Greatest Canadian of the 20th Century

sanctus

sanctus

The Padre
Oct 27, 2006
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Ontario
www.poetrypoem.com
Pierre Trudeau was the top pick as the greatest Canadian of the 20th Century, a new national public opinion survey suggests.
In second place was Terry Fox, the inspirational hero who tried to walk across Canada after losing a leg to cancer, while hockey great Wayne Gretzky was the top choice of living Canadians.
The poll, conducted by Ekos Research Associates, asked more than 3,000 Canadians to name their choice for top honours. Trudeau was the resounding favourite at 32 per cent, with Fox coming a distant second at six per cent and Gretzky placing third with four per cent.
Fourth-place honours were shared by former prime minister Lester B. Pearson, who is viewed as the father of Canadian peacekeeping, and Rene Levesque, who led the separatist Parti Quebecois to its first electoral victory. Both men were named by three per cent of respondents.
Former prime ministers William Mackenzie King, Wilfrid Laurier, John Diefenbaker and Brian Mulroney were also named in the survey, but received less than two per cent of the votes. ©Canadian Press
 
#juan

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
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After years of tweedle dum and tweedle dee minority government under Pearson and Diefenbaker, it was seen as a major breakthrough to have a majority government for a change. We expected great things from Trudeau and he rolled along on a crest for a few years. Trudeau was a true intellectual and he was respected all over the world and a lot of Canadians loved him. He brought our constitution home but Canadians became disapointed with the difference between what he could have done and what he did. Intellectually, Trudeau put Canada on the map. Our greatest leader? Mackenzie King, who was our leader during the whole of WW2 would get my vote.

Terry Fox would always be at or near the top of any list I made. Pearson never got enough credit at home for his Nobel prize winning peace keeping efforts.

My list: Terry Fox, Lester Pearson, Mackenzie King, Wilfrid Laurier, The rest is under construction.
 
Dexter Sinister

Dexter Sinister

Unspecified Specialist
Oct 1, 2004
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Regina, SK
Lots of candidates, depending on your biases and perspectives. Pierre Trudeau, Tommy Douglas, Romeo Dallaire, Lester Pearson, Rene Levesque, Steven Lewis, Louise Arbour, Michael Baltzan (the doctor who saved my beloved dad's life, twice), Terry Fox, and a million others most of us have never heard of but who made a big difference in the lives of many. I think it's a mug's game trying to pick one greatest, there are many who should be honoured and remembered and there's no reason to elevate one above all the others. The world's full of heroes, great and small.
 
sanctus

sanctus

The Padre
Oct 27, 2006
4,558
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48
Ontario
www.poetrypoem.com
Dexter Sinister said:
Lots of candidates, depending on your biases and perspectives. Pierre Trudeau, Tommy Douglas, Romeo Dallaire, Lester Pearson, Rene Levesque, Steven Lewis, Louise Arbour, Michael Baltzan (the doctor who saved my beloved dad's life, twice), Terry Fox, and a million others most of us have never heard of but who made a big difference in the lives of many. I think it's a mug's game trying to pick one greatest, there are many who should be honoured and remembered and there's no reason to elevate one above all the others. The world's full of heroes, great and small.
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It's very human though, isn't it, to want to elevate select people to positions of respect in our society. We seem enamored with lists of things, and always want something to top that list we can champion. Funny we can't just champion the whole instead of selecting a few to stand above the herd.
 
china

china

Time Out
Jul 30, 2006
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Dexter Sinister :
Lots of candidates, depending on your biases and perspectives. Pierre Trudeau, Tommy Douglas, Romeo Dallaire, Lester Pearson, Rene Levesque, Steven Lewis, Louise Arbour, Michael Baltzan (the doctor who saved my beloved dad's life, twice), Terry Fox, and a million others most of us have never heard of but who made a big difference in the lives of many. I think it's a mug's game trying to pick one greatest, there are many who should be honoured and remembered and there's no reason to elevate one above all the others. The world's full of heroes, great and small.


A beautiful ,uselfish letter .Sorry about the coment I,ve made in my previous letter,I was wrong....Friends?
 
D

darleneonfire

Electoral Member
Jan 12, 2007
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Ontario
Gonzo said:
Terry Fox, then Trudeau. Thats how it should of been. And worst Canadian? Mulroney. But now I'm starting to think it's Harper, towing the Bush line.
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I disagree, myself. I admire Terry Fox and his efforts a great deal, don't get me wrong, but beyond his race across the country, what did he actually contribute to our nation? Trudeau, on the other hand, was a great Canadian who put the country first. His policies and changes are the foundation this country operates under now.
 
Cannuck

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
30,245
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Alberta
No contest. He was the first Canadian in outerspace and the only Canadian to leave our solar system


 
Gonzo

Gonzo

Electoral Member
Dec 5, 2004
997
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Was Victoria, now Ottawa
Terry Fox ran a marathon a day on one leg, was in pain the whole way, to try and save others from the suffering he went through. In my eyes, he was and is the greatest Canadian ever.
 
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BobSherwood

New Member
Nov 9, 2014
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1
My personal favourite is Max Beaverbrook, who started and controlled the British Daily Express newspaper group, who during World War 2 was Britain Minister of Production, including aircraft production. A truly likeable guy. Admired by one and all and nicknamed "The Beaver". Then you had in the UK Roy Thomson who became the British Randolph William Hearst. He bought THE SCOTSMAN newspaper Edinburgh, and turned it into the Thompson Group. We have a new Canadian banker newcomer, whose running the Bank of England, (Wiki >) Mark Joseph Carney (born March 16, 1965) is the current Governor of the Bank of England and Chairman of the G20's Financial Stability Board.[3] He was previously the Governor of the Bank of Canada, and began his career at Goldman Sachs and the Canadian Department of Finance. Carney has been credited with shielding Canada from the worst effects of the late-2000s financial crisis, and has earned recognition by the Financial Times and Time magazine as a top figure in the financial world, strange to say he holds an Irish Passport (there must be a good tale there) and individually and collectively these three men are Great Canadians. To enquire who was the greatest Canadian is a rather pointless question, it depends in a way on who was the most famous and that would be McKenzie King.
 
#juan

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
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Daz_Hockey said:
I think you should thank the wig-maker personally.
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Just a long overdue comment or two on an old post: William Shatner is a Jewish Canadian from Montreal. Captain Kirk was from Ohio.I think.
 
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