Greatest Canadians
In November 2004, Canadians voted Tommy Douglas the Greatest Canadian of all time following a nationwide contest. Over 1.2 million votes were cast in a frenzy of voting that took place over six weeks as each of 10 advocates made their case for the Top 10 nominees in special feature programs on CBC Television.
Tommy Douglass
"My friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea." - Tommy Douglas 1961.
For more than 50 years, his staunch devotion to social causes, rousing powers of speech and pugnacious charm made Tommy C. Douglas an unstoppable political force. From his first foray into public office politics in 1934 to his post-retirement years in the 1970s, Canada's 'father of Medicare' stayed true to his socialist beliefs -- often at the cost of his own political fortune -- and earned himself the respect of millions of Canadians in the process.
The child of Scottish immigrants, Douglas spent his formative years in Winnipeg, Manitoba in a home where politics, philosophy and religion were side dishes at the dinner table. His father, a veteran of two wars, worked part-time in an iron foundry. When money was tight, Douglas and his two sisters had to drop in and out of school as they worked occasional jobs to help pay the bills.
Terry Fox
In the fall of 1979, 21-year-old Terry Fox began his quest to run across Canada. He had lost most of his right leg to cancer two years before. Fox sent letters to various companies soliciting their sponsorship. The final sentence of his letter was: "…I'm not saying that this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to."
With that dogged spirit, Fox would begin his dream --- one that would take him half way across Canada and touch hundreds of thousands of lives at home and abroad.
Terrance Stanley Fox was born July 28, 1958 in Winnipeg, Manitoba to Rolly and Betty Fox. He already had an older brother, Fred. Another brother, Darrell, would be born four years later and sister Judith in 1964. In 1966, the family moved to Surrey, B.C. and then to their last destination, Port Coquitlam, two years later.
Pierre Elliott Trudeau
In October 1970, Pierre Elliott Trudeau defiantly declared "just watch me." The nation complied, transfixed by the man who was prime minister.
Elected to parliament on the freewheeling heels of Expo '67, Trudeau was just the shot of adrenaline Canada needed in radical, changing times. After decades of prim, stuffed-shirt prime ministers, here was a leader who wore ascots and capes, drove a convertible and dated celebrities.
Sir Frederick Banting
To millions at home and abroad 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.
But not long before he made his mark in medical history, Banting was just a young doctor and First World War veteran struggling with a fledgling medical practice in London, Ontario while teaching medical classes at the University of Western Ontario.
But that all changed on Oct. 31, 1920 after a journal article about diabetes research sparked a moment of inspiration. The 28-year-old quickly recorded his thoughts in a notebook -- to try and extract the mysterious hormone associated with the withering disease from the pancreases of dogs.
Dr. David Suzuki
A world-renowned geneticist, academic and broadcaster, Dr. David Suzuki has spent the past 40 years educating the public about environmental issues, both in the classroom and over the airwaves.
As the long-running host of CBC's The Nature of Things and the author of more than 30 books, Suzuki has been called a 'gladiatorial geneticist' who mixes education with entertainment to get his ideas across to the public. Never one to step down from a fight, the passionate and often controversial Suzuki has earned a well-deserved reputation as an environmental guru for two generations of Canadians.
David T. Suzuki and his twin sister Marcia were born in Vancouver, B.C. in 1936. His early years were spent living with his family in the back of their dry-cleaning business in Marpole, a primarily white neighbourhood. His father Kaoru "Carr" Suzuki, an avid outdoorsman, helped shape Suzuki's interest in nature early by taking his son on camping and fishing trips.
Lester B Pearson
When it comes to Canadian Prime Ministers, few accomplished so much in so little time as Lester B Pearson. During his five years in office Pearson oversaw the introduction of the Canada Pension Plan, a national system of universal Medicare, the Commission on bilingualism and biculturalism, and the Maple Leaf Flag. And, he did it all without ever winning a majority government.
In addition to his two terms as Canada’s 14 th prime minister, Pearson was Canada’s foremost statesman in a distinguished 20-year career with the Department of External Affairs. His crowning achievement was winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his creation of the United Nations peacekeeping force during the 1956 Suez Crisis.
Don Cherry
Outspoken, outrageous and at times outlandish - Don 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.
While he's best known for being the flamboyant yin to Ron MacLean's yang on the popular Coach's Corner segment, Cherry's long road to fame began more than 50 years ago.
A high school dropout from Kingston, Ontario, Cherry laced up with the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears in 1954 to begin what would be nearly a two-decade playing career. The 20-year-old rookie would jump to a number of minor league teams in the United States and Canada over the course of his 16 years on the ice, bringing his young family with him on more than 50 moves.
Sir John A. Macdonald
Victory, tragedy, alcoholism and national pride would mark the life of Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. 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. Macdonald was a deft politician, able to balance the various interests of the nation. The characteristics that made him such an effective leader are the same ones that define Canada as a nation.
Macdonald was born January 10, 1815 in Glasgow, Scotland to an unsuccessful merchant, Hugh Macdonald, and his wife, Helen Shaw. Hugh wanted a new start - he decided to move his family to Kingston (Upper Canada) in 1820. Hugh's fortunes were to rise there. Macdonald was educated in the area's finest schools, and he established his own law practice in Kingston at the age of 19. By the time he was elected to represent Kingston in the Legislative Assembly of Canada in 1844, he had become a successful lawyer and businessman, holding directorships with at least 10 companies.
Alexander Graham Bell
Every time Canadians make a telephone call, they can afford to feel a little national pride.
Alexander Graham Bell, the man considered to be one of the most important inventors of the 19th century, was born March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Even though he was not born in Canada, many of his greatest scientific discoveries were made on Canadian soil.
Greatness was in his blood. His grandfather, Alexander Bell, was a respected orator and part-time actor in London, England. He went on to be an influential speech teacher, producing several key writings on the subjects of elocution and speech pathologies.
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky began skating just before turning three and soon after, his father, Walter, built a skating rink in the backyard. Gretzky spent hours out there, occasionally coming in to have his toes warmed between the hands of his father. Those early years would infuse in him the simple pleasures of playing hockey - an attitude that would help him blast many records in hockey.
Gretzky was born January 26, 1961 in Brantford, Ontario to Walter and Phyllis Gretzky. He was their first child and became big brother to Kim, Keith, Glen and Brent. The Gretzkys were a close family. Gretzky remembers his grandparents (Walter's parents) who lived nearby on a farm; they would spend nearly every weekend there. The home rink existed for four years, dubbed "Wally's Coliseum".
"All I wanted to do in the winters was be on the ice. I'd get up in the morning, skate from 7:00 to 8:30, go to school, come home at 3:30, stay on the ice until my mom insisted I come in for dinner, eat in my skates, then go back out," reminisces Gretzky in his autobiography (Harper Collins Publishers, 1990).
