lawrence | Farmer, businessman, judge | 1954 |
| Olivier Le Jeune | First Black resident, first Black slave | 2022 |
| James MacPherson Le Moine | Author, historian, ornithologist (Royal Society of Canada) | 1938 |
| Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville | Soldier, explorer, administrator | 1937 |
| Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville | Governor (Louisiana), founded Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans | 1953 |
| Charles le Moyne de Longueuil et de Châteauguay and family | Family of soldiers and colonizers | 1957 |
| Stephen Leacock | Writer, economist, particularly as humorist | 1946 |
| Ozias Leduc | Painter | 2018 |
| Camille Lefebvre | Clergyman, established Acadian Renaissance Movement | 1997 |
| Jean-Louis Légaré | Settler, trader | 1969 |
| Rodolphe Lemieux | Speaker and cabinet minister (House of Commons), professor | 1973 |
| Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond | Governor General | 1923 |
| Irma LeVasseur | Physician (pediatrics) | 2008 |
| Arthur Lismer | Artist (Group of Seven) | 1974 |
| Philip Francis Little | Premier (pre-confederation Newfoundland), role in responsible government | 2007 |
| Kathleen 'Kay' Livingstone | Feminist-activist for blacks | 2011 |
| George Lloyd | Bishop, helped found Lloydminster | 1953 |
| George Locke | Librarian (Toronto Public Libraries), author, historian | 1939 |
| Grace Annie Lockhart | First woman in British Empire to receive university bachelor's degree | 1991 |
| William Edmond Logan | Geologist (director, Geological Survey of Canada) | 1967 |
| Jean-Baptiste Lolo | Interpreter, guide, trader, peacemaker | 2012 |
| Tom Longboat | Athlete, Boston Marathon winner | 1976 |
| Frances Loring | Sculptor | 2011 |
| Albert Peter Low | Geologist, explorer, athlete, surveyor | 1972 |
| John MacIntosh Lyle | Architect (Beaux-Arts style) | 2008 |
| Archibald Macallum | Biochemist, founded National Research Council | 1938 |
| Thomas Bassett Macaulay | Businessman (insurance) | 1997 |
| Andrew Archibald Macdonald | Father of Confederation | 1939 |
| James E.H. MacDonald | Artist (Group of Seven) | 1974 |
| Margaret C. MacDonald | Nurse (World War I) | 1982 |
| John MacDonald of Glenaladale | Organized settlement of PEI | 2012 |
| John A. Macdonald | Father of Confederation, Prime Minister | 1939 |
| William Christopher Macdonald | Manufacturer, philanthropist (Macdonald Tobacco) | 1974 |
| Alexander Macdonell | Bishop | 1924 |
| Angus Bernard MacEachern | Bishop | 1968 |
| Elsie MacGill | Aeronautical engineer | 2007 |
| Helen Gregory MacGill | Judge, campaigned for women's suffrage | 1998 |
| Agnes Maule Machar | Patriotic writer, social commentator | 2015 |
| Alexander Mackenzie | Explorer | 2016 |
| Alexander Mackenzie | Prime Minister | 1957 |
| William Mackenzie | Railway entrepreneur (Canadian Northern Railway) | 1976 |
| William Lyon Mackenzie | Politician, journalist, led Upper Canada Rebellion | 1949 |
| Pegi Nicol MacLeod | Modernist painter | 2011 |
| Archibald MacMechan | Professor, writer | 1946 |
| H. R. MacMillan | Forester, industrialist | 1987 |
| Ernest MacMillan | Musician, composer, conductor | 1984 |
| Helen MacMurchy | Doctor, author, health care reformer | 1997 |
| Allan MacNab | Premier (Province of Canada), politician, judge | 1937 |
| John Macoun | Botanist, advocate of the West | 2011 |
| Agnes Macphail | First female Member of Parliament | 1985 |
| Andrew Macphail | Physician, author, professor | 1945 |
| Charles Alexander Magrath | Surveyor, engineer, first mayor of Lethbridge, Alberta | 1950 |
| Charles Mair | Poet, nationalist, promoted western development | 1937 |
| Jeanne Mance | Settler, nurse, established hospital (Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal) | 1998 |
| Donald Mann | Railroader (Canadian Northern Railway) | 1976 |
| Charles Marega | Artist | 2009 |
| Marie-Victorin | Botanist, monastic, author, educator | 1987 |
| Jacques Marquette | Priest, explorer (Mississippi River, with Louis Jolliet) | 1937 |
| Paul Mascarene | Lieutenant-Governor (Nova Scotia), defended Annapolis Royal | 1929 |
| Kèsh (Skookum Jim Mason) | Explorer, discovered gold (Yukon) | 1994 |
| Vincent Massey | Governor General | 1974 |
| Hart Massey | Businessman, philanthropist (Massey-Harris, Massey Hall) | 1971 |
| Matonabbee | First Nations leader, role in Samuel Hearne expedition | 1981 |
| Wilfrid R. "Wop" May | Aviator (World War I ace, established bush piloting) | 1974 |
| Peter McArthur | Writer, farmer | 1946 |
| Richard McBride | Premier and Agent General (British Columbia) | 1938 |
| Francis Leopold McClintock | Arctic explorer | 1972 |
| Nellie McClung | Politician, feminist, social activist (first female board member of CBC) | 1954 |
| Robert McClure | Arctic explorer | 1972 |
| Grant McConachie | Businessman, aviator (development of northwestern Canadian service) | 2007 |
| David Ross McCord | Lawyer, philanthropist, founded McCord Museum in Montreal | 2000 |
| John McCrae | Physician, soldier, poet ("In Flanders Fields") | 1946 |
| Thomas McCulloch | Educator (Pictou Academy, Dalhousie College) | 1959 |
| Jonathan McCully | Father of Confederation | 1939 |
| John Alexander Douglas McCurdy | Aviator (first to pilot an aircraft in British Empire), Lieutenant-Governor (Nova Scotia) | 1974 |
| George Millward McDougall | Missionary, role in Treaty 6 | 1969 |
| William McDougall | Father of Confederation, politician | 1943 |
| Duncan McNab McEachran | Veterinarian | 2016 |
| Thomas D'Arcy McGee | Father of Confederation, writer, Irish nationalist | 1943 |
| Donald McKay | Ship designer and builder | 1938 |
| R. Tait McKenzie | Surgeon, artist, physical educator | 1958 |
| Louise McKinney | First female legislator in the British Empire (Alberta) | 1939 |
| Samuel McLaughlin | Businessman, philanthropist (automotive industry) | 1989 |
| John McLoughlin | Hudson's Bay Company chief factor, "Father of Oregon" | 1951 |
| Marshall McLuhan | Professor, author (media analysis) | 2007 |
| William McMaster | Businessman, Senator, banker | 1990 |
| Violet Clara McNaughton | Social reformer (Women Grain Growers) | 1997 |
| Alexander James McPhail | Social reformer (agriculture), Canadian Wheat Pool president | 1971 |
| Arthur Meighen | Prime Minister | 1961 |
| Jean-Baptiste Meilleur | Doctor, educator | 2002 |
| Henri Membertou (Anli-Maopeltoog) | First Nations leader, role in establishing Mi'kmaq-French Alliance | 1981 |
| Men of Letters (Acadia) – (Pascal Poirier, Placide Gaudet, John Clarence Webster, Israël Landry and Ferdinand Robidoux) | Writers (Acadia) | 1955 |
| Charles de Menou d'Aulnay | Governor (Acadia), colonizer | 1972 |
| Honoré Mercier | Premier (Quebec), journalist, lawyer | 1938 |
| William Hamilton Merritt | Businessman, role in building the Welland Canal | 1974 |
| Mikak | Female symbol of Inuit self-determination | 2011 |
| David Mills | Cabinet minister (Interior and Justice) | 1954 |
| David Milne (1882–1953) [15] | Artist | 2016 |
| Mattie Mitchell | Mi’kmaq guide, prospector, explorer and hunter (Newfoundland) | 2001 |
| Peter Mitchell | Father of Confederation, Prime Minister (New Brunswick, pre-Confederation) | 1938 |
| Mokwina | First Nations leader (Moachat Confederacy) | 1987 |
| John Molson | Brewer, entrepreneur | 2021 |
| William Molson | Businessman | 1971 |
| Charles Monck, 4th Viscount Monck | First Governor General of Confederation | 1974 |
| Lucy Maud Montgomery | Author (Anne of Green Gables) | 1943 |
| Frederick Montizambert | Physician, civil servant (quarantining) | 1998 |
| Susanna Moodie | Author, settler | 1975 |
| Sewell Moody | Businessman (sawmills) | 1988 |
| Howie Morenz | Hockey player | 1976 |
| Frederick Cleveland Morgan | Montreal museum curator | 2012 |
| Henry James Morgan | Author, historian, archivist | 2016 |
| Adrien-Gabriel Morice | Missionary, author | 1948 |
| Augustin-Norbert Morin | Lawyer, Superior Court Justice, role in Reform Coalition | 1938 |
| James Wilson Morrice | Artist | 1954 |
| Alexander Morris | Chief Justice (Manitoba), politician, role in 1864 Great Coalition | 1971 |
| Arthur Silver Morton | Teacher, historian, archivist (Saskatchewan) | 1952 |
| William Richard Motherwell | Cabinet minister (Agriculture); established Territorial Grain Growers' Association | 1966 |
| Oliver Mowat | Father of Confederation, Premier (Ontario) | 1934 |
| John Munn | Newfoundland outport merchant, civic leader | 2016 |
| Beamish Murdoch | Lawyer, politician, writer | 1937 |
| Emily Murphy | First female judge in British Empire, author, women's rights activist | 1958 |
| James Murray | Governor (Quebec), Military Governor (Quebec District) | 1955 |
| Leonard W. Murray | Admiral (North Atlantic Convoy, World War II) | 1977 |
| Anthony Musgrave | Governor (Newfoundland, British Columbia), role in British Columbia joining Confederation | 1975 |
| Nahnebahwequay | Ojibwa spokeswoman and Christian missionary | 2021 |
| James Naismith | Inventor of basketball, physician, promoter of physical education | 1976 |
| Thomas Nangle | Cleric, chaplain, war memorial planner, politician | 2016 |
| Neekaneet (Foremost Man) | First Nations leader (Plains Cree) | 1981 |
| John Neilson | Politician, editor, journalist, reformer | 1976 |
| Émile Nelligan | Poet (L'École littéraire de Montréal) | 1974 |
| Nescambiouit | First Nations leader | 2005 |
| Simon Newcomb | Astronomer, mathematician (United States Naval Observatory, Nautical Almanac) | 1935 |
| Gilbert Stuart Newton | Artist (Royal Academy) | 1944 |
| Margaret Newton | Scientist (agriculture, grains) | 1996 |
| Guido Nincheri | Artist, decorator | 2007 |
| Percy Erskine Nobbs | Architect | 2008 |
| Charles Sherwood Noble | Inventor (agricultural machinery) | 2002 |
| John Norquay | Premier (Manitoba), Métis statesman | 1943 |
| John Norton (Teyoninhokarawen) | Native political and military leader | 2011 |
| William Notman | Photographer, businessman | 1975 |
| Harold Anthony Oaks | Bush pilot (Patricia Airways) | 1974 |
| Jonathan Odell | Poet, clergyman, surgeon, Secretary (New Brunswick) | 1959 |
| William Ogilvie | Commissioner (Yukon), surveyor, explorer, author | 1970 |
| Joseph Oleskiw | Professor, promoted Ukrainian immigration | 1996 |
| Frank Oliver | Cabinet minister (Interior), journalist | 1947 |
| Onondeyoh (Frederick Ogilvie Loft) | Opposed residential schools, founded League of Indians | 2019 |
| David Oppenheimer | Mayor (Vancouver), businessman, Jewish community leader | 2008 |
| Oronhyatekha | First Canadian First Nations physician | 2001 |
| William Osler | Physician, medical researcher and educator | 1950 |
| Léo-Ernest Ouimet | Filmmaker, producer, distributor, theatre operator | 2018 |
| Daniel David Palmer | Founded chiropractic medicine | 1993 |
| Edward Palmer | Father of Confederation, Premier (Prince Edward Island) | 1939 |
| Théophile Panadis | Defender of Abenaki traditions | 2011 |
| Louis-Joseph Papineau | Politician, lawyer, seigneur (Montebello, la Petite-Nation), Patriot Movement leader | 1937 |
| Étienne Parent | Civil servant, journalist, editor Le Canadien | 1974 |
| Sir Gilbert Parker, 1st Baronet | Politician, author (romance novels) | 1938 |
| Elizabeth Parker | Co-founded Alpine Club of Canada | 2011 |
| George Robert Parkin | Author, educator, Imperial Federation Movement leader | 1938 |
| Irene Parlby | Politician, rural leader, campaigned to allow women in the Senate | 1966 |
| William Edward Parry | Arctic explorer | 1971 |
| Edward Alexander Partridge | Agrarian activist, farmer, author | 2018 |
| Walter Patterson | Governor (Prince Edward Island) | 1974 |
| Andrew Paull | Squamish leader, rights advocate | 2012 |
| The Peacemakers: Albert Lacombe, John McDougall | Brokered peace between First Nations groups | 1932 |
| William Pearce | Surveyor, planner (western Canada) | 1973 |
| Lester B. Pearson | Prime Minister | 1974 |
| Paul Peel | Artist (of the French Academic School) | 1937 |
| Francis Pegahmagabow | War hero and activist for Native rights | 2019 |
| Chief Peguis | First Nations leader | 2008 |
| Wilfrid Pelletier | Orchestra conductor, founded Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec | 1988 |
| Wilder Penfield | Neurosurgeon (Montreal Neurological Institute) | 1988 |
| Simeon Perkins | Businessman, diarist, politician | 1946 |
| Nicolas Perrot | Explorer, diplomat, fur trader | 1952 |
| Thomas Peters | Advocate for African-Americans in Nova Scotia after the Revolution; founder of Sierra Leone | 2022 |
| Piapot | First Nations leader | 1981 |
| Richard Pierpoint | Senegalese slave fought for Britain in the American Revolution and War of 1812; formed the Colored Corps | 2020 |
| Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker) | First Nations leader | 1967 |
| Peter Pitseolak | Photographer, artist, historian, hunter | 1981 |
| John Stanley Plaskett | Astronomer (Dominion Astrophysical Observatory) | 1949 |
| Peter Pond | Fur trader, cartographer, explorer (role in establishing North West Company) | 1951 |
| Georgina Pope | Nurse (first matron of Army Medical Corps) | 1983 |
| James Colledge Pope | Premier (Prince Edward Island), cabinet minister (Marine and Fisheries) | 1938 |
| Joseph Pope | Civil servant, author | 1938 |
| William Henry Pope | Father of Confederation | 1939 |
| Charles Gavan Power | Defense Minister, expanded Air Force | 2013 |
| Philip Louis Pratley [16] | Bridge designer (Dominion Bridge Company) | 2005 |
| E. J. Pratt | Poet | 1975 |
| Richard Preston | Escaped slaved, black community leader | 2005 |
| George Prevost | President | 2016 |
| William Price | Businessman, politician (forest products) | 2003 |
| Thomas George "Tommy" Prince | Decorated war veteran (WWII, Korea), Native activist | 2019 |
| Léon Abel Provancher | Priest, naturalist, author | 1994 |
| Pierre-Esprit Radisson | Explorer, cartographer, fur trader, role in Hudson's Bay Company | 1971 |
| John Rae | Explorer, physician, fur trader | 1973 |
| James Ralston | Cabinet minister (National Defence) | 1973 |
| Alice Ravenhill | Educator, author, social and educational reformer | 2008 |
| Donald Strathearn Rawson | Limnologist and conservationist | 2019 |
| Red Crow | First Nations leader (Blood tribe), signatory to Treaty 7 | 1977 |
| John Reeves | Judge, historian | 1995 |
| George Agnew Reid | Artist, president (Ontario Society of Artists, Royal Canadian Academy of Art) | 1948 |
| Marcel-François Richard | Role in Acadia – developed flag, anthem and patron day | 2004 |
| William Buell Richards | Supreme Court of Canada judge | 1938 |
| Harriette Taber Richardson | Promoted reconstruction of Port Royal Habitation | 1949 |
| John Richardson | Soldier (War of 1812), poet, novelist, established New Era journal | 1938 |
| Louis Riel | Métis leader, role in North-West Rebellion | 1956 |
| John William Ritchie | Father of Confederation, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice | 1959 |
| Joseph-Noël Ritchot | Clergyman | 1990 |
| Charles G.D. Roberts | Poet | 1945 |
| Charles Walker Robinson | Soldier, author | 1938 |
| John Beverley Robinson | Mayor (Toronto), Lieutenant-Governor (Ontario), leader of Family Compact | 1937 |
| John Robson | Premier (British Columbia), established first British Columbia newspaper | 1938 |
| Marie Marguerite Rose | Abolitionist, freed slave | 2008 |
| Sir John Rose, 1st Baronet | Politician, banker, diplomat | 1973 |
| Bobbie Rosenfeld | Athlete (Olympic gold medalist) | 1976 |
| Alexander Ross | Fur trader, author, role in Pacific Fur Company and North West Company | 1951 |
| James Hamilton Ross | Member of North-West Council and Assembly, Commissioner (Yukon) | 1948 |
| George William Ross | Premier (Ontario), Senate Liberal leader | 1937 |
| James Clark Ross | Arctic explorer | 1972 |
| John Ross | Arctic explorer | 1972 |
| John Rowand | Fur trader, Chief factor (Hudson's Bay Company) | 1954 |
| Gabrielle Roy | Author | 2008 |
| Louis Rubenstein | Champion figure skater, sports administrator/promoter | 2016 |
| Ernest Rutherford | Physicist (nuclear pioneer) | 1939 |
| Egerton Ryerson | Clergyman, educator, politician, school advocate | 1934 |
| Mary Anne Sadlier | Author (religious subjects) | 2008 |
| Idola Saint-Jean | Women's rights activist | 1997 |
| Bernard Keble Sandwell | Editor, writer, role in Saturday Night | 1955 |
| Edward Sapir | Anthropologist, linguist, expert on First Nations | 1983 |
| Margaret Marshall Saunders | Author | 1947 |
| Charles E. Saunders | Agronomist (Marquis wheat) | 1938 |
| William Saunders | Pharmacist, scientist, civil servant, author, role with Experimental farms | 1952 |
| Savalette | Established Acadian "sedentary" fisheries | 1944 |
| Frank W. Schofield | Veterinarian | 2009 |
| Jacob Gould Schurman | Educator, philosopher, academic president (Cornell University) | 1943 |
| Duncan Campbell Scott | Poet (Confederation poets) | 1948 |
| Richard William Scott | Politician, supported Ontario Separate School Act | 1938 |
| Joseph E. Seagram | Alcohol distiller, politician | 1971 |
| Laura Secord | Heroine, War of 1812 | 2002 |
| Hans Selye | Medical researcher (stress) | 1989 |
| Ernest Thompson Seton | Writer, conservationist, artist, social reformer | 1995 |
| Jonathan Sewell | Chief Justice (Lower Canada), supported Confederation | 1956 |
| Mary Ann Shadd | Editor, leader (Black Refugee Movement) | 1994 |
| Shanawdithit | Last surviving Beothuk | 2000 |
| Ambrose Shea | Father of Confederation, Speaker (Newfoundland House) | 1959 |
| Francis Joseph Sherman | Poet, banker | 1945 |
| Adam Shortt | Historian, author, role in Canadian Civil Service Commission | 1938 |
| Clifford Sifton | Cabinet minister (Interior), promoted immigration | 1955 |
| John Graves Simcoe | Lieutenant-Governor (Upper Canada), military leader (Queen's Rangers) | 1974 |
| George Simpson | Governor-in-Chief (Rupert's Land), General Superintendent (Hudson's Bay Company) | 1927 |
| Thomas Simpson | Arctic explorer | 1937 |
| Oscar D. Skelton | Historian, economist, established Department of External Affairs | 1947 |
| Frank Leith Skinner | Horticulturalist | 1997 |
| Joshua Slocum | Mariner, explorer, author, first solo sailor to travel throughout the world | 1957 |
| Charlotte Small | Métis figure, role in fur trade | 2008 |
| Joey Smallwood | Father of Confederation, Premier (Newfoundland) | 1996 |
| Elizabeth Smellie | First World War nursing Sister | 2011 |
| Albert James Smith | Premier (New Brunswick), cabinet minister (Marine and Fisheries) | 1949 |
| Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal | Fur trader, railroader (Canadian Pacific), politician, role with Hudson's Bay Company | 1971 |
| Goldwin Smith | Historian, journalist | 1975 |
| Marie Rose (Delorme) Smith | Symbol of female Métis resilience | 2023 |
| Mary Ellen Smith | Politician | 2016 [17] |
| Mary Agnes Snively | Nursing advocate | 2011 |
| Mary Meager Southcott | Nurse, superintendent | 1998 |
| Louis St. Laurent | Prime Minister | 1973 |
| Sam Steele | Soldier, Superintendent (North-West Mounted Police) | 1938 |
| William Steeves | Father of Confederation, industrialist, senator | 1939 |
| Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Arctic explorer | 1964 |
| Stephan G. Stephansson | Poet | 1946 |
| George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen | Banker, railroader (Canada Pacific Railway), philanthropist | 1971 |
| John Stewart | PEI historian, politician | 2022 |
| Emily Stowe | First woman to practise as a Canadian doctor, women's rights activist | 1995 |
| John Strachan | Bishop, founded King's College | 1925 |
| Gilfred Studholme | Army officer, role in constructing Fort Howe | 1927 |
| Benjamin Sulte | Historian (French Canada) | 1928 |
| Alexandre-Antonin Taché | Bishop, missionary, writer | 1943 |
| Étienne-Paschal Taché | Father of Confederation, headed Coalition Government | 1937 |
| François-Xavier Picard Tahourenche | Archivist | 2008 |
| Jean Talon | Intendant (New France) | 1974 |
| Joseph Israël Tarte | Journalist, politician, cabinet minister (Public Works) | 1973 |
| Tecumseh | First Nations leader, role in War of 1812 | 1931 |
| James Teit | Ethnographer (First Nations) | 1994 |
| Tessouat dubbed "le Borgne de l'isle" | First Nation leader | 1983 |
| Thanadelthur | First Nations figure, role in northern fur trade | 2000 |
| George McCall Theal | Educator, historian, archivist (South Africa) | 1937 |
| Louis Thomas (Maliseet) | Defended Maliseet rights and interests | 2002 |
| William Thomas | Architect | 1974 |
| David Thompson | Fur trader, cartographer, surveyor | 1927 |
| John Sparrow David Thompson | Prime Minister | 1937 |
| Stanley Thompson | Architect (golf courses) | 2005 |
| Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham | Governor General, established Union of the Canadas | 1926 |
| Edward William Thomson | Writer (editorials for Globe, Toronto) | 1938 |
| Tom Thomson | Artist (influenced the Group of Seven) | 1958 |
| Samuel Leonard Tilley | Father of confederation, cabinet minister | 1937 |
| William Tomison | Role in Hudson's Bay Company | 1974 |
| Henry Marshall Tory | University president, first National Research Council president | 1949 |
| Catharine Parr Traill | Author | 1974 |
| Jennie Kidd Trout | First Canadian woman licensed as physician | 1995 |
| Pierre Trudeau | Prime Minister | 2001 |
| Joseph Trutch | Lieutenant-Governor (British Columbia) | 1975 |
| Ignace-Nicolas Vincent Tsawenhohi | First Nations leader | 2001 |
| Harriet Tubman | Abolitionist, humanitarian (Underground Railroad) | 2005 |
| Charles Tupper | Prime Minister, Father of Confederation | 1957 |
| William Ferdinand Alphonse Turgeon | Attorney General (Saskatchewan), diplomat, judge | 1981 |
| Wallace Rupert Turnbull | Inventor, aeronautical engineer (wind tunnel) | 1960 |
| Philip Turnor | Surveyor, cartographer (Hudson's Bay Company surveyor) | 1973 |
| Joseph Tyrrell | Geologist, historian, cartographer (Geological Survey of Canada) | 1970 |
| James Boyle Uniacke | Premier (Nova Scotia) | 1938 |
| William Cornelius Van Horne | Railroader (Canadian Pacific) | 1954 |
| George Vancouver | Explorer | 1933 |
| Georges Vanier | Governor General, soldier, Ambassador (to France) | 1983 |
| Frederick Varley | Artist (Group of Seven) | 1974 |
| Madeleine de Verchères | Defended family fort | 1923 |
| Peter Vasilevich Verigin | Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood, Doukhobor emigration | 2008 |
| Louis-Guillaume Verrier | Founded law school | 1952 |
| Samuel Vetch | Soldier, Governor (Nova Scotia) | 1928 |
| Hiram Walker | Industrialist, developed distillery, ferry and railway in Windsor, Ontario | 1971 |
| Horatio Walker | Artist, Royal Academy of Art | 1939 |
| Byron Edmund Walker | Businessman, arts patron | 1938 |
| Provo Wallis | Royal Navy officer, capture USS Chesapeake, War of 1812 | 1945 |
| James Morrow Walsh | North-West Mounted Police, Commissioner of Yukon | 1967 |
| Angus J. Walters | Fishing captain | 2005 |
| John Ware | Pioneer cowboy, steer-wrestler | 2022 |
| Homer Ransford Watson | Artist | 1939 |
| Ken Watson | Champion curler | 2016 |
| Margaret Robertson Watt aka Madge Watt | Associated Country Women of the World | 2007 |
| George Edward Watts | Vice-admiral, War of 1812 | 1945 |
| John Clarence Webster | Surgeon, historian, author, professor, chair Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada | 1950 |
| John Wentworth | Lieutenant-Governor Nova Scotia | 1974 |
| Philip Westphal | Navy Admiral | 1945 |
| George Augustus Westphal | Navy Admiral | 1945 |
| Arthur Oliver Wheeler | Surveyor, National Park Movement, Alpine Club | 1995 |
| Seager Wheeler | Agriculturist | 1976 |
| Edward Whelan | Father of Confederation, journalist, speaker | 1939 |
| Richard Whitbourne | Newfoundland businessman, promoted settlement | 1984 |
| Portia White | Musician | 1995 |
| Healey Willan | Musician, professor | 1984 |
| John Stephen Willison | Editor | 1938 |
| Thomas Willson | Inventor (noted for acetylene) | 1972 |
| Lemuel Allan Wilmot | Lieutenant-Governor New Brunswick, politician and judge | 1938 |
| Robert Duncan Wilmot | Father of Confederation, Senator | 1959 |
| Alice Evelyn Wilson | Scientist, teacher | 2011 |
| Cairine Reay Mackay Wilson | First woman Senator | 2005 |
| Ethel Wilson | Modernist fiction writer | 2011 |
| Mona Gordon Wilson | Prince Edward Island Public Health Nursing Division | 2008 |
| Edward Winslow | Loyalist; founded Fredericton, settlements in Saint John River Valley | 1951 |
| Hirsch Wolofsky, aka Harry Wolofsky | Montreal Jewish community leader; founded Eagle Publishing Company | 2007 |
| William Wolseley | Royal Navy Admiral (East Indies, Mediterranean) | 1945 |
| Wong Foon Sien | Chinese-Canadian activist | 2008 |
| Henry Wise Wood | Founded Canada Wheat Pools | 1962 |
| J. S. Woodsworth | CCF leader | 1972 |
| Philemon Wright | Lumber merchant, Ottawa Valley settler | 1976 |
| George MacKinnon Wrong | Professor | 1950 |
| Florence Wyle | Sculptor | 2011 |
| James Lucas Yeo | War of 1812 Commander | 1937 |
| Nellie Yip Quong | Community advocate; Euro-Canadian/Chinese Canadian intermediary | 2008 |
| John Young | Farmer, businessman, agricultural reformer | 1951 |
| William Young | Premier (Nova Scotia), judge | 1951 |
| Marie-Marguerite d'Youville | Saint, founded Order of the Sisters of Charity | 1973 |
National Historic Sites of Canada are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks Canada, a federal agency, manages the National Historic Sites program. As of November 2023, there were 1,005 National Historic Sites, 171 of which are administered by Parks Canada; the remainder are administered or owned by other levels of government or private entities. The sites are located across all ten provinces and three territories, with two sites located in France.
Heritage buildings in Edmonton, as elsewhere in Canada, may be designated by any of the three levels of government: the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, or the City of Edmonton.
The Events of National Historic Significance, also called National Historic Events, are events that have been designated by Canada's government, on the advice of the national Historic Sites and Monuments Board to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, as being defining actions, episodes, movements or experiences in Canadian history. To be designated, an event must have occurred at least forty (40) years previous; events that continue into the more recent past are evaluated on the basis of what occurred at least 40 years ago. As of June 2023, there are 500 National Historic Events that are already recorded.
