The Greatest Canadian who is it?

[galt]

Well we should also include Jonas Salk and even Linus Palling

 

[Kev]

Sir Frederick Banting.

Not as flashy as Dr. Bethune but contribution to the world, let alone Canada, was and remains tremendous.

Hes alive.................LOL HM.

 

[howiemeeker]

Kev buddy

Absolutely. And rolling in the aisles seeing what and who I am accused of being elsewhere. I have been far far away from any such for a long time. However, seeing that my name keeps popping up is amusing. Means that someone(s) somewhere(s) is doing things that they are not getting credit for though (good or bad).

Been a while since we chatted. Take it easy.

 

[someone]

Definitely not PET. He was not only a socialist but he was one that never had the courage to be honest about it and join the NDP. He nationalized everything he could, ran high deficits, introduced nationalist legislation that kept this country behind (e.g. FIRA), alienated the west to by Ontario votes, gave the separatists in Quebec someone to unite against, started the decline of the Canadian military, etc. etc. etc. The only positive thing I can think of is the Charter of Rights and that likely would have come anyway.

If the greatest Canadian were to be determined by consensus, I would have to say Terry Fox simply because there is very little you can say about him that is negative. If you give a very generous interpretation of ¡§Canadian¡¨, Issac Brock on the grounds we would all me Americans without him (however, given he did not believe in democracy or like Canada, he would certainly have his drawbacks as a choice ƒº).

 

[jiggaglen]

GUys I can't believe no one here has mentioned the porn icon PETER NORTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anyone who screwes 1000's of hot porn stars is tops in my book.

Seriously though how about Lester B Pearson...he did so much to put canada on the international scene. At one point he was a house hold name around the world.


Jigga Man

 

[mrhockey]

Geddy Lee!!!


or


P.E.T.

 

[thighspy]

A Paupers nightmare!!!!!!!!!

The great socialist.
Yes-Yes,we will remember Trudeau ,the great Canadien,who introduced us to a 1,5 trillion $debt,no doubt,we will remember that fellow.

Life is too short to hurry.

 

[GGGUNIT]

#1

PETER NORTH!!!!!!!!

 

[n_v]

Yes-Yes,we will remember Trudeau ,the great Canadien,who introduced us to a 1,5 trillion $debt,no doubt,we will remember that fellow.

Like Mulroney didn't add to the debt! He had a greater opportunity to erase the debt but failed miserably. And your figure is waay off. When Trudeau lleft office there was a debt in the Cnadian finances but it was nowhere near your said figure. In fact when Mulroney left office Canada was more in debt than when Trudeau left office!!!!!!!!

 

[someone]

In fact when Mulroney left office Canada was more in debt than when Trudeau left office!!!!!!!!

Given that they both ran deficits since 1973, there would have to have been more debt when he left office (deficits add to debt). I agree that Mulroney should have done MUCH more than he did to reduce the deficits. Nonetheless, at least the size of the deficits as a percent of GDP did start to go down under him, despite having to finance service charges on the debt incurred under PET. In the Case of PET, he inherited surpluses but after 1973 ran nothing but increasing deficits.

 

[happywanderer]

"When Mulroney left office Canada was more in debt than when Trudeau left office!"

Got to love compound interest eh?


TTFN

 

[n_v]

someone and happywanderer - My point was that there was an opportunity with the booming 80's for Mulroney to take action and he didn't. He inherited $30 billion deficits, trimmed then to the low 20's and then as his tenure ended it mushroomed back up to the high 30's (billion $) again. For a span of some 20 years there has been great inaction to tackle the deficit from either Liberals or Conservatives. Chretien, say what you will about him, and Martin, erased the deficit in about 5 yrs from about $35 billion to surpluses of about $10 billion. That's about about a $45 billion swing and with compounded interest to deal with. But we are straying from the topic of this post, which is: Trudeau was a great Canadian!!

 

[happywanderer]

Yes, he might have been a great Canadian, but (in my eyes) he was not a great PM.


TTFN

 

[thecoolguyms72]

I believe that Alexander Graham Bell was of Scottish heritage, no? Sheik? Howard Hughes? I would have a feeling that if you called my grandfather British when he is quite Scottish he would have punched you out. Then probably had a pint of beer with you, mind you. No offense to any Brits out there, though.

 

[someone]

someone and happywanderer - My point was that there was an opportunity with the booming 80's for Mulroney to take action and he didn't. He inherited $30 billion deficits, trimmed then to the low 20's and then as his tenure ended it mushroomed back up to the high 30's (billion $) again. For a span of some 20 years there has been great inaction to tackle the deficit from either Liberals or Conservatives. Chretien, say what you will about him, and Martin, erased the deficit in about 5 yrs from about $35 billion to surpluses of about $10 billion. That's about about a $45 billion swing and with compounded interest to deal with.

I agree that you have a point here but you should remember that Chretien did not have a Liberal opposition to worry about, or indeed any effective opposition. As it was Mulroney burnt a lot of his political capital on other much needed economic reforms. Thus, I have some sympathy for his being a coward when it came to deficit reduction. In hindsight, given that the PCs where reduced to two seats anyway, it would not have been much worse if he had attacked the deficit, but hindsight is always 20/20.



"But we are straying from the topic of this post, which is: Trudeau was a great Canadian!!"

Given all the damage he did to the country, I find it hard to understand how you can say that. Still, I suspect that it is something we will have to agree to disagree on.

 

[n_v]

I agree that you have a point here but you should remember that Chretien did not have a Liberal opposition to worry about......

Of course he didn't because the Liberals were (and still are) the government.

 

[someone]

Of course he didn't because the Liberals were (and still are) the government.

With a leader who is trying to get reelected by running against the liberal record

 

[n_v]

someone - you are right. But that is a new leader altogether. But wooh the irony I know.

 

[Bearlythere]

I just hope to GOD it isn't Trudeau. For all that he did, he pissed off as many people as he made happy. No man divides this nation like he does, and for that, I don't see him as a Great Canadian. Problem is, the CBC and the Libreal mindset that runs this country loves the guy.....so here we go, Trudeau will be their choice.

Personally, my vote goes to Sir John A, but he has a few warts as well. My feeling is though Sir John A did great things when he had no blueprint to follow, only his gut instinct to follow and somehow he pieced together a plan to create a nation that by all rights, never should have existed......

 

[Caveman2002]

how about Winnie the Pooh?

Ask any Canadian child.. or kid around the world who their favourite person is.. and they'd probably say Winnie the Pooh.. born in Winnipeg...
Best Canadian ever.. .. would he count?