100 Notable alumni of
McGill University
Updated:
McGill University is 72nd in the world, 36th in North America, and 2nd in Canada by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from McGill University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Justin Trudeau
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1994 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in literary studies
- Occupations
- actorjuristlawyerministerteacher
- Biography
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Justin Pierre James Trudeau is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament (MP) for Papineau from 2008 until 2025.
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Jordan Peterson
- Enrolled in McGill University
- 1985-1991 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in clinical psychology
- Occupations
- Internet celebrityuniversity teacherclinical psychologistwritercultural critic
- Biography
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Jordan Bernt Peterson is a Canadian psychologist, author, and media commentator. He received widespread attention in the late 2010s for his views on cultural and political issues. Often described as conservative, Peterson self-identifies as a classical liberal and traditionalist.
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Leonard Cohen
- Enrolled in McGill University
- 1951-1955 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- film actorstreet artistlyricistpoetnovelist
- Biography
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Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, social and political conflict, sexual and romantic love, desire, regret, and loss. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour. In 2011, he received one of the Prince of Asturias Awards for literature and the ninth Glenn Gould Prize. In 2023, Rolling Stone named Cohen the 103rd-greatest singer.
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William Shatner
- Enrolled in McGill University
- Studied in 1952
- Graduated with Bachelor of Commerce
- Occupations
- prose writerastronauttelevision presenterwritersinger
- Biography
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William Shatner OC is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship Enterprise in the second pilot of the first Star Trek television series to his final appearance as Captain Kirk in the seventh Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Generations (1994).
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Christopher Plummer
- Occupations
- actortelevision actorcharacter actorfilm actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer CC was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. His accolades included an Academy Award, two Tony Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards, making him the only Canadian recipient of the "Triple Crown of Acting". He also received a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as a nomination for a Grammy Award.
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Grimes
- Occupations
- DJ producerfilm directormusic video directordirectormanufacturer
- Biography
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Claire Elise Boucher, known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her work often invokes themes of science fiction, feminism, and fantasy. She has released five studio albums.
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Mackenzie Davis
- Occupations
- actortelevision actormodelfilm actorfilm director
- Biography
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Mackenzie Rio Davis is a Canadian actress. She made her feature film debut in the drama film Smashed (2012). In 2013, she appeared in the film The F Word, for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. From 2014 to 2017, she starred as computer programmer Cameron Howe in the AMC period drama series Halt and Catch Fire.
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Burt Bacharach
- Occupations
- record producermusiciansongwriterrecording artistconductor
- Biography
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Burt Freeman Bacharach was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist, widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. He composed hundreds of pop songs, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. His music features atypical chord progressions and time signature changes, influenced by his background in jazz, and uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras. He arranged, conducted, and produced much of his recorded output.
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Laurie Holden
- Occupations
- film producertelevision actorfilm actorvoice actorstage actor
- Biography
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Heather Laurie Holden is an American-Canadian retired actress, producer, model, and human rights activist. She portrayed Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files (1996–2002), Andrea Harrison in AMC's The Walking Dead (2010–2013, 2020–2022), Cybil Bennett in Silent Hill (2006) and Amanda Dumfries in The Mist (2007).
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James Naismith
- Occupations
- clerichead coachbasketball playerinventorphysician
- Biography
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James Naismith was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach, best known as the inventor of the game of basketball.
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Zbigniew Brzezinski
- Enrolled in McGill University
- Studied in 1945-1950
- Occupations
- pedagoguecriticstrategistuniversity teachergeopolitical analyst
- Biography
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Zbigniew "Zbig" Kazimierz Brzeziński was a Polish-American diplomat and political scientist. He served as a counselor to Lyndon B. Johnson from 1966 to 1968 and was Jimmy Carter's National Security Advisor from 1977 to 1981. As a scholar, Brzeziński belonged to the realist school of international relations, standing in the geopolitical tradition of Halford Mackinder and Nicholas J. Spykman, while elements of liberal idealism have also been identified in his outlook. Brzeziński was the primary organizer of The Trilateral Commission.
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Mia Kirshner
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
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Mia Kirshner is a Canadian actress, writer, and social activist. She is known for television roles as Mandy in 24 (2001–2005), as Jenny Schecter in The L Word (2004–2009), as Amanda Grayson in Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2019) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2023), and as Isobel Flemming in The Vampire Diaries (2010–2011). Her film credits include Love and Human Remains (1993), Exotica (1994), The Crow: City of Angels (1996), Mad City (1997), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), and The Black Dahlia (2006).
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Jessalyn Gilsig
- Occupations
- voice actortelevision actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
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Jessalyn Sarah Gilsig is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Meredith Gordon in Heroes, Kayley in Quest for Camelot, Lauren Davis in Boston Public, Gina Russo in Nip/Tuck, Det. Kelly Ronson in NYPD Blue, Terri Schuester in Glee, and as Siggy Haraldson in Vikings.
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Rachelle Lefevre
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
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Rachelle Marie Lefevre is a Canadian American actress. She has starred in the television series Big Wolf on Campus and had recurring roles in What About Brian, Boston Legal, and Swingtown. She played the vampire Victoria in the first two films of the Twilight saga. In 2011, she starred in the ABC medical drama Off the Map, followed by the CBS series A Gifted Man (2011–2012) and Under the Dome (2013–2015). In 2019, she starred in the FOX legal series Proven Innocent.
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Rufus Wainwright
- Occupations
- television actorpianistcomposervoice actorsinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set Shakespeare's sonnets to music for a theatre piece by Robert Wilson.
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Steven Pinker
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1976 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in psychology
- Occupations
- psychologistuniversity teacherauthorexperimental psychologistanthropologist
- Biography
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Steven Arthur Pinker is a Canadian cognitive psychologist, psycholinguist, popular science author, and public intellectual. He is an advocate of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind. Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University.
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Veronica Lake
- Occupations
- actortelevision actormodelfilm actorstage actor
- Biography
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Constance Frances Marie Ockelman, known professionally as Veronica Lake, was an American film, stage, and television actress. Lake was best known for her femme fatale roles in films noir with Alan Ladd during the 1940s, her peek-a-boo hairstyle, and films such as Sullivan's Travels (1941) and I Married a Witch (1942). By the late 1940s, Lake's career began to decline, in part because of alcoholism. She made only one film in the 1950s, but had several guest appearances on television. She returned to the big screen in the film Footsteps in the Snow (1966), but the role failed to revitalize her career.
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Charles Krauthammer
- Enrolled in McGill University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- journalistopinion journalistcolumnistspeechwriterwriter
- Biography
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Charles Krauthammer was an American political columnist. A moderate liberal who turned independent conservative as a political pundit, Krauthammer won the Pulitzer Prize for his columns in The Washington Post in 1987. His weekly column was syndicated to more than 400 publications worldwide. While in his first year studying medicine at Harvard Medical School, Krauthammer became permanently paralyzed from the waist down after a diving board accident that severed his spinal cord at cervical spinal nerve 5. After spending 14 months recovering in a hospital, he returned to medical school, graduating to become a psychiatrist involved in the creation of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III in 1980. He joined the Carter administration in 1978 as a director of psychiatric research, eventually becoming the speechwriter to Vice President Walter Mondale in 1980.
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Changpeng Zhao
- Occupations
- oratorbusiness executivebusinesspersonchief executive officer
- Biography
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Changpeng Zhao, commonly known as CZ, is a businessman who is known for co-founding cryptocurrency companies, such as Binance and Blockchain.com. He has also served as CTO of OKCoin and CEO of Binance.
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Evan Goldberg
- Occupations
- film producerscreenwriterdirectortelevision producerexecutive producer
- Biography
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Evan D. Goldberg is a Canadian filmmaker. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on a variety of films and television series, including Superbad, Pineapple Express, This Is the End, The Interview, Sausage Party, Good Boys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and Apple TV+ satirical comedy series The Studio, for which he earned three Primetime Emmy Awards.
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Samantha Bee
- Occupations
- television presenterjournalisttelevision actoractortelevision producer
- Biography
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Samantha Anne Bee is a Canadian-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, and television host.
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Julie Payette
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1986 graduated with Bachelor of Engineering in electrical engineering
- Occupations
- engineerastronautpolitician
- Biography
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Julie Payette is a Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served as the 29th governor general of Canada from 2017 to 2021.
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Hume Cronyn
- Occupations
- actortelevision actorscreenwriterfilm actorstage actor
- Biography
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Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. OC was a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter and playwright. He appeared in many stage productions, television and film roles throughout his career, and received many honors, including three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards, as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Cronyn was the husband of actress Jessica Tandy, with whom he was presented the Kennedy Center Honor in 1986 and National Medal of Arts in 1990. In 1999, he was awarded with a star on the Canada's Walk of Fame.
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Cameron Mathison
- Occupations
- film actorgame show hostmodeltalk show hosttelevision actor
- Biography
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Cameron Arthur Mathison is a Canadian-American actor and television host. From 1997 to 2011, he played Ryan Lavery in All My Children. Since 2021, he has portrayed the role of Drew Cain on General Hospital. He has also had numerous roles in various Hallmark movies.
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Win Butler
- Occupations
- banjoistcomposersinger-songwriterpoetguitarist
- Biography
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Edwin Farnham Butler III is an American-Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist. He co-founded the Montreal-based indie rock band Arcade Fire with Josh Deu and Régine Chassagne.
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Drew Goddard
- Occupations
- film producerscreenwriterwritertelevision producerexecutive producer
- Biography
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Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard is an American screenwriter, director, and producer most closely associated with the horror genre. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias, and Lost. After moving into screenwriting in film, he wrote Cloverfield (2008), World War Z (2013), and The Martian (2015), the last of these earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2011, he made his directorial debut with The Cabin in the Woods.
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Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
- Occupations
- gridiron football playerAmerican football playerCanadian football player
- Biography
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Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is a Canadian physician and former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played university football and attended medical school at McGill University in Montreal before being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft and playing six years on the team. Duvernay-Tardif is one of a small number of NFL players to graduate from medical school. He was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2019 and enrolled at Harvard University to get a Master of Public Health degree the following year. In December of 2024, he was appointed as a Member to the Order of Canada.
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Gad Saad
- Occupations
- political scientistYouTuberwriteruniversity teachertelevision producer
- Biography
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Gad Saad is a Canadian marketing professor at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. He has argued for applying evolutionary psychology to marketing and consumer behaviour. He wrote a blog for Psychology Today and hosts a podcast titled "The Saad Truth".
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Mike Babcock
- Occupations
- ice hockey playerice hockey coach
- Biography
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Mike Babcock is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. He spent parts of eighteen seasons as a head coach in the National Hockey League (NHL), beginning when he was named head coach of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, whom he led to the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. In 2005, Babcock signed with the Detroit Red Wings, winning the Stanley Cup with them in 2008, and helping them to the Stanley Cup playoffs every year during his tenure and setting a record for most wins in Red Wings history. In 2015, he left Detroit to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs, a position he held until he was fired in 2019. During his coaching tenure from 1991 to 2019, Babcock's teams missed the post-season only four times.
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Régine Chassagne
- Occupations
- songwriterpianistsingermusician
- Biography
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Régine Alexandra Chassagne is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist, and is a member of the band Arcade Fire.
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Charles Taylor
- Occupations
- university teacherwriterphilosopherpolitical scientistsociologist
- Biography
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Charles Margrave Taylor CC GOQ FRSC FBA is a Canadian philosopher from Montreal, Quebec, and professor emeritus at McGill University best known for his contributions to political philosophy, the philosophy of social science, the history of philosophy, and intellectual history. His work has earned him the Kyoto Prize, the Templeton Prize, the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy, and the John W. Kluge Prize.
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Moshe Safdie
- Occupations
- authorarchitectuniversity teacherurban planner
- Biography
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Moshe Safdie is an Israeli-Canadian-American architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author. He is well known for incorporating principles of socially responsible design throughout his six-decade career.
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Jessica Mulroney
- Years
- 1980-.. (age 46)
- Occupations
- television presenterpersonal stylist
- Biography
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Jessica Mulroney is a Canadian fashion stylist and marketing consultant, noted for her previous work with Kleinfeld Bridal (Hudson's Bay), past guest appearances on television shows Good Morning America and CityLine, and hosting of I Do, Redo. She is a Canadian fashion advocate and as a contributor to Sunwing's Wedding Vacations magazine.
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Wilfrid Laurier
- Occupations
- essayistpoliticianlawyerwriterjournalist
- Biography
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Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minister, his 15-year tenure remains the longest uninterrupted term of office among Canadian prime ministers and his nearly 45 years of service in the House of Commons is a record for the House. Laurier is best known for his compromises between English and French Canada.
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Chilly Gonzales
- Occupations
- record producermusicianscreenwriterrapperfilm score composer
- Biography
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Jason Charles Beck, professionally known as Chilly Gonzales or just Gonzales, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, and producer. Currently based in Cologne, Germany, he previously lived for several years in Paris and Berlin. Gonzales' career spans numerous genres. He is known for his rap albums, his collaborations with singer and musician Feist and rapper Drake, his albums of classical piano compositions (including the Solo Piano trilogy), and for his collaborations with electronic musicians Daft Punk and Boys Noize, the latter of whom he also produces under the moniker Octave Minds. In 2022, he and Plastikman released a piano rework of the latter's 1998 minimal techno classic album Consumed in collaboration with Canadian musician Tiga, titled "Consumed in Key".
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Eric Berne
- Occupations
- academicpsychiatristnon-fiction writermilitary physicianpsychologist
- Biography
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Eric Berne was a Canadian-born psychiatrist who created the theory of transactional analysis as a way of explaining human behavior.
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Henry Mintzberg Storch
- Occupations
- writereconomistsociologistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Henry Mintzberg OC OQ FRSC is a Canadian academic and author on business and management. He is currently the Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies at the Desautels Faculty of Management of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he has been teaching since 1968.
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Jack Layton
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1970 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in political science
- Occupations
- legislatorpolitical scientistuniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
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John Gilbert Layton PC MSC was a Canadian politician and academic who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on Toronto City Council, occasionally holding the title of acting mayor or deputy mayor of Toronto during his tenure as city councillor. Layton was the member of Parliament (MP) for Toronto—Danforth from 2004 until his death.
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Colin Ferguson
- Occupations
- actortelevision actortelevision directorfilm actortelevision producer
- Biography
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Colin Ferguson is a Canadian actor, director and producer. He is known for playing Sheriff Jack Carter on the Syfy series Eureka, the Maytag Man, and Lewis on Then Came You.
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Mani Haghighi
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directorfilm screenwriterfilm produceractor
- Biography
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Mani Haghighi is an Iranian film director, writer, film producer, and actor. Haghighi started making movies in 2001.
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Claire Saffitz
- Occupations
- pastry chefcookbook writerconfectionerYouTubercook
- Biography
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Claire Saffitz is an American food writer, chef, and YouTube personality. Until mid-2020, she was a contributing editor at Bon Appétit magazine and starred in several series on the Bon Appétit YouTube channel, including Gourmet Makes, in which she created gourmet versions of popular snack foods by reverse engineering them. Since leaving the company, she has published two cookbooks, Dessert Person and What's for Dessert, which both became New York Times Best Sellers. She has continued work as a video host on her own YouTube channel and as a freelance recipe developer, including for New York Times Cooking.
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Yoshua Bengio
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1988 graduated with Master of Science in computer science
- 1988-1991 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in computer science
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering
- Occupations
- computer scientistprofessorinformation scientistartificial intelligence researcher
- Biography
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Yoshua Bengio OC OQ OBE FRS FRSC is a Canadian computer scientist, and a pioneer of artificial neural networks and deep learning. He is a professor at the Université de Montréal and co-president and scientific director of the nonprofit LawZero. He founded Mila, the Quebec Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute, and was its scientific director until 2025.
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Hubert Reeves
- Occupations
- astrophysicistenvironmentalistuniversity teacherscience communicator
- Biography
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Hubert Reeves CC GOQ was a French-Canadian astrophysicist and popularizer of science.
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Abdul Rahman Al-Sumait
- Occupations
- physicianpatron of the artsphilanthropist
- Biography
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Dr. Abd Al-Rahman bin Hamood Al-Sumait was an Islamic scholar, medical practitioner and humanitarian from Kuwait. He was known for his philanthropic works in more than 29 African countries.
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Ken Dryden
- Occupations
- executive directorlawyerentrepreneurwriterjurist
- Biography
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Kenneth Wayne Dryden PC OC was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, politician, lawyer, businessman and author. He played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1971 to 1979, winning the Stanley Cup six times, the Vezina Trophy as the goaltender on the team allowing the fewest goals five times, and the Conn Smythe Trophy along with the Calder Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs and rookie of the year respectively over the course of his rookie campaign. He was elected as member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. Thereafter, Dryden served as a Liberal Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011 and was appointed Minister of Social Development from 2004 to 2006 for which he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2017, the NHL commemorated him as one of the league's 100 Greatest Players. He received the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2020.
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Hans Selye
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1933 graduated with Doctor of Science
- Occupations
- university teacherendocrinologistpsychologistphysiologistphysician
- Biography
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János Hugo Bruno "Hans" Selye CC was a Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist who conducted important scientific work on the hypothetical non-specific response of an organism to stressors. Although he did not recognize all of the many aspects of glucocorticoids, Selye was aware of their role in the stress response.
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Jade Raymond
- Occupations
- engineerprogrammertelevision presentervideo game producer
- Biography
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Jade Raymond is a Canadian video game producer, best known for leading the creation of the Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs franchises, as well as building Ubisoft Toronto and Motive Studio. In March 2021, Raymond announced the founding of a new independent development team called Haven Studios, which was later acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in July 2022, making them a first-party developer for PlayStation Studios. In May 2025, it was announced that she had left Haven Studios.
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Kirsten Prout
- Occupations
- actorfilm actor
- Biography
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Kirsten Prout is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her lead roles in the ABC Family television shows, portraying Amanda Bloom in Kyle XY and Char Chamberlin in The Lying Game. Her first sizable break in film came in 2005, when she was cast as Abby Miller, a lead role opposite Jennifer Garner in Elektra. In 2007, Prout was nominated for Best Performance in a TV Series by the Young Artists Awards for Kyle XY. In 2010, Prout portrayed the vampire "Lucy" in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. She has guest starred in notable series including NCIS, Psych, Devious Maids, Ties That Bind and Dear White People. Prout is also known for her lead roles in the horror genre, as Alex Bell in the MTV film series My Super Psycho Sweet 16, Jewel McCaul in Joy Ride 3: Roadkill, and Sloane in the 2015 horror indie Even Lambs Have Teeth.
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Michael Manley
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Michael Norman Manley ON OM OCC PC was a Jamaican politician, trade unionist and journalist who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1972 to 1980, and from 1989 to 1992. Manley championed a democratic socialist programme, and has been described as a populist, although many in the country feared he would turn Jamaica into a communist state. He remains one of Jamaica's most popular prime ministers.
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Alessandro Juliani
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Alessandro Juliani is a Canadian actor. He is notable for playing the roles of Tactical Officer Lieutenant Felix Gaeta on the Sci-Fi Channel television program Battlestar Galactica, Emil Hamilton in Smallville, Jacapo Sinclair on The CW series The 100, and Dr. Cerberus on the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. He is also known for voicing the character L in the English version of the anime series Death Note and its live action films, as well as several other animation projects. Juliani provided the voice of Toa Vakama of the Bionicle and later of Aaron Fox on Nexo Knights.
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Ian Campbell, 12th Duke of Argyll
- Years
- 1937-2001 (aged 64)
- Occupations
- politicianaristocrat
- Biography
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Ian Campbell, 12th and 5th Duke of Argyll, KStJ, DL, FRSA, styled Marquess of Lorne between 1949 and 1973, was a Scottish peer and Chief of Clan Campbell. He was the 12th Duke of Argyll in the Peerage of Scotland, 5th Duke of Argyll in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and Lord Lieutenant of Argyll and Bute.
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Yetide Badaki
- Occupations
- film producertelevision actorscreenwriterfilm actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Yetide Badaki is a Nigerian actress. She is best known for playing Bilquis on the Starz series American Gods.
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Frances Oldham Kelsey
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1934 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- In 1935 graduated with Master of Science
- Occupations
- university teacherpharmacologistphysician
- Biography
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Frances Kathleen Oldham Kelsey CM was a Canadian-American pharmacologist and physician who had a 45-year career with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As a reviewer, she refused to authorize thalidomide for market because she had concerns about the lack of evidence regarding the drug's safety. Her concerns proved to be justified when it was shown that thalidomide caused serious birth defects. Kelsey's career intersected with the passage of laws strengthening FDA oversight of pharmaceuticals. Kelsey was the first woman to receive a PhD in pharmacology and the second woman to receive the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, awarded to her by John F. Kennedy in 1962.
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Savik Shuster
- Occupations
- television presentertelevision producerjournalist
- Biography
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Savik Shuster is a journalist and television anchor. He presented The Freedom By Savik Shuster, and starting in 2005, The Freedom of Speech (ICTV), on ICTV. Since December 2015, he produces and leads political talk shows on his independent 3S.tv, after he has been cancelled from several tycoon-owned channels. In December 2016, 3S.tv announced it had ceased its activities, and on 1 March 2017, the channel stopped broadcasting. According to an official statement, the reason was that the business was no longer viable due to several litigations and corresponding financial constraints. All court cases were subsequently closed. In 2019, Shuster came back to Ukraine as the anchor of Svoboda slova Savika Shustera on the Ukraina television channel.
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Harley Morenstein
- Enrolled in McGill University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Education
- Occupations
- actortelevision producerYouTuber
- Biography
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Harley Morenstein is a Canadian YouTuber. He co-created, produces, and hosts the web show Epic Meal Time and its FYI television spin-off series, Epic Meal Empire. He is one of the two remaining original members of the show along with Ameer Atari.
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Douglas Coupland
- Occupations
- sculptorfashion designerwriterscience fiction writernovelist
- Biography
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Douglas Coupland OC OBC RCA is a Canadian novelist, designer and visual artist. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularized the terms Generation X and McJob. He has published 13 novels, two collections of short stories, seven non-fiction books and a number of dramatic works and screenplays for film and television. He is a columnist for the Financial Times, as well as a frequent contributor to The New York Times, e-flux journal, DIS Magazine, and Vice. His art exhibits include Everywhere Is Anywhere Is Anything Is Everything, which was exhibited at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Royal Ontario Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, now the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada, and Bit Rot at Rotterdam's Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, as well as the Villa Stuck.
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Anthony Lemke
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
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Roger Anthony Lemke is a Canadian television and film actor, best known for portraying Three (Marcus Boone / Titch) on the science-fiction drama Dark Matter. In French Canada, Lemke is best known for playing David Rothstein on the comedy-drama Les Hauts et les bas de Sophie Paquin.
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Edgar Bronfman, Sr
- Occupations
- entrepreneur
- Biography
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Edgar Miles Bronfman was a Canadian-American businessman. He worked for his family's distilled beverage firm, Seagram, eventually becoming president, treasurer and CEO. As president of the World Jewish Congress, Bronfman initiated diplomacy with the Soviet Union, which resulted in the Soviet government legitimizing the Hebrew language in the USSR and contributed to Soviet Jews being legally able to practice their religion and immigrate to Israel.
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Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
- Occupations
- comics artistwriterplaywrightexecutive produceractor
- Biography
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Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is an American playwright, screenwriter, and comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and for the television series Glee (2011–14), Big Love (2009–11), Riverdale (2017–23), Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018–20) and Pretty Little Liars (2022–24). He is CCO of Archie Comics.
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Mortimer Zuckerman
- Occupations
- editor-in-chiefjournalistbusinesspersonpublisher
- Biography
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Mortimer Benjamin Zuckerman is a Canadian-American billionaire media proprietor, magazine editor, and investor. He is the co-founder, executive chairman and former CEO of Boston Properties, one of the largest real estate investment trusts in the US. Zuckerman is also the owner and publisher of U.S. News & World Report, and its editor-in-chief. He formerly owned the New York Daily News, The Atlantic, and Fast Company. As of August 2024, his net worth is estimated at US$2.6 billion.
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Jennifer Irwin
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
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Jennifer Irwin is a Canadian film and television actress best known for her roles as Linda Michaels in Still Standing, Cassie Powers in Eastbound & Down, Virginia Kremp on The Goldbergs, Laurie Neustadt in the third and fourth season of NBC's Superstore and Dolly Durkins in the final season of iZombie.
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George Genereux
- Occupations
- athletesport shooter
- Biography
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George Patrick Genereux was a Canadian gold medal-winning trap shooter and physician.
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Gail Simmons
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Gail Simmons is a Canadian food writer and cookbook author. She has served as a permanent judge on Bravo's Emmy-winning series Top Chef since the show's inception in 2006. Simmons was previously the head critic on Top Chef Duels and host of Top Chef: Just Desserts, Bravo's pastry-focused spin-off of the Top Chef franchise. She was also the co-host of The Feed, which aired in 2014 on FYI, A+E's new lifestyle network. In addition to her work on Top Chef, Gail makes frequent television appearances on NBC's Today and ABC's Good Morning America, among others. She has been featured in such publications as New York magazine, Travel + Leisure, GQ, People, Los Angeles Times, and more.
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Kate McGarrigle
- Occupations
- singer-songwritersinger
- Biography
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Kate McGarrigle CM was a Canadian folk music singer-songwriter, who wrote and performed as a duo with her sister Anna McGarrigle.
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John Abbott
- Occupations
- lawyerdeanuniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party.
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Peng Ming-min
- Years
- 1923-2022 (aged 99)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Peng Ming-min was a Taiwanese democracy activist, advocate of Taiwan independence, legal scholar, and politician. Arrested for sedition in 1964 for printing a manifesto advocating democracy in his native Taiwan, he escaped to Sweden, before taking a post as a university teacher in the United States. After 22 years in exile he returned to become the Democratic Progressive Party's first presidential candidate in Taiwan's first direct presidential election in 1996.
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Thomas Mulcair
- Occupations
- university teacherlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Thomas Joseph Mulcair is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2012 to 2017 and leader of the Official Opposition from 2012 to 2015. He was elected to the House of Commons in 2007 and sat as the member of Parliament (MP) for Outremont until 2018.
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Robert W. Service
- Occupations
- novelistwriterautobiographerwar correspondentpoet
- Biography
-
Robert William Service was an English-born Canadian poet and writer, often called “The Bard of the Yukon" and "The Canadian Kipling". Born in Lancashire of Scottish descent, he was a bank clerk by trade, but spent long periods travelling in the west in the United States and Canada, often in poverty. When his bank sent him to the Yukon, he was inspired by tales of the Klondike Gold Rush, and wrote two poems, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", which showed remarkable authenticity from an author with no experience of the gold rush or mining, and enjoyed immediate popularity. Encouraged by this, he quickly wrote more poems on the same theme, which were published as Songs of a Sourdough (re-titled The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses in the U.S.), and achieved a massive sale. When his next collection, Ballads of a Cheechako, proved equally successful, Service could afford to travel widely and live a leisurely life, basing himself in Paris and the French Riviera.
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Marc Tessier-Lavigne
- Occupations
- neuroscientistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Marc Trevor Tessier-Lavigne is a Canadian-American neuroscientist who is co-founder, CEO and chair of AI biotech firm, Xaira Therapeutics. He is also a biology professor at Stanford University, where he previously served as its 11th president, from 2016 to 2023. Prior to Stanford, he was the 10th president of Rockefeller University in New York City, from 2011 to 2016, and a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
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Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
- Occupations
- university teacherpsychologistpolitician
- Biography
-
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga GCB OC OQ is a Latvian politician who served as the sixth president of Latvia from 1999 to 2007. She is the first and to date only woman to hold the post and the most recent to be re-elected for a second term.
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Gordon Thomson
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
-
Gordon Thomson is a Canadian actor widely known for his role as Adam Carrington on the 1980s American prime time soap opera Dynasty.
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Catherine McKenna
- Occupations
- politicianteacherlawyerexecutive directorbusinessperson
- Biography
-
Catherine Mary McKenna PC is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who was Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2015 to 2019 and Minister of Infrastructure and Communities from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, McKenna was the member of Parliament (MP) for Ottawa Centre from 2015 to 2021.
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Natasha Negovanlis
- Occupations
- singeractorwriter
- Biography
-
Natasha Negovanlis is a Canadian actress, writer, producer, and singer. She achieved international recognition for portraying Carmilla Karnstein in the YouTube web series Carmilla and in the 2017 feature film based on the series.
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Adam Gopnik
- Occupations
- writernovelistchildren's writerjournalist
- Biography
-
Adam Gopnik is an American writer and essayist, who was raised in Montreal, Canada. He is best known as a staff writer for The New Yorker, to which he has contributed nonfiction, fiction, memoir, and criticism since 1986.
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Dick Pound
- Occupations
- chancellorsquash playerjuristswimmerlawyer
- Biography
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Richard William Duncan Pound, better known as Dick Pound, is a Canadian swimming champion, lawyer, and spokesman for ethics in sport. He was the first president of the World Anti-Doping Agency and vice-president of the International Olympic Committee. He is currently the longest-serving member of the IOC.
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Devon Welsh
- Years
- 1988-.. (age 38)
- Occupations
- singer
- Biography
-
Devon Welsh is a Canadian singer and songwriter. From 2010 to 2016, he was the frontman of the electropop duo Majical Cloudz. He released his debut solo album, Dream Songs, in 2018.
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Karina Gould
- Occupations
- community organizerconsultantpolitician
- Biography
-
Karina Maxine Gould is a Canadian politician and member of the Liberal Party. She has served as member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Burlington in the House of Commons since October 19, 2015. Gould was first appointed to Cabinet on February 1, 2017 as minister of Democratic Institutions, serving in the role until she was appointed minister of International Development on November 20, 2019, and has since then served in two other portfolios. Gould is the youngest woman to serve as a Cabinet minister in Canadian history and the first woman to have a child while serving as a federal minister. Gould went on maternity leave in January 2024 and was temporarily replaced as House Leader by Steven MacKinnon; she returned to the position in July 2024.
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Tim Wu
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1995 graduated with Bachelor of Science in biophysics
- Occupations
- academiclegal scholarjournalist
- Biography
-
Timothy Shiou-Ming Wu is a Taiwanese-American legal scholar who served as Special Assistant to the President for Technology and Competition Policy at the United States from 2021 to 2023. He is also a professor of law at Columbia University and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. He is known legally and academically for significant contributions to antitrust and communications policy, coining the phrase "network neutrality" in his 2003 law journal article, Network Neutrality, Broadband Discrimination. In the late 2010s, Wu was a leading advocate for an antitrust lawsuit directed at the breakup of Facebook.
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Peter M. Lenkov
- Occupations
- screenwriterwritershowrunnerfilm producertelevision producer
- Biography
-
Peter M. Lenkov is a Canadian television and film writer, producer, and comic book author. He is best known as the developer and showrunner of the CBS reboot series Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver, and Magnum P.I., until his firing in July 2020.
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Chuck Comeau
- Occupations
- percussionistdrummer
- Biography
-
Charles-André "Chuck" Comeau MSC is a Canadian musician best known for being the drummer of the rock band Simple Plan. He also founded the apparel company Role Model Clothing along with his bandmate Pierre Bouvier and the band's best friend, Patrick Langlois. He is also former drummer for the punk rock band Reset from 1993 to 1999, which he quit to form Simple Plan with his bandmate who also left Reset, Pierre Bouvier.
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S. I. Hayakawa
- Occupations
- university teacherpoliticiananthropologistlinguistpsychologist
- Biography
-
Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa was a Canadian-born American academic and politician of Japanese ancestry. A professor of English, he served as president of San Francisco State University and then as U.S. Senator from California from 1977 to 1983.
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Noubar Afeyan
- Occupations
- inventordonorbusinesspersonentrepreneur
- Biography
-
Noubar Afeyan is an American-Canadian entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist. He is best known for co-founding the biotechnology company Moderna, through his venture capital firm, Flagship Pioneering, and for co-founding humanitarian projects such as Aurora Prize and The Future Armenian. As of November 2021, his net worth is estimated at $3.3 billion. He was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2025.
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Gerald Butts
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Gerald Michael Butts is a Canadian executive and former policy advisor to governments and political leaders. He is vice chairman and senior advisor at Eurasia Group and a Board Member of the World Wildlife Fund. He served as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from November 4, 2015 until his resignation on February 18, 2019. From 2008 to 2012, he was president and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada, part of a global conservation organization. In 2014, Maclean's magazine declared Butts to be the fourteenth most powerful Canadian. As the former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Butts was praised as the architect behind the Liberal Party of Canada platform that led to its victory in October 2015 and was one of the most senior staffers in the Office of the Prime Minister.
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Dillon Casey
- Occupations
- television actorstage actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Dillon Francis Casey is an American-Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Sean Pierce in The CW's action-thriller television series Nikita.
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Lev Leviev
- Enrolled in McGill University
- 2002-2006 graduated with Bachelor of Commerce
- Occupations
- businesspersonentrepreneurinvestor
- Biography
-
Lev Binzumovich Leviev is a Russian entrepreneur and investor, founder of international venture capital firm LVL1, co-founder of Russia's largest social network VK.com (originally VKontakte) and the Selectel data center network.
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Ralph Steinman
- Occupations
- biologistresearcherprofessorimmunologistphysician
- Biography
-
Ralph Marvin Steinman was a Canadian physician and medical researcher at Rockefeller University, who in 1973 discovered and named dendritic cells while working as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Zanvil A. Cohn, also at Rockefeller University. Steinman was one of the recipients of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
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Izabella St. James
- Occupations
- film actoractormodel
- Biography
-
Izabella St. James is a television personality and a former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, editor/publisher of Playboy magazine. She is best known as the author of a memoir entitled Bunny Tales: Behind Closed Doors at the Playboy Mansion, published 2006, about activities at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.
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John O'Keefe
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1967 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- scientistpsychologistuniversity teacherneurologist
- Biography
-
John O'Keefe FRS FMedSci is an American-British neuroscientist, psychologist and a professor at University College London.
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Kid Koala
- Occupations
- disc jockeyfilm director
- Biography
-
Eric Yick Keung San, better known by his stage name Kid Koala, is a Canadian scratch DJ, music producer, theatre producer, film composer, multimedia-performer and visual artist. His career began as a scratch DJ in 1994. Kid Koala works with genres as eclectic as hip hop, ambient, alternative, contemporary classical, blues, classic rock, and traditional jazz. He has released 5 solo albums on Ninja Tune, and 3 on Arts & Crafts Records, the most recent being Music to Draw To: IO featuring Trixie Whitley. He has also released two award-winning graphic novels: Nufonia Must Fall and Space Cadet. He has been a member of Deltron 3030, Lovage, and the Slew, and has collaborated with artists such as Gorillaz and the Afiara String Quartet.
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Jack Szostak
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1971 graduated with Bachelor of Science in cell biology
- Occupations
- biologistprofessorgeneticistmolecular biologistbiochemist
- Biography
-
Jack William Szostak FRS is a Canadian American biologist of Polish British descent, Nobel Prize laureate, university professor at the University of Chicago, former professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, and Alexander Rich Distinguished Investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
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Andrew Miller
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directortelevision actorwriteractor
- Biography
-
Andrew Miller is a Canadian actor, writer, and director. He is known for his role as Kazan in the 1997 science fiction horror film Cube.
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Paul St-Pierre Plamondon
- Occupations
- juristpolitician
- Biography
-
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon MNA, also known by his initials PSPP, is a Canadian lawyer, media personality, and politician who has served as the leader of the Parti Québécois since October 9, 2020. He represents Camille-Laurin in the National Assembly of Quebec.
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Mike Lewis
- Occupations
- actortelevision actormodel
- Biography
-
Michael George William Lewis is an Indonesian actor and model. His father is a Canadian diplomat, while his mother is of Chinese-Malaysian descent. When he was still in high school, Lewis' father was stationed at the Canadian embassy in Jakarta. As of 2018, Lewis resides in the Indonesian capital.
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Evan Solomon
- Occupations
- journalistnovelist
- Biography
-
Evan Solomon is a Canadian politician and broadcaster who has been the minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation since May 2025. A member of the Liberal Party, Solomon was elected as the member of Parliament (MP) for Toronto Centre in the April 2025 election.
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Brenda Milner
- Enrolled in McGill University
- In 1952 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- university teacherneuroscientistpsychologist
- Biography
-
Brenda Milner is a British-Canadian neuropsychologist who has contributed extensively to the research literature on various topics in the field of clinical neuropsychology. Milner is a professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University and a professor of Psychology at the Montreal Neurological Institute. As of 2020, she holds more than 25 honorary degrees and she continued to work in her nineties. Her work covers many aspects of neuropsychology including her lifelong interest in the involvement of the temporal lobes in episodic memory. She is sometimes referred to as one of the founders of neuropsychology and has been essential in its development. She received the Balzan Prize for Cognitive Neuroscience in 2009, and the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, together with John O'Keefe, and Marcus E. Raichle, in 2014. She turned 100 in July 2018.
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Santa Ono
- Enrolled in McGill University
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- academic administratorimmunologist
- Biography
-
Santa Jeremy Ono FCAHS is a Canadian-American immunologist.
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Thomas D'Arcy McGee
- Occupations
- editorpoliticianwriterjournalistpoet
- Biography
-
Thomas D'Arcy McGee was an Irish-Canadian politician, Catholic spokesman, journalist, poet, and a Father of Canadian Confederation. The young McGee was an Irish Catholic who opposed British rule in Ireland, and was part of the Young Ireland attempts to overthrow British rule and create an independent Irish Republic. He escaped arrest and fled to the United States in 1848, after which some of his political positions reversed. He remained ardently Catholic, but his Irish nationalism moderated. He became disgusted with American republicanism, Anti-Catholicism, and classical liberalism. McGee became intensely monarchistic in his political beliefs and in his religious support for the embattled Pope Pius IX.
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Elizabeth Plank
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
-
Elizabeth Plank is a Canadian journalist, author, and media personality. She was a senior producer and political correspondent at Vox, and began hosting her journalism show called Positive Spin at NBC News in July 2020. She is a columnist for MSNBC.
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Jonathan Goldstein
- Occupations
- novelistradio personalityscreenwriter
- Biography
-
Jonathan Goldstein is an American-Canadian author, humorist and radio producer. Goldstein has worked on radio programs and podcasts such as Heavyweight, This American Life, and WireTap.
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Morteza Aghatehrani
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Morteza Aghatehrani is an Iranian Shia cleric and principlist politician. He was former secretary-general of the Front of Islamic Revolution Stability, and now representing Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr in the Parliament of Iran since 2020. He was also a member of Iranian Parliament from 2008 to 2016.
