Backgrounders
National historic designations illustrate the defining moments in Canada’s history and the diverse and complex stories that we share. Learn about some of the National Historic Persons, Places and Events that have been designated through the recommendations of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC).
Note that additional national historic designations will continue to be added to this page.
National Historic Persons
- Adelaide Hunter Hoodless
- Agnes Campbell Macphail
- Chief Peguis
- C.H. “Punch” Dickins
- Curé Antoine Labelle (1833-1891)
- Donald Strathearn Rawson (1905-1961)
- Dr. Emily Stowe
- Edward Alexander Partridge (1861-1931)
- E. Pauline Johnson
- Florence Wyle (1881-1968)
- Frances Loring (1887-1968)
- Francis Pegahmagabow (1889-1952)
- Frederick Gage Todd (1876-1948)
- George Dixon (1870-1908)
- Harriet Tubman
- Helen Creighton (1899-1989)
- Henry Youle Hind (1823-1908)
- Jean (McKishnie) Blewett
- John Molson (1763-1836)
- Kahgegagahbowh (George Copway) (1818-1869)
- Kathleen Blake Coleman
- Kathleen 'Kay' Livingstone
- Larry Gains (1900-1983)
- Léo-Ernest Ouimet (1877-1972)
- Ludger Duvernay (1799-1852)
- Mabel Hubbard Bell (1857-1923)
- Mary Ann Shadd
- Mary Grannan (1900-1975)
- Mazo de la Roche
- Mina Benson Hubbard Ellis (1870-1956)
- Nahnebahwequay (1824-1865)
- Northrop Frye (1912-1991)
- Onondeyoh (Frederick Ogilvie Loft) (1861-1934)
- Ozias Leduc (1864-1955)
- Richard Pierpoint (c. 1744-c. 1838)
- Rose Fortune (c.1774-1864)
- Sara Jeannette Duncan
- Théophile Panadis (1889–1966) - commemorative plaque unveiled 2021-08-22
- Thomas Adams (1871-1940)
- Thomas George “Tommy” Prince (1915-1977)
- Viola Desmond (1914-1965)
National Historic Sites designations
- Adelaide Hunter Hoodless Homestead
- Beinn Bhreagh Hall, Baddeck, Nova Scotia
- Central Memorial Library and Park, Calgary, Alberta
- Chapais House, Quebec - commemorative plaque unveiled 2021-05-05
- Chiefswood
- Cormier House, Montréal, Quebe
- David Dunlap Observatory, Richmond Hill, Ontario
- de Gannes-Cosby House, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
- Erland Lee (Museum) Home
- First Dairy School in Canada, Quebec - commemorative plaque unveiled 2021-05-05
- The former Muscowequan Indian Residential School, Lestock, Saskatchewan
- Former Paris Town Hall, Paris, Ontario
- The former Portage La Prairie Indian Residential School, Manitoba
- The former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, Nova Scotia - commemorative plaque unveiled 2021-09-30
- Hart Massey House, Ottawa, Ontario
- The Historic Village of Val-Jalbert, Chambord, Quebec
- John and Olive Diefenbaker Museum, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
- Louis-Joseph Papineau House - commemorative plaque unveiled 2021-10-14
- Magog Textile Mills, Quebec - commemorative plaque unveiled 2021-03-01
- Massey Hall
- Meshikamau-shipu Travel Route, Newfoundland and Labrador
- The Newfoundland National War Memorial, Newfoundland and Labrador - commemorative plaque unveiled 2021-06-28
- Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, Moncton, New Brunswick
- Park House, Amherstburg, Ontario
- Pier 21
- La Petite-Ferme du cap Tourmente, Saint-Joachim, Quebec
- Reader Rock Garden, Calgary, Alberta
- Rideau Canal
- Roger Gaudry Building, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec
- Signal Hill - commemorative plaque unveiled 2017-12-21
- Spadina, Toronto, Ontario - commemorative plaque unveiled 2021-01-12
- Truro Old Normal College, Truro, Nova Scotia
- Tse'K'wa, Fort St. John, British Columbia
- Uplands, Oak Bay, British Columbia
- Vancouver Japanese Language School, Vancouver, British Columbia
National Historic Events
- Abenaki Basket-Making Industry (1870–1920) - commemorative plaque unveiled 2021-08-22
- Canadians in the Korean War
- Construction of the PEI Railway
- The Dionne Quintuplets
- Discovery of Insulin - commemorative plaque unveiled 2021-11-12
- Ducks Unlimited Canada
- Early Commercial Radio Broadcasting in Canada, 1918-1932
- Early Science in Canada's North and the Hudson's Bay Company (1768-ca. 1810)
- The Enslavement of African People in Canada (c. 1629-1834)
- Establishment of Ice Roads in the Northwest Territories
- The Examination Unit (1941–1945)
- Expo 67
- First Electronic Telegraph
- First Women's Institute
- German U-Boat Attacks at Bell Island, 1942
- Halifax Explosion
- Military Nurses
- The Red River Expedition of 1870
- The Residential School System
- Sable Island Humane Establishment (1801–1958)
- Service of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) during the Second World War National Historic Event
- The Spanish Flu in Canada, 1918-1920
- Stratford Festival
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- The Universal Negro Improvement Association of Canada (UNIA)
- Vice Admiralty Court of Halifax
- War Brides
- West Indian Domestic Scheme (1955-1967)
- Winnipeg Falcons Hockey Club