Greatest Canadian?

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

The Final Ten:

 

-Dr. David Suzuki

-Tommy Douglas

-Lester B

-Pierre Elliot

-Wayne Gretzky

-Don Cherry

-Alexander Graham Bell

-Terry Fox

-Sir John A.

-Frederic Banting

 

 

Voting finishes for good Monday night. This, after a six month, pick anyone you want poll. The top 10 were announced in September, and each nominee had an advocate stating why. In the anything goes vote, I picked Banting, but changed it to Tommy Douglas. I feel badly slighting Lester, Pierre and Terry as well. So, what do you think?

 

Please resist the urge, if any of you feel it, to say something brilliant, like "I vote for myself, because Canada sucks!"

 

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Easy question.

[Guest JebusNassedar]

You know, I'm just an outsider looking in, but in my opinion, discovering insulin and selling it for $1 so it's availible for all > invention a money draining healthcare system that's raised taxes to mythical proportions.

 

But, like I said, this could just be me talking out of my ass.

 

EDIT: I got my facts wrong! Woohoo!

[cbacon 0]

Trudeau should win. Although it'd be nice to see David Suzuki in at least the top 3. And Don Cherry should not be in the top 10.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I don't recognize half those people -- chalk that up to my public school education.

 

A brief bio on each would be appreciated...

[CanadianChris 0]

David Suzuki - Prominent environmentalist and geneticist. Longtime host of "The Nature of Things," a science show on CBC.

 

Tommy Douglas - Former socialist premier of Saskatchewan. Regarded as the "father of medicare," his government was the first to introduce prublic health care and hospitalization.

 

Lester B. Pearson - Prime minister, 1963-68. Introduced federal medicare and the Canada Pension Plan. Won a Nobel Peace Prize for his proposal of sending U.N. peacekeepers to the Suez Canal during the Suez Crisis.

 

Pierre Trudeau - Prime minister, 1968-79, 1980-84. Repatriated the Constitution of Canada and introduced the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Introduced official bilingualism. Defeated the Quebec separatist movement in 1980.

 

Wayne Gretzky - NHL hockey player, current owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. Four-time Stanley Cup winner. Owns 61 NHL records, including all-time and single-season leader in goals and assists in both the regular season and playoffs. Ten-time league scoring champion, nine-time league MVP. Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000.

 

Don Cherry - Former NHL coach with Boston and Colorado. Currently a broadcaster on CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" and other CBC hockey broadcasts.

 

Alexander Graham Bell - Inventor; most famous for inventing the telephone. Was the holder of 18 patents in his lifetime. A pioneer in a precursor to fiber-optic technology.

 

Terry Fox - Cancer patient and leg amputee who ran the "Marathon of Hope," a run across Canada, in 1980, to raise money for cancer research. He was forced to abandon the run just outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario after over 3,300 miles, as the cancer had spread to his lungs. He died ten months later. Today, 60 countries hold the Terry Fox Run each September to raise money for cancer research.

 

Sir John A. MacDonald - First prime minister of Canada, 1867-73, 1878-91. One of the Fathers of Confederation, uniting Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec) with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and British Columbia also joined Canada while he was prime minister. Was responsible for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

 

Frederick Banting - Doctor, discoverer (with Charles Best) of insulin. Won the 1923 Nobel Prize for medicine for his discovery.

 

 

Personally I voted for Terry Fox. The only others I considered voting for were Banting and Douglas. I would never cast a vote for Trudeau - I saw him as one of the most divisive prime ministers in Canadian history.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Trudeau was terrible. Many of the problems we have today were a result of his run. Our best PM (Sir Robert Borden) isn't even on the list. Terry Fox is the easy choice here.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

 

C-Bacon, I wouldn't have considered Cherry, either, and I even scoffed when I saw he was a finalist. But after watching his advocate, Bret Hart, I changed my opinion. Hart pointed out, that probably not the most honourable or admirable of Canadians, Cherry embodies many Canadian values: Hard work, good heartedness, tough, etc. Granted, he's a little more outspoken and conservative than most of the Canadian population, but, nevertheless.

 

[Slayer 0]

Trudeau was terrible.

Introduced official bilingualism.

That's enough reason right there

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

Where is Bret Hart on that list, seriously.

[CanadianChris 0]

Where is Bret Hart on that list, seriously.

Bret was 39th.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

chalk that up to my public school education.

Stinkin' liberals, blaming everyone but themselves for their problems.

[2GOLD 0]

Banting.

 

Without him, you would have had lots of people die from something that is controllable.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

David Suzuki - Prominent environmentalist and geneticist.  Longtime host of "The Nature of Things," a science show on CBC.

Hippie. Next....

 

Tommy Douglas - Former socialist...

 

Commie. Next...

 

Lester B. Pearson - Prime minister, 1963-68.  Introduced federal medicare

 

Commie II. Next...

 

Pierre Trudeau - Prime minister, 1968-79, 1980-84. Introduced official bilingualism.

 

I may be bi- in a lot of things, but lingual isn't one. Uh, wait a minute...

 

Wayne Gretzky

 

Now we're talking.

 

Don Cherry - Former NHL coach with Boston and Colorado.

 

I heard he's big in Canada, but I've never heard him.

 

Alexander Graham Bell - Inventor

 

So far he's the leader.

 

Terry Fox - Cancer patient and leg amputee who ran the "Marathon of Hope," a run across Canada, in 1980, to raise money for cancer research.

 

Great story, except for the cancer and all.

 

Sir John A. MacDonald - First prime minister of Canada, 1867-73, 1878-91.  One of the Fathers of Confederation, uniting Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec) with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.  Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and British Columbia also joined Canada while he was prime minister.  Was responsible for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

 

Hm, possible winner.

 

Frederick Banting - Doctor, discoverer (with Charles Best) of insulin.  Won the 1923 Nobel Prize for medicine for his discovery.

 

Now it's a three way race.

 

Bell, followed by Banting and MacDonald. I would put Banting as number one, but someone helped him with discovering insulin.

 

Stinkin' liberals, blaming everyone but themselves for their problems.

 

Bite me, hippie. I wasn't motivated by my teacher to learn. That wasn't my fault either...

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

I wasn't motivated by my teacher to learn. That wasn't my fault either...

 

I'm sorry. Here.

 

[nl5xsk1 0]

I'd choose Gretzky, but I have a wicked hockey-bias and think that his re-writing of the record book has been severely ignored here in the US.

 

Trudeau would be my second choice, purely because he:

Defeated the Quebec separatist movement in 1980.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I wasn't motivated by my teacher to learn. That wasn't my fault either...

 

I'm sorry. Here.

Well there goes my self-esteem. I hope you are happy...

[Vern Gagne 0]

Banting

[Red Baron 0]

Trudeau.

[Guest Cerebus]

Private Ernest Smith, the most decorated Canadian soldier, and one of the few to ever recieve the Victoria Cross. During WW II he destroyed a tank, killed a score of German soldiers, saved half a dozen of his comrades, and held a strategically vital bridge by himself during one action. It's hard for me to think of a greater Canadian.

[2GOLD 0]

Private Ernest Smith, the most decorated Canadian soldier, and one of the few to ever recieve the Victoria Cross. During WW II he destroyed a tank, killed a score of German soldiers, saved half a dozen of his comrades, and held a strategically vital bridge by himself during one action. It's hard for me to think of a greater Canadian.

 

My god....did he go on to form ALPHA FLIGHT???

 

Wow, that is some damn fine soldiering.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I change my pick to that guy.

[The Mandarin 0]

[Lord of The Curry 0]

^

 

What he said.

[Guest Cerebus]

I may make a few jokes here and then about Canadians, but I got to give it to you; your grand fathers and great grandfathers fought with honor, distinction, and courage that would envy some of the greatest American soldiers. That's why I'll alwyas have a soft spot for Canada.

[Guest Anglesault]

I don't recognize half those people -- chalk that up to my public school education.

Hell, I avoided public schools all my life to prevent situations like these, and I only know like six of them.

 

Of course, the private schools I went to thought Canada was Satan.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I don't recognize half those people -- chalk that up to my public school education.

Hell, I avoided public schools all my life to prevent situations like these, and I only know like six of them.

 

Of course, the private schools I went to thought Canada was Satan.

Which six?

 

If I went with a war hero to be the greatest Canadian, I would pick Billy Bishop. Winner of the Victoria Cross, and the Empire's greatest pilot in WW1.

[Guest Anglesault]

I knew (obviously)Gretzky and Cherry, Bell and Banting, I had heard of Fox and had a hazy memory of Trudeau and learning of the separatist movement

Edited November 25, 2004 by Anglesault

[the max 0]

I knew six of them and my map in school didn't even mark off the provinces of Canada. The US was marked, labeled in colors and everything. Canada was orange and just simply marked "Canada". Yes, I went to public school.

 

Bell, Gretz, Cherry, Fox, MacDonald and Banting for me.

[Highland 0]

Private Ernest Smith, the most decorated Canadian soldier, and one of the few to ever recieve the Victoria Cross. During WW II he destroyed a tank, killed a score of German soldiers, saved half a dozen of his comrades, and held a strategically vital bridge by himself during one action. It's hard for me to think of a greater Canadian.

And it's a damning indictment on us that you would be hard pressed to find many Canadians (including myself) that would even know how this brave soldier was.