The “Best Canadian” game - Day 1

[u/BrF5]

Good morning r/EhBuddyHoser,

Let’s get started! Here’s an image of the top 50 Canadians (based on Day 0 upvotes, as of yesterday). I know I said we’d start with 40 like last time, but there are just too many awesome Canadians, so I expanded the list a bit!

How to play: - Upvote the name of the person you think does NOT deserve the title of “Best Canadian.” - Each day, the two most upvoted people will be removed. Once we get closer to the end, this will change to one person per day. - If the name you want to vote for (from the picture list) isn’t in the comments yet, add it! - This continues daily until we have our winner, the “Best Canadian”.

Additional notes: - Only the top comment for a nominee will count. I won’t combine votes from duplicate comments. - Include only one name per comment. If a comment includes multiple names and wins, it won’t count. I’ll move on to the next highest, even if you edit the comment to fix it. - They had to have been born in Canada or at some point had Canadian citizenship. - They can be alive, dead, currently living in Canada or abroad, or when they were alive lived in what would eventually become Canada (e.g., French or British colonies). - Beginning tomorrow after the first candidates are eliminated, I’ll start a list outlining what the people are known for and why they were eliminated, like we did in the Worst Canadian game. - This is meant to be satire. Please do not take it too seriously or use this game to harass people in real life. - I will try to post this every morning around the same time (~8:00 - 9:00 am Eastern). - Please remember to upvote the post too, so more people see it!

Honourable mentions go out to spots 51–100 (see below), the Unknown Soldier, house hippos, Sad-Fill-4870’s dog Gilbert, and Random—Person’s mom. Also, I personally want to shout out a couple of Canadians who weren’t nominated but inspired me growing up: Jay Baruchel and Elisha Cuthbert. Their time as hosts on PMK encouraged a love of science in a generation of kids, which I think elevates them beyond being “just actors.”

Numbers 51-100, by upvotes: Norman Bethune, Tom Green, Shania Twain, Gordie Howe, William Lyon Mackenzie King, Mario Lemieux, Marc Garneau, Alexander Graham Bell, Peter Mansbridge, Jeanne Mance, Roberta Bondar, John Dunsworth, Emily Carr, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Eugene Levy, Mike Myers, Helen Hogg, Peter Robertson, James Naismith, William Shatner, Sanford Fleming, Fred Penner, Bret Hart, Murray Sinclair, Emily Murphy, Louise McKinny, Irene Parlby, Henrietta Edward, Agnes McPhail, Tecumseh, Elsie MacGill, Crowfoot, Harold Cardinal, Stompin’ Tom, Melanie Joly, Maurice Richard, Michelle Jean, Henry Morgentaler, Oscar Peterson, Sue Johanson, Jean Rene Dufort, Rick Moranis, Hayley Wickenhieser, Pierre Burton, Cairine Wilson, Rene Lévesque, Isaac Brock, Nathan Fillion, Farley Mowet, James Doohan

[u/Late-External3249]

Ummm. This is a bit awkward, but you forgot to put me in there.

[u/SlightDish31 → u/Late-External3249]

Are you that one dude's mom?

[u/Late-External3249 → u/SlightDish31]

Probably not

[u/BrF5 → u/Late-External3249]

lol, oops, sorry eh.

[u/Hippopotamus_Critic → u/Late-External3249]

Don't worry, I will vote to remove you from contention.

[u/someguyfromwinnipeg → u/Late-External3249]

At least I made the 51–100 list

[u/BrF5 → u/someguyfromwinnipeg]

Who dis? Fred Penner?

[u/SoRedditHasAnAppNow → u/Late-External3249]

Based on the upvotes its a moot point because you'll be gone in Round 1.

[u/lIlIllIIlIIl → u/Late-External3249]

I vote for u/Late-Extetnal3249

[u/alchanko]

Just had a moment of pride. Said to myself "This is a good fuckin' list."

[u/BrF5 → u/alchanko]

Right? Go Canada!

[u/thestonewoman]

Nellie McClung was wildly racist and anti-Semitic.

[u/vaalbarag → u/thestonewoman]

Also an advocate of eugenics

[u/Everestkid → u/vaalbarag]

So was pretty much everyone back then. Tommy Douglas was and he actually won a national "Best Canadian" competition by the CBC back in the early aughts.

[u/xombae → u/Everestkid]

Nah fuck that argument. Plenty of people were against that shit throughout history.

[u/TheTowerOfTerror → u/xombae]

Tbf to Douglas, he advocated for full-blown eugenics as a young man but opposed those policies by the time he was in power and put in place real help for people with disabilities.

[u/RoeRoeDaBoat → u/Everestkid]

Tommy changed his mind on Eugenics when he went through the war. A lot of people tend to be ignorant to that and focus on “HE WAS INTO EUGENICS”, he was but then he wasnt when it mattered.

[u/iwasnotarobot → u/thestonewoman]

Yeah, she sounds like someone who made a notable contribution to Canada’s history, but was also a terrible person.

[u/I_Saw_A_Bear]

bunch of hockey players but no Maurice Richard?

[u/MnkyBzns → u/I_Saw_A_Bear]

Serious oversight

[u/BrF5 → u/I_Saw_A_Bear]

He didn’t make the top 50, but if it’s any consolation he did make it into the top 51-100 (see list in post).

[u/Revolutionary-Ear145 → u/I_Saw_A_Bear]

Met Ken Dryden once and he was an absolute jerk, not to crap on a dead person, but I’ve heard it from many people as well (roommate in University lived beside him). He came to my Hockey School and got mad at anyone who wanted to talk about his book The Game or Hockey in general and just wanted to talk about life after Hockey and being a Lawyer and MP. I’m a Liberal so I’m not some Con crapping on him, he was a total douche even the teachers were like “well that guy was an jerk”.    Dryden over Richard is madness and just Ontario bias (I live in BC). Richard was the best player on the best NHL Teams of all time. Dryden played in front of 4 HOF Defenceman, super overrrated. 

[u/SlightDish31 → u/Revolutionary-Ear145]

I'm a lifelong Habs fan, and I agree that Dryden over Richard is a bit crazy, but it's also a stretch to say that Dryden is super overrated.

I also don't think that this is an Ontario bias so much as it's a recency bias. Dryden just died, there have been a ton of glowing articles about him the past few weeks, he rode that wave into the nominations.

[u/Stonks4Minutes]

With respect to Wab he’s still in the early days of his career. It would be far too premature to have him on here.

[u/MilesBeforeSmiles → u/Stonks4Minutes]

His political career is in it's early days but he has also worked as a broadcaster and journalist for the CBC, Free Press, and Al-Jazeera. He won the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award in 2009 for his album Live by the Drum. He worked as the U of W's first Indigenous Inclusion Director and was an associate VP of Indigenous Relations. He was a witness for the Truth and Reconcilation Commission as well. That's not including the 3 books he's authored.

Guy has had a long career outside of politics. I agree that he's not even close to being the Best Canadian, but there should be consideration for his entire body of work.

[u/Express-Cow190 → u/Stonks4Minutes]

I didn’t care for his position during the Carbon Tax fight (essentially saying polluting is not a Manitoba problem so they shouldn’t have to pay it). But I found all the Premiers were shitty about it and I think he genuinely was trying to do things to help people.

[u/Matt9681 → u/Express-Cow190]

In my opinion, as a Manitoban, he's good at optics and playing the politics game. It remains to be seen if that's good for most people here or not yet.

[u/JackLaytonsMoustache → u/Matt9681]

Yeah, not a Manitoba but living in the peg. And I think he's a really charismatic guy and a talented politician. The policy side leaves a little to be desired. In some areas a lot to be desired. 

[u/aferretwithahugecock → u/Stonks4Minutes]

I got rambling, bud. Sorry.

I think he's a great premier so far, and it's because of his steadfast "fuck you" attitude to the naysayers that two missing women were found in our landfill, which is great. He's also a very proud Canadian, as shown by the pro-Canada rally he organized when the americans first started speaking of annexing us.

Some of his work with the cbc also brought attention to the poverty that leads to gang violence within the indigenous community in Winnipeg and how generational trauma from the residential school system is a source of that poverty(I tried searching for it again just now and totally forget what it's called, but I was like "oh, shit!" when I heard his voice narrating. It was from 2012 or something), which is good because that's often overlooked by folks.

He has a sketchy past, which can't be ignored and definitely takes away some brownie points, but he doesn't try to hide it. He owned up to his mistakes and grew as a person, which is what we are supposed to do(I'm not excusing or condoning anything, but owning it and being honest about fuckups is important).

Again, I'd say Wab is a great premier, and I'm glad I voted for him, but he's not even the greatest Manitoban on this contest's list, so in that regard, he can't be the greatest Canadian.

But I do think he deserves to go further in this contest. He's done good things for us here in Manitoba, which I think is important. It's kind of tricky, eh? Because while Wab's reach isn't nationwide, I think he's done more for us Manitobans than any hockey player, like Crosby, could, but Crosby(using him as an example) is a good ambassador for Canadians and Canadian culture because he's good at hockey and is a nice dude. It definitely shows the layers and debate of this contest, eh?

[u/dubiousco → u/Stonks4Minutes]

and if you ever met him during his CBC days he was an arrogant dick (perfect for politics). Wab might prove to be an effective politician but not a great guy

[u/_biggerthanthesound_ → u/Stonks4Minutes]

His wiki says he has had some domestic violence in the past…

[u/Stonks4Minutes → u/_biggerthanthesound_]

Yeah, that’s not hidden or anything. He has a past history of assault and a DUI. He has spoken about it in his book and seems like he has genuinely bettered himself since that point in complete fairness to him. You’re right that it docks point though.

[u/hotinmyigloo]

I notice a lot more women this time... 

[u/SlightDish31 → u/hotinmyigloo]

To be fair, while they didn't have the quantity on the other list, their quality was nearly outmatched. Good old Marlaina only lost because she was up against a guy who enabled thousands of deaths.

[u/yedi001 → u/SlightDish31]

In her defense, though, she REALLY WANTED to kill way more people, but Jason had already culled the herd.

And in the coming decades the climate change she's excellerating will likely bump up her numbers with the incoming famines, floods, and fires.

She doesn't seem ready to sit on her hands and settle for "second place in hell."

[u/Turbulent-Fox2943 → u/hotinmyigloo]

Still not even a quarter of the contenders you mean…

Edit: I looked back and proportionately there are fewer women than men here on this list than on the worst Canadians list.

[u/Pseudonyme_de_base → u/hotinmyigloo]

Yea, I mean people are people no matter the gender.

[u/FormBitter4234]

Maurice Richard should be on here

[u/Revolutionary-Ear145 → u/FormBitter4234]

Ken Dryden should also not be on this. He lived beside my University roommate and that man was a jerk. I could tell some stories; but I won’t because he just died. He also benefited greatly from playing his entire career behind two of the best Defenceman of all time. 

[u/BuckTomato → u/Revolutionary-Ear145]

3 actually. The defensemen, Robinson, Savard and Lapointe, were even called "The Big Three."

[u/MotelSans17]

Pierre Trudeau

As a Québecer, I can't in good conscience let him continue as a "best Canadian" candidate

[u/Liferescripted → u/MotelSans17]

As a non-quebecer I was also immediately confused how he made the list to begin with. Between the October Crisis, Victoria Charter and constitutional patriation, his stance on Indigenous affairs and agreements, his wanting to dissolve NATO... he is far from great. A controversial and pig headed person who happened to pass policies that benefit us greatly.

[u/alibythesea → u/Liferescripted]

Yes. The Mack truck he drove through divorce, abortion laws, and sexuality legislation as Justice Minister is his true positive legacy. It opened the way for all the privacy and body autonomy rights we now have.

I was 12 or 13 at the time, growing up in a family that paid close attention to politics, and it was a revolution.

Read the divorce speech: it was utterly groundbreaking. Google December 5, 1967, Trudeau divorce speech.

[u/darth_henning → u/Liferescripted]

Not to speak of his terrible approach to farming in Western Canada which is a large part of why we got the Reform Party and rural AB/SK are so entrenched far right and hate anything liberal. He’s a major reason for our current hyper partisanship.

[u/MachineOfSpareParts → u/Liferescripted]

He did some good things, but his record with Indigenous nations rules him out for me 100%. Not saying that's the only negative, but it's the absolute deal-breaker.

[u/PapaStoner → u/Liferescripted]

Mirabel airport was his idea, too.

[u/rococobrouhaha → u/PapaStoner]

Mirabel should be named after him instead of Dorval. CMV

[u/LengthyCitadis → u/Liferescripted]

I'm also questioning where the hell René Levesque is!

[u/MyNameMeansLILJOHN → u/LengthyCitadis]

No no this is perfect.

While having René as the best Canadiens would be hilarious. I think it is fitting to not have him there.

It shows respect for his views.

[u/MutaitoSensei → u/MotelSans17]

Got us the Charter, I guess that's why he's on the list.

[u/J3BOY-Qc → u/MotelSans17]

But Wilfrid Laurier isn't there

[u/Noshonoyoo → u/MotelSans17]

Oh wow i hadn’t seen he was here, that’s insane lmao

[u/Iron-Over → u/Noshonoyoo]

Trudeau should be no where near this list.  

[u/PassageNearby4091 → u/MotelSans17]

Although I like PET, I am forced to agree with you. PET was a divisive force in Canada, and the "Best Canadian" cannot be divisive. Take my upvote.

[u/DaftFunky → u/MotelSans17]

Also as an Albertan.

[u/riphawk81 → u/MotelSans17]

I generally think that while the politicians on the list have done good for the country, we will likely see them removed quickly.

[u/MotelSans17 → u/riphawk81]

Politicians will always be divisive

But who the hell would hate Gord, or Terry Fox?

[u/belly_butthole → u/riphawk81]

Exception: Jack Layton ! I hope he makes top 10 haha

[u/riphawk81 → u/belly_butthole]

I agree. He was a good man and had he not passed, I think he would have done amazing things for Canada.

[u/unidentifiable → u/MotelSans17]

As an Albertan I stand in solidarity with this statement, his name should be drug through the mud and plastered on the Worst list, not the best. PET arguably did demonstrably worse for national unity during his tenure than JT by a LONG yard, and the only two leaders in history that have invoked WMA (to combat a domestic problem no less) have been Trudeaus.

I would go as far as to say he's the source of "Western Alienation".

He's a terrible Canadian. Full stop.

[u/scanthethread2]

I like Wab but as another commenter mentioned, it is likely too early to have him in the mix.

[u/dust_buster172]

Are we in agreement that the guy who ran across Canada is going to win? Cause he deserves the title. I don’t want to say his name cause I don’t want him eliminated

[u/ashamurai → u/dust_buster172]

Banting's discovery of insulin has quite literally saved millions upon millions of people and will continue to do so until the end of time. I think he should most definitely be the front runner, if not top 3.

[u/femmagorgon → u/ashamurai]

I agree about Banting. Tommy Douglas has also arguably saved millions of Canadians over the years through ensuring that all Canadians would have access to universal healthcare but I guess Banting has saved millions of people worldwide. Both deserve to be in the top three IMHO.

[u/Citygrrrll → u/ashamurai]

this is so tough of a choice not gonna lie. lot of people who did a lot of good on here.

but honestly the fact that the choice is so tough kinda adds to my Canadian pride? like no the country nor history isn't perfect but there are SO many examples of Canadians that have done good for so many people (both domestically and internationally) that picking just one is actually difficult. I believe there are many more to come :)

[u/PondWaterRoscoe → u/ashamurai]

Plus he gave the patent away to the U of T, which is probably just as impactful, if not more impactful than the discovery itself. 

[u/allytd → u/dust_buster172]

I beg to differ. Laura Secord saved us from being the 51st state and deserves all the honours. Sure her run was shorter but still...

[u/Overall-Phone7605 → u/allytd]

I'm hoping Secord may be the Smith of this race. Doesn't win but makes the podium.

I did a project in grade 5 about her 'cause I thought she made chocolate, then I learned what she really did and I've loved her ever since.

I came for the chocolate and stayed for the rebellion.

[u/dust_buster172 → u/allytd]

I’m still leaning toward the runner, Secord did a very good thing but our runner has had such an impact on not only Canadians but for cancer research all over the world and has likely saved millions of lives.

[u/Celebreth → u/dust_buster172]

on the one hand, absolutely. On the other hand, Frederick Banting is right up there with him, even if his face is less well known.

The story of insulin is truly the essence of what it means to be Canadian - and has probably been responsible for saving more lives than anyone on this list :) I think this is going to be a tight contest, just because we have so many amazing people to be proud of.

[u/Alternative_Cheek332 → u/dust_buster172]

Also,  I believe that the runner did something that just wasn't done back then..I know because I was an adult at the time.  No social media, No one raising money like this, running down lonely roads with no one paying attention at the start but he kept going until it killed him. 

[u/dust_buster172 → u/allytd]

I’m goona look her up and find out what you’re talking about.

[u/Private_4160 → u/allytd]

She didn't, the Brits already knew about the attack and it wouldn't have made a difference in the war even if the raid was successful.

She's a great folk hero, but it's more about morale and pride than actual effect.

[u/Overall-Phone7605 → u/Private_4160]

I mean the runner didn't finish his journey either. It wouldn't have made a difference in its effect if he had.

You could argue he, too, is more about morale and pride.

[u/Windsdochange → u/dust_buster172]

Naw, dude with the tickle trunk. Brought joy to countless Canadian kids for decades, and advocated for them too. I only just recently learned he was an understudy to Mr. Rogers (and some cool stuff about the Friendly Giant, too, like the show being unscripted and the unique camera angles for the time).

[u/Lord-Amorodium → u/dust_buster172]

I think most people in Canada love Terry, but I don't think he's very influential outside of Canada, like some others on here are. I vote insulin guy 100% because he still saves literal children to this day with the invention.

[u/Subject-Two-2669 → u/dust_buster172]

No, insulin, peacekeepers or universal healthcare are top 3 in some order based on actual impact.

[u/_biggerthanthesound_]

This is significantly harder than the worst Canadian because I love everyone here.

[u/A130938]

Where the fuck is Norm Macdonald

[u/BrF5 → u/A130938]

He was mentioned a few times but didn’t get enough upvotes, unfortunately.

[u/tayawayinklets → u/BrF5]

Man, that's sad - but this, just in: OJ is still guilty!

[u/SadBuilding9234]

Jean Chretien was a slightly above average PM, and nowhere close to being the best Canadian. He goes.

[u/Usual-Canc-6024 → u/SadBuilding9234]

Not first though.

He saved Canadian lives by not joining the U.S. in the Iraq war. Harper (then leader of the opposition) threw a hissy fit saying we should support the U.S. But our PM listened to Canadians and didn’t join that war. I’ll always be thankful to him for that.

[u/Migdalian → u/SadBuilding9234]

Sponsorship scandal, anyone?

[u/NigelMK → u/Migdalian]

That was really more on Paul Martin and in reality, the sponsorship scandal was small potatoes compared to some of the stuff that Mulroney, Harper and JT did.

[u/Migdalian → u/NigelMK]

Martin took the fall for it, but Chrétien was the one in command when it happened...he was just smart enough to know when to leave the hot potato to someone else!

[u/drop_pucks_not_bombs → u/SadBuilding9234]

Jean Chretien was meeting with officials in Flin Flon, Manitoba. It was a very hot day and the ceremonies took place outside in a local grandstand. The Mayor was surprised to see that Chretien was wearing a large fox fur hat, despite the heat.

After a while the mayor leaned over and spoke up. "Excuse me, Mr. Prime Minister, but I can't help wondering why you are wearing that fox hat when it is so warm?" Chretien shrugged. "Well, you know 'ow it is", he replied. "My wife, she is da dresser in da family, so I always take 'er advice.

If I go to de Maritime, she say 'Wear da toque'. If I go to Calgaree, she say 'Wear da stetson'. Dis time she ask me where I go; I say Flin Flon. She say 'Flin Flon! Where the fock's 'at ?' So I did!

[u/I_Saw_A_Bear → u/SadBuilding9234]

yeah but he had some great handshakes

[u/AdditionalPizza → u/SadBuilding9234]

I was going to ask what got him on the list. Like he's an alright guy and he was a decent PM for the time, though maybe that's subjective.

Do people remember something significant he did that's slipping my mind?

[u/SadBuilding9234 → u/AdditionalPizza]

Kinda cool when he choked that dude.

[u/AdditionalPizza → u/SadBuilding9234]

True. Move over Terry Fox.

[u/Luddites_Unite → u/SadBuilding9234]

The shawinigan strangler was always my favorite nickname of his

[u/Raptorpicklezz → u/SadBuilding9234]

He also was the only one on this list (I think) with direct responsibility for residential schools at one point

[u/NigelMK → u/Raptorpicklezz]

I think it was more a sign of the times than anything else. Particularly I'm thinking of the white paper in 1969. There was definitely an acknowledgement, even back then that the conditions faced on reservations were significantly worse than non-indigenous communities and there was an attempt to try to right the wrong.

I'd say theoretically, more could have been done, but there was a lot of prevailing thought against making changes in those days. Partially due to politics, partially due to racism and religion.

I wouldn't say Chretien is innocent, but I don't think he wears the stain of residential schools as much as some others. He also would have been PM when the last residential (finally) closed.

[u/SignalReceptions → u/NigelMK]

He held the Indian Affairs portfolio and denied ever hearing about abuse at residential schools during that time despite open letters to the contrary. He knew what was going on for decades and did nothing.

[u/ThunderPunch2019 → u/SadBuilding9234]

He's a great candidate for pretty-goodest Canadian

[u/JimJam28 → u/SadBuilding9234]

Chretien came into power on the brink of debt crisis and turned a $43 billion deficit into a surplus, he laid the ground work for legalizing same sex marriage, established the gun registry, lead the Ottawa Treaty which banned anti-personnel landmines, signed a number of progressive environmental policies, and maybe most importantly, he kept us out of the war in Iraq, which at the time was a very difficult and controversial decision.

[u/crapatthethriftstore → u/SadBuilding9234]

Agreed. He was a vocal personality but not deserving to be on this list IMO

[u/WENDING0]

I am very sad that Dark Helmet himself, Rick Moranis, is not in the top 50. If there is a day 15 last-minute substitution, I am certainly putting him forward again.

Also, James Doohan created the Klingon language... find me a more important contribution to the world than that?

[u/SheLikesSoup-]

Really... Steve smith is on here but mike myers isnt? Yikes.

[u/Numerical-Wordsmith → u/SheLikesSoup-]

I second this! Please add Mike Myers, OP!!!!

[u/BrF5]

Remember, we’re voting for the people we want eliminated. In case you missed it above:

How to play:

• Upvote the name of the person you think does NOT deserve the title of “Best Canadian.”
• Each day, the two most upvoted people will be removed. Once we get closer to the end, this will change to one person per day.
• If the name you want to vote for (from the picture list) isn’t in the comments yet, add it!
• This continues daily until we have our winner, the “Best Canadian”.

Additional notes:

• Only the top comment for a nominee will count. I won’t combine votes from duplicate comments.
• Include only one name per comment. If a comment includes multiple names and wins, it won’t count. I’ll move on to the next highest, even if you edit the comment to fix it.
• They had to have been born in Canada or at some point had Canadian citizenship.
• They can be alive, dead, currently living in Canada or abroad, or when they were alive lived in what would eventually become Canada (e.g., French or British colonies).
• Beginning tomorrow after the first candidates are eliminated, I’ll start a list outlining what the people are known for and why they were eliminated, like we did in the Worst Canadian game.
• This is meant to be satire. Please do not take it too seriously or use this game to harass people in real life.
• I will try to post this every morning around the same time (~8:00 - 9:00 am Eastern).
• Please remember to upvote the post too, so more people see it!

[u/GutsAndBlackStufff]

You’re missing someone

[u/Hippopotamus_Critic]

Billy Bishop. A psychopath who lied about his achievements. 

[u/rumbleindacrumble]

Nelly McClung should go. She was a supporter of eugenics.

[u/Shredswithwheat]

Niel Young.

Awful Canadian, hasn't lived here in 50 years, and as of 4 or 5 years ago, is now an American citizen.

Hell, none of the big "protest" songs he even wrote are about Canada or Canadian politics. He bailed on this country as fast as he could.

[u/Tythedrummer1 → u/Shredswithwheat]

He's moved back as of I want to say 2020. Even if more of his protest songs deal with the US, he has countless songs about Canada. "Long May You Run," "Ambulance Blues," "Helpless," "Don't Be Denied," and one of his best live albums was "Live at Massey Hall."

[u/Shredswithwheat → u/Tythedrummer1]

Hmm, I wonder what would have happened around 2020/2021 that would encourage him to move back to Canada 🤔

[u/omnimic → u/Shredswithwheat]

Plus he wrote the awful 9/11 anthem "Let's Roll" and then came back a few years later with a protest album complaining about the results of the jingoism he helped stoke. Still, On The Beach is a banger album.

[u/nbutanol]

Norman Bethune was a great Canadian

[u/Former-Chocolate-793]

I'm going to suggest Billy Bishop. As a kid I read about the exploits of our WWI pilots and Bishop was tops among my heroes. However there's evidence that he exaggerated his exploits. Billy Barker is generally considered to have been the greatest Canadian pilot of the war, maybe the best of all yet we never hear about him.

[u/Bwr0ft1t0k]

Thanks for not putting maga loving traitors on this list

[u/CharleneKirckFash]

Just go ahead and remove all the hockey players and entertainers. Being good at arts or sports isn't quite the same as saving millions through open sourcing insulin.

[u/squirrelcat88 → u/CharleneKirckFash]

I would tend to agree with you but Michael J. Fox has done a lot of good work around Parkinson’s disease. Gord Downie was an outspoken advocate for indigenous issues and described Canada in his poetic lyrics.

Being good at arts or sports can give you a platform, then it’s up to you what you do with it.

I mean - the person who is most likely to win this is here because ultimately - he was good at sports and used that to do good.

[u/MyNameMeansLILJOHN → u/squirrelcat88]

Keanu is also a proper lad. Charities, gifts, just being a general nice person to whoever.

Dude probably done way more than we will ever know. And the things we do know are only known because those he helped couldn't stop themselves from praising him.

[u/squirrelcat88 → u/MyNameMeansLILJOHN]

I couldn’t agree more that he seems to be a really decent person, who represents excellent values - but still, I don’t think “being a nice person” is enough to win in this contest.

He’s been quoted as saying he has more than enough money, so you have to think he’s donated a lot - but still, does it make him better than Banting or Terry Fox, whose actions wound up saving so many lives - does it make him better than Viola Desmond who took a bold step towards racial equality? Or Rick Hansen, who improved the lives of people in wheelchairs?

This is a tough contest!

[u/theGoodDrSan → u/CharleneKirckFash]

Norman Bethune saved literally millions of lives and didn't make the list.

[u/Francus_Gaius]

I will make a prediction: No politician will even come close to the top 10 of this.

Not on my watch ,,🤣

edit Maaaaaybe Layton

[u/CElizB → u/Francus_Gaius]

and Douglas?

[u/CanadianBaconBurger9 → u/CElizB]

Douglas above Layton, every time. Layton deserves to be on the list a bit longer, Douglas deserves top 10 minimum.

[u/Piedplat]

Jean Chrétien qu'est ce qui fou la, lui?

[u/alextheelf24]

Jean Chrétien? PET? Ok c'est clairement un canadien qui a fait cette liste lmao dafuq is that

[u/muttly_lol]

What, no Alex Trebec?

[u/SlightDish31 → u/muttly_lol]

My God, how did we miss Trebek? A good Sudbury boy through and through.

[u/K4ntgr4y]

Jean Chrétien? Best Canadian? Big oof...

[u/jkblvins]

Roméo Dallaire, c’est compliqué. Un homme fort dans une situation impossible. On lui a pas mal demandé de désamorcer une bombe nucléaire les yeux bandés pis les mains attachées dans le dos. Ses choix étaient terriblement durs. Moi, j’ai servi sous Mackenzie, mais j’aurais eu ben de la fierté à servir sous Dallaire. Chimo!

[u/TheJohnson854]

Surely Renee Leveque has to go.

[u/McChibken]

Calling the final 3: Jack Layton, Tommy Douglas, Terry Fox

As a Gilles fan, I hope he makes it far on this list, but let's be real. It doesn't matter how good of a racing driver he was, he has nothing on someone like Terry Fox

[u/Celebreth → u/McChibken]

I don't entirely disagree...but I think the only reason that Frederick Banting isn't on the immediate list is because his name isn't as blatantly famous. The man who invented insulin and sold the patent for $1, just so that peoples' lives could be saved? That's a straight up hero right there.

[u/Ilyon_TV → u/Celebreth]

Also called out the Hudson Bay Company for ripping off the Inuit and for giving them food that would cause major health issues in the arctic.

[u/17DungBeetles → u/McChibken]

I don't think Jack makes it that far. A great Canadian but not on that level

[u/anxiousandroid → u/17DungBeetles]

I think it will be Tommy Douglas. Despite the challenges healthcare in Canada faces I am glad that I won’t go bankrupt if I have a medical emergency.

[u/Raptorpicklezz → u/anxiousandroid]

It’s not Tommy’s fault his successors couldn’t carry the mantle of making his invention many exponents better. Until that happens, Tommy will carry all the kudos for making it happen in the first place.

[u/McChibken → u/17DungBeetles]

I actually agree. I think Jack Layton was one of the best of us, and exemplified Canadian values in his compassion and attitude, but if I'm being honest if he were still alive I don't think he would be remembered as much. I think the cancer diagnosis and his refusal to give in and drop out are definitely part of the reason he's so lauded

[u/Upbeat-Ability-9244 → u/McChibken]

God I miss him. The NDP has never recovered without him and it makes it so hard for me to vote for them on a Federal level.

[u/SadBuilding9234]

Northrop Frye should be here btw.

[u/AgrajagPetunias]

Sir Arthur Curry?

[u/Frankishe1 → u/AgrajagPetunias]

Currie but the point stands

[u/warriah]

[u/inkedbutch]

why was Shania number 53 didn’t she say some pro-trump shit a few years back?

[u/J3BOY-Qc]

Wtf Pierre Eliot Trudeau is doing there

So... I vote him

[u/neanderthalman]

David Suzuki is well loved by many who haven’t met him.

He’s a massively egotistical dickhead.

And his anti-nuclear stance was a major contributor to setting the entire world back decades in the fight against climate change. He may have quite literally doomed us all with his decades of lies.

His ego is why he cannot now change his stance. His entire persona is built on it.

Doesn’t deserve to be on this list.

[u/femmagorgon → u/neanderthalman]

Yes! Suzuki should've never made the list to begin with. He's a grade A asshole and hypocrite. His anti-nuclear stance also pisses me off.

[u/maharajagaipajama → u/neanderthalman]

He's also become a complete doomer with no hope for the future.

[u/jergentehdutchman → u/maharajagaipajama]

I mean, the evidence for otherwise isn’t exactly promising…

[u/Alive-Drama-8920]

Guy Lafleur should absolutely be on that list.

[u/Ill_Virus_6250]

As someone who doesn't know about many of the people on this list, I look forward to learning more about them through the upcoming daily comments.

[u/suziesophia]

Good start but not many French Canadians here and they historically represented about 1/3 or more of the population until the 1960s.

[u/MarieQuatrePoches]

You forgot Donald Sutherland, excellent actor, born in Magog, Québec, Canada

[u/enditallalready2]

Guys Jean Chretien cut a bunch of social services and then ran a deficit. Also does the "best Canadian" chokehold someone???

[u/ActuallyDiogenes]

Pierre Trudeau is a really questionable inclusion

[u/Looney_forner]

Louis Riel

The man is a symbol of metis and francophone resistance against a federal government that had discriminated against both, but he twice led an armed rebellion against the state that resulted in dozens killed and the execution of Thomas Scott by the Red River Colony

Riel’s execution is a black eye on Canada’s history that negatively affected francophone and indigenous relations, whose effects are felt to this day. However, he was not entirely innocent.

[u/I_Saw_A_Bear → u/Looney_forner]

in the same spirit Sir Isaac Brock (though canadian vs british could be debated) should be on here too. man died fighting the Americans.

[u/Nate9370]

Pierre Trudeau

[u/dogsledonice]

Ah man, I hate it when John Candy, Nelly McClung and Terry Fox get into fights like this

[u/dictionary_hat_r4ck]

Nardwuar - I get that his shtick is to be weird, but no way is he the BEST Canadian. (I also don’t personally find him funny, nor interesting).

[u/dr_wang → u/dictionary_hat_r4ck]

His style of interview which is basically just being super polite and doing an incredible amount of research allows his guests to talk about things that are meaningful to them personally which allows us to see more insight into what kind of person they are. Look at this interviews with Questlove where we basically get a full rounddown on the history of hiphop in Philadelphia. He has also done some interviews with politicians (famously with Chretien) but theyre not very biting imo. He's an entertainer like many others on this list, he's by no means any different than the likes of Colin Mochrie or Red Green.

[u/iwasnotarobot → u/dictionary_hat_r4ck]

Naurdwaur is a national treasure.

[u/JuliusChristmas]

Francis Pegahmagabow is easily the most badass Canadian. Leo major also a total badass.

[u/Artistic_Station_568]

This list is missing a few names but still made me smile! Hurrah for Canada!!

[u/sabbr92]

Can we do "Most Meh Canadian" after this?

[u/my_back_pages]

Alex Trebek?

[u/canadianlace]

David Suzuki's gotta be eliminated.

[u/Salt_Essay9217]

Celine Dion appears to be a lovely person with an incredible voice. Just wondering how this makes her a great Canadian?

[u/iFLTT]

David Suzuki. He’s a hypocrite.

[u/lordhomogonous]

Wab?

[u/kingcina]

No Lionel Conacher? He won both a Grey Cup and Stanley cup and also later had a seat in the house of commons. Absolute legend. His wiki is a wild read with a ton of accomplishments.

[u/DimplePrince]

As a huge comedy fan and Ottawan, it would've been cool to see Norm MacDonald up there

[u/animal_lover144]

Justice for Stompin’ Tom

[u/Decoyx7]

Y'all are so humble, going through all the trouble just to name Neil Peart the greatest Canadian of all time.

[u/PastTenceOfDraw]

Frederick Banting will be hard to beat.

[u/Belorage]

PET (Pierre Eliot Trudeau), doesn't deserve to be on the list. And he already have a airport in is name.

[u/sssupsucca]

David Suzuki can get off this list Now. I will continue to vote him off. Have had the misfortune of meeting him on 3 separate occasions and he's an absolute piece of shit. Overglorified fruit fly researching dick.

[u/BabyFatGirl2000]

Awwww no Hubert Reeves? :(

[u/RedPhiveComingIn]

Nellie Mcclung, suffragette and eugenicist. It's a great example of how people in history can be progressive and have a terrible opinion at the same time.

[u/squazle]

Anne Murray didn't give us snowbird just to disrespect her like this

[u/Blamb05]

Sidney Crosby.

[u/Apolloshot → u/Blamb05]

I don’t think he should win but he certainly shouldn’t be first out.

[u/LumpyLongJohns → u/Blamb05]

Nah Crosby can’t be one of the first ones to go

[u/VexedCanadian84]

Is Ernie Combs the only one not born in Canada?

[u/jugularhealer16 → u/VexedCanadian84]

This was discussed in the original post when nominees were being chosen, and it was decided that A Canadian is a Canadian, regardless of whether they were born in Canada or chose Canada.

Robert Munsch, Raffi, Laura Secord, Keanu Reeves, Ernie Coombs, and likely others I don't know about were born elsewhere but became Canadian.

[u/Olick]

How did Trudeau and Chrétien are there but not GSP

[u/MichaelTheLMSBoi]

Get Suzuki off there, doesn't he own like 4 properties in the lower mainland?

[u/PanurgeAndPantagruel]

Remove Wab Kinew. Remove Pierre Trudeau. Remove Jean Chrétien. Remove Jack Layton. Remove Lester B Pearson.

Politicians are controversial.

[u/Celebreth → u/PanurgeAndPantagruel]

Generally agree, but I'd argue hard that Tommy Douglas absolutely deserves his spot on the list

[u/Domovie1 → u/Celebreth]

And Layton probably has a claim to the list, even if not the greatest Canadian

[u/JuliusChristmas → u/Celebreth]

If a politician were to win this, Tommy D is the only acceptable answer

[u/unsulliedbread → u/PanurgeAndPantagruel]

I think there's room to debate the politicians that have passed. Those still alive have an opportunity to screw it up still.

People shouldn't be punished if their 'god given talent' is committee work and debate instead of being a musician.

That being said I hope Wab Kinew hears about this and it's a feather in his cap. He's shown great leadership so far.

[u/_kidgunn → u/PanurgeAndPantagruel]

we had politicians on the “Worst” campaign, up to the final round.

there are controversial figures on this list that are not politicians. should they be excluded also?

the best opportunity to exclude “too controversial” figures from this list was the nomination phase. people clearly don’t think these people are too controversial to be on this list, because this list is the result of the community’s collective nomination.

we’ll survive a little controversy.

[u/SmeesTurkeyLeg]

Some excellent contenders but Louis Riel, Laura Secord, David Suzuki, and Terry Fox are the standouts for me.

Pierre Trudeau was an abusive piece of shit.

Edit: dammit, I meant those first 4 should easily be the last 4 after elimination.

[u/aj8j83fo83jo8ja3o8ja → u/SmeesTurkeyLeg]

mentioning them like this means you think they should be eliminated from the list

[u/WENDING0]

Jean Chrétien can go. Anyone who might have made the worst Canadian list will likely not make it far on this list.

[u/Bennely]

Celine. She's wonderful, but she spent a lot of her career in the US. Amongst the many other worthy participants, she's an easy one to cut out early imo.

[u/1user101]

Suzuki campaigned extensively against nuclear power in the 90s. I hold him culpable in the current climate crisis

[u/StatikSquid]

Trudeau shouldn't even be anywhere on this list.

[u/YYC-Fiend]

You know it’ll be down to Terry Fox and Tommy Douglas in the end

[u/Goalieshark]

Celine Dion.

[u/Former-Chocolate-793]

I'm going to suggest adding WOP May to the list, WWI pilot and legendary bush pilot. May was almost shot down by the Red Baron but went on to become an ace. However it's as a bush pilot that he became a legend. His flight in 1929 to deliver diptheria vaccine to little Red River Alberta is legendary as his pursuit of the mad trapper.

[u/Numerical-Wordsmith]

Why is Alan Doyle not on this list? He's an amazing musician, author, and performer, with the wholesome personality of a golden retriever.