Broadcast journalist and historian, Laurier LaPierre was born at Lac Mégantic, Québec, and received his bachelor's (1955), master's (1957) and doctoral (1962) degrees from the University of Toronto. He lectured in history at the University of Western Ontario from 1959 to 1961, and at Loyola, Montréal, from 1961 to 1963. In 1962 he came to McGill as Lecturer in history; he was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1963 and Associate Professor in 1965. In 1963 he served as secretary, and in 1965 as Director of McGill's French-Canada Studies Programme. LaPierre is best known to Canadians as co-host of C.B.C. television's public affairs programme, This Hour Has Seven Days and of LaPierre. He also ran as an N.D.P. candidate in Lachine in 1968 and has been involved in a number of publication ventures. In 1978 he left McGill to become a commentator for radio station CKVU in Vancouver.

Augusta LaPaix was born in 1952 or 1953. She is a former Canadian radio personality, best known as the original host and co-creator of the night show Brave New Waves. Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, she worked in Montreal as a freelance news reporter for CBC Radio and an occasional guest host of Morningside. She was given Brave New Waves in 1984 after submitting a demo tape for a show on avant-garde culture, featuring music by Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, Klaus Nomi, and Nina Hagen. She left Brave New Waves in 1985 and moved on to other roles with the CBC, including stints as host of Cross Country Checkup, Two New Hours, Arts National and Home Run, the network's local afternoon program in Montreal. She also narrated several documentary films, e.g., “Latin America: The Thirsty Cities” (1993), “Just Before the Dawn” (1990), and “When the Day Comes” (1991).

Henry Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne was born on January 14, 1845, in London, England.

He was a British politician and Governor-General of Canada (1883-1888). He studied at Eton College and in 1867, he received a B.A. degree from Balliol College in Oxford. During his time at Oxford, his father died, and he inherited the title of Marquess of Lansdowne, his father’s seat in the House of Lords, a London residence, and estates in Ireland. In 1866, he entered the House of Lords as a member of the Liberal Party and served as a Lord of the Treasury (1869-1872) and as Under-Secretary of State for War (1872-1874). He became Under-Secretary of State for India in 1880 and in 1883, he was appointed Governor-General of Canada. Being fluent in French, he was popular in Quebec and spent extended periods at the Citadelle in Quebec City. Lansdowne received an honorary Doctor of Law from McGill University in 1884. In 1885, he travelled across Canada and met with First Nations leaders during an extended tour intended to alleviate tensions following the North-West Rebellion. He promoted the development of science and technology in Canada and supported the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Lansdowne embraced Canadian outdoor sports and activities like salmon fishing, skating, tobogganing, and curling. He served as viceroy of India (1888-1894), Secretary of State for War (1895-1900), and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1900-1905). There are towns named for Lansdowne in the Yukon, Ontario and Nova Scotia, as well as the Lansdowne neighbourhood in Edmonton, Lansdowne Avenue and subway station in Toronto, and Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. There is a Mount Lansdowne in the Yukon and streets named for Lansdowne in Sudbury, Peterborough, Quebec City, and Fredericton, as well as public schools in Winnipeg, Sudbury, and Toronto.

In 1869, he married Lady Maud Hamilton. He died on June 3, 1927, in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland.