Photo: Carl Van Vechten via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
File No. 319162 · Adjudicated
Maureen Forrester
Musician — contralto, Mahler performances, world's leading classical singers
Born
1930
Birthplace
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
Citizenships
CA
Canadianness Score
🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁
5.0/ 5
Weighted across 2 scored criteria
Designation
Bleeds Maple Syrup 🍁Born, raised, and still says “out for a rip” unironically.
Scorecard
Path A — born on Canadian soilI. Origin
Born on Canadian soil — yes
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
Canadian parentage — not scored
Both parents Canadian
Citizenship on record — not scored
Automatic by birth
II. Residency
Formative years spent in Canada — yes
Raised — Quebec
Lived in Canada by choice — not scored
Residency on record as an adult
Worked or filmed in Canada — not scored
Credits filed north of the 49th
III. Cultural evidence — not scored
Section III is recorded for the file only. Birth on Canadian soil already settles the matter.
Publicly claims to be Canadian — not scored
Says so, out loud
Canada claims them back — not scored
Claimed, enthusiastically
Fun fact
Was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1967, and her portrait appeared on a Canadian postage stamp in 2006.
The verdict
Born in Montreal and raised in the city's working-class neighbourhoods, this contralto became one of the world's most celebrated classical singers. She performed with every major orchestra, sang for the Queen, and never forgot where she came from — a true Canadian icon who put our concert halls on the map.
Adjudicated by
The Standings Committee
Status
Final — appealable
Related files
More from the files: Musician · Quebec
References — en.wikipedia.org