treble 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 So, CBC's made this list, and, have decided to make the Top 10 'interactive'. The special last night counted down from 50 to 11, while the top 10 will be voted on over the next few weeks, with a series of specials for each candidate, with a celebrity advocate helping argue each nominee's case. Anyway, here's the first part of the list (grabbed off the Globe & Mail website): 50: TV comedian Rick Mercer 49: Prime Minister William Lyon McKenzie 48: First World War ace Billy Bishop 47: Prime Minister John Diefenbaker 46: Singer, poet Leonard Cohen 45: Prime Minister Jean Chrétien 44: May Maxwell 43: Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier 42: Time zone inventor Sir Sanford Fleming 41: Actor Comedian John Candy 40: Singer Avril Lavigne 39: Wrestler Brett Hart 38: Hockey player Mario Lemieux 37: Native warrior Tecumseh 36: Ernie Coombs and his TV character Mr. Dressup. 35: War of 1812 heroine and candy box face Laura Secord 34: Winnipeg radio host Hal Anderson 33: Singer Gordon Lightfoot 32: Actor and Parkinson's disease activist Michael J. Fox 31: Writer, broadcaster Pierre Berton 30: Wheelchair athlete and fundraiser Rick Hansen 29: Actor and comedian Jim Carrey 28: 1812 war hero Sir Isaac Brock 27: Singer Celine Dion 26: Doctor and revolutionary Norman Bethune 25: Suffragette Nellie McClung 24: First World War General Arthur Curry 23: Hockey player Maurice "The Rocket" Richard 22: Kinsmen founder Hal Rogers 21: The Unknown Soldier 20: Comedian and actor Mike Myers 19: Hockey player Bobby Orr 18: Singer Shania Twain 17: Former NDP leader and Africa AIDS advocate Stephen Lewis 16: Rwanda massacre chronicler General Romeo Dallaire 15: CBC radio host and writer Peter Gzowski 14: Singer Neil Young 13: Singer Stomping Tom Connors 12: Humanitarian Jean Vanier, founder of the L'Arche movement 11: Métis leader and martyr Louis Riel Obviously, some of the list is bullshit. That Hal Anderson guy organized a campaign to get people to vote for him, and there are definitely other people who are on there buy don't belong or are higher/lower than they should be, but it's an interesting list, anyway. The top 10 is listed in alphabetical order: -Frederick Banting -Alexander Graham Bell -Don Cherry -Tommy Douglas -Terry Fox -Wayne Gretzky -Sir John A. Macdonald -Lester B. Pearson -David Suzuki -Pierre Elliott Trudeau The first special airs tonight at 8, with George Stroumbolopoulous arguing Tommy Douglas' case. The one I'm really interested in, though, is the Don Cherry one, with Bret Hart being his advocate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DerangedHermit 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 40: Singer Avril Lavigne And where do they get off calling her a singer? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 Lavigne and Dion, but no Lionel "Big Train" Conacher or Joni Mitchell? How about Margaret "cure for insomnia" Atwood? And as much as I love his comedy, Rick Mercer? As for the top 10, 9 out of the 10 Canadians named belong there. The other is a loudmouthed xenophobe. Seriously, Don Cherry? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Fook Report post Posted October 18, 2004 Can no one spell Bret Hart's name right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dubq 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 Mike Myers? Shania Twain? Avril? Give me a fucking break. What a fucking retarded excuse for ratings. This contest means shit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lord of The Curry 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 Bret Hart over 4 ex-PM's? Didn't expect that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 This is what happens when you let the masses vote on something. I've no doubt that Gretzky will be #1. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Mandarin 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 That's an awful list. Avril was never, EVER more important to Canada than John Candy. Ever. John Candy was a genius and should be in the top 15. Avril is the flavor of the month. Maurice Richard not making the top 10-15 is awful, but it's not as bad as STOMPING TOM CONNORS at 13. I mean, really. Meanwhile, while he is great, Suzuki shouldn't be in the top ten. Terry Fox gets my sentimental vote, but I personally think it should really go to Alexander Graham Bell. He hooked me up with SPEAKER PHONE, yo. PS- Leonard Cohen making the top 50 is Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 This is what happens when you let the masses vote on something. I've no doubt that Gretzky will be #1. Either Greztky or Trudeau would be number 1. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 In case anyone cares, here's the list of advocates: Frederick Banting - Mary Walsh, "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" Alexander Graham Bell - Evan Solomon, Co-host of CBC News Don Cherry - Bret "Hitman" Hart. Never heard of him Tommy Douglas - George Stroumboulopoulos, the only good thing on Much besides Amanda Walsh (because, well, she's cute) Terry Fox - Sook-Yin Lee, former Much VJ Wayne Gretzky - Deborah Grey, former MP Sir John A. Macdonald - Charlotte Gray, author Lester B. Pearson - Paul Gross, an actor so Canadian he made a curling movie David Suzuki - Melissa Auf der Maur, Hole and Smashing Pumpkins Pierre Elliott Trudeau - Rex Murphy, "The National" Wouldn't it have been more fun to have Margot Kidder be the advocate for Trudeau? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 In some way, I'm surprised that Paul Henderson is not on the top 50 list. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LatinAssasin 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 This list needs Pamela Anderson...and more cowbell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Karnage 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 Seeing Avril on that list just ruins it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Highland 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 I am the greatest Canadian; followed by a tossup between Lester B. Pearson and John A. MacDonald. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tawren 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 Avril Lavigne is more important to Canada than the guy who INVENTED TIME ZONES. WHAT THE FUCK. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toshiaki Koala 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 39: Wrestler Brett (sic) Hart 29: Actor and comedian Jim Carrey Oh well, at least he's on the list. I really wasn't expecting him to be on there at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2004 What gets me is that we have people on the list that are signifgant in Canadian history who technically aren't Canadian. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2004 What gets me is that we have people on the list that are signifgant in Canadian history who technically aren't Canadian. Well, if Louis Riel can make the list (seeing as at the time he was seen as a traitor and hung), why not non-Canadian Canadians like Sir John A and Bell? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2004 Thats what I mean, they aren't technically from Canada, thus technically not Canadian. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2004 Avril Lavigne is more important to Canada than the guy who INVENTED TIME ZONES. WHAT THE FUCK. Yeah, but what has he done lately? Where are HIS gold records? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treble 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2004 I think someone like Tommy Douglas, who wasn't born in Canada but did a lot to shape what the country looks like today is more Canadian than Michael J. Fox or Jim Carrey, who left the country and (I'm pretty sure) are no longer citizens of it. They did go over something like this on the special, though, mentioning that someone like Brock probably shouldn't be on the list, as he wasn't Canadian and was only over here to fight the Americans and get back to England as soon as possible. I'm a little miffed they didn't mention he has a city named after him, too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest wildpegasus Report post Posted October 19, 2004 Does anyone know if this show is going to have a replay? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Highland 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2004 Banting should win this, since he was one of the discoverers of insulin. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treble 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2004 Newsworld's showing it right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2004 No, but there is a university named after Brock though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2004 Banting should win this, since he was one of the discoverers of insulin. I'll be honest with you. Aside from Cherry (who doesn't deserve to be in the top ten at all) and Suzuki (who is underrated, but probably shouldn't be there either), I think that any of the other eight could make a claim as "the greatest". I think someone like Tommy Douglas, who wasn't born in Canada but did a lot to shape what the country looks like today is more Canadian than Michael J. Fox or Jim Carrey, who left the country and (I'm pretty sure) are no longer citizens of it. They're dual citizens. Carrey just got his, as did Pamela Anderson. Yeah, but what has he done lately? Where are HIS gold records? It's funny because it's true. Kids won't know who Fleming is. I probably wouldn't either, except I spent half my university life in the Sanford Fleming Building at U of T, so I made a point of at least knowing what he did. Sad, eh? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest wildpegasus Report post Posted October 19, 2004 Newsworld's showing it right now. AAAAAAAARGH! Missed it again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brush with Greatness 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2004 You're trying to tell me that Hal Anderson isn't the 34th greatest Canadian in history? He carries the Power 97 radio morning show in Winnipeg. Of course, since there were only like 140,000 total votes, if Hal had thought of this early and got his campaign going early, he would've had a legit shot at winning it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treble 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2004 Seems like Newsworld's showing repeats of this a lot during the week. The Douglas one was on tonight (I'm assuming more than once). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2004 Of course, since there were only like 140,000 total votes, if Hal had thought of this early and got his campaign going early, he would've had a legit shot at winning it. Were they votes or nominations? CBC's website makes it about as clear as mud. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
