I had the wonderful opportunity to live in Canada for a number of years, in Montreal, and loved it! I miss Canada often! Great people, great country, great memories!
So I had to go look for one of my favorites - and was completely SHOCKED to not find her - Rita MacNeil! She's a national treasure, a tremendous talent who came from nowhere, battling the childhood humiliations of a cleft palate, poverty, and sexual abuse. But instead of becoming bitter and hateful, she rose above it, and used her talent to connect to working and struggling people everywhere. When you have heard some of her songs, like Working Man (the beautiful and unforgettable anthem of miners everywhere), Nova Scotia (hauntingly beautiful), and Flying On Your Own (a beautiful and inspiring anthem, especially for struggling women), you can never forget them.
I see Prime Ministers listed, but I personally consider Rita more notable than most of them. The list of 'Unconnected Notables' has so many names I don't recognize, that I can't understand why Rita hasn't been honored. There's nothing at all about her on WikiTree!
I know genealogy is not about recording the most deserving, but if we're going to emphasize 'notables', then, for me and many others, she ranks well above most royals and politicians and celebrities.