Weyburn and area residents likely thought the time to cast a vote for Tommy Douglas was long past and relegated to the history books - but there is one more opportunity to support him.

Unlike all the other times his name has been on the ballot, however, he won't be representing the CCF or NDP, nor indeed any other political party; this vote is just for him, the man and his legacy.

In the new CBC-TV show, entitled The Greatest Canadian, the top 100 Canadians were initially nominated by the public for who they thought has made the greatest contribution or impact as a Canadian, whether as a politician, an inventor, a writer, actor or singer, or as an athlete.

Some names that made the list surprised many people, and some names that by all rights should have been on the list weren't, most notably Weyburn's native son, author W.O. Mitchell, who penned the great Canadian classic, Who Has Seen the Wind.

This city's other most famous resident was T.C. Douglas, who came to our city as a Baptist minister, and then entered politics, becoming this province's premier, and later taking the NDP banner to Ottawa in Parliament.

The CBC show is not asking if you liked his politics, and to be fair, there were many residents in Saskatchewan, and even here in Weyburn, who did not support him while he was in power, particularly in the controversial fight to bring in medicare.

The question is, who is the greatest Canadian? There aren't any set guidelines or criteria for this kind of judgment; it's up to the individual to decide what, in their mind, defines a person who can truly be called a "Great Canadian."

If there is any benefit to an exercise like this, it is to make the citizens of this country give real thought to what being Canadian is all about. There's a certain character, a level of giving, of compassion and humanity exhibited by those we judge to be great Canadians.

Some are simply great at what they do, and are thus put on a pedestal as great representatives of our country - but have they done anything for our country? Have they contributed to the overall well-being of our country and helped lead us or define us as Canadians?

Here's where your vote for Tommy Douglas comes in; as the father of medicare, he has helped define us as a country that is compassionate and seeks to provide medical care to any person regardless of age, income, sex or political affiliation. There were many other things he did as well as our premier, and for much of his career (although not in his last term) he continued to represent the Weyburn area.

In the early voting for the top 10, Douglas was leading the pack, but then there are still the arguments for the other candidates to come. Supporting Douglas is not just a vote for the man, but is a chance for Weyburn to shine on the national stage, where one of the greatest Canadians ever began his work to help our country. - G.N.