| The late Tommy Douglas did it one more time,
winning perhaps his biggest victory ever: on November 29, in
a nationally-televised CBC special, the former premier of Saskatchewan
who started as a Baptist minister in Weyburn during the Depression,
was voted as The Greatest Canadian. In achieving this remarkable title, the T.C. Douglas beat out several other notable Canadians in the top 10 of a list of 100 of the greatest Canadians as nominated by the current citizens of Canada. The case for Douglas as the Greatest Canadian was argued by MuchMusic VJ George Stroumboulopoulos, who commented when the vote was revealed, "I feel like Tommy Douglas is getting the recognition he deserves." Even the theatrics of the advocates for the other Top 10 Canadians didn't sway the voting public, who in the course of the campaign sent in over 1.1 million votes for who they thought was the number one citizen overall. On that final night, as the advocates had to choose who they would switch allegiance to, not many chose to side with T.C. Douglas, but fortunately, in the end, it wasn't the advocates who decided the matter. Not everyone will agree with the result, citing the many other worthy candidates for the title as examples of who else could have won. Perhaps the best result from this CBC program is that Canadians, both young and old, gained a new awareness and appreciation for the great people who built this country (such as Alexander Graham Bell, John A. MacDonald, Lester B. Pearson and T.C. Douglas), and those who continue to make us proud to be Canadians (such as Terry Fox and Wayne Gretzky). Many young people know who Terry Fox is, via the legacy of his annual run now held around the world, but many didn't have a clue who Frederick Banting was, or even why T.C. Douglas was significant to the development of current-day Canada. Whether or not one agreed with his politics, Douglas overcame opposition on many levels to achieve the things he did, such as the 40-hour work week, labour standards, the first Bill of Rights in North America, rural electrification, and his most well-known achievement as the Father of Medicare. The latter achievement puts him in the forefront over many other candidates, because universal publicly-funded health care is what sets Canada apart from most other countries in the world; not even our great and mighty neighbour to the south, the United States of America, has what we have. There are difficulties in the system that need fixing, to be sure, but for the most part, our citizens can get medical attention without it bankrupting them. In every provincial and federal election, the state of health care is always at the top as "most important" to most Canadians - and this is primarily due to the achievements of a fiery Baptist preacher from Weyburn. This title will put our city on the map like nothing else could; we should be proud that the "Greatest Canadian" had the start to his remarkable career right here in Weyburn. - G.N. |
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