Final answer:
The statement is false; Barbara Ann Scott was a real Canadian figure skater who won an Olympic gold medal and not a fictional character created by Margaret Atwood.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Barbara Ann Scott was a fictional Canadian figure skater character created by Canadian author Margaret Atwood in her novel Cat's Eye is false. Barbara Ann Scott was not a fictional character but a real-life Canadian figure skater who became famous for winning an Olympic gold medal in 1948.
She is considered a national icon in Canadian sports history, and her accomplishments are well-documented beyond fictional literature. The reference to Susan E. Merritt's Her Story III: Women from Canada's Past suggests that Scott's history as a celebrated figure skater is included in texts that explore the lives of significant Canadian women.
While Margaret Atwood indeed wrote the novel Cat's Eye, the character of Barbara Ann Scott as a figure skater is not a creation of the novel but a genuine historical figure. Furthermore, the first English person born in North America was indeed a girl named Virginia Dare on Roanoke Island, which is true, and it serves as an example of how historical figures can become part of a nation's folklore or popular culture over time, just like Barbara Ann Scott has in Canada.