mine....so tough to choose just one:
ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL 1847-1922
His interest in teaching the deaf led indirectly to his invention of the telephone, an event that transformed the way the world communicates. A tireless inventor with a philanthropic bent, Bell funded the Aerial Experiment Association in Nova Scotia.
SIR SANDFORD FLEMING 1827-1915
His mind was always ticking. He envisaged a railway route to the Pacific long before he helped build it. He co-founded the Royal Canadian Institute. He gave the world its international system of standard time and Canada its first postage stamp. With it came a national emblem, the beaver.
DR FREDERICK BANTING 1891-1941
With Dr. Charles Best, he succeeded in isolating and purifying insulin, the hormone secreted by the pancreas which regulates the level of sugar in the blood. Their discovery, for which they were awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize, led to the treatment of diabetes.
TERRY FOX 1958-1981
After losing a leg to cancer, he set out on his 1980 Cross-Canada Marathon of Hope, raising millions for research and inspiring millions to follow suit every year. He gave the disease a human face and when he died at 23, all Canada was united in its admiration and sorrow.
WAYNE GRETZKY 1961-
Number 99, an all-time points champion had skill, savvy and class that lifted hockey to new heights. In the 1980s, ?The Great One' dominated Canada's national game and became a national ambassador for a sport -- and a nation.
SIR WILFRID LAURIER 1841-1919
Named Wilfrid after the hero of a Walter Scott novel, Laurier?s matin?e-idol looks and golden voice seemed made for the silver screen. Instead, it was tolerance, eloquence and his ability to bridge the French-English divide that made him a real-life hero to Canada's people.
SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD 1815-1891
A brilliant politician, he steered the ship of Confederation deftly into port, coaxing the two solitudes of Qu?bec and Ontario to co-operate in supporting the vessel. A man who loved books, babies and booze, often ruthless, often compassionate; he was Canada's fallible, friendly giant.
DAVID SUZUKI 1936-
His work on the fruit fly led the respected geneticist to worry about nature's vulnerability. As host of The Nature of Things, he continues to alert us to those worries. From toxic lakes to rain forests, he has shown Canadians and the world an environment in crisis. Now, his foundation is trying to help halt the damage.
TECUMSEH 1768-1813
Like an early Martin Luther King, the Shawnee chief had a dream: a dream of a pan-Indian movement and enough land to guarantee his people's way of life. His support of Brock's attack on Detroit ensured Brock's victory, but ultimately, did not further his own.
DAVID THOMPSON 1770-1857
One of the best pioneering geographers on the continent, Thompson surveyed and mapped almost two million square miles of western North America. Although he died in poverty and obscurity, the author of David Thompson's Narrative became one of Canada's most loved historical figures.
PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU 1919-2000
He gave Canadians their Constitution, Charter of Rights, official bilingualism and a new word: Trudeaumania. With his razor-sharp intellect and haughty charisma, he towered over our political and cultural landscape, earning passionate adulation among admirers and deep contempt among opponents.