Famous Canadian Non-Fiction Writers

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 1 
Malcolm Gladwell
(Author of 'The Tipping Point', 'Blink', and 'Outliers')
Malcolm Gladwell
4
Birthdate: September 3, 1963
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Fareham, United Kingdom
Malcolm Gladwell is best known for his bestselling books The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers. He has also written for The New Yorker and The Washington Post. His writings encompass subjects such as psychology, economics, and sociology. Gladwell has also co-founded a podcast company and hosts the podcast Revisionist History.
 2 
Jordan Peterson
(Canadian Clinical Psychologist and Author)
Jordan Peterson
4
Birthdate: June 12, 1962
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Edmonton, Canada

Canadian clinical psychologist, writer and YouTuber, Jordan Peterson became internationally known in the 2010s for his views on cultural and political issues. He propogates his views and ideas primarily through YouTube and podcasts. He has shared many videos and podcasts that have received millions of views.

 3 
Naomi Klein
(Canadian Author and Activist Best Known for Her Books: ‘No Logo’, ‘The Shock Doctrine’ and ‘This Changes Everything’)
Naomi Klein
3
Birthdate: May 5, 1970
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada

Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker Naomi Klein is known for her criticism of corporate globalization and capitalism. She became internationally known following the release of her alter-globalization book No Logo. She often appears on global and national lists of top influential thinkers and is the recipient of the 2016 Sydney Peace Prize. She is a prominent environmentalist as well.

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 4 
Samantha Bee
(Comedienne, Actress, Writer and Television Host)
Samantha Bee
5
Birthdate: October 25, 1969
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada

Samantha Bee is a Canadian-American political commentator, television host, comedienne, producer, and writer. Bee achieved international recognition for her 12-year tenure as a correspondent on the late-night talk and satirical news program The Daily Show. In 2017, she was named in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world list. In 2017, she also won a Primetime Emmy Award.

 5 
Robin Sharma
(Writer, Public Speaker)
Robin Sharma
3
Birthdate: June 16, 1964
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Port Hawkesbury

Canadian writer Robin Sharma is best known for his The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari book series. A qualified lawyer, he is an alumnus of the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. He has published several books on stress management and spirituality. He is the founder of the training company Sharma Leadership International.

 6 
Chrystia Freeland
(10th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada )
Chrystia Freeland
4
Birthdate: August 2, 1968
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Peace River, Canada
Known as the Minister of Everything, Christina Freeland is Canada’s 10th deputy prime minister. She is also Canada’s finance minister and the first woman to hold the office. She has previously worked with the Financial Times, Thomson Reuters, and The Globe and Mail. She has also authored a bestselling book. 
 7 
Patrick Moore
(Canadian Industry Consultant, Activist, and Former President of 'Greenpeace Canada')
Patrick Moore
3
Birthdate: June 15, 1947
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Port Alice, Canada

Currently a nuclear energy advocate and industry consultant, former activist Patrick Albert Moore began his career with Don't Make a Wave Committee—a forerunner of Greenpeace—eventually being elected as its President. Later, he left Greenpeace over differences in policy and founded a PR company called Greenspirit Enterprise, developing solutions in areas of natural resources, biodiversity, energy and climate change.

 8 
Ernest Thompson Seton
(American Author, Wildlife Artist, Founder of the 'Woodcraft Indians' and Founding Pioneer of the 'Boy Scouts of America')
Ernest Thompson Seton
3
Birthdate: August 14, 1860
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: South Shields, County Durham, England
Died: October 23, 1946

Ernest Thompson Seton was a wildlife artist and author. He is credited with founding a youth program called the Woodcraft Indians in 1902. A pioneer of the Boy Scouts of America, Seton also had a huge influence on the founder of the Scout Movement, Lord Baden-Powell. His life and career inspired several works of art like TV series and literature.

 9 
Mordecai Richler
(Canadian Writer)
Mordecai Richler
3
Birthdate: January 27, 1931
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Died: July 3, 2001
 10 
Brad Goreski
(Canadian-American Television Personality and Celebrity Fashion Stylist)
Brad Goreski
0
Birthdate: August 15, 1977
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Port Perry, Ontario, Canada
 11 
Roméo Dallaire
(Canadian Author, Humanitarian, Former Lieutenant-General and Senator)
Roméo Dallaire
3
Birthdate: June 25, 1946
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Denekamp, Netherlands
 12 
Irshad Manji
(Ugandan-born Canadian Educator and Writer)
Irshad Manji
3
Birthdate: 1968 AD
Birthplace: Kampala, Uganda
 13 
J. Philippe Rushton
(Canadian Author and Psychologist)
J. Philippe Rushton
3
Birthdate: December 3, 1943
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Bournemouth
Died: October 2, 2012
 14 
Farley Mowat
(One of the Best-Selling Canadian Writers Known for His Books: 'People of the Deer', 'Never Cry Wolf' )
Farley Mowat
3
Birthdate: May 12, 1921
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Belleville, Canada
Died: May 6, 2014

Canadian author and environmentalist Farley Mowat is best known for his books on his experiences as a naturalist. A zoology student at the University of Toronto, he dropped out without a degree. His bestselling novel People of the Deer related his concern about the plight of the Ihalmiut of the Arctic.

 15 
Robert Bourassa
(Politician, Lawyer, Non-fiction writer, Economist)
Robert Bourassa
2
Birthdate: July 14, 1933
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Montreal
Died: October 2, 1996

Robert Bourassa made headlines when, in 1970, he became the youngest premier of Quebec. After a crushing defeat 6 years later, following corruption scandals, he moved to Europe and the U.S., where he taught while in exile. In the mid-1980s, he reclaimed the Liberal Party leadership and became a premier again.

 16 
Jeanne Sauvé
(Politician)
Jeanne Sauvé
2
Birthdate: April 26, 1922
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Prud’homme, Canada
Died: January 26, 1993
 17 
Ken Dryden
(Politician, Ice hockey player)
Ken Dryden
0
Birthdate: August 8, 1947
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Hamilton, Canada
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
 18 
Harold Innis
(Canadian Political Philosopher)
Harold Innis
2
Birthdate: November 5, 1894
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Otterville, Canada
Died: November 8, 1952

Born into a farming community, Harold Innis was encouraged to be a Baptist minister but became a political economist and academic instead. The former University of Toronto professor is remembered for his work on the staple thesis. He had also fought on the front lines in World War I.

 19 
D. A. Carson
(Canadian Evangelical Biblical Scholar)
D. A. Carson
0
Birthdate: December 21, 1946
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
 20 
Mariko Tamaki
(Canadian Writer and Artist Who Writes For 'DC Comics' and 'Marvel')
Mariko Tamaki
0
Birthdate: December 22, 1975
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada

Mariko Tamaki is a Canadian writer and artist best known for her graphic novels like This One Summer and Skim. In 2016, she started writing for both DC Comics and Marvel. Mariko Tamaki is the recipient of several prestigious awards such as the Joe Shuster Award, Ignatz Award, and Doug Wright Award.

 21 
Christie Blatchford
(Columnist, Writer)
Christie Blatchford
0
Birthdate: May 20, 1951
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rouyn-Noranda, Canada
Died: February 12, 2020

Canadian journalist and author Christie Blatchford had created history as her country’s first sports columnist. Also known for her award-winning book Fifteen Days, which was based on her experiences in Afghanistan, she was associated with publications such as National Post. She unfortunately died of lung cancer at age 68.

 22 
Hugh MacLennan
(Author)
Hugh MacLennan
2
Birthdate: March 20, 1907
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Glace Bay, Canada
Died: November 9, 1990
 23 
Robert Hunter
(Environmentalist)
Robert Hunter
2
Birthdate: October 13, 1941
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Saint Boniface, Winnipeg, Canada
Died: May 2, 2005

Part of the Don't Make a Wave Committee, Robert Hunter also co-founded the international environmental organization Greenpeace. He was also a seasoned journalist and had begun writing as a teenager, when his mother bought him a typewriter. He battled prostate cancer in his final days and eventually succumbed to it.

 24 
Peter Gzowski
(Broadcaster)
Peter Gzowski
2
Birthdate: July 13, 1934
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
Died: January 24, 2002
 25 
Pierre Vallières
(Journalist)
Pierre Vallières
2
Birthdate: February 22, 1938
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Died: December 23, 1998
 26 
Lewis MacKenzie
(Canadian Author, Media Commentator, and Retired Major General)
Lewis MacKenzie
2
Birthdate: April 30, 1940
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Truro, Canada
 27 
Mary MacLane
(Writer)
Mary MacLane
2
Birthdate: May 1, 1881
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Winnipeg, Canada
Died: August 6, 1929
 28 
Linden MacIntyre
(Novelist, Journalist)
Linden MacIntyre
0
Birthdate: May 29, 1943
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Saint Lawrence, Canada
 29 
M. G. Vassanji
(Novelist, Editor)
M. G. Vassanji
0
Birthdate: May 30, 1950
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Nairobi, Kenya
 30 
Bill Mason
(Naturalist, Artist)
Bill Mason
0
Birthdate: 1929 AD
Birthplace: Winnipeg, Canada
Died: October 29, 1988

Apart from being an award-winning naturalist, Bill Mason was also a filmmaker and an author. A canoeing expert, he penned several books on the topic, apart from creating the popular Path of the Paddle series of canoeing films. He also specialized in wolf documentaries, such as Death of a Legend.

 31 
Nancy Huston
(Novelist)
Nancy Huston
2
Birthdate: September 16, 1953
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Calgary, Canada
 32 
Georges Anglade
(Politician, Writer)
Georges Anglade
1
Birthdate: July 18, 1944
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Died: January 12, 2010
 33 
Nathan Divinsky
(Canadian Mathematician, University Professor, and Chess Player)
Nathan Divinsky
0
Birthdate: October 29, 1925
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died: June 17, 2012

Nathan Divinsky was a Canadian chess master, mathematician, chess official, and university professor. Divinsky achieved international recognition when he married Kim Campbell who served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada. As a chess player, Divinsky represented his country at the Chess Olympiad on two occasions. As a chess writer, Nathan Divinsky contributed to several Canadian chess magazines.

 34 
Daniel Woolf
(Writer, Historian)
Daniel Woolf
0
Birthdate: December 5, 1958
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: London, England
 35 
Grenville Kleiser
(North American Author)
Grenville Kleiser
1
Birthdate: 1868 AD
Birthplace: Canada
Died: 1935 AD
 36 
Matt Cohen
(Writer)
Matt Cohen
1
Birthdate: December 30, 1942
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kingston, Canada
Died: December 2, 1999

Matt Cohen was a Canadian writer whose novel, Elizabeth and After, earned him the Governor General's Award under the English-language Fiction category in 1999. Cohen is credited with co-founding the Writers' Union of Canada, where he served as the president in 1986. Under his presidency, the union was able to persuade the government to establish a Public Lending Right program.

 37 
Pierre Bourgault
(Politician)
Pierre Bourgault
1
Birthdate: January 23, 1934
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: East Angus, Canada
Died: June 16, 2003
 38 
Marie-Christine Lévesque
(Writer, Editor)
Marie-Christine Lévesque
0
Birthdate: 1958 AD
Birthplace: Canada
Died: July 16, 2020
 39 
A.J.M. Smith
(Canadian Poet and Anthologist)
A.J.M. Smith
1
Birthdate: November 8, 1902
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Died: November 21, 1980

A.J.M. Smith was a Canadian anthologist and poet. Smith was an important member of a group called the Montreal Group, which played a key role in popularizing modernism at a time when Victorianism was prevalent. In 1943, he won the prestigious Governor General's Award under the English-language poetry or drama category. In 1966, he won the Lorne Pierce Medal.

 40 
Frederick Philip Grove
(Novelist)
Frederick Philip Grove
1
Birthdate: February 14, 1879
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Radomno, Poland
Died: September 9, 1948
 41 
Charles Lynch
(Journalist)
Charles Lynch
0
Birthdate: December 3, 1919
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Died: July 21, 1994
 42 
Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé
(French-Canadian author)
Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé
0
Birthdate: October 30, 1786
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Quebec, Canada
Died: January 29, 1871
 43 
Maria Monk
(Nun)
Maria Monk
2
Birthdate: June 27, 1816
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Canada
Died: 1849 AD
 44 
Germaine Guèvremont
(Writer)
Germaine Guèvremont
0
Birthdate: April 16, 1893
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Saint-Jerome, Canada
Died: August 21, 1968
 45 
Max Braithwaite
(Aauthor)
Max Braithwaite
0
Birthdate: December 7, 1911
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Nokomis, Canada
Died: March 19, 1995
 46 
Frank Wolf
(Canadian Adventurer, Writer, Filmmaker, and Environmentalist)
Frank Wolf
0
Birthdate: 1970 AD
Birthplace: Canada
 47 
Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali
(Writer)
Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali
0
Birthdate: October 20, 1985
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mogadishu, Somalia
 48 
Jayne Gackenbach
(Canadian Dream Researcher)
Jayne Gackenbach
0
Birthdate: May 24, 1946
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: United States
 49 
Arthur R.M. Lower
(Historian)
Arthur R.M. Lower
0
Birthdate: August 12, 1889
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Barrie, Canada
Died: January 7, 1988
 50 
Constance Lindsay Skinner
(Canadian Writer, Historian, Critic, and Editor)
Constance Lindsay Skinner
0
Birthdate: December 7, 1877
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Quesnel, Canada
Died: March 27, 1939

Constance Lindsay Skinner was a Canadian writer, historian, critic, and editor. She is best remembered for her contributions to the Rivers of America Series, which was published by Farrar & Rinehart. Constance Lindsay Skinner is also remembered for her novel Good-Morning Rosamond, which was adapted into a three-act comedy.