Thank god it wasn't Cherry

November 29, 2004 7:58 PM

Tommy Douglas voted Greatest Canadian.The next nine, in order: Terry Fox, Pierre Trudeau, Sir Frederick Banting, David Suzuki, Lester Pearson, Don Cherry, Sir John A. Macdonald, Alexander Graham Bell, and Wayne Gretzkey. [follow-up to this post]
posted by krunk (77 comments total)

I swear I tried to fix Gretzky's name, but it wouldn't let me! That's what he gets for finishing last...
posted by krunk at 8:00 PM on November 29, 2004

Personally, I voted for Terry Fox. Probably jinxed him.

And the fact that Don Cherry ranks ahead of Wayne Gretzky is a bloody travesty.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:03 PM on November 29, 2004

He coulda been a contenda....

http://www.glenngould.com
posted by Cryptical Envelopment at 8:14 PM on November 29, 2004

I voted Pearson. Canada's only Nobel Peace Prize winner and, as Paul Gross rightly said, the only Canadian who can be said to have saved the life of every human on the planet.

For Don Cherry to be in the top 100 is pathetic, much less ahead of Gretzky.
posted by solid-one-love at 8:14 PM on November 29, 2004

Oh, big deal. Personally, I thought that, as a concept, it was a harmless bit of fun that was taken way too seriously -- over-hyped, over-marketed, over-analysed (e.g., how much should we really care whether the NDP stuffed the ballot box for Tommy Douglas). This would have made an amusing one-hour special; instead, I couldn't listen to or watch any of our public broadcaster's services for 30 minutes without hearing some breathless announcer announce something breathlessly about "The Greatest Canadian" -- not an ad, part of the programming. Ugh. Overdose.
posted by mcwetboy at 8:15 PM on November 29, 2004

I'm glad Tommy won! After all, not only did he and the NDP bring us universal health care, but he also grandfathered Kiefer Sutherland, without which we wouldn't have The Lost Boys.
posted by Robot Johnny at 8:16 PM on November 29, 2004

How on earth did Don Cherry come ahead of #99? He came ahead of our first Prime Minister? Some Torontonians must have stuffed the ballot boxes. ;)
posted by juliebug at 8:16 PM on November 29, 2004

I came in 2,845,987th in the voting. But then my advocate during the one hour special on me was my mom and it showed that she likes my brothers better.
posted by srboisvert at 8:20 PM on November 29, 2004

And in breaking news, it turns out that the Most Irritating Canadian resulted in a tie between The Canadian Tire Guy and Ben Mulroney.

I love John Doyle.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 8:24 PM on November 29, 2004

Being a diabetic, I owe a debt of gratitude to Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin.

(He also won a Nobel).
posted by Benny Andajetz at 8:26 PM on November 29, 2004

Interestingly, Alexander Graham Bell also came 57th on the Great Britons list a few years back. Just behind, er, Cliff Richard.

Leonard Cohen at 46 and Avril Lavigne at 40...? Heh. All our publics are dumb.
posted by flashboy at 8:30 PM on November 29, 2004

I was glad David Suzuki ranked so highly, especially after watching the episode on him yesterday and seeing just how big a deal it was to realize that scientists should think in terms of the bigger picture on how their work impacts the world.
posted by Space Coyote at 8:31 PM on November 29, 2004

There will always be quibbles with lists like this but on the whole - save for Don Cherry, which is absurd - the top 10 is reasonable even if it wouldn't be mine. I just looked at the top 100, though and while disappointed that so many entertainers made it (cmon Bret Hart and Avril Lavigne - in 20 years people will go 'Who?') was comfortably smug that a list like this would never be compiled by our neighbours to the South. Socialists, Abortion Activists, Separatists, and Authors are peppered throughout with Prime Ministers and the usual suspects. Makes me proud to be part of such an inclusive and compassionate country.
posted by jbielby at 8:39 PM on November 29, 2004

There is also The Most Embarassing Canadian. Some of the profiles are hysterical.

That Don Cherry made the CBC's list was proof that insanity is leaking north over the border.

I vote that we shoot all the hockey owners, and get on with playing hockey. Then Canada can go back to normal, and the CBC can stop providing Rick Mercer with material.
posted by QIbHom at 8:42 PM on November 29, 2004

No Farley Mowat?
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 8:49 PM on November 29, 2004

Any credibility it might have had was lost when Hal Anderson was ranked #34. It was the result of his personal campaign to make the list- even his bio on the CBC site doesn't really explain why he's there- "his loyal fans think he's the greatest." (On the other hand, if it was a matter of "great in girth", Hal would deserve his day in the sun)

As for Tommy, I guess we'll let him have it. I do appreciate the healthcare. Terry Fox, on the other hand, is terribly overrated.
posted by wallaby at 8:53 PM on November 29, 2004

Ah, Universal Health Care.




What is wrong with the United States?

I can't believe George W. Bush is President.
posted by orange clock at 8:56 PM on November 29, 2004

The Canadian Tire Guy must be one of the most universaly hated Canadians. I've seen reactions to his appearances range from "there is something a little strange about that guy" (my mom) to beers being thrown at the tv and pledges to never buy anything from Crappy Tire again (at the pub).

That said, the new Mastercraft Flo n Go should would make my life easier.
posted by jeffmik at 8:56 PM on November 29, 2004

Terry Fox, on the other hand, is terribly overrated.

Right, he sure flogged that tired old "inspirational, one-legged, guy running hundreds of miles across the country for cancer research" schtick.
posted by stp123 at 9:00 PM on November 29, 2004

/pours a 40 for Alex Trebek, Peter Jennings, Michael J. Fox, and Tim Horton
posted by PrinceValium at 9:03 PM on November 29, 2004

An American makes the list but no Mckenzie Brothers?
posted by TetrisKid at 9:04 PM on November 29, 2004

It's telling that the Canadian list actually included the joke candidates, considered their votes valid, and the winner was still a revolutionary political reformer.

Whenever something like this happens in the States, Howard Stern's Balls are swiftly declared the Greatest American, followed closely by Jeff K, the goatse guy and Wil Wheaton.
posted by Simon! at 9:07 PM on November 29, 2004

stp123: I'm not saying he didn't do a good thing. But since his death,"a good thing" has grown into a thing of mammoth proportions. I may just be bitter from too many Terrry Fox runs as a child, but I just don't see how that outranks a Nobel Peace Prize.
posted by wallaby at 9:10 PM on November 29, 2004

I'm learning the value of preview the hard way here, but in what way is Alexander Graham Bell an American? Born in Scotland, to British parents, raised in Canada, lived in Canada, died in Canada. I guess he did some of his work in Boston, but then, so did Don Cherry and no one's complaining about him.

Well, no one's complaining about his Canadianness, at least.
posted by Simon! at 9:11 PM on November 29, 2004

In my opinion, Terry Fox _is_ Canada.

Take any of the other choices, and you'll be able to find a Canadian region, group, or individual who absolutely hates that person. That includes Tommy Douglas.

But who could dislike Terry Fox?

And he got my vote because he started in St. John's, Newfoundland. That was one of my fondest memories of growing up there.
posted by MiG at 9:12 PM on November 29, 2004

in what way is Alexander Graham Bell an American?

By citizenship.

Well, no one's complaining about his Canadianness, at least.

Actually, at the debate last night, his American citizenship was used as an argument that while he was great, he wasn't actually a Canadian.
posted by solid-one-love at 9:14 PM on November 29, 2004

Oh that Don Cherry. For a while I thought you were talking about this guy.
posted by sour cream at 9:15 PM on November 29, 2004

Farther down the list I believe EB. (yup #88)

The fact that Don Cherry is on that list proves that is is a farce.

flashboy when the Scottish do a 'Greatest Scots' version he can be on their list too. ;) (and really only ones who should) Their argument was his biggest inventions were done on Canadian soil. Though I'm surprised they didn't add Henry Woodward (inventor of the incandescent light bulb) since they added Bell.
posted by squeak at 9:17 PM on November 29, 2004

As an American I don't really get the whole Don Cherry thing...

I know he was pretty popular when he was on Hockey Night in Canada but why is he loved by some and hated by others? Is it just hockey or something more?
posted by TetrisKid at 9:19 PM on November 29, 2004

Well, whatever else, running about a marathon a day, for 144 days, on one leg, shows perseverance. I don't think I was ever that fond of doing the runs myself, but I certainly don't have a problem with Fox being in the top ten.

As for that Canadian Tire guy... what can I say that hasn't already been said. Not that I don't like my Mastercraft power washer.
posted by maledictory at 9:20 PM on November 29, 2004

To those complaining about Cherry, or the ordering; from the article:

He said that as far as he was concerned, it didn't matter in the slightest who won, that what was important was that Canadians got engaged on the issue of what values they wished to treasure in their country.

"Unity, diversity, compassion, caring for each other. I mean this is not an American list. There's nothing Darwinian in this room. It was a very generous list."
posted by AlexReynolds at 9:37 PM on November 29, 2004

SHATNER WAS ROBBED!!
posted by Robot Johnny at 9:39 PM on November 29, 2004

Where is Capt. Roy Brown, the guy that shot down the Red Baron? He oughta rank ahead of most of those hosers.
posted by planetkyoto at 9:42 PM on November 29, 2004

Any of the candidates would do for me, provided they were equipped with a Hawkeye^TM laser sight.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 9:44 PM on November 29, 2004

Okay, I've heard of Bell and Gretsky. The greatest Canadian in my book though is Dan Aykroyd.
posted by BradNelson at 9:45 PM on November 29, 2004

Captain Brown never gets any respect, planetkyoto. I've been fighting for his cause for years (he was born and raised in my hometown).
posted by DrJohnEvans at 9:46 PM on November 29, 2004

I voted for Terry Fox. He might not have won a Nobel Prize or been Prime Minister, but he was courageous, an extremely hard worker, and the most humble guy through it all. This is what we, as Canadians, value most in ourselves.
posted by jimmythefish at 9:48 PM on November 29, 2004

Isn't there a lot of controversy over whether or no Arthur Brown was actually the one to shoot down Richtofen? I remember hearing that there was an equally strong case for an Australian foot soldier shooting from the ground.
posted by Evstar at 9:52 PM on November 29, 2004

No leonard cohen?
posted by ciaracat at 10:10 PM on November 29, 2004

Evstar: if by "a lot of controversy" you mean "somebody piping up about the Australians whenever you mention Brown", then yes. Could've been either one. Brown got the official kill though.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:21 PM on November 29, 2004

Apparently a good number of schools got in on the act, getting kids very hyped-up about debating their position. That's awesome.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:25 PM on November 29, 2004

Steve Fonyo. As many guts as Terry Fox, and he made it, even without being sanctified. Rick Hansen for that matter.

Others you could rank ahead of the hockey players:

Norman Bethune
Emily Carr
Margaret Atwood
Alice Munro
posted by Rumple at 10:34 PM on November 29, 2004

Romeo Dallaire.
posted by websavvy at 10:37 PM on November 29, 2004

Agree with fff. Anything that spurs debate and raises a little awareness amongst Canadian youth (and citizens at large, for that matter) of some of the interesting figures and their accomplishments from our past can't be a bad thing.

I voted for Terry Fox - I can't imagine that anyone who was fortunate enough to see him during his marathon of hope can harken back to that moment today, with a better sense of his accomplishments and their place in Canadian history, without feeling a little twinge of pride. That said, I can't fault the choice of Tommie Douglas, either.
posted by swillis at 10:41 PM on November 29, 2004

I'm so happy Tommy Douglas was recognised - everyone else is important, but to be honest, we honour Terry Fox yearly, but how many kids could name Tommy Douglas? (And not mix him up with Joey Smallwood?)

My grandmother was telling me what it was like to hear Douglas speak - that he was just amazing. She and my grandfather campaigned for the NDP right through the fifties and sixties, even when people slammed doors in her face and called her a dirty commie. But she did so because she believed in trying to make Canada a better place.

She was telling me that when he came up against Trudeau in the election, he should have been a shoe-in for the young vote, on policies. But he was a passionate, funny-looking man, and they voted for cool. I just wish there was a Tommy Douglas to vote for today.

I did hear that in the FLQ crisis, he was one of the very few who refused to support the War Measures act or the arbitrary arrests - is this true?
posted by jb at 11:08 PM on November 29, 2004

Yes it is. (apparently I should read all the links first).
posted by jb at 11:13 PM on November 29, 2004

J.S. Woodworth is hiding down there at the bottom of the list - there is another truly great man.

J.S. (JAMES SHAVER) WOODSWORTH 1874-1942
Guided always by his conscience, he worked among the poor, resigned his Methodist ministry, suffered for his pacifist views, fought for social reform and became the CCF's first president. 'If Canada has had a Gandhi', wrote George Woodcock,' his name was surely Woodsworth.’

Everyone who has or ever will receive an old age pension should be grateful.
posted by jb at 11:24 PM on November 29, 2004

juliebug: Just because he was the first doesn't mean he was the best. (I'm obsessed with how he was an alcoholic and put the interests of the railroad ahead of the rights of the Metis because I just finished Chester Brown's Louis Riel, which is really good.)

Does anyone else find it sad that there were not one but two hockey-related figures in top 10? I mean, everyone loves Gretzky, but the man will sell anything.

The whole list confuses me: Nellie McClung was up there, but Emily Murphy (who spearheaded the Persons Case) was way lower than I'd imagined. (She was down in the 70s.)

And hey, maledictory, Kielburger's #52! (Explanation: He goes to his college.)

It makes me really sad that Bryan Adams and Preston Manning are ahead of Joni Mitchell, Mordecai Richler, and Louise Arbour.
posted by SoftRain at 11:54 PM on November 29, 2004

What's the problem with Preston Manning's inclusion? He helped realign Canadian politics to bring a new voice to the long ignored West and launched a revolution that saw the death of one establishment party (the eastern based PC's) with a new (hell, a series of em). I don't think much of that new party though frankly its policies are so embryonic it's hard to pass a valid judgement one way or another, but I'm pretty sure his contribution has been more important than Don Cherry and the rest of the hockey folk on the list.

I also think another flaw in the list is the focus on post-Confederation. We have been a nation since the Quebec Act, imho, and arguably a lot longer than that. I would have liked to have seen some of the early explorers and leadership pre-Conferation (hey, they whipped the US after all) included.
posted by jbielby at 1:41 AM on November 30, 2004

re: Chester Brown's Riel. I'm a huge Brown fan back to Yummy Fur days but can't let the slur on John A. pass. I won't argue he wasn't an alcoholic, but the book unfairly maligns the PM but his motives were based on nationbuilding not cronyism. Brown is clear in his introduction that a lot of the work is abridged and fictionalized. I would recommend reading some real histories on the subject before you reach any conclusions. Similarly, I wouldn't revise your philosophical principles based on Brown's adaption of the New Testament.
posted by jbielby at 1:54 AM on November 30, 2004

I voted Pearson. Canada's only Nobel Peace Prize winner and, as Paul Gross rightly said, the only Canadian who can be said to have saved the life of every human on the planet.

Why wasn't William Shatner on this list?
posted by biffa at 2:15 AM on November 30, 2004

I know he was pretty popular when he was on Hockey Night in Canada but why is he loved by some and hated by others? Is it just hockey or something more?

"Just hockey" are two words that are never said together in Canada. That's like saying "just religion" to an American.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:05 AM on November 30, 2004

Steve Fonyo. As many guts as Terry Fox, and he made it, even without being sanctified. Rick Hansen for that matter.

Steve Fonyo, unfortunately, didn't have the good sense to die of his disease, which puts him a little lower on the heroism scale, and also left room for people to discover that he's actually a bit of a jerk.

Rick Hansen did an even more remarkable thing than Terry Fox, but it hasn't created the international movement that Terry's run did. How much of that had to do with Terry Fox himself, considering it happened after his death, it's difficult to say.

Ultimately I see the vote as one about ideals, and because he's dead, because he died while trying to do something noble, Terry Fox is the most idealized person going.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:23 AM on November 30, 2004

The primary reason that Terry Fox has been so venerated is that he died halfway through his run. The same effect often applies to artists who die young and/or at the height of their career (q.v.: James Dean, Jimi Hendrix, Mozart, etc.).

Well, that and the cancer industry that has continued to cash in on his name...
posted by fairmettle at 5:25 AM on November 30, 2004

Okay, forgive me because it's very early, but I read Tommy Douglas as Tommy Hunter. I was bewildered for a moment.
posted by picea at 5:57 AM on November 30, 2004

Lest anyone be confused about Tommy Douglas, he was a baptist minister who's expansion of the welfare state in Saskatchewan and British Columbia was based on his religious beliefs, which he never separated from his political actions. He also was a staunch opponent of homosexuality and a big fan of sexual sterilization. A memorable quote from our greatest Canadian:

"Those least fitted to propagate have done so and have filled our jails and mental hospitals at an alarming rate"

Ah the good old days.
posted by loquax at 6:32 AM on November 30, 2004

No Gordie Howe, Neil Peart, or Mordecai Richler?
posted by jonmc at 6:57 AM on November 30, 2004

I just need to go on the record as stating that both my husband and myself loathe the Creepy Canadian Tire Guy. And I don't like his wife. They have far too much stuff. And he's creepy.
posted by Savannah at 7:26 AM on November 30, 2004

How has Robertson Davies gone unmentioned for this long? Author, academic, intellectual...

And sweet merciful Jebus are the Canadian Tire couple irritating. They make me want to punch my TV. What is with Canadian Tire and their oh so clever advertising "characters"? Does anyone remember the loathsome Scrooge ads that ran for years and years? I used to dread the onset of the X-Mas shopping fever season primarily because it meant having to suffer through months of those hideous ads.
posted by thelaze at 7:58 AM on November 30, 2004

I'm waiting for McCain and Canadian Tire to merge so that the resulting commercials can immanetize the eschaton.
posted by maudlin at 8:34 AM on November 30, 2004

I worship the Canadian Tire guy because if you lived beside him then whenever you found yourself in a home- or car- repair jam he would pop up with an excellent solution. Then you could bitch-slap him for being such a superior arsewipe. Then you could sleep with his wife, who I think is kind of hot.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 9:04 AM on November 30, 2004

And wouldn't they be great to go camping with? With their solar powered emergency go anywhere power supply you could run emergency lights, a DVD player for the kids; even a portable laptop computer!
posted by Turtles all the way down at 9:12 AM on November 30, 2004

Well, that and the cancer industry that has continued to cash in on his name...

What a very odd way to say "helped fund cancer research". Are you implying that cancer research (and the good that has come out of it) is some sort of scam?

I voted for Terry Fox, Pierre Trudeau, Lester Pearson and John A. McDonald. There were a maximum of 5 votes per household, and I used 4 of them.

Then you could sleep with his wife, who I think is kind of hot.

You had me right up until that point...
posted by grum@work at 9:17 AM on November 30, 2004

I love the posts from some of the non-Canadians:

"no [insert the names of the only Canadians I've heard of]?"

: )

I don't mind at all that Tommy Douglas won (he was my second choice), but my vote went to Pearson. He used his power to do great good, both internationally, and at home. What an amazing leader.

(It amused me to see two hockey figures in the top ten, but it's a shame that those two spots were wasted. I love love love hockey, don't get me wrong, but hockey is entertainment. It's not good foreign relations, or socialised medicare, or penicillin, or life-changing and enriching science. Oh, it pains me to say it, but... Hockey is just not that important. Cherry, that idiot, and Gretsky simply cannot be in the same list as these other men.)
posted by digifox at 9:41 AM on November 30, 2004

I didn't vote because I couldn't decide who I wanted to win. I'm happy to see Tommy Douglas win, but as a French immersion graduate I tend to favour Trudeau. And I think David Suzuki should be our benevolent dictator.
posted by Hildegarde at 9:52 AM on November 30, 2004

What a very odd way to say "helped fund cancer research". Are you implying that cancer research (and the good that has come out of it) is some sort of scam?

As a matter of fact, I do believe the majority of cancer research is a scam. Although the primary causes of cancer such as environmental pollution and diet could be solved through advocacy and prevention, the cancer industry instead supplies lucrative perrenial jobs to researchers (and a vast support system) taking the long way around searching for the ever elusive cure. All this piggybacking on the likes of individually well intentioned people like Terry Fox.
posted by fairmettle at 11:14 AM on November 30, 2004

I'm waiting for McCain and Canadian Tire to merge so that the resulting commercials can immanetize the eschaton.

catch de taste
posted by jeffmik at 11:22 AM on November 30, 2004

I'm with fairmettle. Cancer research funding is excessive in comparison to other project funding, and there are innumerable ways to reduce the risk and increase diagnosis rates without pouring a gazillion dollars yearly into their coffers.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:46 AM on November 30, 2004

I'm not exactly the biggest Don Cherry fan... and I'm not really into hockey either. (hears a great gasp from fellow Canadians) But I can understand why Don Cherry ranked so high on the list.

As the CBC is still seen by many to be the pushers of lofty, conservative culture onto the poor Canadian masses, voting for Don Cherry was an act of defiance for some.

For others, they may have really felt that Don Cherry was the greatest thing that Canada has to offer. Canadians are fed with so much American history and culture that they tend to see their own history and figures as less-than great, if they have bothered to learn their own history in the first place. It may be possible that some of the figures thought by MeFites to be great were unknown to some of the voters.

And of course, there's always the elusive "Canadian Identity" debate. In the long-standing seach for a definition of "Canadian Identity", simple things like a "love of hockey" are all that can bridge the gap between such different geographical, cultural and economic populations. Hockey Night in Canada is, after all, the CBC's best-rated show. And Cherry is its voice...
posted by Ms Snit at 12:23 PM on November 30, 2004

How has Robertson Davies gone unmentioned for this long? Author, academic, intellectual...

He got my vote. Douglas was far too religious for my taste, but no one can deny the benefits of universal health-care.

Pearson, MacDonald, and Trudeau are all wonderful choices based on not only their national influence, but arguably some of the most notable international influence ever garnered by Canadians. Granted, they were not perfect (who really is?) but definitely deserved to be on the list.

Don Cherry? That threw me. Either the ballot boxes were stuffed, or the lack of hockey on television has left part of the Canadian psyche unhinged.

That has to be it.
posted by purephase at 2:02 PM on November 30, 2004

Poor Ron.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 2:07 PM on November 30, 2004

Canadians are fed with so much American history and culture that they tend to see their own history and figures as less-than great, if they have bothered to learn their own history in the first place. It may be possible that some of the figures thought by MeFites to be great were unknown to some of the voters.

I admittedly only caught the last two episodes (Not being in Canada for the first few months of the show, and not watching much tv anyway kept me in a bubble, unfortunately.), but I thought the whole point of the show's format was so that we would learn all about the nominees. I'm not surprised to see Cherry on the top 100 list, but I am surprised that people continued to vote for him after learning all they did about the greater Canadians on the list.
posted by digifox at 2:17 PM on November 30, 2004

In my opinion, Terry Fox _is_ Canada.

As an American, I must admit I looked at that list and said, "Hmm. Gretzkey." Then I Googled "Terry Fox" and learned more about the kid. Wow -- colour me humbled.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:21 PM on November 30, 2004

Google Rick Hanson, too. He's an amazing guy. Just plain quality, through and through.

I'm disgusted Cherry made it on any list at all. He's a wasted fuckwad of a guy. Just plain pinheaded waste of oxygen, through and through.

I suspect there should be a few more First Nation people on the list. I also hope a few of the politically active women from the sufferage movement got on the list. And, too, there are some Canucks that did missionary/health/peacekeeping work abroad that were simply amazing. Bethune, for one.

I'm kind of wishing I'd watched the series now. :-)
posted by five fresh fish at 6:22 PM on November 30, 2004

Not to take anything away from Tommy Douglas but watching the final couple episode this weekend I had to wonder how many of his votes were because he was being championed by MuchMusic VJ/resident heart-throb George Stroumboulopoulos?

In other news, another great Canadian died yesterday. Pierre Berton was the author of fifty books (mostly) on Canada, I heard him read last month at the International Writers Festival in Toronto. I'm sure someone will post something on the front page about him soon.
posted by dismitree at 8:03 AM on December 1, 2004

While I would disagree with him on homosexuality and sexual sterilisation, how is Tommy Douglas's Christian socialism a bad thing? I keep thinking that the left needs to get back to its roots, roots which include a great many Christians who did many great things because they took seriously the teachings of the bible. Do unto others - the Levellers venerated the Golden Rule. The Diggers believed that the earth and its bounties was God's gift to all mankind.

Why does the left let the right dominate the moral discourse, when the entire project of the left is to try to create a more moral world? When talking to Christians, indeed to anyone, why doesn't the left use the bible to show how taking care of the poor and the vulnerable is the simply the most Christian thing to do? It is the most moral in all religions - Christianity happens to speak to a majority in Canada. Not to mention the U.S.

When I wonder about whether I should return to the Church, it is men like Tommy Douglas who make me think maybe I should. No, I won't like every thing about him. If he were alive, I would tell him how much I respect him, and proceed to tell him all the ways I disagree with him, and try to change his mind. But that doesn't make the good he has done any the less - it doesn't change the way he inspired people like my grandparents - a working class couple, neither of whom graduated high school - to go out, despite the jeers and insults, and to campaign for the Canada that we enjoy today. Respecting Tommy Douglas is a way I honour them as well.
posted by jb at 2:00 AM on December 4, 2004

All I know is I go the local walk-in clinic today, say my name to the receptionist (no ID required) and sit down. I wait for 30 minutes and while waiting notice there's people with me there from different places all over the world, some older, and some with little kids. After I see the doc, I just say thanks and walk out. My wallet never leaves my jacket so if I have to go again tomorrow for something else I know I can without worries.

Thanks Tommy, if you have to pick a single individual who most benefited the average persons life in Canada it's you and you did it on principle. To me, that's what makes it truly great, the principle, which Canadians have stuck to ever since.
posted by scheptech at 6:20 PM on December 4, 2004