Celebrating Canadian Creativity

"A celebration of Canadian creativity over many centuries!" -Walter Pitman, former MP, MPP and president of Ryerson University "Far from being unimaginative and unexciting, Canadians are among the world's most creative people. This book explains why." -James Gillies, professor emeritus, York University "A perfect point of departure for the rebranding of Canada as a proud, dynamic, innovative, and forward-looking nation." -John Hobday, former director, Canada Council for the Arts In this exciting new book, noted author and cultural scholar D. Paul Schafer tackles the subject of Canadian creativity in every field of human endeavour, from the arts and entertainment through transportation, communications and industry to science, technology, sports, and conservation of the natural environment. The result is a lively look at the many ways Canadians have helped shape the modern world-some well-known, others hidden in the mists of history. Schafer traces Canadian creativity from its origins in the cultures of the indigenous peoples to the present day. He considers creative inventions large and small-everything from the Robertson screw to the International Space Station's Canadarm. As Schafer notes, Canadian creativity has been the foundation both of Canada's high standard of living and its much admired quality of life. In the years ahead, Canadian creativity can serve as a model and inspiration for other nations, and as the principal means of ensuring Canada's future shines as brightly as its past. More rave reviews ... "Anyone proudly Canadian will find this book fascinating, but teachers will find it particularly helpful in fostering their students' creativity. It will not be necessary to coax pupils to read this book; it is full of surprising facts and stories about how Canadian creativity has bound together a vast and challenging country and in the process enriched the entire world." -Salvatore Amenta "This book not only sends a message about Canadian creativity, but looks at Canadian history as it has been impacted by that creativity. Paul Schafer shows that Canadians are, indeed, citizens of (and for) the world." -Bill Crothers SOME OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS PROFILED IN CELEBRATING CANADIAN CREATIVITY -The remarkable achievements of Canada's First Nations peoples in transportation (the canoe), shelter (the igloo, teepee, and longhouse), foodstuffs (maple syrup and pemmican) and many other fields -How Canada helped feed the world through the development of Marquis wheat -Little-known Canadian pioneers in the development of the electric light bulb, radio, and the electronic music synthesizer -Yes, Alexander Graham Bell was the man who invented the telephone-but did you know he also played a major role in early aeronautics and in the development of the hydrofoil boat? -Canada's role in the shaping of the modern sporting world through the invention of basketball and contributions to curling and to Canada's national sport of hockey -The creation by Sir Adam Beck and Thomas Ahearn of the Canadian hydroelectric industry, which helped drive the country's rapid industrial growth in the early twentieth century -Strategic breakthroughs in medicine and health care by William Osler, Emily Stowe, Tommy Douglas, Frederick Banting, Charles Best, James Till, Ernest McCulloch, and many others -Canada's remarkable role in the early development of Hollywood and Broadway as well as recent contributions to pop music through such talents as Céline Dion, Michael Bublé, Drake, and many other singers and songwriters -Canadian writers who have achieved global recognition, from Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Stephen Leacock, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Gabrielle Roy, Robert Service, and Morley Callaghan to Margaret Atwood, Carol Shields, Lawrence Hill, and Nobel prize-winner Alice Munro