Who is the Greatest Canadian?

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2004-10-19 01:11am

Anybody following the CBC show, Who is the Greatest Canadian?

I'm disappointed that Don Cherry made it up there. Since when does being a loudmouth qualify as being "great"?

This one is a no-brainer for me. Banting, for saving millions of lives. Although you could argue Lester Pearson, for averting WWIII, WWIII was not a sure bet, and Banting surely saved millions.

I'm proud to be Canadian after looking at the above list. What do Americans (or anyone else for that matter) have to compare to our best?

Brian

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2004-10-19 01:12am

Oh btw, I wanted to put an option "I don't know any of these people/I'm not Canadian so I don't care", but it wouldn't let me (too many poll options). So maybe the poll will be skewered.

Brian

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2004-10-19 01:15am

Gretzky. The only name I recognize.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2004-10-19 01:29am

Damn, so who invented the telephone in your country?

Brian

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2004-10-19 01:30am

brianeyci wrote:Damn, so who invented the telephone in your country?

Brian

I recognized Bell, but not as a Canadian.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2004-10-19 01:33am

Good point. I wonder how many in the above list aren't born in Canada... hrm time to read some of those bios.

Brian

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2004-10-19 01:48am

I don't see Bill Shatner listed. What gives?

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-10-19 02:18am

Galvatron wrote:I don't see Bill Shatner listed. What gives?

Same goes for Mike Wong.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2004-10-19 02:18am

This is list from the CBC website. I'm sure Shatner made it up to top... fifty or so lol.

Brian

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2004-10-19 02:29am

Pamela Anderson.

Keep up the good work, Canada!

White Cat · Post by **White Cat** » 2004-10-19 02:36am

IIRC, they said during the program that Shatner ranked at #56.

As long as Trudeau doesn't win, I'll be happy.

salm · Post by **salm** » 2004-10-19 09:55am

brianeyci wrote:Damn, so who invented the telephone in your country?

Brian

phillip reis invented the telephone in 1860 but didn´t manage to market it. bell imporved the idea and manage to spread it in 1876.

The Dude · Post by **The Dude** » 2004-10-19 10:39am

IMO, there's no contest.

No Sir John A. = No Canada.

He built the federal government; he negotiated the BNA, he acquired Rupert's Land (basically western Ontario and northern Manitoba), he negotiated Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, B.C. and Manitoba into the federation, and with the transcontinental rail line (at the time, easily the largest engineering project in human history) he outmanoeuvred the Americans for control of the "Northwest": the Yukon, NWT, BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Before JAM, Canada was a colony that looked like this (minus NS and NB):

http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/maps/hi ... ution/1867

And by the time he died (in office) it was a country that looked like this:

http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/maps/hi ... ution/1889

Nuff said.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-10-19 11:50am

I vote for Gordon Lightfoot. He can slam back the Canadian Club like a champ and he inspired me to wear more plad flannel. Also, i can read his mind, and let me tell you what a tale his thoughts could tell.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-10-19 11:53am

Bell is Scots, but he's so great, I guess you can have him too.

But I'd say the founder of Canada may be a bit greater, y'know.

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2004-10-19 01:32pm

Me.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-10-19 01:44pm

Drooling Iguana wrote:Me.

Prove it.

( I kid, I kid!)

Korvan · Post by **Korvan** » 2004-10-19 01:53pm

I'm going for Tommy Douglas, though Banting and Pearson are not far behind. Mr. Douglas's policies helped define what Canada is today and the shit he had to go through to do it is amazing. If there ever was a man who could find a way to actually make communism work, it'd be Tommy.

Banting's a real close second. The fact that he made sure that noone would be able to unfairly profit off his discovery (including himself) is amazing. I can't really imagine that happening today with the mega-drug corps.

Agree that Don Cherry shouldn't be there, maybe if there was a top 10 Canada's greatest embaressments...

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2004-10-19 02:40pm

From a purely 'what's best for Canada' standpoint, MacDonald walks away with it because as The Dude pointed out; No John A=No Canada.

From a what's best for the world, I'd say Banting and his discovery of insulin or Bell and the telephone, though others were close on Bell's heels with the idea of the phone.

Korvan · Post by **Korvan** » 2004-10-20 01:06pm

I'd just like to retract my statement about Don Cherry being one of Canada's greatest embarressments. I still don't think he belongs in the top ten, but the man has done quite a few good works (certainly more than I) and I really have no reason to criticize him.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-10-20 01:20pm

Korvan wrote:I'd just like to retract my statement about Don Cherry being one of Canada's greatest embarressments.

I feel another quote coming on...

Newscaster: But Terrance and Phillip are hardly the first contreversial thing to come out of Canada, Mr. Ambassador. Let us not forget Bryan Adams.

Canadian Ambassador: Ah, the Canadian government has apologized for Bryan Adams on several occasions.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-10-20 01:33pm

Glocksman wrote:From a purely 'what's best for Canada' standpoint, MacDonald walks away with it because as The Dude pointed out; No John A=No Canada.

From a what's best for the world, I'd say Banting and his discovery of insulin or Bell and the telephone, though others were close on Bell's heels with the idea of the phone.

Literally. I forget the name of the guy who tipped his hat to Bell as he was walking out of the patent office, having just secured the patent on a telephone design too similar to the one that brought the other man to the patent office that day...

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2004-10-20 03:54pm

I was looking for Jim Carry, but he wasn't on there. I voted Lester B. Pearson instead just because I like airports.

Post by **Kuja** » 2004-10-20 05:52pm

"What hath God wrought?"

EmperorSolo51 · Post by **EmperorSolo51** » 2004-10-20 06:20pm

StormtrooperOfDeath wrote:
brianeyci wrote:Damn, so who invented the telephone in your country?

Brian
I recognized Bell, but not as a Canadian.

It should be interesting to note that Bell only spent his summers in Ontario. He spent most of his time in his Boston, Mass time.