11 People Who Make us Proud to be Canadian

Canada 150 is upon us, stirring up celebrations across the country, along with controversy. For some, it’s a time to recognize the achievements and progress of our country and rally around our shared beliefs and aspirations. While on the other hand, it’s a challenging time for Indigenous groups as Canada 150 represents a fraught past and colonization of their ancestral lands.

So at CHIMP, as one part of our evolution as a company that celebrates philanthropy and our shared humanity, we’ve launched an office remodelling project based on our core values. One of which is Responsibility, and a project we’ve called: Our Actions Speak Louder Than Words. It’s a feature wall, showcasing just a few of the many inspiring Canadians that have helped shape our country and moved us forward, and told often uncomfortable truths. They represent pioneers in human rights, science, politics and the arts:

Pauline Johnson – Wrote and performed work that celebrated her Indigenous heritage, transgressed her prejudicial ideas of race and gender in the 20th century.

Terry Fox – Ran the marathon of hope raising money and awareness for cancer research.

Elijah Harper – Opposed and killed the Meech Lake Accord, laid a foundation for Indigenous rights and recognition.

Drake – Started from the bottom, now he’s here. Rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor, starring in the Canadian teen classic Degrassi.

Ryan Gosling – Played leading role in the iconic romantic movie “The Notebook”, and he refuses to eat his cereal.

Ellen Page – Played a pregnant teen in indie-comedy “Juno”. Outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights.

Nardwuar – Human serviette, Canadian celebrity interviewer, musician, and Guerilla journalist. Extensively researches interviewees to confuse, scare, or impress them. Gives more insight into interviewees by posing unsuspecting questions.

Roberta Bondar – First female astronaut and first neurologist in space. Led an international team of NASA researchers for over a decade.

Viola Desmond – Challenged segregation by remaining in her theatre seat. Helped start the modern civil rights movement.

Nellie Mcclung – Feminist, politician, author, and social activist, she fought to grant women the right to vote. Manitoba became the first province to allow women to vote, which helped women be recognized as ‘persons’ under the British North America Act of 1867.

Dan George – Chose only to portray positive Indigenous figures and tried to improve the image of Indigenous peoples in the media.