MAKERS Canada

As CEO of Venture Communications, Arlene Dickinson has made a name for herself as one of Canada's most renowned marketing communications entrepreneurs. She grew up in poverty in Calgary, but is now a self-made multimillionaire. In 2012, Dickinson founded a second company, YouInc, a venture dedicated to investing in entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial lifestyle. She has served as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs on the award-winning CBC series Dragons' Den and The Big Decision. She's currently the marketing expert on the reality show Recipe to Riches, and has authored two bestselling books, Persuasion and All In.

Family practitioner, obstetrician and gynecologist Lalita Malhotra was born in New Delhi, India. After completing her medical studies in India and post-graduate work in the UK, she moved to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in 1975. She became the first independent woman to establish her own practice in Prince Albert, with a focus on women's health. The majority of Dr. Malhotra's patients are northern First Nations people. The elders named her the "Angel of the North," because of her dedication to her practice and generosity in the community. She delivers an average of 250 babies a year, more than anyone else in the area. Dr. Malhotra was named Citizen of the Year in Prince Albert in 2008. She has three children of her own, all of whom are now doctors.

After her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, Yael Cohen Braun founded Fuck Cancer, a cancer education organization that activates millennials to engage with their parents about early detection and communication around cancer. She wanted to build a charity with a sense of humor and authenticity that would appeal to younger people. Since then, Cancer has raised more than $1 million for cancer education. In 2012, Cohen Braun was named one of Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People in Business," and was a recipient of ELLE Magazine's Genius Award. In 2014, Cohen Braun developed another idea, again inspired by caring for her mother. The result was StandWith, a care management app that enables a community of friends and family to better care for sick loved ones. The same year, Cohen Braun merged with Julie Greenbaum's Fuck Cancer to create one, unified non-profit.

Julie Payette was born in Montreal, Quebec, on Oct. 20, 1963. She graduated cum laude from McGill University with a Bachelor of Engineering in 1986, and received her Master's in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto four years later. Payette joined the NASA Johnson Space Center in August 1996 and has logged over 600 hours in space since then. Payette was the first Canadian to participate in an ISS assembly mission and to board the Space Station. Over the course of her career in space exploration, she has served as a mission specialist, a flight engineer, and has helped to install scientific experiments.

Brenda Butterworth-Carr's career in law enforcement began in 1987 when she joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a Native Special Constable. After she completed training, the Yukon-born Butterworth-Carr was posted to the Whitehorse Detachment. In 1999, she was promoted to Corporal as the First Nations Policing Coordinator in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. During her time in this role, she negotiated a number of agreements with various First Nations. She would go on to hold other positions and earn honors throughout her career, while raising three boys and making history. Butterworth-Carr was the first woman to lead the national bureau for Aboriginal Policing And Crime Prevention Services while she was working in Ottawa. She is also the first aboriginal woman ever promoted to the Chief Superintendent ranking within the RCMP. Her other accomplishments include being the first female officer to take charge of the detachment in Prince George, B.C. and being named female superintendent in the Pacific region.

Hayley Wickenheiser is regarded as one of the best female hockey players in the world. The five-time Olympic medalist from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, began her career as a professional athlete at age 15 when she was chosen for the Canadian Women's National Team. With the help from her uncompromising determination and her lethal slap shot, Wickenheiser led the team to six gold medals and one silver medal at the Women's World Hockey Championships. She earned a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and four Olympic gold medals in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 winter games. She made hockey history as the first female hockey player to get a point in a men's professional game with the Kirkkonummen Salamat of the Finnish second division in January 2003. Wickenheiser also played for another men's hockey team in Eskilstuna, Sweden in the 2008-2009 season. Her hard work has not gone unnoticed. Sports Illustrated named her number 20 of the Top 25 Toughest Athletes in the World in 2008. She is a two-time finalist for the Women's Sports Foundation Team Athlete of the Year and was named among the Globe and Mail's ""Power 50"" influencers in sport. Wickenheiser is also an award winner, community leader, mentor, history-maker and an accomplished businesswoman.

Known for her noteworthy soprano voice and sentimental ballads, Canadian Sarah McLachlan is an accomplished musician, singer, songwriter and pianist. A native of Nova Scotia, McLachlan began taking lessons for voice, classical piano and guitar as a young girl. After a year of training at the Nova Scotia School of Design, McLachlan landed a solo deal with Nettwerk Records, which she first turned down to continue her studies. Once realizing her commitment to pursue her passions professionally, McLachlan later accepted the deal. Her debut album, Torch, skyrocketed her to star status in Canada where McLachlan was put on the map. Her follow-up album, Solace, was the beginning of her rise in the States. After completing a 14-month tour in September of 1992, McLachlan ventured out into the world to do address the issues of poverty and child prostitution with World Vision, a Canadian-sponsored documentary. Her travels and activism work fueled her album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy - her most personal project to date. McLachlan has since expanded her diverse discography, releasing a total of 7 studio albums, 4 live albums, 4 compilation albums and a whopping 32 singles.

Lilly Singh is a YouTube sensation, vlogger, comedian, rapper, actress motivational speaker - and first openly queer woman of color late-night show host. Better known by her YouTube name ""Superwoman,"" she has more than 7 million video subscribers and over 1 billion video views. In Oct. 2015, Singh was ranked 8th on Forbes list of World's Top Earning YouTube Stars of 2015. Singh made history with the premiere of her NBC show, A Little Late With Lilly Singh, becoming the only openly queer woman of color to host a late-night show on a major network. Singh was born in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, Canada. The famous YouTube star graduated from York University with a Bachelor's degree in psychology. Singh struggled with depression, and used YouTube videos as therapy, and to make others happy. She started her own YouTube channel in October 2010, naming it ""Superwoman."" Her videos include comedy sketches and her take on everyday activities - which are influenced by her Indian heritage. Arguably one of the most popular YouTube stars, Singh has gone on a world tour, which was the focus of her documentary, A trip to Unicorn Island. She also has a website where you can purchase products from ""Superwoman"" herself.

Roberta Jamieson is known as one of Canada's important visionaries and leaders. A Mohawk woman from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario - where she still resides today - Jamieson hails from a close-knit family of eight brothers and sisters. In 1970, Jamieson, enrolled as a student at McGill University in Montreal with the intention of studying medicine. However, her interest in medicine quickly dwindled after she became involved in the James Bay Cree defense - an initiative to prohibit the James Bay Hydro Development project from taking over the Six Nations territory. This political awakening eventually influenced her to switch her major from medicine to law. Jamieson became the first woman from a First Nation in Canada to graduate from law school in 1976 after receiving a degree from University of Western Ontario. The trailblazer hosts an impressive resume of accomplishments that culminate from her years serving as a chief, commissioner, ombudsman, businesswoman and activist. Many of her accomplishments can be classified as "firsts" - she was the first woman to be appointed ombudsman of Ontario and the first woman to be elected chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Currently, Jamieson serves as CEO and founder of Indspire and is the founder of the international Aboriginal Media Arts Festival ""imagineNATIVE."

Shay Mitchell is an actor, model, entrepreneur, philanthropist and author with nearly 20 million followers on social media. Mitchell invites her fans behind the scenes of her daily life with an average of 2 million views per clip on Snapchat. Mitchell is a native of Toronto, Ontario. At an early age she told her parents that she wanted to be in performing arts. At the age of 10, Mitchell was selected by an international modeling agency during an open casting call. By her late teens, Mitchell had modeled in cities like Bangkok, Hong Kong and Barcelona. She then returned to Toronto to pursue acting, and later earned a role as Emily Fields on ABC Family's popular series Pretty Little Liars. Mitchell has also expanded her reach into writing and fashion. She co-wrote a book "Bliss" with her best friend Michaela Blaney in 2015 and released two fashion lines. Mitchell also serves as the national spokesperson for the Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion collection and was an ambassador for the Somaly Mam Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on combating the global sex trade.