The perceived cultural orientation of many countries can be summarized in a word or two: France is known for its cuisine and its fabulous fashion; for Germans, it's science and Beethoven; the British have a focus on tradition, especially the Royal Family; Americans tend to be extroverted and value financial achievement.

Canadians are generally characterized as nice and "Not American," i.e., sort of neutral people with a polite, peaceful culture living next door to a giant in cultural and scientific activities. But in addition to maple syrup and poutine, Canada has produced a wide variety of original thinkers and creators of music, literature, film and science -- not to mention sports. The list is lengthy. Here is a partial list, by category, and in alphabetical order with occasional commentary:

1. The Literary World

2. The Silver Screen

3. Music

4. Nobel Prize Winners (Chronological Order)

5. Sports

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1. The Literary World

• Margaret Atwood (probably best known internationally for "The Handmaid's Tale")
• Joseph Boyden (writer of historical fiction centred around First Nations)
• Douglas Coupland (created new vocabulary with 1991 book "Generation X")
• Emma Donoghue (literary history, drama for stage, screen, and radio)
• Malcolm Gladwell (author, journalist, public speaker, known for "The Tipping Point," "Outliers", "Blink", etc.)
• Michelle Good (author of "Five Little Indians," a book that helped start conversations about reconciliation)
• Laurence Hill (novelist, essayist, memoirist, best known for "The Book of Negroes")
• Margaret Laurence (best known for "The Stone Angel", "The Diviners", "A Jest of God")
• Yann Martel (best known for "The Life of Pi")
• Rohinton Mistry (best known for "A Fine Balance")
• Lucy Maud Montgomery (author of the "Anne of Green Gables" books)
• Farley Mowat (writer and environmentalist, known for "Never Cry Wolf," "The Dog Who Wouldn't Be," "People of the Deer," etc.)
• Alice Munro (short story writer, won Nobel Prize in 2013)
• Robert Munsch (our favourites are "Love you Forever" and "The Paper Bag Princess")
• Jordan Peterson (controversial psychologist, commentator, author, best known for "12 Rules for Life")
• Miriam Toews (best known for "Women Talking" which was made into a film in 2022, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay)
• Mordecai Richler (writer, best known for "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz" and "Barney's Version")
• Sinclair Ross (fiction writer, wrote about life in the Western prairies)

2. The Silver Screen

• Dan Aykroyd (writer, actor, producer, possibly best known for Ghostbusters)
• James Cameron (director of top-grossing films such as Titanic, Avatar, and more)
• John Candy (comedian, actor, writer, best known for SCTV, Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, etc.)
• Jim Carrey (producer, writor, actor, known for The Truman Show, etc.)
• Kim Cattral (actress, producer, probably best known for Sex & the City)
• Michael Cera (actor, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, the Barbie Movie)
• Hayden Christensen (actor, best known for playing the young adult Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars" episodes I, II, III)
• David Cronenburg (director, screenwriter, producer and actor, e.g., The Fly, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch)
• Michael J Fox (actor, advocate for Parkinson's disease, best known for the Back to the Future films and Family Ties)
• Brendan Fraser (Oscar winner for The Whale, also known for the Mummy series)
• Ryan Gosling (actor, known for the Barbie Movie, The Notebook)
• Rachel McAdams (known for The Notebook)
• Keanu Reeves (actor, producer, best known for the Matrix and being a really nice guy)
• Ryan Reynolds (best known for the Deadpool franchise)
• Denis Villeneuve (currently, best known for the latest Dune films)

3. Music

• Arcade Fire
• Bryan Adams
• Barenaked Ladies
• Justin Bieber
• Michael Buble
• Daniel Caesar
• Alessia Cara
• Leonard Cohen (also a writer, obviously! Probably most famous for "Hallelujah")
• Celine Dion
• Drake
• Nelly Furtado
• Carly Rae Jepsen
• Cory Hart
• Jeff Healey
• KD Lang (Leonard Cohen said of Lang's version of "Hallelujah": "Well, I think we can lay that song to rest now! It's really been done to its ultimate blissful state of perfection.")
• Avril Lavigne
• Gordon Lightfoot
• Sarah McLachlan
• Shawn Mendes
• Metric
• Joni Mitchell
• Anne Murray
• PARTYNEXTDOOR
• Rush
• Snow
• Shania Twain
• The Tragically Hip
• The Weeknd
• Neil Young

4. Nobel Prize Winners (Chronological Order)

• Sir Fredrick Banting: Physiology or Medicine, 1923 (co-discoverer of insulin)
• Lester B. Pearson: Peace Prize, 1957 (creator of the UN Peacekeeping forces)
• Gerhard Herzberg: Chemistry, 1971
• David H. Hubel: Physiology or Medicine, 1981 (among the first scientists to explore the inner workings of the cerebral cortex)
• John Polanyi: Chemistry, 1986
• Sidney Altman: Chemistry, 1989
• Richard E. Taylor: Physics, 1990
• Michael Smith: Chemistry, 1993
• Bertram Neville Brockhouse: Physics, 1994
• Robert Mundell: Economic Sciences, 1999
• Willard S. Boyle: Physics, 2009
• Alice Munro: Literature, 2013 ("the Master of the Contemporary Short Story")
• Arthur B. McDonald: Physics, 2015
• Donna Strickland: Physics, 2018
• James Peebles: Physics, 2019
• David Card: Economic Sciences, 2021 (analyzed labour markets and found "increasing the minimum wage does not necessarily lead to fewer jobs, as was previously thought")
• Geoffrey E. Hinton: Physics, 2024 (known as the "Godfather of AI")

5. Sports

Yes, we have Wayne Gretzky, etc., but have you heard of:

• Hockey: Hailey Wickenheiser; she actually played professionally with men!
• Basketball: Steve Nash; underdog path taken to win two NBA MVPs and James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, although the invention was credited to have occurred in the USA.
• Baseball: Ferguson Jenkins; first Canadian player to get inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Soccer: Christine Sinclair; one of the best in the sport.
• Golf: Mike Weir; Canada's first major winner, occurring at the sport's most iconic venue (the Augusta National Golf Club).
• Racing: If auto racing, Jacques Villeneuve. Father killed in the same sport and he won everywhere. If we're taking about any kind of racing, then Tom Longboat, a long distance runner from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario, who was one of the most famous athletes of the early 20th century.
• Swimming: Summer McIntosh, she's young, but already making her mark.
• And how can we not mention Terry Fox who, after having his right leg amputated due to cancer, ran a marathon a day between April 12, 1980 and the end of August 1980, as he tried to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

This is not a comprehensive list. So apologies for omitting other significant contributors to our culture. Please send suggestions to hza@hziegler.com