Activity 6

The Name Game

Objectives

To become familiar with:

• the many ways we commemorate the contributions of prominent Canadians in our daily lives; and
• the history of and associations between place names in Canada and Canadian institutions.

Directions

1. Over generations, Canada's political leaders have been commemorated in a variety of ways. For example, Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier appears on the five dollar bill, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald appears on the ten dollar bill and William Lyon Mackenzie King had a comic book created about him in 1942 entitled the King of Canada! Many Canadians and visitors to Canada have little idea how places, streets, parks and institutions get their names. Many schools, for instance, are named after prominent men and women who have participated in Canadian government and helped shape our lives today. Have the group find out which well-known Canadian icons, places, landmarks, and institutions are named after prominent politicians.

Here are some examples. Have the group research the origins of these and others as a short exercise;

*The Stanley Cup—In 1893, Lord Stanley (Governor General from 1880-1893) gave Canada a treasured national icon—the Stanley Cup. He originally donated the trophy as an award for Canada's top-ranking amateur hockey club. Then in 1926, the National Hockey League adopted the Stanley Cup as the championship prize in professional hockey.

*In Newfoundland and Labrador, the MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood Ferry was commissioned in 1990 to run between the island and the mainland. Joseph Smallwood was Premier of Newfoundland and worked to bring Newfoundland into Confederation in 1949.

*The Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, on Vancouver Island, was named as a memorial to the late Prime Minister and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. In the spirit of Pearson, the college promotes international understanding by bringing students from different cultures and countries together to study how to serve the community.

2. As a second exercise, have users list as many schools, streets, parks, community centres, and other places named for local, provincial, territorial, or federal politicians as they can think of in a given amount of time. This could lead into a discussion of the role these people have played in the community. Here are some examples from communities across the country:

*Osgoode Hall of the University of Toronto Campus is named after the Honourable William Osgoode, (1754-1824), the first Chief Justice of Upper Canada.

*Maison Thérèse-Casgrain, a halfway house for women in Montréal, is named after Thérèse Casgrain, a Quebec suffragist who became the first woman party leader in Canada when she was chosen leader of the Quebec Social Democratic Party in 1951, and was later appointed to the Senate.

*The Gardiner Dam on the Saskatchewan River was named after Jimmy Gardiner, who was Premier of Saskatchewan and a prominent Minister of Agriculture under Prime Minister Mackenzie King.

3. Prominent Canadians: It is likely that there will be some names of prominent Canadians that are not politicians appearing on the groups list(s). This can lead to a discussion about how these prominent Canadians have contributed to their country and the world. Using atlases, and city maps, find cities, towns, streets, and other places named after prominent Canadians. Here are some examples of places named after prominent Canadians:

*Dawson City in the Yukon was named after George M. Dawson, Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, who explored the region in 1887.

*AY Jackson (1882-1974), a famous Canadian painter and a member of the Group of Seven, has at least two high schools named after him; one in Ottawa and one in Toronto.

*Norman Bethune (1890-1939), born in Gravenhurst, Ontario, was a brilliant surgeon, the inventor of the mobile blood transfusion unit and the rib shears and a true humanitarian who saved countless lives. Bethune Drive in Gravenhurst is named after him. There is also a Norman Bethune University in China!

Suggested Sources:

The Canadian Encyclopedia at http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/ as well as other resources.