Canadian inventions and discoveries are objects, processes, or techniques—invented, innovated, or discovered—that owe their existence either partially or entirely to a person born in Canada, a citizen of Canada, or a company or organization based in Canada. Some of these inventions were funded by National Research Council Canada (NRCC), which has been an important factor in innovation and technological advancement. Often, things discovered for the first time are also called inventions and in many cases, there is no clear line between the two.

The following is a list of inventions, innovations or discoveries known or generally recognized to be Canadian.

Inventions and improvements Notable Canadian inventions and improvements to existing technologies include:

Agriculture, food and beverage

Ambrosia apple – first cultivated in British Columbia during the early 1990s. B.C. roll – a type of sushi invented in Vancouver in 1974 by chef Hidekazu Tojo. Beaver tails and touton – fried dough pastry that is sold in a variety of flavours. Butter tart – a filling of butter, sugar, syrup, and egg, baked in a pastry shell. Caesar (cocktail) – invented by Walter Chell in Calgary in 1969. California roll – a sushi roll with the seaweed wrapped on the inside of the rice, said to be created by the Japanese-Canadian chef living in Vancouver, Hidekazu Tojo, in 1974, although there are competing claims. Canada Dry Ginger Ale – a dry ginger ale invented by John J. McLaughlin in 1904 under the name of "Pale Ginger Ale", before it was patented in 1907 under "Canada Dry Ginger Ale". Canola Oil – developed from natural rapeseed (a plant from the turnip family) by National Research Council Canada (NRCC) personnel in the 1970s, containing a low-erucic acid content. Cheezies – a brand of cheese puff snack food made and sold in Canada by W. T. Hawkins Ltd. Cipaille – a Quebec adaptation of sea-pie without seafood. Coffee Crisp – a chocolate bar invented by British company Rowntree in Canada. Crispy Crunch – created by Harold Oswin in 1930. Donair – a regional variation of the doner kebab, using beef instead of lamb. Invented in Halifax, Nova Scotia around 1970 by Peter Gamoulakos. Fricot – a traditional stew consisting of clams, chicken and other meats. Garlic fingers – an Atlantic Canadian dish, similar to a pizza in shape and size and made with the same type of dough. Ginger beef – is a Canadian Chinese dish made from beef, ginger, and a distinctive sweet sauce. Hawaiian pizza – invented by the Greek-Canadian cook and businessman Sam Panopoulos, in 1962. Instant mashed potatoes (dehydrated potato flakes) – invented by Edward Asselbergs in 1962. Jubilee apple – developed by Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in British Columbia. London Fog – a hot tea-based drink that consists of Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, and vanilla syrup. Maple taffy – a sugar candy made by boiling maple sap. Marquis wheat – invented by Charles E. Saunders in 1908 and tested at the Agassiz experimental farm in British Columbia. (), developed from Red Fife wheat. McIntosh apple – developed by John McIntosh in Upper Canada in 1811 Montreal melon – originally cultivated in the Montreal area but lost due to industrialization. The melon's seeds have recently been rediscovered and its cultivation revitalized. Nanaimo bar – a dessert bar that requires no baking, invented in Nanaimo around 1953. Pablum – infant cereal, invented by Frederick Tisdall, Theodore Drake, and Allan Brown in 1930. Peanut butter – Canadian chemist Marcellus Gilmore Edson patented a way to make "peanut paste", also known as peanut butter in 1884. Pizza Pops – a calzone-type snack produced by Pillsbury. Poutine – created in the Centre-du-Québec region in the 1950s. Ragoût de boulettes (Meatball Stew) – traditional Canadian comfort food from Quebec. Ragoût de Pattes de Cochon (Stewed Pig's Feet) – French-Canadian stew with leg or feet, originating in Quebec. Red Fife wheat – a Canadian landrace descendant of Western Ukrainian (Galicia) wheat, first grown by David Fife in Upper Canada in 1842. Spartan apple – an apple similar to the McIntosh introduced to Summerland, British Columbia in 1936, developed by R. C. Palmer. Tourtière – a French Canadian meat pie common during holidays, invented in the early 1600's, with the first recipe in 1840. Yukon Gold potato – invented by Gary Johnston in 1966.

Computing, film, and animation

Archie (search engine) – the first internet search engine, invented by Alan Emtage at McGill University around 1988. Film colorization – invented by Wilson Markle in 1983. Four Line Conics – An experimental mathematics film directed by Trevor Fletcher, produced by the National Film Board of Canada in 1961 IMAX movie system – co-invented by Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, and Robert Kerr in 1968, following the creation of what is now the IMAX Corporation. Java programming language – invented by James Gosling in 1994. Key frame animation – co-invented by Nestor Burtnyk and Marcelli Wein at the NRC in the 1970s."Retired NRC Scientists Burtnyk and Wein honoured as Fathers of Computer Animation Technology in Canada", Sphere, 1996 Multi-dynamic image technique – invented by Christopher Chapman in 1967. Trackball – first built for the DATAR computer (although the concept was first mentioned in a similar project in the United Kingdom).

Communications

56k modem – invented by Dr. Brent Townshend in 1996 735 kV power line – the international standard for long-distance electricity transmission, invented by Jean-Jacques Archambault in Quebec, where the world's first 735,000-volt line was commissioned in 1965 AM broadcasting – invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1906 Amplitude modulation – invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1906 BlackBerry device – its development was led by Mike Lazaridis, who founded BlackBerry Limited Cesium Beam atomic clock – developed by National Research Council personnel in the 1960s Computerized braille – invented by Roland Galarneau in 1972 Creed teleprinter system – invented by Frederick G. Creed in 1900 Fathometer – an early form of sonar invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1919 Gramophone – co-invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1889

Hot-wire barretter – invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1902 Newsprint and pulped-wood paper – invented by Charles Fenerty in 1838 Pager – invented by Irving "Al" Gross in 1949 Quartz clock – built by Warren Marrison in 1927 Radiotelephony – first demonstrated by Reginald Fessenden in 1901"An Unsung hero: Reginald Fessenden, the Canadian inventor of radio telephony ," ieee.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-29 Standard time – introduced by Scottish-Canadian Sandford Fleming in 1878 Telephone – invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 Telephone handset – invented by Cyrille Duquet in 1878 Undersea telegraph cable – invented by British-Canadian Frederic Newton Gisborne in 1857 Walkie-talkie – invented by Donald Hings and Irving "Al" Gross in 1942 for military use

Climate-related

Rotary snowplow – invented by Canadian dentist J.W. Elliot in 1869, and perfected by Orange Jull of Orangeville, Ontario Snow blower – invented by Arthur Sicard (1927) Steam-powered foghorn – invented by Robert Foulis (1859)

Defence

ASDIC – invented by Robert William Boyle in 1916 Canadian pipe mine – a land mine used in Britain in World War II Beartrap (hauldown device) – invented for the Royal Canadian Navy in the early 1960s to assist helicopter landings onboard ships CADPAT – the first digital camouflage system, which was then used for the United States MARPAT (1996) G-suit (or anti-gravity suit) – a suit for high-altitude jet pilots invented by Wilbur R. Franks in 1941 Defendo – a Canadian martial art Gunstock war club – an indigenous weapon used by many First Nations in Canada Gas mask – the first widely used military gas mask was introduced by Cluny Macpherson in 1915 Sonar – invented by Reginald Fessenden Stealth snowmobile – in 2011 the Canadian Armed Forces announced the development by Canadian-based company CrossChasm Technologies Tomahawk – traditional Canadian war instrument created by the Algonquian peoples

Domestic life and fashion Alkaline battery – invented by Lewis Urry in 1954 Amauti – an Inuit woman's parka from Canada's eastern Arctic used to carry (pack) children Bi-pin connector – invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1893 Bottle return programs — programs where alcoholic bottles are returned from consumers in exchange for money Capote – worn by the inhabitants of New France to protect from the harsh winters Ceinture fléchée – one of many pieces of Canadian clothing listed

The first coloured coins used in circulation Easy-Off – an oven cleaner invented by Herbert McCool in Regina in 1932 Egg carton – invented by Joseph Coyle of Smithers, British Columbia, in 1911 Electric cooking range – invented by Thomas Ahearn in 1882 Garbage bag – invented by Harry Wasylyk in 1950 Green ink – invented by American Thomas Sterry Hunt in 1862 while teaching at Université Laval; used for various U.S. banknotes Igloos – a type of shelter from the Arctic Incandescent light bulb – invented in 1874 by Henry Woodward, who sold the patent to Thomas Edison Jolly Jumper – a baby jumper invented by Olivia Poole in 1959 Kerosene – discovered in the 1840s by Abraham Gesner Lawn sprinkler – invented by Elijah McCoy LongPen – invented by Margaret Atwood Parka – invented by the Inuit in the Arctic to protect the wearer from the cold Plexiglas – made practical by William Chalmers' invention for creating methyl methacrylate, while a graduate student at McGill University in 1931 Snow goggles – used by Inuit to prevent snow blindness in the Arctic due to the glare from snow and ice and were made typically from ivory, bone or other materials Snowshoes – perfected by First Nations to traverse through deep snow more effectively Wonderbra Model 1300 (aka Dream Lift) – the modern plunged-style push-up bra, designed by Louise Poirier in 1964. Though the term Wonder-Bra was coined by an American named Israel Pilot in 1935, the brand itself was popularized by Canadian Moses Nadler, who licensed (and later won) the Wonderbra patent from Pilot. Nadler made his first Wonderbra in 1939 at his Montreal-based Canadian Lady Corset Company, and directed Poirier, his employee, to design the Model 1300 bra

Science and medicine

A process for producing calcium carbide for acetylene was invented by Thomas Willson in 1892 Artificial cardiac pacemaker – invented by John Alexander Hopps in 1950/1951 A process to extract bromine was invented by Herbert Henry Dow in 1890 CPR mannequin – invented by Dianne Croteau in 1989 Ebola vaccine – discovered by researchers at the federal Public Health Agency of Canada in 2014 The first practical electron microscope was built by James Hillier and Arthur Prebus in 1939 Explosives vapour detector EVD-1 – invented by Dr. Lorne Elias in 1985 Finite element method, a method for numerically solving differential equations, invented by Alexander Hrennikoff Forensic pathology in policing – introduced by Dr. Frances Gertrude McGill (1877–1959) Insulin – the process for extracting medicinal insulin was invented by Frederick Banting, Charles Best, and James Collip (1922) Medium 199 – the world's first purely synthetic nutrient medium for growing cells, discovered in 1945 by Dr. Raymond Parker of Connaught Laboratories at the University of Toronto. Dr. Parker's achievement had a key role in the discovery of the polio vaccine Montreal procedure – a treatment for severe epilepsy invented by Wilder Penfield at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital in 1930, allowing patients to remain awake and describe their reactions while the surgeon stimulates different areas of the brain