Tommy Douglas, father of universal health care - Greatest Canadian???

What does it say about our country?

That we're good for our health care?

No dis to Mr. Douglas, but isn't there more to our country than Canadian Medicare?

Like telecommunications? Hockey? Scientific innovations? Traditional values? Political will and resolve? The hardiness of our national character? Our ingrained audacity.

The standings look like this in CBC's Greatest Canadian Campaign...

1. T.C. Douglas.
2. Terry Fox.
3. Pierre Trudeau.
4. Sir Frederick Banting.
5. David Suzuki.
6. Lester Pearson.
7. Don Cherry.
8. Sir John A. Macdonald.
9. Alexander Graham Bell.
10. Wayne Gretzky.

In a nutshell...

Terry Fox lost his leg to cancer and decided to run across the country to raise awareness of the disease.

Pierre Elliot Trudeau, for better or for worse, brought the country together and created the progressive atmosphere of the "Just Society" that people like me are still paying for.

Sir Frederick Banting uncovered the secrets of insulin and paved the way for diabetes research. Sadly, like cancer, there's still no cure for diabetes.

David Suzuki, still alive and kicking, gave a human face to science, environment and activism, and has one heck of a sense of humour in doing so.

Lester Pearson helped broker a resolution of the Suez Crisis and implement United Nations Peacekeeping. Sadly, General Romeo Dallaire was hardly considered even though he risked his own life and sanity while dealing with the organosation's shortfalls.

Don Cherry is Canada's "Mr. Hockey" known for his outspoken views on, well, anything that's not yet bolted down or granted "sacred-mad-cow" status.

Sir John A. Macdonald was Canada's first prime minister and Father of this Confederation. Was it an achievement or a mistake? Who knows? Who cares? We have a country. That's good enough, right?

Alexander Graham Bell was more than the guy who invented the telephone. He also pioneered the hydroplane on Bras D'or Lake at the turn of the 20^th century. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be getting all this porn-site and penis-enlarger spam. Now that was a mensch.

Wayne Gretzky didn't invent hockey, but he owned it during the 80s with the Edmonton Oilers. Too bad he's a bit over-the-hill to go back to the sport he loves, but what the Hell... he had been and always will be "The Great One" wearing 99 for Peter Pocklington.

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