麻豆APP

Top 10 Most Famous Canadian Women

Canada is the world鈥檚 second-largest country. When looking at size, it comes in after Russia which is the world鈥檚 largest country. Canada occupies 40 per cent of the North American continent. Regardless of size, it is one of the countries in the world with a small population. As Brian Mulroney, the 18th Prime Minister of Canada said, 鈥淚 believe in judging people and governments by results, not myths.鈥� Below are ten amazing Canadian women whose accomplishments speak for themselves.

1. She was one of Electronic Arts NHL games’ first female characters

2014 image of Hayley Wickenheiser at the Winsport, Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Photo by Hayley Wickenheiser /

A household name in Olympic hockey, Hayley Wickenheiser represented Canada five times. Born in 1978, Wickenheiser won four gold medals and one silver medal. During the 2000 Olympic Games, Wickenheiser was part of the Canadian women鈥檚 softball team.

At the age of fifteen, Wickenheiser played for the Canadian hockey team in 1994. This was ten years after she began playing hockey. She played on the team in several World Championships earning her a spot on the All-Star team, four times.

During the 1998 Olympics, Wickenheiser played for the women鈥檚 team. She was the first woman to score a goal in professional hockey. In 2017, she retired from professional hockey. A character in the EA Sports video game NHL 13, Wickenheiser was also the first woman to score a goal.

She is a role model for girls entering the field of sports in Canada and across the globe. Wickenheiser takes part in community projects. She gives back to the community through organisations such as Ovarian Cancer Canada, Right to Play, KidSport, JumpStart and Project North.

2. Bondar was the first Canadian woman to go into space

Astronaut Roberta Bondar. Photo by Roberta Bondar /

Born in 1945, Roberta Bondar was the first Canadian woman to go into space. She was part of the 1992 mission on board the shuttle Discovery and spent 8 days in space. Bondar has several academic degrees including a medical degree and a neuroscience degree.

Bondar worked as head of space medicine at NASA for over a decade. Working with the astronauts who returned from space missions, she led a team that studied their data. The team looked at how the astronauts鈥� bodies recovered after being in space.

In 2009, Bondar established a foundation known as The Roberta Bondar Foundation. The non-profit is dedicated to utilizing art and science to create a sense of respect and appreciation for other life forms on the planet. Bondar received a star on Canada鈥檚 Walk of Fame in 2011. She is the first astronaut to receive the award.

3. She has received more than 55 awards for her writing

Margaret Atwood at the 2015 Texas Book Festival in Texas. Photo by Larry D. Moore /

Born in 1939, Margaret Atwood is one of the most notable Canadian fiction authors. She is a novelist, essayist, poet, and literary critic. She is also the recipient of more than 55 awards in Canada and globally.

Atwood began writing when she was 6 years old. At the age of 16 years, she knew she wanted to do it professionally. Atwood has written several books such as The Edible Woman (1969) and The Handmaid鈥檚 Tale (1985).

Atwood, who is an environmentalist, advocates for greener living through her writing. She created a device that enables authors to communicate via internet chat. Known as the LongPen, the device allows authors to sign books from a distance. This enables authors to interact with their fans without covering the distance in book tours.

4. Elsie MacGill was the first woman in Canada to receive an aeronautical engineering degree

Image of Elsie MacGill during her CCF tenure. Photo by Elsie Gregory MacGill / Library and Archives Canada /

Elsie MacGill, born in 1905, was the daughter of British Columbia鈥檚 first woman judge, Helen Gregory MacGill. In 1927, MacGill was the first woman in Canada to receive an aeronautical engineering degree.

MacGill was the first North American woman to receive a degree in that field. In 1929, she was probably also the first woman in the world to receive a Master鈥檚 degree in the subject. MacGill became Canadian Car and Foundry鈥檚 Chief Aeronautical Engineer by 1938. This made her the first woman to ever hold such a position.

Britain鈥檚 Royal Air Force selected Canadian Car and Foundry to build the Hurricane aircraft. It was MacGill鈥檚 work that perfected the design and enabled production to take place quickly. Her role in the production made her famous and earned her the Queen of Hurricanes nickname.

MacGill was also a member of the Ontario Status of Women Committee. In 1971, MacGill received the Order of Canada for her work on the committee. She died in 1980, less than a decade after receiving her award.

5. She completed her PhD at a time when doctorates were not awarded to women

Image of Carrie Derick. Photo by Watson Davis /

At the age of 15, Carrie Derick (1862-1941) began teaching. She later founded the genetics department at McGill University. Born in Quebec, formerly Canada East, Derick graduated in 1890 from McGill University. She was top of her class.

After graduation, Derick completed her PhD research in Germany from the University of Bonn. The university did not award doctorates to women at the time and she did not receive the award.

Derick was then hired by McGill university as an assistant professor. Her salary was a third of what her male peers were earning. She experienced a lot of gender discrimination nonetheless her work spoke for itself.

In Canada, Derick鈥檚 work on Evolution and Genetics was the first of its kind. Upon retirement McGill University made her professor emeritus, she was the first in Canada. Derick advocated for women鈥檚 equality stating that if given the opportunity, women can take up any challenge.

6. Mance was one of the founders of Montreal city

Monument of Jeanne Mance, part of Maisonneuve Monument, Louis-Philippe H茅bert’s work. Photo by Jean Gagnon /

A New France settler and a French nurse, Jeanne Mance born in 1606, was one of the founders of Montreal City. In 1645, she realized the city would need a hospital which led her to establish l鈥橦otel-Dieu de Montreal.

She provided most of the care to the patients. Needing money, Mance travelled to France twice to raise funds. During her second visit, Mance recruited three sisters from a religious order. The order, Les Religieuses hospitalieres de Saint Joseph, was dedicated to serving the sick.

In 1673, Mance died and was on the hospital grounds of l鈥橦otel-Dieu de Montreal. In 1861 l鈥橦otel-Dieu de Montreal was moved to a different location. It remains one of Montreal鈥檚 three main hospitals.

7. She runs a popular Canadian beer company and is a top 40 under 40 recipient

Manjit Minhas who is the founder of Minhas Micro Brewery. Photo by Minhas Micro Brewery /

Manjit Minhas is the co-owner of the Minhas Brewery, Distillery and Winery. The well-known company was the first successful beer company to enter the Canadian market in decades. The company sells more than 90 brands of wine, liqueur, beer and spirits. The sales are in five provinces, 47 states south of the border and 16 countries across the globe.  

The philanthropist, humanitarian and entrepreneur is usually on CBC鈥檚 Dragons鈥� Den. Minhas is at the helm of several Alberta-based organisations. These organisations include ATB Financial, the 2026 Olympic Bid Corp., Spiritleaf, a cannabis retailer and a telehealth firm known as askthedoctor.com.

Minhas previously co-chaired the Calgary United Way. She also received a Canadian Top 40 under 40 Award. Minhas regularly gives media interviews and is a popular speaker.

8. She is a tennis prodigy and she once defeated Serena Williams at the US Open

2015 image of Bianca Andreescu during the U18 Outdoor Rogers Junior Nationals final. Photo by MGLovesTennis /

Bianca Andreescu was a tennis prodigy who conquered the world of tennis before she was 19 years old. She rose to number 4 in the tennis ranking. In 2019, Andreescu defeated Serena Williams at the US Open.

Andreescu began playing tennis in Romania when she was 7 years old. Her family realised her potential and moved to Toronto. At the age of 10, she became a member of Tennis Canada.

Andreescu won at the Indian Wells and also won the Canadian Open. In the history of the Women鈥檚 Tennis Association, she is the highest Canadian. She is striving to be at the top of the tennis world by being number 1 in the world.

9. The death of her father drove her into undiagnosed depression

Wanda Thomas Bernard is a professor, senator and human rights advocate. At the age of 12 years, her father died. This left her mother to look after her and 9 other siblings.

She experienced racism and undiagnosed depression after her father鈥檚 death. She joined the university at the age of 15 years but was not performing well. She had to beg to be re-admitted to the university. This made her realise the role the community plays in providing support when one is experiencing a difficult time.

Dr Bernard is a community activist, social worker advocate of social change and an academic. She has worked in the mental health field and also as a director and professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work.

Bernard is the Dalhousie Special Advisor on Diversity and Inclusiveness. She was promoted to full professor at Dalhousie. She is also the first African Nova Scotian to hold the post. She is one of the Association of Black Social Workers’ founding members. Bernard was also previously a member of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women

Bernard is an expert witness in human rights cases. She is a member of the National Coalition of Advisory Councils on the Status of Women. She has also received several awards such as the Order of Canada and the Order of Nova Scotia.

10. Autumn Peltier is an environmentalist and Anishinaabe indigenous rights advocate

Born on September 27, 2004, Autumn Peltier is an environmentalist and an Anishinaabe indigenous rights advocate. At the age of 12 years, Peltier highlighted Prime Minister Trudeau鈥檚 dubious environmental policy. This caused the Prime Minister to commit to a strategy on clean water.

In 2018, Peltier spoke at the United Nations General Assembly. She was thirteen years at the time as she addressed the world leaders and spoke on water protection.