The Greatest Canadian???

[carlotta]

Is unveiled tonight... Who do you think it will be??? My vote every week was...

http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/top_ten/nominee/fox-terry.html

He was The Greatest Canadian & Always will be... In my eyes...

Carlotta

 

[BYSON]

nice choice carlotta

 

[carlotta]

you are a very sick man M.H. hahahahaha

Carlotta

 

[timec]

with only a few exceptions the people I've talked to (most of which have been VERY nice and more than happy to talk to a "foreigner") most of them had NO CLUE as to where Calgary was or anything about our culture (not a suprise).....I think like most Canadians I used to think this was their lack of knowledge but the more I thought about it its really our fault for not being more proud and ostentatious about our AWESOME country

HFS, yours is a telling comment – to suggest Canadians should accept responsibility, that we should “take fault” in the insular or unknowing ways of Americans (real or imagined), speaks volumes. We Canadians are proud of our country and way of life and I’d suggest we’re not any less proud than other persons of other countries. Given your recent days US travel care to share examples of how Canadians could be, as you say, more proud, more ostentatious – like our US neighbours?

 

[BIGblackstudd]

Re: WHAT A SHOCK!!

Imagine.....

The CBC picking a socialist premier of a minor province as the Greatest Canadian.......

I found the entire contest to be an embarrassing reminder of what a small country we are........

We've had great statesmen, war heroes, inventors....but NO, Douglas, Cherry, Trudeau .....

Oh yeah...just remembered why I never watch my tax dollars being flushed (I mean, CBC)...

I may be wrong, but didn't CBC run a poll to pick a top 10 list from viewer response? I'm not sure, but I think that's how they chose them. I voted for Terry Fox as well, a real inspiration.

 

[luckydog71]

HFS, yours is a telling comment – to suggest Canadians should accept responsibility, that we should “take fault” in the insular or unknowing ways of Americans (real or imagined), speaks volumes. We Canadians are proud of our country and way of life and I’d suggest we’re not any less proud than other persons of other countries. Given your recent days US travel care to share examples of how Canadians could be, as you say, more proud, more ostentatious – like our US neighbours?

Timec, what I find telling is that Canada would choose a politician (regardless of his politics) as the greatest Canadian. Why not pick some one that actually did something: The list of 10 had 4 politicians and another 2 known for the sports ability. Something is wrong with that picture.

I challenge the PERB’s to run their own Greatest Canadian poll.

First pick 10 Canadians that are not sports figures or politicians that would qualify as great Canadians.

Then run a poll and let the PERBs decide who is really the greatest Canadian.

If I could suggest a couple:

Billy Bishop
Chief Dan George
Simon Fraser
William Van Horne

 

[6nanaimo9]

i think it was "fixed". hell before this contest i had no idea who tommy douglas was but i sure did know who terry fox was, in my opinion terry is the greatest canadian!

 

[jmac23]

HiFi, like you I travel a great deal. And universal medic care is a god send. I am not saying it always works well, but it works better than private insurance. A good friend of mine with a good job, good insurance ( or so he thought) had to re-mortgage his home when the insurance company told him that the breast cancer treatments for his wife exceeded the maximum allowed in their contract…. Right now medic care is not perfect and with all the ways of keeping us alive that were not around 50,20, even 10 years ago the cost will continue to rise, and line ups will occur. But at least you will never get cut off.

As for the list most of it I agree with. With only ten to choose from you will always get debate and isn’t nice for a change we are honoring our heroes instead of vilifying them….

 

[LonelyGhost]

this will get me trashed ... but ... Terry Fox had a great moment in Canadian history ... but that's it. why not Rich Hansen? Steve Fonyo? they did what Terry did and more. but what did any of them do that impacted the lives of every Canadian on a daily basis.

Tommy Douglas may be painted as part of the socialist horde by many but the introduction of a universal medical care does impact every Canadian every day.

That the system has been abused and driven into the ground by doctors and administrators and even patients is no fault of the system itself.

His vision was not an MRI for every hockey player or a hip replacement for every senior, it was to provide access to a medical doctor for every Canadian.

Part of that vision lives on and has impacted the lives of every one of us!

Greatest Canadian? Maybe not: but certainly his vision embodies the spirit of being Canadian.

 

[Osiris]

But....if you have 6 months to live and the wait time for your treatment is 12 months......haven't you effectively been cut off?

Hey, MH:

Do you actually know anyone in that situation, ie., 6 months to live and a 12 month wait time?

I doubt it. That would be because the system is not so broken to permit that to happen.

I know a lot of health care professionals who moved to the US for greener (Ka Ching Ka Ching $$$) pastures, and came home. They got tired of seeing 2 patients come in for diagnosis with the same problem - one treated (who was insured), the other sent home because "nothing can be done" (no insurance).

 

[Bobrody]

It should have been Pierre Trudeau

It should have been PET! Second choice, the winner Tommy Douglas. They have had a huge impact on the lives of Canadians. Some of the other choices were embarrasing (Cherry) in their narrow, or non-existent contributions. Terry Fox did a great thing, but really didn't have the type of impact Trudeau or Douglas had on all of Canada and its people.

 

[gotsome2004]

Nina Hartley
Okay she isn't Canadian, and is banned from entering Canada legally, and neither had she achieved great feats like those others on the list, But she has a great ass!
Nina Hartley is the greatest Canadian!

 

[carlotta]

L.G., With regards to your vote of Fonyo (sp???) I met him when he did his "run"... He was an embarassment to the Fox name... When I met him in the 'Peg... It was at a Movie theater... They announced him arriving... Of which he entered
DRUNK...
Extremely.
Later, after his minute/slurred speech... Myself & my girlfriends sidled up to him for autographs... Of which in his slurred speech he ADMITTED he was running on the steam of the FOX name... That he was stealing his steam.
Since his "run" he has, I believe THREE driving while impaired... I am not sure, but if you look up his name? I doubt IF he still has his driving licence. Or if he's a free man.
No was not impressed.
What Terry Fox did was IMPRESSIVE. Awe-inspiring. Hopeful. A DREAM. Inspirational. Proud-to-be-Canadian stuff.
What Fonyo did was E-M-B-A-R-ass-I-N-G.
'Nuff said.
Carlotta

 

[LonelyGhost]

Carlotta,

1. I didn't vote for Fonyo, but did ask why Fox and not him or Hansen ...

2. Fonyo may have had/has his problems, but so did Fox ... read about him and its not pretty.

3. Fonyo got vilified for his run and then ignored ... that he ended up with some problems is not surprising --- even you are saying what Fox did was inspiring and what Fonyo did wasn't ... but Fonyo ran the WHOLE distance on one leg.

4. Lots of 'assholes' have done great things in this world ... it almost goes with the territory ... just because you had an unpleasent experience with him doesn't mean he should continue to be vilified ...

5. when you run across canada you can call anyone who has a loser ...

ps: there is a great deal written about the James Dean syndrome in popular culture ... that people who die before their accomplishments can be judged by the test of time become cultural heros ...

JFK
Jim Morrison/Jimi Hendrix/Janis Joplin
James Dean
Elvis
Terry Fox ...

it would be interesting to see how his life turned out 20 years later ... he may have been just another Fonyo.

 

[Mello]

This whole excercise lost all credibility when Don Cherry made it into the Top 10.

In my eyes, he is nothing more than a clown or court jester. How could this ignorant blowhard be grouped with the likes of Terry Fox, Macdonald, Pearson, Banting, Bell, Trudeau and Suzuki? What significance has he made? It truly baffles me.

The fact that he finished ahead of Macdonald, Bell and Gretzky is embarrassing. If he is a true indication of what my nation finds important and worthy, I'm worried and saddened. He is not a person that should be idolized or deified.

Can we enjoy him as a comic or as amusement? Sure. Should we praise him and put him on a pedestal? Absolutely not.

 

[The Lizard King]

I'm with Mello. I voted for Peter North....you know how many women he's banged?

 

[rickoshadows]

i think it was "fixed". hell before this contest i had no idea who tommy douglas was but i sure did know who terry fox was, in my opinion terry is the greatest canadian!

Unfortunately, this says more about you than you know.

rickoshadows

 

[Hardatwork]

this will get me trashed ... but ... Terry Fox had a great moment in Canadian history ... but that's it. why not Rich Hansen? Steve Fonyo? they did what Terry did and more. but what did any of them do that impacted the lives of every Canadian on a daily basis.

Aww LonelyGhost, I doubt anyone will trash you, but I will disagree with you about the impact Terry Fox has...

There’s something to be said about innovators and people who inspire and Terry Fox did both. Nothing against Fonyo or Hansen because their achievements were great, but it was Terry Fox who was the first person to attempt to run across Canada with only one leg. Because of that great moment, there are millions of dollars being raised for cancer research annually through the Terry Fox run which is done globally. Without Terry Fox, would Steve Fonyo or Rick Hansen have attempted their feats? Terry Fox has helped raise awareness for cancer and continues to be an inspiration for many.

 

[Hardatwork]

Maybe people should also be giving credit for the presentation and compelling argument that George Stroumboulopoulos made for Tommy Douglas. I have to admit that it was the only video argument that I actually saw, but he had me convinced about Tommy Douglas being the greatest Canadian.

I’m just glad that people are debating and talking about this. It makes me proud to be Canadian!

 

[Hardatwork]

Yeah but Northern Dancer?