Great thread guys, Sandy metioned Stompin Tom and Stan Rogers in the same reference, while they certainly contributed to Canadian folk mucic, they did so on different levels. Stompin Tom's songs (a proud Canadian) were not nearly as deep as Stan's. While Tom's are entertaining and identifiable, Stan drew on the emotion of the story within the story that still sets the benchmark for canadian Folk. For example, Stan could have weitten on general terms about the decline of the atlantic fisherey, but intead he wrote "Make and Break Harbour", or he could have written about the plight of prarie farmers, but intead he wrote "The Field Behind the Plow". With a country as large and as diverse as ours, there are so many stories to tell, the trick is to figure out the best way to tell it in under 4 mins.

Good Luck and Good Night
Jack
ps
David Francey should be on your list