| The Greatest Canadian Officially launched on April 5, 2004, The Greatest Canadian was a television program series by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to determine who is considered to be the greatest Canadian of all time, at least according to those who watched and participated in the program. The project was inspired by the BBC series Great Britons.  The "Greatest Canadian" was not decided by a simple popular poll, but was instead chosen through a two-step voting process. On October 17, 2004 the CBC aired the first part of The Greatest Canadian television series. In it, the bottom 40 of the top 50 "greatest" choices were revealed, in order of popularity, determined by polls conducted by E-mail, website, telephone, and letter. To prevent bias during the second round of voting, the top ten nominees were presented alphabetically rather than by order of first round popularity. This second vote was accompanied by a series of documentaries, where 10 Canadian celebrities acting as advocates each presented their case for The Greatest Canadian. Voting concluded on November 28 at midnight and the following evening, November 29, the winner was revealed to be Tommy Douglas. The Greatest Canadian - Wikipedia |
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| Frederick Banting 1891-1941 He's known as the man who discovered insulin, bringing new hope to diabetics the world over. Frederick Banting's groundbreaking research in the early 1920s brought him worldwide acclaim and earned him a lifetime annuity from the federal government, a knighthood in the British crown and Canada's first ever Nobel Prize in Medicine. |
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| Alexander Graham Bell 1847-1922 History was made when the first words were transmitted via telegraph on March 10, 1876, "Mr. Watson, come here, I need you."  After patenting the invention and staging a demonstration of the telephone at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, Bell went on to form the Bell Telephone Company in 1877. |
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| Don Cherry (b. 1934) Starting out as a hockey player, then a successful NHL coach, Don Cherry soon found his niche on the television screen. Outspoken, outrageous and at times outlandish - Cherry has been called many things during his 24 years with CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, but he's never been accused of being at a loss for words. |
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| Tommy Douglas 1904-1986 For more than 50 years, his staunch devotion to social causes, rousing powers of speech and pugnacious charm made Tommy C. Douglas a popular political force. From his first foray into public politics in 1934 to his post-retirement years in the 1970s, Canada's "father of Medicare" stayed true to his socialist beliefs. |
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| Terry Fox 1958-1981 On the morning of April 12, 1980, Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope. Fox's journey took him through the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario, until he stopped just outside of Thunder Bay.  He had run 5,376 kms, and by February 1981, raised $24.17 million.Fox died, with his family beside him, on June 28, 1981. That September, the first Terry Fox Run was held. Terry Fox - Wikipedia |
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| Wayne Gretzky (b. 1961) Affectionately called "the Great One", he is the greatest scorer in NHL history, breaking over five-dozen records and racking up nearly 3,000 points. He's won four Stanley Cups and has held or shared 61 NHL records. He serves on countless charities and his foundation helps disadvantaged children from North America participate in hockey. |
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| Sir John A. Macdonald 1815-1891 Macdonald is best known as the founding father of Canada, who united the French and the English and who facilitated the construction of Canadian Pacific Railway. The characteristics that made him such an effective leader are the same ones that define Canada as a nation. |
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| Lester B. Pearson 1897-1972 During his five years in office Pearson oversaw the introduction of the Canada Pension Plan, national Medicare, the Bilingualism and Biculturalism Commission, a national labour code, and the Maple Leaf flag. The crowning achievement was his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1956. |
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| David Suzuki (b. 1936) As the host of CBC's The Nature of Things and the author of more than 30 books, David Suzuki has been called a "gladiatorial geneticist" who mixes education with entertainment. The passionate Suzuki has earned a well-deserved reputation as an environmental guru for two generations of Canadians. |
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| Pierre Trudeau 1919-2000 Trudeau's unique blend of charisma and fierce intelligence managed to keep him in power for nearly 16 years. During that time, he never wavered from his goal to create a unified and "just" Canada. He worked to promote bilingualism, stamp out separatism and create a Canadian Constitution and Charter of Rights. |
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| The Famous Five The Famous Five were a group of Canadian suffragists who fought for women's rights in the early 20th century. The group included Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Nellie McClung, and Irene Parlby. In 1927, the Famous Five asked the Supreme Court of Canada if the British North America Act included women in its definition of "persons". The Supreme Court ruled against them in 1928, saying that women were not "qualified persons" and could not serve in the Senate. The Famous Five appealed the decision to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, England. On October 18, 1929, the Privy Council reversed the Supreme Court's decision, ruling that women were "persons" in the eyes of the law. This decision opened the way for women to be appointed to the Senate. Famous Five - Wikipedia  |
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Rick Hansen (b. 1957) Like Terry Fox before him, Rick Hansen is a disabled athlete who captured the imagination of Canadians with a high-profile fundraising marathon. But while Terry only sought to cross Canada, Hansen's Man in Motion tour saw him wheel across 34 countries in two years, raising millions in the process. Today, he's a leading philanthropist and activist for spinal cord research and Canadians with disabilities. Rick Hansen Foundation |
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| Dan George (1899-1981) Known affectionately as “Chief,” Dan George was one of the most famous indigenous actors in Hollywood during the 20th century.  He played a number of Native American characters on TV and film, often appearing alongside some of the top stars of his time. When not on screen, he was a prominent activist for indigenous rights in Canada and the US. Chief Dan George - Wikipedia |
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