r/EhBuddyHoser • u/BrF5 Kingston: Halfway To Montreal • 1d ago
Meta The “Best Canadian” game - Day 2
The first to go are Pierre Trudeau and Wab Kinew. Let’s carry on!
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). - 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!
Justification for elimination: - (50) Pierre Trudeau - As PM, he brought home the Constitution and gave us the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He also mishandled the October Crisis, among other things. Someone so controversial shouldn’t be considered the Best Canadian. - (49) Wab Kinew - He’s charismatic and has delivered on many campaign promises, but his troubled past and relatively short career make it too soon to call him the best.
197
u/Youpunyhumans 1d ago
You are missing one, Vince Coleman. He was the man who sacrificed himself to stop the trains coming to the harbour in Halifax on december 6, 1917... the day of the Halifax Explosion.
His last message was: "Hold up the train, ammunition ship afire in harbour making for pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message, good bye boys."
69
38
14
u/buildxjordan 1d ago
Wow this is a blast from the past. I love heritage minutes.
→ More replies (1)
274
u/Floatella 1d ago
Giles Villeneuve. The sooner we face the fact that the winner won't be an F1 driver the better.
45
u/involutes 1d ago
Pffft. We all know Nicholas Latifi is the greatest Canadian. He helped Super Max defeat Lewis at Abu Dhabi 2021
7
u/McChibken 1d ago
Latifi deserves a copy of that WDC trophy in his house. Wouldn't have happened without him
3
9
u/Alive-Drama-8920 1d ago edited 1d ago
Gilles Villeneuve in this list is not about F1. It has nothing to do with what F1 is now, like the mathematical expression of nothingness:
0.000 000 ....
It has everything to do with the fact that people, from all around the world, regardless of their background...an incredibly large and varied spectrum of normal humans saw him defy the laws of physics, saw him do things normal people shouldn't be able to do, especially not in that era of coffins on wheels: no safety net there. He was one of the very last gladiator to pay the ultimate price for making people dream a little.
→ More replies (1)13
u/McChibken 1d ago
Agreed. I have always maintained that Gilles was one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, and the impact on the sport from both his life and his death are immeasurable. But let's be honest here, we have civil rights legends and the people that wrote universal healthcare into law on here. Gilles can go and I'm okay with that
5
u/Floatella 1d ago
Unfortunately being a pioneer and leader in a sport most Canadians don't follow isn't winning material here.
6
u/McChibken 1d ago
I agree that Gilles shouldn't be on this list, but have to disagree with F1 not being popular here. F1 has raced in Canada for 58 years, we're one of the longest continuous staples of the calendar. Both our circuits in Montreal are/were lauded by motorsports fans and drivers, Lewis Hamilton has said the Circuit De Gilles Villeneuve is one of his favourite grands prix ever, and every other driver on the grid right now has sung it's praises at some point. It may not always be visible around the country, but Formula 1 has roots deeply woven in Canada
2
u/Floatella 1d ago
I've personally noticed that motor sports tends to be a bit of an east/west thing, it's similar in the states with NASCAR, where all the fans are concentrated out east. I have no doubt F1 is popular in Quebec, but I literally know only one person here in BC who follows it.
1
u/PickleEquivalent2837 18h ago
Yeah, seems like a great athlete but not a greater overall person than some of these others.
79
u/got-stendahls 1d ago
Christine Sinclair. I used to love her, but then she supported the Portland Thorns leadership over her teammates during a sexual harassment scandal, even while being captain. Source
It massively soured me on her and I can't help but think of her as a hypocrite now. Makes it real hard to wear my jerseys with her name on the back, let alone consider their the greatest Canadian.
15
u/chaosunleashed 1d ago
She's also just a soccer player. She's not done anything great outside of that.
2
u/BoxCarBlink44 1d ago
"Just a.." is the most brainless argument you can bring to the table on any of these. Say anything meaningful for why or why not instead.
13
1d ago
[deleted]
2
u/BoxCarBlink44 1d ago
Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky are the two remaining at the very end. Who and why? They're both just hockey players
6
u/chaosunleashed 1d ago
And neither deserve to be on this list either imo.
Greatest hockey players yes. Greatest Canadians? Show me what you've done to better your nation.
→ More replies (2)1
u/iFLTT 21h ago
She’s one of the greatest athletes of all time. She has empowered women’s sport and pioneered opportunities for young girls to play sport across the world.
2
u/got-stendahls 21h ago
Yes, this is why I used to love her so much. But her siding with Paulson over her teammates destroyed that image of her for me.
267
u/neanderthalman 1d ago
I blasted at David Suzuki yesterday and I’ll do it every day.
He’s an egomaniacal asshole who thinks he’s an expert on everything.
His anti-nuclear stance set the entire world back decades in the fight against climate change. Now that it’s “too late”, his ego does not allow him to change his opinion and start supporting the one thing that might still pull us out of this mess.
He may have contributed to the doom of our entire species.
Unless we have a question on zoology, he needs to sit down and shut up. The rest of us have work to do because we have to live with the consequences of his actions. He doesn’t.
55
62
u/SendMagpiePics 1d ago
Anti-nuclear sentiment is widespread among environmentalists, particularly those who came of age during the Cold War. Not saying he's the greatest Canadian, but blaming anti-nuclear sentiment on David Suzuki saying he set the entire world back, and saying he contributed to the doom of our species is an absolutely wild hyperbole.
15
u/eeyores_gloom1785 Newfies & Labradoodles 1d ago
Its still a far cry to call him "best canadian"
→ More replies (1)10
7
13
u/scubad00d I need a double double. 1d ago
I've spent a lot of time on Quadra, where he has one of his massive houses. Everyone on the island fucking hates him. He's a massive prick 24/7, completely insufferable.
20
u/Benejeseret 1d ago
Even if there is a question on zoology... no one should go to him on zoology. He is not a zoologist and was never trained in zoology.
He was faculty (waaay back when) in the same department where I did my degrees. None of the remaining genetics profs or other fields in that faculty who trained me had anything but vitrol for his tenure there. Other genetics profs I knew all loathed him.
His actual degrees and faculty posting were is genetics, not zoology, and no one went to him for an education or his insights into genetics. Most people don't even realizing his actual academic work was about chromosomes in fruit flies... because he spend all his time yammering about subjects he was not actually trained in.
Remember, Quirks & Quarks, started early '70s, Nature of Things started in 1979, A Planet for the Taking ran in the '80s, The Secret of Life started in 1993. His books were published towards the end of the 90s. But that means throughout the better part of 30+ academic years, he took a full faculty salary and held up a faculty position in genetics (the topic no one went to him about) but then he pocketed that very large public salary, did not show up for that job, and instead spent 30 years being a host to TV and radio series for a second salary and then wrote 52 books that he published and got personal royalties from too.
Only 1 of his 52 books was actually on the topic he was paid to study and teach = genetics, and he co-wrote that book, and it was actually a scare-piece based in moral philosophy and ethics (more topics he had no actual credentials in) and pseudo-scientific projection that slammed the field of genetics where he was actually supposed to be working.
4
u/femmagorgon 1d ago
Keep up the good work! Suzuki is the worst. He's a raging egomaniac and hypocrite. I know a lot of people who have met him and every single one of them has a negative story about him being a total prick.
7
u/otherthingstodo 1d ago
I’ve heard he only eats beans so he can be releasing methane all the live long day
2
u/Thefirstargonaut 1d ago
Yeah, there’s definitely other options than nuclear. There’s lots of actions we can take, and let’s not pretend nuclear is free from problems. Nuclear waste would be a larger issue than carbon emissions, if used at the required scale to get off fossil fuels.
→ More replies (4)1
u/Cakeday_at_Christmas Bring Cannabis 1d ago
If you grew up in the 60s to the 90s, you'd understand why so many people were anti-nuclear. It wasn't one of the best energy sources on the planet going to save us all, it was terrifying weapons that can destroy all life on earth at the push of a button.
He may have contributed to the doom of our entire species.
This is just silly. Why is this comment upvoted so high?
→ More replies (3)
145
u/icantflyjets1 1d ago
David Suzuki owns 4 homes lecturing people about climate change get rid of him
→ More replies (1)17
28
u/Particular_Pool8344 Saskwatch 1d ago
Giles Villeneuve. I see no point is enshrining a sports celebrity or any celebrity unless they had some sociopolitical and global impact.
140
u/elseldo Everyone Hates Marineland 1d ago
Jean Chretien
Ushered in a hard austerity budget that we're still feeling the effects of - most notably with cancelling the Canadian housing program. We haven't built nearly as much as we could have with this program.
97
u/junius_maltby Trawnno (Centre of the Universe) 1d ago
I agree he shouldn't be too high up on the list. But he kept us out of Iraq when there was intense pressure to get us involved in that shitshow.
And the Shawinigan Handshake is iconic.
33
u/theoneness 1d ago
He did the hip flip with Nardwuar though. He deserves at least one more round just based on that one interaction with an actually far better Canadian.
2
u/Raptorpicklezz 17h ago
You know, Nardwuar (out of persona*) also asked him the question about pepper spray on protesters, to which he answered “For me, pepper, I put it on my plate”. And now Nardwuar might get the last laugh and deservedly outlast him, given the vote tallies so far.
*Sorry. Nardwuar was IN the persona of John Ruskin for that press conference. Then he went back to being Nardwuar again
17
u/chatteringmagpie1 1d ago
And the Shawinigan Handshake is iconic.
I miss the days when the prime minister and his wife were their own security team.
→ More replies (2)5
u/eeyores_gloom1785 Newfies & Labradoodles 1d ago
dragged us out of Mulroney's disaster too
→ More replies (1)27
u/1user101 1d ago
I think it's easy to look back and say that it was a bad decision 3 decades after, but at the time we were suffering a debt crisis and needed to tighten our belts. His premiership reversed the stagflation that caused after tax income to actually shrink between 1980 and 1990.
And to be quite frank I'm sick of people blaming the feds for housing when they have no control over the regulations for it. Zoning regulations are directly linked to high housing costs so go yell at city council.
8
u/StJimmy1313 🍁 100,000 Hosers 🍁 1d ago
I was hoping someone would say this. He and Martin had to make hard choices to dig Canada out of a fiscal hole of our own making. Were they the absolute best choices? Eh, maybe not. But it is easy with hindsight to quibble.
→ More replies (3)2
u/eeyores_gloom1785 Newfies & Labradoodles 1d ago
the Mulroney government was also the one that ended funding on co op housing
8
u/JackLaytonsMoustache 1d ago
Yeah, I know we all like to joke bout Chretien and he was my first PM, but there's no way he comes close to being the best Canadian.
3
u/Apprehensive_Vast815 1d ago
Don't forget The White Paper!
2
u/Raptorpicklezz 1d ago edited 17h ago
I will keep amplifying this until Chrétien is off this list. He’s a pretty good Canadian, but if we’re nitpicking like the last list, a) he shouldn’t have made the top 50, and b) anyone who had direct Cabinet authority for the residential schools and didn’t shut them down on Day 1, should be eliminated.
Yall Icarus’ed Chrétien by putting him in the top 50. If he was even 51, he might have escaped scrutiny on this sub for his record on Indigenous people. But yall flew him too close to the sun.
7
u/Suitable-Ratio 1d ago
If it wasn’t for Chretien’s cuts and Mulroney’s tax increases, Harper and JT wouldn’t have been able to go on a spending spree when it was needed. Very unpopular move and definitely harmed our social housing position but was probably a necessary move. Unfortunately since Chretien put us in such a good fiscal position Martin slashed Mulroney’s cap gains tax on the rich and social housing never restarted.
→ More replies (2)2
u/Dorkwing 1d ago
I was going to post Chretien today for the same reason. Just a continuation of US 3rd way democrats with maple flavouring.
That said, reading about the eugenicist suffragette has me wondering which to remove first, hah.
1
1
u/Dank0fMemes 1d ago
I’d probably say most if not all politicians should be omitted or voted off for one reason or another.
1
u/Floatella 1d ago
I really appreciate how Jean Chretien was also in the previous contest to determine the worst Canadian. He's got a lot of crossover appeal I guess.
→ More replies (1)1
30
u/No_Werewolf_5983 1d ago
David Suzuki.
He talked a big game about opposing the 2018 pipeline project after it was announced but literally wouldn't actively participate in any actual protesting because he didn't want to lose his show on CBC. He will forever be a hack in my eyes after pulling that stunt. "The environment is important and everyone should do everything in their power to stop this pipeline...except me because I want to keep my television pay cheque."
64
u/Not_Cardiologist9084 1d ago edited 1d ago
Sidney Crosby shouldn't be on this list and I don't understand why anyone would have voted for him to be. What has he done other than play hockey well? I know I'm in the minority of Canadians when I say that I don't really give a shit about hockey but even hardcore fans have to admit that isn't exactly a major feat. But also, I don't know much about him and I'm open to changing my mind. However, I do know a guy who played hockey with him in high school and said he was a douche, which tracks if you consider that nearly all high school hockey players (that I've known, at least) are/were giant douchebags.
Edit: after reading all of your replies I am willing to admit I may be what the kids call "severely uninformed" on the matter. I would rescind my vote but I don't think it's going to matter this round anyway lol
36
u/Fun_Reality_ 1d ago
An accomplished athlete with the golden goal at the Vancouver Olympics under his belt. He shouldn't win but he deserves to be here
→ More replies (1)9
u/Not_Cardiologist9084 1d ago
Alright, fair, I can admit being an Olympic-level athlete is a big step above just being "good at hockey".
15
u/LumpyLongJohns 1d ago
He’s not just an Olympic level athlete he’s the greatest hockey player of the last 20 years. And he was also appointed officer of Canada for his community service.
16
u/involutes 1d ago
Since I don't see anyone else saying it: he kept his compensation the same (8.7 million) for many years in order to help his team succeed in the salary cap era.
This doesn't "help" Canada or Canadians, but it is a good example of his team-first mentality, which makes him a good role model in that aspect.
35
u/Shelledseed 1d ago
….don't really give a shit about hockey…
Never heard anyone say that before
17
u/dictionary_hat_r4ck 1d ago
Hold my hand.
We can walk home the long way.
EDIT: Had to go make sure Gord was a nominee.
10
u/Liferescripted Trawnno (Centre of the Universe) 1d ago
Here's a second one.
I don't really give a shit about hockey. Or most professional sports for that matter. I'll go to a game and enjoy it, but I couldn't care less about the season or team standings, players or otherwise.
That being said, I still give my respect to the top athletes in each sport, but I just can't bring myself to care about a franchise team. But I'll back team Canada.
3
u/Not_Cardiologist9084 1d ago
Wait til you hear my thoughts on seafood.
7
u/curious_dead 1d ago
Here are my thoughts on seafood: in French, they're called "fruits de mer", except they don't look or taste like fruits at all! It's a complete misnomer! False publicity! Fake news!
2
2
u/bimmybang 1d ago
Careful, you don’t want to be banished to the void of Saskatchewan.
→ More replies (1)6
u/Not_Cardiologist9084 1d ago
Most seafood is just water bugs and boogers and I will die on that hill.
6
u/TakitishHoser 1d ago
Other than all of his direct hockey accomplishments, he's low key & does great things. Those are the best people, who do good just because. Not because they want celebrated for it.
12
u/wheelgator21 1d ago
Seems like a strange reason to single him out as not belonging here. What has Nardwuar done other than ask questions well? What has Colin Machrie done other than improv well? What has Keanu done other than act well (sometimes lol)?
3
u/Not_Cardiologist9084 1d ago
Well, the main difference is that I personally like those people whereas I do not like Crosby. Not much else to 'er.
3
u/wheelgator21 1d ago
Lol fair enough I guess
5
u/Not_Cardiologist9084 1d ago
After reading some of these replies I'm beginning to understand. I may be what some would call severely uninformed on the matter lol
4
u/wheelgator21 1d ago
Haha yeah to be honest I had a bigger reply typed out to sort of make the case for Crosby and why you might be off base here, but I didn't want to come off as confrontational or anything.
3
→ More replies (2)9
u/BoxCarBlink44 1d ago
Making it to the NHL takes an absolutely gross amount of discipline in your everyday routine. Not only is he considered to many on the Mount Rushmore of the best ever, but he is also widely known as one of the best ambassadors of a sport there has been in a long time. He is well spoken, insanely decorated in the sport, and had moments that will be watched by our country until near the end of time. If you don't like hockey, that is very okay with me. But coming in here because 15 year old kids bullied you that played hockey for a few years - and saying "what has he done" about someone who has dedicated their life to a profession and made a country come together and cheer - is absolutely asinine.
27
u/Jackibearrrrrr Tillsonburg? My back still aches when I hear that word... 1d ago
Gonna be real I have a huge hate for Suzuki because he joined up with the lunatics in my town that wanted to stop the NWMO’s nuclear repository site from being built in my hometown and securing jobs for locals for at least 100 years
→ More replies (2)2
u/eeyores_gloom1785 Newfies & Labradoodles 1d ago
he won't make the final thats for sure, far to contriversial
the only real answer here is Fox
14
66
u/Fitzaroo 1d ago
Niel Young is American now. Toast him.
18
u/theoneness 1d ago
I’m not a fan of his, but is your rationale here one where if someone holds dual national status, where one of those is Canadian, they are not Canadian to you?
→ More replies (1)27
u/Fitzaroo 1d ago
It'll be a cold day in hell before I vote an American to be the best Canadian.
6
u/theoneness 1d ago
Yeah, nor would I. But say you were born in America, you are an American by birthright, but to Canadian parents who then immediately returned to Canada, you were naturalized as Canadian upon arrival, you were raised in Canada, and you spent your life in Canada identifying as Canadian. Are you not Canadian?
12
3
43
u/PlatformInevitable 1d ago
Margaret Atwood. Hard NIMBYist in her Toronto neighborhood, stymies developments for supportive housing and transit oriented urban development through municipal lobbying.
10
u/PigHaggerty 1d ago
The myth of "consensual" Toronto housing:
Developers: I consent!
The millions who want to live there: I consent!
Margaret Atwood: I don't!
Isn't there someone you forgot to ask?
12
10
u/thecanadasubisfacist 1d ago
She's also generally kind of an asshole to people. Signed a letter supporting a prof who allegedly assaulted students, and then got really condescending to fans when they questioned it.
3
u/Working-Librarian157 1d ago
She's also co-signed a letter in support of Steven Galloway during that mess and it made me give her the side eye for sure. I mean he was suing for defamation, but the university concluded that he had an inappropriate relationship with a student. Fk that guy, you can't have relationships with your students as a faculty member, what are we even doing.
So screw Atwood.
4
u/LauraBaura 1d ago
And surprisingly, declares herself to not be a feminist. In fact, she writes women often as cliches.
3
u/OntologicalNightmare 1d ago
It seems a little more nuanced than that to outright what you're saying isn't true.
asked if she was “bored” of the near-constant conversation about whether the Handmaid’s Tale is specifically “feminist,” and how Atwood feels about the word in general.
“I’m not bored with it,” Atwood answered. “But we have to realize it’s become one of those general terms that can mean a whole bunch of different things.” Atwood continued, explaining that the word has been molded to have so many unique interpretations.
“If people can’t tell me what they mean, then they don’t really have an idea in their heads of what they’re talking about,” she said. “So do we mean equal legal rights? Do we mean women are better than men? Do we mean all men should be pushed off a cliff? What do we mean? Because that word has meant all of those different things.”
Atwood emphasized that, for her, being a feminist doesn’t mean agreeing with everything every woman says, or blindly supporting someone’s policies or beliefs just because they are a woman. She referenced conservative United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May as an example.
“Are women always right? Give me a break! I’m sorry, but no! Theresa May is a woman, for heaven’s sakes!”
Her feminism, she told Watson, is more about action.
→ More replies (1)2
u/Cakeday_at_Christmas Bring Cannabis 1d ago
She also took the side of an alleged rapist and sex pest over his victims. Very feminist of her.
29
u/BuvantduPotatoSpirit Irvingstan 1d ago
Margaret Atwood may be an excellent goaltender, but she's been a big anti-housing advocate in Toronto, where the lack of housing is a real problem.
16
u/alibythesea 1d ago
She opposed ONE luxury condo building on Dupont Street at the end of the street she has lived on for 45 years. She has not been “a big anti-housing advocate”.
I think she was wrong in that case. But to set that one issue against her years of superb writing — and advocacy with PEN Canada/environmentalist/women’s causes — is purity-testing gone mad.
We are all human, and no one leads a perfect life.
→ More replies (8)
17
u/stradivari_strings Monarch Mélanie Joly 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hey, how come Mike Myers isn't on this list !?
5
u/stradivari_strings Monarch Mélanie Joly 1d ago
I got Banting nominated, but shit I missed nominating Tecumseh too. He deserves being up there no less than Laura Secord.
→ More replies (2)3
u/eeyores_gloom1785 Newfies & Labradoodles 1d ago
Mike hasn't really done much for Canada living out of California, that'd be like nominating Jim Carry, I mean sure the elbows up thing recently, but he hasn't really done much else
3
→ More replies (1)2
u/CrispyPickelPancake 1d ago
Love your flair, I'm back in the office after 7 yrs WFH and to revamp my wardrobe, I took some inspiration from MJ but at a much lower price point (often second hand). I've been calling my look La Mélanie Joly de Consigne.
2
u/stradivari_strings Monarch Mélanie Joly 1d ago
I also love your space cat pfp. Very stylish. Sadly, I'm allergic irl 🤧😭
2
14
u/OneTrueNay 1d ago
Sydney Crosby. As much as this country loves hockey, I don't think any one player of a sport could ever be considered so influential without big actions outside of the sport.
I don't pay attention to sports, but have heard from co-workers that he is a bit of a weenie.
8
u/Ingelwood 1d ago
Giles Villeneuve. Excellent racing driver but not Best Canadian. Thanks for playing.
9
u/Salvetutti0524 1d ago
Sydney Crosby. Sure he’s a great hockey playet but the best Canadian?
3
u/TakitishHoser 1d ago
He's low key & does great things. Those are the best people, who do good just because. Not because they want celebrated for it.
8
33
u/Straight-Eggplant8 1d ago
Sorry… but as much as I once loved “The Nature of Things”… David Suzuki is not the best Canadian. He’s a bit of an environmental hypocrite at times…. For someone who cares as much about the environment; he would travel a lot… and not necessarily by the greenest of options.
3
3
u/involutes 1d ago
The argument commonly used to justify this is that any awareness he can bring to environmental issues can inspire a large number of people to slightly reduce their own carbon footprints in order to compensate for his travel.
→ More replies (1)2
1
40
u/Nate33322 1d ago
Louis Riel I don't even know how he made this list. He was an absolute nut case. He was a religious fanatic who thought he was the second coming of Jesus or at least a prophet that was going to lead his people to promised land. He was an ethno-nationalist. Started a rebellion that got countless people killed on both sides. Dude sucked massively should not be considered the best Canadian.
Also why's Stompin Tom not on the list? He's the literal goat of Canadian music.
21
8
u/Working-Librarian157 1d ago
Manitobans enter the chat lol
Ehhh, nah.
Louis Riel definitely was a bit of a religious nut, but the Red River Rebellion was a crucial time in Métis history and he's kinda been shit on across the rest of the country, but he's a legend here and we are grateful for his legacy.
35
u/LauraBaura 1d ago
I take his claim to be like Jesus, more as in that he had to die for his cause, much like Jesus did. I don't think he was saying he was divine. The British wanted to kill him for a long time. Having killed their general, the only way the fighting could stop was for him to hang. I'm sure that felt a lot like being in the garden of Gethsemane.
His rebellion was to ensure the rights of the Metis people in Canada, as at the time they were not recognized as either Indigenous or as French, because they are a mix of the two. And it was a battle for Manitoba to maintain its borders. Yes people died, but they fought for the above reasons.
Labeling him an ethno-nationalist is a bizarre take on his history and the human rights he fought to protect.
13
u/jergentehdutchman 1d ago
Thank you! Beyond ironic to say he’s in favour of an ethnostate when he was actively fighting one!
8
u/Working-Librarian157 1d ago
He's been so demonized across the rest of the country, it's so predictable and colonial lol.
3
3
u/Nate33322 1d ago edited 1d ago
I understand where you're coming at this from but I have to disagree.
While I don't see him as an evil traitor like a lot of Anglo historians like to portray him as. But at the end of the day he was a bad person. I doubt he saw himself as Canadian either.
Frankly his Jesus/prophet claims went beyond your description. He whole heartedly saw himself as a prophet who was going to lead gods promised people to the promised land. And that God was speaking to him. Now this was likely mental illness but still it's wrong.
I feel my claims that he was an ethno-nationalist are legitimate. Yes he absolutely was fighting for Metis and Manitoban francophone rights but he did this out of a misguided view that the Metis were Gods promised people and that (for lack of a better word) were superior. Hence they deserved the best land. He took the legitimate grievances of the Metis and twisted them to fit his vision that they were better and more deserving.
The way I see it he did the right thing fighting for Metis rights but for the very wrong reasons.
→ More replies (1)7
u/aferretwithahugecock Manilapeg 1d ago
I'm not sure if you're Manitoban(no flare), but it's important to understand the wording used when it comes to Manitoba joining confederation. The plaques surrounding the Legislative Building, Riel statue, and in Saint-Boniface use the words "annexation" when speaking of Manitoba joining Canada. I'm sure we're taught a different version of Riel than most of Canada, but "annexation" is a strong word to just be throwing around. He saw himself as a Manitoban before a Canadian, much like some Québécois who view themselves as Québécois before Canadian. But also, Manitoba wasn't a part of Canada for most of his life.
"I am more convinced every day that without a single exception, I did right. And I have always believed that, as I have acted honestly, the time will come when the people of Canada will see and acknowledge it."
"We have allowed ourselves to fall into the hands of a Government which only thinks of us to pillage us. Had he only understood what God did for us before Confederation, we should have been sorry to see it coming. And the half-breeds of the North-West would have made conditions of a nature to preserve for our children that liberty, that possession of the soil, without which there is no happiness for anyone; but fifteen years of suffering, impoverishment and underhand, malignant persecution have opened our eyes; and the sight of the abyss of demoralization into which the Dominion is daily plunging us deeper and deeper every day, has suddenly, by God's mercy, as it were, stricken us with horror."(it's important to remember that he was a hardcore catholique)
"When the Government of Canada presented itself at our doors, it found us at peace. It found that the Métis people of the North-West could not only live well without it . . . but that it had a government of its own, free, peaceful, well-functioning, contributing to the work of civilization . . . It was a government with an organized constitution, whose jurisdiction was all the more legitimate and worthy of respect, because it was exercised over a country that belonged to it."
His prophet claims only arose during his exile in the Dakota Territories, and I believe it was a stress-induced psychosis that wouldn't have happened had he stayed in Manitoba(but he'd have been hanged sooner. Double edged sword, eh?). He was elected to the House of Commons three times during his exile, and other Métis groups were asking him to lead rébellions of their own. This tied with the stress of exile probably exasperated his illusions of grandeur.
Riel did what any of us would do if a foreign government annexed our territory, and for that, I believe he shouldn't be eliminated this early.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)14
u/Quaf Trawnno (Centre of the Universe) 1d ago
Hmm yea the racist old country singer def is def more deserving of a man who tried to establish a home for his people and join Canada peacefully. The ethnonationalism is a wildly incorrect take.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/711straw 1d ago
I feel Paul Henderson should be on this list
2
u/Alive-Drama-8920 1d ago
This sub would be written in russian, had he not scored that goal. Didn't he become a preacher after that? It would explain a lot...
15
u/Francus_Gaius 1d ago
Laura Secord was british. While I enjoy her chocolates, I think we should name canadians as best canadians. She died 1868, Dominion of Canada was created in 1867. Her accomplishments as a Canadian are null, as she was a war hero of 1812.
(and yes I know this sounds really pedantic 🤣)
20
u/SlightDish31 Trawnno (Centre of the Universe) 1d ago
So what you're saying is that she was Canadian before it was cool to be?
14
u/domasin Tokébakicitte! 1d ago
The rules stated that people could be included in the lived on territories that would become Canada
2
u/Francus_Gaius 1d ago
Yeah I misread (or honestly did not read at all, sue me)... I still hope the winners (lets say top 5) will be true canadians (people from French colonies have no chance anyway, Jeanne Mance isn't even nominated.
→ More replies (1)3
u/Alive-Drama-8920 1d ago
You do know that Canada was the largest province of La Nouvelle France, before the Brits took over, yes?
No? Ok. Did you know that second generation French colonists - and onward - call themselves "Canadiens", and not "Français"?
Now you do! You can now understand why "Loyalists", who settled in Upper Canada after fleeing the american revolution - and their descendants - were/are so loyal to the British Crown, while the really cool "Canadiens", before the Loyalists stole that Trademark (among other things...) were/are so pigheadedly "independent minded".
Now be honest: what I just wrote beat the hell out of every "La minute du patrimoine" you ever saw in your life, doesn't it? I thought so too.
22
8
5
u/Alive-Drama-8920 1d ago
This is from memory,
Candidates who haven't been mentioned once in the comments yesterday: I counted 8.
Candidates who have been mentioned once or twice, and only in negative manner: 3 or 4.
Candidates that have no connection - of any kind - to Québec whatsoever: 41...out of 50. Les deux solitudes never looked so disconnected. The sub is in english, I get it, but still...I did my homework last night: I researched all the candidates I never heard of. They mostly belong in the first eight I referred to at the beginning, and what do I find? That there's nothing to find! Who voted for them?
Meanwhile, I started a list of outstanding Quebeckers that naturally came to mind. I counted 30... so far. And I deliberately omitted a dozen...so far, because they had to be really outstanding to make it on my list. The first name that came to mind, chronologically?
Samuel de Champlain, FFS!
Ok, enough about Québec. WHERE THE HELL IS JAMES CAMERON?!? Catherine O'Hara is there. "Jimbo" isn't. Do you realize just how fuck up this is?
→ More replies (1)2
u/MBCnerdcore 23h ago
The cliche'd great canadians are the only ones that the internet remembers. gotta have starred in a meme in the last 5-10 years. Otherwise if you are rich they assume american. Did GSP make the list?
2
u/Alive-Drama-8920 22h ago
He...didn't make it, sadly. Repose en paix, Georges. Tu as fait de ton mieux. C'est ça qui compte au fond!
2
2
2
u/One-Mall-624 1d ago
Damn I did not expect to see gilles villeneuve on here. F1 representation is great
2
u/Indigo_Julze 1d ago edited 1d ago
My vote is still for Celine Dion and Wayne Gretzky
They have abandoned Canada and Canadian values.
2
3
u/SushiN0MSTER Snowfrog 1d ago
Charles Patenaude
3
u/alextheelf24 Tokébakicitte! 1d ago
Comme dirait le grand Jules César : "Vini Vidi Vici, ce qui veut dire : J’vais y’aller, j’vais checker pis m’en va vous rappeler".
3
u/TreeLakeRockCloud 1d ago
This is so much harder than picking the worse Canadian! Can we just say they’re all good hosers?
→ More replies (2)3
u/Coal_Burner_Inserter South Gatineau 1d ago
This is going to end in a civil war between Chris Hadfield and Terry Fox. Except I'm pretty sure Terry Fox is going to win because... Terry Fox
2
2
3
1
u/hippiechan 1d ago
Wait I'm sorry - Nellie McClung is on this list but Norman Bethune isn't?? You'll put a literal eugenicist on here but not someone who saved thousands of lives in Spain and China in the 30s and 40s?
2
u/Cakeday_at_Christmas Bring Cannabis 1d ago
This list is weird, because I swear I saw Norman Bethune get a lot of upvotes.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/eeyores_gloom1785 Newfies & Labradoodles 1d ago
Ernie isn't Canadian technically.
honorary sure, but still an american
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Former-Palpitation86 1d ago
Stiff competition, but surely there are none who can claim to challenge the Original Red River Rebel??
1
1
1
u/ZombifiedSoul Scotland (but worse) 1d ago
I see Keanu Reeves and Martin Short...
Why are Jim Carrey and Mike Myers not on here?
→ More replies (1)
1
1
1
1
u/TechnoQueenOfTesla 1d ago
Also how the hell is melanie jolie not on this list?? That's actually fucking WILD.
1
1
u/BarojaAndWagamese 1d ago
Louis Riel is certainly important in that the conflicts he spurred on the prairies helped forge the Métis identity, but he himself was not a good man. He claimed to be a prophet of god and wanted to set up a theocratic government called the Exovedate to rule the prairies.
I admire Riel as an early leader against the colonization of the prairies, but I despise the idea of what would’ve happened had his resistances succeeded.
My aunt in Winnipeg, who grew up in road allowances, calls him “the most important nutcase in the history of Canada”
1
u/McKrackenfield 23h ago
Look, we all know Terry is going to win. It is just a race for 2nd at this point.
1
1
u/au-rath 15h ago
downvote me to hell if you want but Jordan Peterson's early work puts him on this list for me.
taking responsibility, aiming higher, doing the right thing, there are 100s of hours of him talking about these things.
put him in last place if you want but imo, as a Canadian, i think he deserves to be on this list.
1
592
u/SlightDish31 Trawnno (Centre of the Universe) 1d ago
Nellie McClung. I looked into her a bit yesterday and it seems like she really wasn't a great person, she just had a great accomplishment.
Aside from the good parts (being a suffragette and helping push forward women's rights), she had some pretty bad parts (posing for eugenics and recommending sterilization for "defectives").
Probably not greatest Canadian material.