List of Canadian poets

This is a list of Canadian poets. Years link to corresponding "[year] in poetry" articles.

A

 * Mark Abley (born 1955), Canadian poet, journalist, editor and non-fiction writer.
 * Milton Acorn (1923-1986), poet, writer, and playwright
 * Mary Electa Adams (1823-1898), educator and poet.
 * Gil Adamson, novelist, poet, short-story writer (a woman)
 * Marie-Celie Agnant (born 1953), Haitian native living in Canada since 1970; novelist, poet and writer of children's books
 * Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm (born 1965), Native American writer and poet, founder (in 1993) of Kegedonce Press, specializing in indigenous writers
 * John Akpata (2003), writer. poet, musician, politician
 * Donald Alarie (born 1945), writer, poet and teacher
 * Edna Alford, editor, author and poet who co-founded the magazine Dandelion
 * Sandra Alland (born 1973), Scottish-Canadian writer, multimedia artist, bookseller, small press publisher and activist
 * Donna Allard, editor and poet
 * Lillian Allen (born 1951), dub poet
 * Henry Alline (1748-1784), hymn writer
 * Bert Almon
 * Anne-Marie Alonzo (1951-2005), playwright, poet, novelist, critic and publisher, born in Egypt and moved to Canada at the age of 12
 * George Amabile (born 1936)
 * Marguerite Andersen (born 1924), German-born, primarily francophone writer, academic and editor
 * James Anderson (1842-1823), the "Robert Service of the Cariboo".
 * Patrick Anderson (1915-1979), English-born Canadian poet and academic
 * Robert T. Anderson (1880-1960)
 * Rod Anderson (1935), poet, musician and accountant
 * Michael Andre (born 1946), poet, critic and editor living in the United States
 * Jeannette Armstrong (born 1948), Native American author, educator, artist, and activist
 * David Arnason (born 1940), author and poet
 * Rod Anderson (born 1935), poet, musician and Chartered Accountant
 * Joanne Arnott (born 1960), MÃ©tis writer
 * Margaret Atwood (born 1939), poet, novelist, literary critic, feminist and activist
 * Margaret Avison (born 1918-2007)

B

 * Lisa B political spoken word poet who has published chapbooks
 * Ken Babstock
 * Alfred Bailey (1905-1997) poet, anthropologist, ethno-historian, and academic administrator
 * Jacob Bailey (1731-1808), a Church of England clergyman and poet born in the United States (colony of New Hampshire), immigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada in 1779
 * Chris Banks (born 1970)
 * Kaushalya Bannerji, native of India
 * Frances Bannerman (1855-1940)
 * Gertrude Bartlett (1876-1942)
 * John Barton
 * Gary Barwin, author, composer, children's writer and poet
 * Jalal Barzanji (born 1953), Kurdish poet and writer living in Canada since 1998
 * Shaunt Basmajian (1950-1990), poet and author
 * Bill Bauer American-born, living in Canada since 1965, husband of Nancy Bauer
 * Nancy Bauer(born 1934), American-born, living in Canada since 1965, wife of Bill Bauer
 * Doug Beardsley (born 1941), poet and academic
 * Derek Beaulieu (born 1973) poet, publisher and anthologist.
 * Henry Beissel (born 1929), poet, author, writer and editor
 * Ken Belford (born 1946)
 * John Bemrose, arts journalist, novelist, poet and playwright
 * Robbie Benoit (died 2007), poet and writer
 * Mary Josephine Benson (1887-1965)
 * Navtej Bharati, India native and Canadian resident who has published books, including books of poetry, in Punjabi and English; publisher of Third Eye Press
 * Jean-Philippe Bergeron, francophone writer and poet
 * Craven Langstroth Betts, author and poet
 * Navtej Bharati, Punjabi-language poet living in Canada
 * Robert Billings (1949-1986), poet and editor
 * Earle Birney (1904-1995)
 * bill bissett (born 1939)
 * Mark Blagrave (born 1956), writer, short-story writer, playwright, poet and academic
 * Robin Blaser (born 1925), author and poet (a man)
 * Jean Blewett (1872-1934)
 * Laurie Block (born 1949), a man
 * E.D. Blodgett (born 1935), poet, literary critic, and translator
 * Robert Boates (born 1954)
 * Christian Bok, born "Christian Book" (born 1966), poet and author
 * Stephanie Bolster (born 1969), poet and academic
 * Roo Borson pen name of Ruth Elizabeth Borson (born 1952), American native living in Canada
 * Michael Boughn (born 1946)
 * Arthur Bourinot (1893-1969), poet and lawyer
 * George Bowering (born 1935), novelist, poet, historian, and biographer
 * Marilyn Bowering (1949), poet, novelist and playwright
 * Tim Bowling (born 1964), poet and novelist
 * Louise Morey Bowman (1881-1944)
 * Alex Boyd, poet, fiction writer, critic, essayist and editor
 * Kate Braid, poet and teacher
 * Lawrence Ytzhak Braithwaite (1963-2008), novelist, spoken word artist, dub poet, essayist, digital drummer and short-story writer
 * Shannon Bramer (born 1973), poet and teacher
 * Dionne Brand (born 1953), poet, novelist, and non-fiction writer born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago before moving to Canada
 * Di Brandt nÃ©e "Diana Ruth Janzen" (born 1952), poet and literary critic
 * Jacques Brault (born 1933), French Canadian poet and translator
 * Diana Brebner (1956-“2001)
 * Brian Brett (born 1950), poet and novelist
 * Elizabeth Brewster (born 1922), poet and academic
 * Robert Bringhurst (born 1946), poet, typographer and author
 * David Bromige (born 1933), Canadian poet living in the United States since 1962
 * Bertram Brooker (1888-1955)
 * Nicole Brossard (born 1943), francophone poet and novelist
 * Audrey Alexandra Brown (1904-1998)
 * Ronnie R. Brown (born 1946), American native living in Canada for most of her adult life
 * Robert Budde (born 1966), poet, novelist and academic
 * Suzanne Buffam
 * April Bulmer (born 1963)
 * Johnny Burke (1851-1930), Newfoundland
 * Mick Burrs

C

 * Stephen Cain (born 1970), poet and academic
 * Alison Calder, poet and academic
 * Barry Callaghan (born 1937), author and poet; son of the author Morley Callaghan
 * Anne Cameron (born 1938), novelist, poet, screenwriter and short story writer
 * George Frederick Cameron (1854-1885), poet, lawyer, and journalist
 * William Wilfred Campbell (1858-1918), poet, Anglican clergyman, civil servant
 * Natalee Caple (born 1970), novelist and poet
 * Paul Cargnello(born 1979), Montreal poet, lyricist
 * Bliss Carman (1861-1929), poet and critic
 * Anne Carson (born 1950), poet, essayist, translator, and academic
 * William Chapman (1850-1917), poet, journalist and bureaucrat
 * Jean Charbonneau (1875-1960), francophone poet who was the primary founder of the Montreal Literary School
 * Robert Choquette (1905-1991), novelist, poet and, briefly, (1968-1970) a diplomat
 * Lesley Choyce (born 1951), novelist, writer, children's book writer, poet, and academic who founded Pottersfield Press and hosts the television program "Choyce Words" and "Off the Page"; born in the United States and immigrated to Canada in 1979
 * Margaret Christakos (born 1962), poet and university writing teacher
 * Evie Christie (born 1979)
 * Dave Clark, musician who published a book of poetry
 * George Elliott Clarke (born 1960), poet and playwright.
 * Wayne Clifford (born 1944)
 * Fred Cogswell (1917-2004)
 * Leonard Cohen (1934), singer-songwriter, musician, published poet and novelist
 * Matt Cohen, 1942-1999), fiction writer and poet
 * Helena Coleman (1860-1953)
 * Don Coles (born 1928), poet, author and academic
 * John Robert Colombo (born 1936), poet, anthologist, editor, essayist, and humorist
 * Anne Compton (born 1947), poet, critic, and anthologist
 * Wayde Compton (born 1972), poet, writer, turntable-based "sound poetry" performer, academic who co-founded Commodore Books, the first black-oriented press in Western Canada
 * Jan Conn (born 1952), geneticist and poet living in the United States
 * Karen Connelly (born 1969), writer and poet
 * Kevin Connolly
 * Edmund Vance Cooke (1886-1932), the "Poet laureate of childhood"
 * Dennis Cooley (born 1944), poet and academic
 * Afua Cooper, Jamaican-born historian and dub poet
 * Paulo da Costa Canadian-Portuguese author, editor and translator
 * Dani Couture (born 1978), poet, essayist, critic and journalist
 * Thomas Cowherd (1817-1907), tinsmith and poet
 * Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850-1887), poet, novelist and short-story writer
 * Octave Cremazie (1827-1879), francophone poet who has been called "the father of French-Canadian poetry" for his patriotic verse
 * Lynn Crosbie (born 1963), poet and novelist
 * Lorna Crozier began writing under the name "Lorna Uher" (born 1948)
 * Michael Crummey (born 1965), poet and writer.
 * Julie Crysler, journalist and poet
 * jwcurry, John Curry (born 1959), poet, publisher and bookseller
 * Jen Currin (born 1972), from Oregon, lives in Vancouver.
 * Sarah Anne Curzon (1833-1898), wrote verse dramas, famous for Laura Secord.

D

 * Cyril Dabydeen (born 1945), native Guyana poet and writer living in Canada
 * Kalli Dakos (born 1950), children's poet and teacher
 * Mary Dalton, poet and academic
 * Joseph A. Dandurand, Native American poet, playwright, and archaeologist
 * Beverley Daurio (born 1953)
 * Frank Davey (born 1940), poet and academic
 * Nicholas Flood Davin (1840-1901), lawyer, journalist, politician and poet
 * Tanya Davis, spoken word poet and musician
 * Tom Dawe (born 1940), writer, poet, children's book author, artist
 * Adriana de Barros (born 1976), Portuguese native who moved to Canada at age 3; illustrator, web designer and poet
 * James Deahl (born 1945), poet, academic and publisher of Unfinished Monument Press; founding member of the Canadian Poetry Association
 * Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, performance art duo who have collaborated on performances, films, videos, publications and public art projects since 1989
 * Barry Dempster (born 1952), poet and novelist
 * Michelle Desbarats
 * Christopher Dewdney (born 1951), poet, writer, artist, creative writing teacher and writer in residence at various universities
 * Ann Diamond (born 1951), an award-winning Montreal poet, novelist and short-story writer
 * Pier Giorgio Di Cicco (born 1949), Italian-born, Canadian poet and priest
 * Mary di Michele (born 1949), Italian-born, Canadian poet, author and creative writing teacher
 * Robert Dickson (1944-2007), poet, translator and academic.
 * Desi Di Nardo (born 1972)
 * Kildare Dobbs (born 1923), Indian-born teacher, poet, editor, short-story writer and travel writer who moved to Canada in 1950
 * Jeramy Dodds
 * Don Domanski (born 1950)
 * Magie Dominic (born 1944), poet and artist
 * Jeffery Donaldson, poet and critic
 * David Donnell (born 1939), poet and writer
 * Candas Dorsey (born 1952), poet and science fiction novelist
 * Clive Doucet (born 1946), writer poet, and politician
 * Gordon Downie (born 1964), song writer, poet and musician
 * Orville Lloyd Douglas (born 1976), poet and writer
 * William Henry Drummond (1854-1907) Irish-born Canadian poet
 * Louis Dudek (1918-2001) poet, literary critic and publisher
 * Marilyn Dumont (born 1955)
 * Paul Dutton (born 1947), sound poet and essayist.

E

 * Arthur Eaton (1849-1947)
 * Evelyn Eaton (1902-1983), novelist, short-story writer, poet and academic
 * Vic Elias (1948-2006), American-born, living in Canada from 1979, poet and academic
 * Ronda Eller
 * David Elliott (1923-1999), poet and academic
 * Rebecca Elson (1960-1999), Canadian-American astronomer, academic writer and poet
 * Reuben Epp (born 1920) teacher, school administrator, writer and poet in Plautdietsch (Mennonite Low German)

F

 * Chris Faiers (born 1948), librarian, poet and publisher of Unfinished Monument Press, which he founded in 1978
 * Margaret Fairley (1885-1968), English-born Canadian writer, educator and political activist
 * Brian Fawcett (born 1944), poet, novelist, nonfiction author and writer
 * Charles Fenerty (c.1821-1882), Canadian poet, journalist, and inventor. Published two poems in book format in 1855 and 1866, and wrote over 32 poems (mostly published in local newspapers).
 * Ferron, born Debby Foisy (1952), folk singer, songwriter and poet
 * George Fetherling, wrote as "Doug Feathering" or "Douglas Fetherling" until 1999 when he began using his middle name (born 1949), American-born poet, novelist, journalist and essayist who moved to Canada at age 18 and became a Canadian citizen
 * Robert Finch (1900-1995), poet and academic whose area of expertise was French poetry
 * Joan Finnigan (1925-2007), writer, poet, teacher and newspaper reporter
 * Jon Paul Fiorentino, poet, novelist, short-story writer, academic and editor of Matrix magazine
 * Judith Fitzgerald (born 1952), poet and journalist
 * Robert Ford (1915-1998), poet, translator and diplomat
 * David Fraser, writer, poet, ski instructor, teacher, editor
 * Raymond Fraser (born 1941), novelist, poet, biographer, essayist and editor
 * Louis-Honoré Fréchette (1839-1908), French Canadian poet, politician, playwright and short-story writer
 * Patrick Friesen (born 1946), poet and university-level creative writing teacher
 * Mark Frutkin (born 1948), American-born novelist and poet who moved to Canada in 1970 as a Vietnam War draft resister

G

 * Radovan GajiÄ‡ (born 1953), native Yugoslavian Serb living in Canada since 1985
 * Keith Garebian (born 1943), critic, editor, biographer, and poet
 * Francois-Xavier Garneau (1809-1866), French Canadian notary, poet, civil servant and historian
 * Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau (1912-1943), first modernist French Canadian poet
 * Bill Gaston (born 1953), novelist, playwright, short-story writer and poet
 * Antoine GÃ©rin-Lajoie (1824-1882), French Canadian poet and novelist
 * Marty Gervais (born 1946), poet, photographer, professor, journalist, and publisher of Black Moss Press
 * Angus Morrison Gidney (1803-1882), educator, poet and journalist
 * Charles Ignace AdÃ©lard Gill (1871-1918), painter and poet
 * John Glassco (1909-1981), poet, memoirist and novelist
 * Jacques Godbout (born 1933), novelist, essayist, children's writer, journalist, filmmaker and poet
 * GÃ©rald Godin (1938-1994), French Canadian poet and politician
 * Oliver Goldsmith (1794-1861)
 * Leona Gom (born 1946), novelist and poet
 * Katherine L. Gordon
 * Phyllis Gotlieb (born 1926), science fiction novelist and poet
 * Sue Goyette (born 1964), poet and novelist
 * Neile Graham (born 1958), poet and academic
 * Alain Grandbois (1900-1975), French Canadian poet
 * Richard Greene
 * Leslie Greentree, poet, short-story writer and freelance writer
 * Andreas Gripp (born 1964)
 * Ralph Gustafson (1909-1995), poet and academic
 * Genni Gunn (born 1949), novelist, poet, and translator
 * Gregory Wm. Gunn
 * Kristjana Gunnars, Icelandic-Canadian poet and novelist

H

 * Paul Haines (1933-2003), poet and jazz lyricist, born in the United States and later a Canadian resident
 * Katherine Hale (1878-1956), war poet, biographer of Isabella Valancy Crawford
 * Phil Hall (born 1953), poet, academic and publisher of broadsides and chapboooks under the Flat Singles Press imprint since 1976
 * Ronald Hambleton (born 1917), poet and freelance writer.
 * Jane Eaton Hamilton (born 1954), short-story writer, poet and photographer
 * Claire Harris (born 1937)
 * Michael Harris
 * Sharon Harris (born 1972), writer, poet, artist and photographer
 * Richard Harrison
 * Susan Frances Harrison (1859-1935), wrote as "Seranus."
 * Paul Hartal (born 1936), painter and poet, born Hungary
 * Jill Hartman (born 1974 in poetry), poet and editor
 * Elisabeth Harvor (nee Deichman) (born 1936), novelist and poet
 * Robert Hayman (1575-1629), poet, colonist and Proprietary Governor of Bristol's Hope colony in Newfoundland
 * Charles Heavysege (1816-1876), first Canadian dramatist to attract international notice.
 * Anne Hébert (1916-2000), French-Canadian novelist and poet.
 * Anne Hecht (fl. 1786), Loyalist poet.
 * Allison Hedge Coke 1958), poet, writer, artist, activist and academic
 * Wilfrid Heighington (1897-1945), soldier, writer, poet lawyer and politician
 * Steven Heighton (born 1961), novelist and poet
 * David Helwig (born 1938), poet, novelist and essayist; father of Maggie Helwig
 * Maggie Helwig (born 1961), poet, novelist, peace and human rights activist; daughter of David Helwig
 * Brian Henderson (born 1948), poet, academic and editor
 * Robert Hilles (born 1951), poet and novelist
 * Susan Holbrook (born 1967)
 * Clive Holden
 * Emily Holton
 * Cornelia Hoogland (born 1952), poet and academic
 * Sean Horlor (born 1981) poet, former speechwriter, freelance writing consultant
 * Joseph Howe (1804-1873), journalist, politician, premier of Nova Scotia
 * Harry Howith (born 1934)
 * Ray Hsu, poet and academic
 * Annie Campbell Huestis (1878-1970)
 * Helen Humphreys (born 1961), poet and novelist
 * Al Hunter poet, author, tribal leader, activist
 * Aislinn Hunter (born 1969), poet and author
 * Bruce Hunter (born 1952), teacher, poet and fiction writer
 * Catherine Hunter (born in 1957), poet, novelist, editor, academic and critic
 * Chris Hutchinson (born 1972)
 * Douglas Smith Huyghue (1816â€“1891), Canadian and Australian poet, fiction writer, essayist, and artist

I

 * Susan Ioannou (born 1944)
 * Frances Itani (born 1942), novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist

J

 * Suzanne Jacob (born 1943), novelist, poet, playwright, singer-songwriter, and critic
 * Jemeni
 * Paulette Jiles (born 1943), American-born poet and novelist who moved to Canada in 1969
 * Rita Joe (1932-2007), Mi'kmaq-Canadian poet and songwriter, called the "poet laureate of the Mi'kmaq people"
 * Reg Johanson (born 1968), composition and literature instructor, poet and essayist
 * Pauline Johnson, also known as "Tekahionwake" (1861-1913)
 * George Johnston (1913-2004), postwar modernist.
 * D.G. Jones (born 1929), poet, translator and educator
 * Evan Jones, poet, critic and anthologist
 * Eve Joseph (born 1953), poet and author
 * Marie Joussaye (?1864-1949), Canada's first female working-class poet.

K

 * Surjeet Kalsey, poet, dramatist, short story writer and translator who writes in both Punjabi and English
 * Smaro Kamboureli, poet and academic
 * Mary Jane Katzmann (1828-1890), historian and editor.
 * Lionel Kearns (born 1937), poet and teacher
 * M.T. Kelly (born 1946), novelist, poet and playwright.
 * Penn Kemp, novelist, playwright, poet and sound poet
 * Leo Kennedy (1907-2000), modernist poet, published in 1930s.
 * Robert Kirkland Kernighan (1854-1926), poet, journalist and farmer
 * Roy Kiyooka (1926-1994), photographer, poet and artist
 * Johann Peter Klassen (1868-1947), Russian Mennonite poet and writer who immigrated to Canada in 1923 and wrote primarily in German
 * Sarah Klassen (born 1932), poet and fiction writer
 * A.M. Klein (1909-1972), poet, journalist, novelist, and short story writer
 * Raymond Knister (1899-1932), novelist, short story writer, poet, critic and journalist
 * Joy Kogawa (born 1935), poet and novelist
 * Maka Kotto (born 1961), Cameroon-born francophone, former Member of Parliament who published a book of poetry in 2002
 * Shane Koyczan (born 1976), spoken word poet
 * Robert Kroetsch (born 1927)), novelist, poet, non-fiction writer and academic
 * Janice Kulyk Keefer (born 1952), novelist, poet and academic

L

 * Sonnet L'Abbe, poet and critic
 * Pierre Labrie (born 1972), French Canadian poet
 * Dany Laferriere (born 1953), Haitian-born francophone novelist, journalist and poet who moved to Canada in 1976
 * Archibald Lampman (1861-1899), often called Canada's best 19th-century poet.
 * Tim Lander (born 1938)
 * M. Travis Lane (born 1934), American-born Canadian poet who moved to Canada in 1960
 * Patrick Lane (born 1939)]
 * Rina Lasnier (1915-1997), French Canadian poet and playwright
 * Evelyn Lau (born 1971), poet and novelist
 * Edythe Morahan de Lauzon
 * Irving Layton (1912-2006)
 * Stephen Leacock (1869-1944)
 * Gerald Leblanc(1947-2005), French Canadian poet, playwright, novelist, essayist and writer
 * Felix Leclerc (1914-1988), songwriter, musician, poet, novelist, actor, radio announcer, radio scriptwriter and writer
 * Dennis Lee (born 1939), poet, writer and children's fiction author
 * John B. Lee (born 1951), author, poet and academic
 * Sylvia Legris (born 1960)
 * John Lent (born 1948), poet and novelist
 * Douglas LePan (1914-1998), diplomat, poet, novelist and academic
 * Rosanna Leprohon (1829-1879), novelist and poet.
 * Kenneth Leslie (1892-1974), socialist, called "God's Red Poet."
 * Tim Lilburn (born 1950), poet and essayist
 * Charles Lillard (born 1944-1997), poet and historian
 * Dorothy Livesay (1909-1996)
 * Florence Randal Livesay (1874-1953)
 * Billie Livingston (born 1965), novelist and poet
 * Douglas Lochhead (1922-2011), poet and academic
 * John Daniel Logan (1869-1929)
 * Pat Lowther (1935-1975)

M

 * Rozena Maart (born 1962), poet, short-story writer, novelist, playwright, academic and psychotherapist; South African living in Canada
 * Evan MacColl (1898-1898), "The Gaelic Bard of Canada"
 * Karen Mac Cormack (born 1956), experimental poet born in Zambia, who holds dual British/Canadian citizenship, she has moved from Toront to Buffalo, New York, with her husband, poet Steve McCaffery
 * Bernell MacDonald (born 1948)
 * Hugh MacDonald (born 1945), poet, children's writer and editor
 * Jane Elizabeth MacDonald (1864-1922)
 * Wilson MacDonald (1880-1967)
 * Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941-1987), novelist and poet
 * Walter Scott MacFarlane (1896-1979), poet and soldier
 * Tom MacInnes (1867-1951), poet and writer
 * Isabel Ecclestone Mackay (1875-1928)
 * Bob MacKenzie (born 1947), poet, performer (spoken word with music), arts reviewer and commentator, also published as R.D. MacKenzie
 * Andrea MacPherson, poet and novelist
 * Jay Macpherson (born 13 June 1931), poet and academic (a woman)*
 * Keith Maillard(born 28 February 1942), author and poet
 * Charles Mair (1838 or 1840-1927), poet and political activist
 * Robert Majzels (born 1950), novelist, poet, playwright and translator
 * Alice Major, contemporary poet
 * Kim Maltman (born 1951), poet and physicist (a man)
 * Eli Mandel (1922-1992), poet, essayist and academic
 * Miriam Mandel(1930-1982), won Governor General's Award in 1973.
 * Ahdri Zhina Mandiela (born 1953 Jamaican-born dub poet, theatre producer, and artistic director; Jamaican native living in Canada
 * David Manicom (born 1960), diplomat, poet and novelist
 * Lee Maracle(born 1950), Native American poet and author
 * Nicole Markotic, poet and novelist
 * Daphne Marlatt, nee Buckle (born 1942)
 * Anne Marriott (1913-1997), authored Depression-era classic, "The Wind Our Enemy."
 * Tom Marshall (1938-1993), Canadian poet and novelist
 * Camille Martin (born 1956), American-born poet, translator, academic and collage artist living in Toronto since 2005
 * Robin Mathews (born 1931), Canadian poet and professor, known for his political activism against United States foreign policy
 * Seymour Mayne (born 1944), poet and literary translator
 * Chandra Mayor (born in 1973), poet and novelist
 * Peter McArthur (1866-1924)
 * Robert McBride (1811 or 1812-1895), Irish-born Canadian poet
 * Steven McCabe, contemporary artist and poet
 * Steve McCaffery (born 1947), poet and academic born in England and moved to Toronto in 1968; husband of poet Karen MacCormack
 * Alma Frances McCollum (1879-1906)
 * John McCrae (1872-1918), poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I, best known for writing the famous war memorial poem "In Flanders Fields."
 * Laura E. McCully (1886-1924)
 * Roy McDonald (born 1937), is a poet and busker (street performer)
 * David McFadden (born 11 October 1940), poet, fiction writer, and travel writer
 * Wendy McGrath, poet and novelist
 * David McGimpsey, poet, humorist and academic
 * Nadine McInnis (born 1956), poet, short-story writer and essayist
 * James McIntyre (1828-1906), called "The Cheese Poet"
 * Don McKay (born 1942), poet, editor, and educator
 * Barry McKinnon (born 1944)
 * Alexander McLachlan (1817-1896)
 * Brendan McLeod (born 1979), poet, novelist, member of The Fugitives.
 * Susan McMaster (born 1950), poet, literary editor, and spoken word performer
 * Steve McOrmond (born 1957), poet and academic
 * Mary Melfi (born 1951), Italian-born poet, novelist and playwright who immigrated to Canada as a young child
 * Helen M. Merrill (1866-1951)
 * Bruce Meyer (born 1957), poet and academic
 * Pauline Michel novelist, poet, playwright, songwriter and screenwriter
 * Anne Michaels (born 1958), poet and novelist
 * J. Edgar Middleton (1872-1960)
 * Roy Miki (born 1942), poet and academic
 * David Mills (1831-1903)
 * Kenneth G. Mills (1923-2004)
 * Gaston Miron (1928-1996), French Canadian poet, writer, and editor
 * Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942), Primarily a novelist, but also a poet, from Prince Edward Island.
 * Marion E. Moodie (1867-1958), nurse, botanist and poet
 * Susanna Moodie (1803-1885), British-born Canadian author and poet
 * Jacob McArthur Mooney (born 1983)
 * Pamela Mordecai (born 1942), Jamaican writer, teacher, scholar and poet living in Canada since 1994
 * Pierre Morency (born 1942), French Canadian writer, poet and playwright
 * Dwayne Morgan spoken word artist, motivational speaker, event organizer and poet
 * Kim Morrissey (born 1955), poet and playwright
 * Colin Morton (born 1948)
 * A.F. Moritz (born 1947), poet and academic
 * Daniel David Moses (born 1952), Native American Canadian poet and playwright
 * Erin Moure (born 1955)
 * William Murdoch (1823-1887), Scottish-Canadian poet, writer and gasworks manager who immigrated to Canada in 1854
 * George Murray, poet and an associate editor at Maisonneuve Magazine, contributing editor at several literary magazines
 * Susan Musgrave (born 1951), poet and children's writer
 * Jane Musoke-Nteyafas (born c. 1976), poet, writer, visual artist, columnist and playwright

N

 * Akhtar Naraghi
 * Roger Nash (born 1942), English-born philosopher, poet and academic
 * Lyle Neff (born 1969), poet, journalist, essayist and literary critic
 * Lorri Neilsen Glenn, poet, ethnographer, essayist and academic
 * Émile Nelligan (1879-1941), francophone poet from Quebec
 * Holly Nelson, writer, poet, activist, journalist, leader of the Green Party of Manitoba (2005-2006)
 * Pierre Nepveu (born 1946), French Canadian poet, novelist and essayist
 * W.H. New (born 1938), poet, editor and literary critic
 * John Newlove (1938-2003)
 * Lorri Neilsen Glenn, poet, ethnographer and essayist
 * bpNichol Barrie Phillip Nichol, who often went by his lower-case initials and last name, with no spaces (1944-1988), poet and writer
 * Robert Norwood (1874-1932), poet and minister.
 * Alden Nowlan (1933-1983), poet, novelist, playwright and journalist

O

 * Patrick O'Connell (1944-2005)
 * Jonathan Odell (1737-1818)
 * Thomas O'Hagan (1855-1939)
 * Sheree-Lee Olson, novelist, poet and journalist
 * Michael Ondaatje (born 1943), Sri Lankan novelist and poet with Canadian citizenship
 * Heather O'Neill, novelist, poet, short story writer, screenwriter and journalist
 * Madeleine Ouellette-Michalska (born 1930), French-Canadian writer, novelist, essayist and poet
 * Richard Outram (1930-2005), poet and writer; co-founder, with his wife, Barbara Howard, of The Gauntlet Press

P

 * P.K. Page (born 1916)
 * Corrado Paina (born 1954), Italian poet living in Canada since 1987, editorial director of the quarterly magazine ItalyCanada Trade
 * John Pass (born 1947), English-born Canadian poet and academic who has lived in Canada since 1953; married to poet and novelist Theresa Kishkan
 * Neil Peart (born 1952), songwriter, producer, author, drummer of Rock band Rush
 * Sasenarine Persaud Guyana-born, Canadian essayist, novelist, short story writer, and poet
 * W. T. Pfefferle, poet, writer and academic
 * M. NourbeSe Philip (born 1947), poet, novelist, playwright, essayist and short story writer
 * Ben Phillips (born 1947), poet, teacher and publisher
 * John Arthur Phillips (1842-1907), poet and journalist, wrote "The Factory Girl."
 * Alison Pick, poet and novelist
 * Marjorie Pickthall (1883-1922).
 * Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (born 1975), American-born poet, spoken-word poet, writer, educator and social activist living in Canada
 * Jean-Guy Pilon (born 1930), French Canadian poet
 * George Pirie (1799-1870), newspaper publisher and poet
 * Al Pittman (1940-2001), poet and playwright
 * Ted Plantos (1943-2001), poet, writer, editor
 * Emily Pohl-Weary, novelist, poet and magazine editor
 * Sandy Pool
 * B. W. Powe (born 1955), author, poet and academic
 * Claire Pratt (1921-1995), artist, poet and editor; daughter of E.J. Pratt.
 * E.J. Pratt (1882-1964), poet and academic, father of Claire Pratt.
 * Frank Prewett (1893-1962), broadcaster, who spent most of his life in the United Kingdom; a war poet of World War I
 * Robert Priest (born 1951), poet and children's author
 * Stefan Psenak (born 1969), French Canadian poet, playwright and novelist
 * Al Purdy (1918-2000), writer, editor and poet

Q

 * Andy Quan (born 1969), author who moved to Australia
 * Joseph Quesnel (1746-1809), French Canadian composer, poet, and playwright
 * Sina Queyras, poet and academic

R

 * Gurcharan Rampuri poet of Punjabi descent who writes in the Punjabi language
 * Theodore Harding Rand (1835-1900), educator and poet
 * Ian Iqbal Rashid (born 1971), Canadian/British Muslim poet, screenwriter and filmmaker of Indian descent; has lived primarily in London
 * Angela Rawlings (a.k.a. a.rawlings)
 * Wayne Ray, co-founder of the Canadian Poetry Association, publisher in London, Ontario
 * John Reade (1837-1919), literary editor of Montreal Gazette for 50 years.
 * James Reaney (1926-2008), poet, playwright, and literary critic
 * Michael Redhill (born 1966), American-born Canadian poet, playwright and novelist
 * Beatrice Redpath (died 1937)
 * D.C. Reid (born 1952), poet, novelist and short story writer
 * Jamie Reid (born 1941)
 * Tracy Repchuk (born 1965), president and founder of the Canadian Federation of Poets
 * Shane Rhodes
 * Charles G.D. Roberts (1860-1943), poet and story writer; called the "Father of Canadian Poetry."
 * Lloyd Roberts (1884-1966), poet, son of Charles G.D. Roberts.
 * Theodore Goodridge Roberts (1877-1953), novelist and poet, brother of Charles.
 * William Carman Roberts (1874-1941), editor and poet, brother of Charles.
 * Lisa Robertson (born 1961), poet, essayist and writer
 * Ajmer Rode, poet, playwright and writer in Punjabi and English
 * Gordon Rodgers (born 1952), poet, novelist and clinical psychologist
 * Carmen Rodriguez (born 1948), Chilean-Canadian poet, writes in both Spanish and English; translates her own work
 * Linda Rogers (born 1944), poet and children's writer
 * Alexander MacGregor Rose (1846-1898)
 * Joe Rosenblatt (born 1933), Governor General's Award-winning experimentalist.
 * Laisha Rosnau (born 1972), novelist and poet
 * Bruce Ross, author, academic, past president of the Haiku Society of America
 * Stuart Ross (born 1959), writer, poet, editor, and creative-writing instructor
 * W.W.E. Ross (1894-1966), imagist poet of 1920s, has been called "Canada's first modern poet."
 * Stephen Rowe (born 1980)

S

 * Lake Sagaris (born 1956), journalist, poet and translator living in Chile
 * Trish Salah, academic, writer and poet whose first volume of poetry appeared in 2002
 * Peter Sanger (born 1943), poet and prose writer, critic, editor and academic born in England, immigrated to Canada in 1953
 * Charles Sangster (1822-1893), called Canada's "finest pre-Confederation poet."
 * Felix-Antoine Savard (1896-1982), priest, academic, poet, novelist and folklorist
 * Jacob Scheier, poet whose first collection of verses won the 2008 Governor General's Award for English poetry; editor; son of Libby Scheier; lives in New York City
 * Libby Scheier (1946-2000), United States-born poet and short story writer who moved to Canada in 1975; mother of Jacob Scheier
 * Matthew Schreuder (born 1971), writer and poet living in Australia
 * Andreas Schroeder (born 1946), German-born poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer
 * Stephen Scobie (born 1943), poet, critic, and academic
 * Duncan Campbell Scott (1862-1947), poet and writer
 * F.R. Scott (1899-1985), poet, law professor and constitutional expert
 * Frederick George Scott (1861-1944), "Poet of the Laurentians," father of F.R. Scott
 * Peter Dale Scott (born 1929), poet and academic
 * Joseph Scriven (1819-1886), author of "What a Friend we have in Jesus"
 * Olive Senior (born 1941), Jamaican poet and short story writer living in Canada
 * Robert W. Service (1874-1958), poet and novelist.
 * April Severin, author of seven chapbooks, and three greeting cards
 * Kathy Shaidle (born 1964), author, columnist and poet
 * Virna Sheard (1865-1943)
 * Francis Sherman (1871-1926)
 * Joseph Sherman (1945-2006), poet and visual arts editor
 * Carol Shields (1935-2003), American-born Canadian novelist, short-story writer, poet, playwright and writer
 * Trish Shields, poet and novelist
 * Sandy Shreve, poet, newspaper reporter and office worker
 * Goran Simic (born 1952), Bosnian-born poet, playwright and short-story writer living in Canada since 1995
 * Melanie Siebert
 * Anne Simpson (born 1956), poet and novelist
 * Sue Sinclair
 * Sonja Skarstedt (born 1960), poet, short-story writer, playwright, painter and illustrator who founded and edited the now-defunct literary magazine Zymergy (1987-1991), and founded Empyreal Press in 1990
 * Robin Skelton, (1925-1997), British-born Canadian academic, writer, poet, translator and anthologist who immigrated to Canada in 1963; a founder and editor of The Mahalat Review
 * Daniel Sloate (1931-2009), translator, poet, playwright and academic
 * Carolyn Smart (born 1952), English-born poet, author and academic
 * Elizabeth Smart (1913-1986), poet and novelist whose book, By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, detailed her romance with English poet George Barker
 * A.J.M. Smith (1902-1980), poet and academic
 * Douglas Burnet Smith (born 1949)
 * John Smith (born 1927), poet and academic
 * Michael V. Smith novelist, poet and filmmaker
 * Ron Smith (born 1943), poet, author, editor, playwright, and former academic; founder and co-publisher of Oolichan Books in 1984; influential in the founding of Theytus Books in 1971
 * Albert E.S. Smythe (1861-1947), "Poet of Theosophy".
 * Karen Solie (born 1966)
 * John Solomon, writer of erotic poetry books
 * David Solway (born 1941), poet, educational theorist, travel writer and literary critic
 * Madeline Sonik (born 1960), novelist, short-story writer, children's-book author, editor and poet
 * Carolyn Marie Souaid (born 1959), poet and editor, living in Montreal, co-founder of Poetry Quebec magazine
 * Raymond Souster (born 1921), poet and (now retired) bank executive
 * Esta Spalding (born 1966), American-born Canadian author, screenwriter and poet
 * Heather Spears (born 1934), poet, novelist, and artist living in Denmark since 1962
 * Birk Sproxton (1943-2007), poet and novelist
 * Harold Standish (1919-1972), poet and novelist
 * George Stanley, American-born poet and academic associated with the San Francisco Renaissance in his early years, moved to Canada in the 1970s; associated with New Star Books and the Capilano Review
 * Carmine Starnino, essayist, educator, and editor
 * John Steffler (born 1947), poet and novelist
 * Ian Stephens (died 1996), journalist, musician and poet associated with the spoken word movement
 * Ricardo Sternberg (born 1948), poet born in Brazil, educated in the United States
 * Richard Stevenson
 * Shannon Stewart
 * W. Gregory Stewart (born 1950), poet, science fiction author, short-story writer who works at a public utility and lives in Los Angeles, California
 * John Stiles, poet living in London, United Kingdom
 * Anne Stone, poet, writer and performance artist
 * Arthur Stringer (1874-1950), novelist and poet, first Canadian to use free verse.
 * Betsy Struthers (born 1951), poet and novelist
 * Alan Sullivan (1868-1947), poet, short-story writer, railroad surveyor and mining engineer
 * Rosemary Sullivan (born 1947), poet, biographer, academic and anthologist
 * John Sutherland (1919-1956), poet, literary critic, and magazine editor who founded and edited First Statement in 1942 and its successor Northern Review in 1945.
 * Robert Swanson
 * Robert Sward (born 1933), American and Canadian poet and novelist
 * George Swede (born 1940), Latvian-born Canadian children's writer and poet who writes Haiku in English
 * Michael Ernest Sweet (born 1979), poet, writer and founder of a non-profit educational organization
 * Todd Swift (born 1966), poet, editor and academic living in the United Kingdom
 * Anne Szumigalski (1922-1999)

T

 * Bruce Taylor (born 1960)
 * Heather Taylor (born 1977), poet, playwright and teacher living in England since 2002
 * Ruth Taylor (1961-2006), poet, editor and academic
 * John Terpstra, poet and carpenter
 * Sharon Thesen (born 1946), poet and academic
 * John Thompson (1938-1976)
 * E.W. Thomson (1849-1924), journalist, writer and poet
 * Matthew Tierney (born 1970)
 * Jose Tlatelpas (born 1953), Mexican native and Canadian resident; Native cultures poet, publisher, and political activist
 * Mohamud Siad Togane (born 1943), Somali native and Canadian resident; poet, academic, and political activist
 * Lola Lemire Tostevin (born 1937), poet, novelist and writer
 * Rhea Tregebov (born 1953), poet and children's writer
 * Raymond D. Tremblay, poet, writer, social services agency official
 * Roland Michel Tremblay (born 1972), French-Canadian author, poet, scriptwriter, development producer and science-fiction consultant who moved to London, England in 1995
 * Tony Tremblay (born 1968), French-Canadian poet, writer, spoken word artist, journalist and radio personality
 * Peter Trower (born 1930), poet and novelist
 * Mark Truscott(born 1970), born in the United States
 * Helen Tsiriotakis (born 1967)
 * Elise Turcotte (born 26 June 1957), French-Canadian writer and poet
 * John Tyndall
 * Daniel Scott Tysdal (born 1978)

U

 * Marie Uguay (1955-1981), French-Canadian poet
 * Priscilla Uppal (born 1974), poet and novelist
 * Jane Urquhart (born 1949), novelist and poet
 * David UU (1948-1994), visual poet

V

 * R. M. Vaughan, poet, novelist and playwright
 * Steve Venright (born 1961), experimental poet and visual artist.
 * Paul Vermeersch (born 1973)
 * Gilles Vigneault (born 1928), Quebec poet, publisher and singer-songwriter; Quebec nationalist and sovereigntist
 * Garth Von Buchholz (also G.A. Buchholz) (born 1968) British Columbia poet, dark fiction author, playwright, journalist and arts critic

W

 * Miriam Waddington (1917-2004), poet, short story writer and translator
 * Fred Wah (born 1939), poet, novelist, and scholar
 * Anna Louisa Walker (1836-1907), Canada / England
 * Bronwen Wallace (1945-1989), poet and short story writer
 * Tom Walmsley (born 1948), playwright, novelist, poet and screenwriter
 * Agnes Walsh (born 1950), actor, poet, playwright and storyteller
 * David Waltner-Toews (born 1948), epidemiologist, essayist, poet, fiction writer, veterinarian
 * Bertram Warr (1917-1943), Canada / England
 * Terry Watada author, writer, and poet
 * James Wreford Watson (1915-1990), geologist, published poetry as "James Wreford."
 * Wilfred Watson (1911-1998), avant-garde poet and playwright from Edmonton.
 * Alison Watt (born 1957), writer, poet and painter
 * Tom Wayman (born 1945), poet and academic
 * Phyllis Webb (born 1927), poet and radio broadcaster
 * John Weier (born 1949)
 * Robert Stanley Weir (1856-1926), judge and poet most famous for writing the English lyrics to O Canada, the national anthem of Canada
 * Zachariah Wells (born 1976), poet, critic, essayist and editor
 * Darren Wershler-Henry (born 1966), experimental poet, non-fiction writer and cultural critic
 * Ethelwyn Wetherald (1857-1940)
 * David Wevill (born 1935)
 * Dawud Wharnsby (born 1972), singer-songwriter, poet, performer, educator and television personality
 * Michael Whelan (1858-1937) teacher, bookkeeper and poet
 * Zoe Whittall (born 1976), poet and novelist
 * Anne Wilkinson (1910-1961) Canadian poet, writer and essayist
 * Sheri-D Wilson, poet and playwright
 * Rob Winger, poet and academic
 * Theresa Wolfwood, political activist and poet
 * George Woodcock (1912-1995), poet, essayist, critic, biographer and historian; the founder (in 1959) of the journal Canadian Literatur
 * Constance Woodrow (1899-1937), Canada
 * Lance Woolaver (born 1948) is a Canadian author, poet, playwright and director

Y

 * J. Michael Yates (born 1938), poet and dramatist
 * Jean Yoon (born 1962), actor, poet and playwright
 * D'bi Young born in Jamaica, moved to Canada in 1993; dub poet, actor and playwright
 * Pamelia Vining Yule (1826-1897)

Z

 * David Zieroth (born 1946)
 * Sheldon Zitner (1925-2005)
 * Carolyn Zonailo (born 1947), poet and publisher
 * Jan Zwicky (born 1955), philosopher, poet, essayist, and violinist
 * Rachel Zolf, poet and editor