Despite what some claim, you do not have to be born in the U.S.A. for dreams to come true! It is definitely not the only land of opportunity! Many remarkable stories of personal triumph and success have taken place in Canada and Canadians have made major contributions around the world in many areas including medicine, peacekeeping, the environment, sports, music, and the arts.

Micha«lle Jean was a Haitain refugee who arrived in Canada in 1968 with her mother and sister after fleeing Haiti to escape Duvalier's regime, under which her father was arrested and tortured. In 2005 Micha«lle Jean became the 27th Governor General of Canada! You may have seen her at the 2010 Winter Olympic Ceremonies in Vancouver. The Governor General represents Canada during State visits abroad and receives Royal visitors, heads of State and foreign ambassadors. The Governor General also presents honours and awards to recognize excellence, valour, bravery and exceptional achievements and is the head of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.

Rom©o Dallaire came to Canada from the Netherlands when he was a baby. This Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general served as Commander of UNAMIR for the United Nations peacekeeping force in Rwanda between 1993 and 1994. He tried desperately to stop the genocide that was being waged by Hutu extremists against Tutsis and Hutus and in 2004 appeared at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to testify against Colonel Th©oneste Bagosora. In December 2008 Bagosora was convicted of genocide and for the command responsibility of the murders of 10 Belgian Peacekeepers.

Norman Bethune was a Canadian physician and medical innovator who served in war time medical units during the Spanish Civil War and the Second Sino-Japanese War. Bethune also developed the first mobile blood-transfusion service in Spain in 1936.

In 1977 when Terry Fox was just 19 years old he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Although he had most of one leg amputated Terry decided to run across Canada to raise money and generate publicity for cancer research. He began his run at St John's, Newfoundland on April 12th, 1980 and ended it on September 1st in Thunder Bay, Ontario, when cancer was discovered in his lungs. During that time Terry had run 5373 km - at a pace of nearly 40 km per day. He inspired millions of people at home and around the world and raised over $23 million in Canada alone. Terry was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and a mountain in British Columbia was named after him. Since Terry's "Marathon of Hope" thousands of men, women and children around the world participate in the Terry Fox run in his honour.

Did you know that many of the world's most successful artists are from Canada? Robert Bateman, Diana Krall, Nickelback, The Guess Who, Rush, Lucy Maud Montgomery, k.d. Lang, Leonard Cohen, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers are Canadian. The list goes on and on!

If you would like to learn more about these and other Canadians or about Canada itself you can visit our website at www.everything-canadian.com