Miss Universe Canada should not be confused with Miss Canada.
| The Beauties of Canada Organization | |
| Type: | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters: | Toronto |
| Location: | Canada |
| Language: | English |
| Leader Title: | President |
| Leader Name: | Denis Davila |
| Website: | Official website |
The Miss Universe Canada or "The Beauties of Canada" is a national beauty pageant in Canada, which sends its winners to the Miss Universe pageant.
The Beauties of Canada Organization gained the exclusive rights to send a Canadian representative to the Miss Universe Pageant in 2002. The company President is Nicaraguan-born Canadian Denis Dávila.
The Miss Universe Canada contest was first held in 2003, with the first winner being Leanne Marie Cecile. Cecile made the Top 10 in Miss Universe 2003.
Natalie Glebova was crowned the winner in 2005 and went on to become Miss Universe 2005. Glebova's successor Alice Panikian was viewed as a strong contender to win the 2006 Miss Universe crown and placed in the Top 10.
As of 2022, Canada along with France remain the only countries to send a delegate to every edition of Miss Universe since its inaugural year. Germany shared this distinction until 2020, when it withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic[1]
Winner Of International Crowns:
In 2010, Miss Universe Canada made headlines when Maria Al-Masani, the first beauty pageant contestant of Yemeni origin, competed.[2] [3] [4] [5] This was controversial due to accommodating her religious beliefs by allowing her to wear a semi-transparent sarong over her swimsuit.[2] [3] [6] [7] In 2012, CNN World News named her one of its eight "agents of change" to follow, the only Canadian to receive that designation.[8]
The 2012 contest was accused of transphobia after disqualifying a transgender contestant, Jenna Talackova (Jana Talačková), for not being a "naturally born female". A spokesperson from Miss Universe Canada released a statement saying she was disqualified because on her entry form she stated she was born a female, which was not the case. Eventually, Talackova was let back into the competition.[9]
After this, Sahar Biniaz dropped out of the Miss Universe pageant a few days prior to it starting, having allegedly hurt her foot.[10] Adwoa Yamoah, the first runner-up, replaced her and competed in Miss Universe 2012.
On May 27, 2013, two days after the Miss Universe Canada 2013 pageant, it was announced that Denise Garrido was the winner. As it turned out, Garrido was actually 3rd runner-up and due to a mathematical error was named the winner. Calgary's Riza Santos was the actual winner. During the validation of the computerized scoring results (which occurred the following day), a typo was discovered in the top five entries, which significantly impacted the final results of the competition.[11] [12]
Due to the pandemic, the 2021 Miss Universe Canada pageant was cancelled and the titles Miss Universe Canada 2021 and Miss International Canada 2021 were appointed to the delegates next in line. Therefore, Miss Universe Canada 2020's first runner-up Tamara Jemuovic was awarded the title of Miss Universe Canada 2021 and competed in Eilat, Israel at the 70th Miss Universe pageant. Respectively, Miss Universe Canada 2020's second runner-up Jaime VandenBerg was awarded the title of Miss International Canada 2021, although the 2020 & 2021 Miss International pageants were cancelled.
| Year | Represented | Miss International Canada | Placement | Special Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | colspan=4 | |||
| 2023 | Windsor, Ontario | Melanie Renaud | Unplaced | |
| 2022 | Toronto, Ontario | Madison Kvaltin | Top 8 | |
| colspan=6 | ||||
| 2019 | Montreal, Quebec | Megha Sandhu | Unplaced | |
| 2018 | Toronto, Ontario | Camila Gonzalez | Unplaced | |
| 2017 | Windsor, Ontario | Marta Stępień | Unplaced | |
| 2016 | Windsor, Ontario | Amber Bernachi | Top 15 | |
| 2015 | Wetaskiwin, Alberta | Kathryn Kohut | Unplaced | |
| 2014 | Toronto, Ontario | Kesiah Papasin | Unplaced | |
| 2013 | Ottawa, Ontario | Sarah Ainsley Harrison | Unplaced | |
| 2012 | Hamilton, Ontario | Marta Jablonska | Unplaced | |
| 2010 | Uxbridge, Ontario | Katie Starke | Unplaced | |
| 2009 | Caledon, Ontario | Chanel Beckenlehner | Top 15 | |
| 2008 | Toronto, Ontario | Elena Semikina | Unplaced | |
| 2007 | Toronto, Ontario | Justine Stewart | Unplaced | |
| 2006 | Toronto, Ontario | Emily Ann Kiss | Unplaced | |
| 2005 | Edmonton, Alberta | Micaela Smith | Unplaced | |
The Canadian Search Miss Universe or Miss Canadian Universe was hosted by Chan International Models of Edmonton until 2002. While the 2002 event was held in August 2001 in Toronto, all previous events from 1993 to 2001 were held in Edmonton.
| Year | Represented | Miss Canada | Age | Placement at Miss Universe | Special Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Etobicoke | Neelam Verma[14] | 25 | Top 10 | |
| 2001 | Montreal, Quebec | Cristina Rémond | 21 | Unplaced | |
| 2000 | Edmonton | Kim Yee | 23 | Top 5 | |
| 1999 | Western Ontario | Shannon McArthur | 26 | Unplaced | |
| 1998 | Calgary, Alberta | Juliana Thiessen | 18 | Unplaced | |
| 1997 | Red Deer, Alberta | Carmen Kempt | 18 | Unplaced | |
| 1996 | Vancouver, British Columbia | Renette Cruz | 25 | Unplaced | |
| 1995 | Calgary, Alberta | Lana Buchberger | 20 | 2nd Runner-up | |
| Dawson Creek, British Columbia | Susanne Rothfos | 18 | Unplaced | ||
| Calgary, Alberta | Nancy Ann Elder | 21 | Unplaced | ||
The Miss Canada pageant obtained the franchise for the Miss Universe Pageant in 1978, when that year's first runner-up, Andrea Leslie Eng, competed internationally. From 1979 to the final contest, the winners of Miss Canada went on to compete. Miss Canada 1982, Karen Baldwin, being the only Miss Canada to also win Miss Universe. The show was popular in the 1970s, with up to 5 million viewers, but declined in the 1980s, until the franchise holders, Cleo Productions, closed in early 1992. Producers of the show cited mounting production costs, as the reason for cancellation. The last winner was Miss Canada 1992, Nicole Dunsdon, from Summerland, British Columbia, a speech pathology student at the University of Alberta.
| Year | Represented | Miss Canada | Placement at Miss Universe | Special Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior of British Columbia | Unplaced | |||
| Leslie McLaren | Unplaced | |||
| Robin Lee Ouzunoff | Unplaced | |||
| 1989 | Laurentians Region, Quebec | Juliette Powell | Unplaced | |
| 1988 | Mary-Melinda Gillies | Unplaced | ||
| TinaMay Simpson | Unplaced | |||
| Interior of British Columbia | Rene Newhouse | Unplaced | ||
| 1985 | Calgary, Alberta | Top 10 | ||
| 1984 | Edmonton, Alberta | Cynthia Michele Kereluk | Unplaced | |
| 1983 | Jodi Yvonne Rutledge | Unplaced | ||
| 1982 | London, Ontario | Karen Dianne Baldwin | Miss Universe 1982 | |
| 1981 | Laval, Québec | Dominique Dufour | 1st Runner-up | |
| Teresa "Terry" Lynn Mackay | Top 12 | |||
| Heidi Quiring | Unplaced | |||
| Vancouver, British Columbia | Andrea Leslie Eng | Unplaced | ||
Between 1969 and 1977 the Miss Dominion of Canada pageant originated when the Bruno family of Ancaster, Ontario obtained franchise rights to select and send Canada's exclusive representatives to Miss Universe. The winner of Miss Dominion of Canada competed in Miss Universe, Miss World, and often both Miss International and Queen of the Pacific. The Miss Universe franchise in Canada was taken over by the nationally televised Miss Canada contest in 1978.
| Year | Represented | Miss Canada | Placement at Miss Universe | Special Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | Pamela Mercer | Unplaced |
| |
| Ontario | Normande Jacques | Unplaced | ||
| Ontario | Sandra Margaret Emily Campbell | Unplaced | ||
| Ontario | Deborah Tone | Unplaced | ||
| 1973 | Deborah Anne Ducharme | Unplaced | ||
| Bonny Brady | Unplaced | |||
| 1971 | Lana Drouillard | Unplaced | ||
| 1970 | Norma Joyce Hickey | Unplaced | ||
| Ontario | Unplaced | |||
| Nancy Wilson | Top 15 | |||
| Ontario | Donna Marie Barker | Unplaced | ||
| Ontario | Marjorie Anne Schofield | Unplaced | ||
| Carol Ann Tidey | Top 15 | |||
| Newfoundland | Mary Lou Farrell | Unplaced | ||
| Jane Kmita | Unplaced | |||
| Marilyn McFatridge | Top 15 | |||
| 1961 | Wilda Reynolds | Unplaced | ||
| 1960 | Edna Dianne MacVicar | Unplaced | ||
| 1959 | Eileen Butter | Unplaced | ||
In 1952, Miss Toronto 1951 competed to Miss Universe 1952. Between 1952 and 1958 Miss Universe Canada was selected by a photo contest and/or casting by Silknit Ltd. of Toronto, Canada. Most winners were former Miss Toronto Pageant winners or participants.
| Year | Represented | Miss Canada | Placement at Miss Universe | Special Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto, Ontario | Eileen Cindy Conroy | Unplaced | ||
| Toronto, Ontario | Gloria Noakes | Top 16 |
| |
| Toronto, Ontario | Elaine Evelyn Bishenden | Unplaced | ||
| Toronto, Ontario | Cathy Diggles | Top 16 | ||
| Toronto, Ontario | Joyce Mary Landry | Unplaced | ||
| 1953 | Toronto, Ontario | Thelma Elizabeth Brewis | Top 16 | |
| 1952 | Ruth Carrier | Unplaced | ||