by Judi McLeod
December 3, 2004
It is so typically Canadian that CBC Television announced Tommy Douglas as the Greatest Canadian of all Time.
according to CBC, "over 1.2 million votes were cast in a voting frenzy that took over six weeks as each of 10 advocates made the case for the Top Ten nominees in special feature programs on CBC Television."
Canadians, by and large, never do anything in a frenzy.
The late Tommy Douglas, New Democratic Party (NDP) leader, was a dyed-in-the-wool socialist.
Recognized as the "Father of Medicare", he would roll in his grave to see how successive governments have made such a mess of Canadian health care.
The usual suspects like environmental scientist David Suzuki and the late Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau were on the CBC’s Greatest Canadian nominee list. There was only one genuine Canadian folk hero nominated, Terry Fox, the one-legged cross-country runner who raised inspiration and hope to an all-time level and millions of dollars for cancer, of which he was a victim. Fox died, but to this day is raising millions for the disease, through the annual September Terry Fox Run.
Virtually ignored by 1.2 million Canadian voters were the military heroes who gave Canada its finest hour.
Tragically, lost in the fog of time is the battle of Vimy Ridge and giant heroes like Generals Byng and Currie. While their names are lost to the school children of the current day, they bravely led the Canadian Corps to victory at Vimy Ridge, which ultimately led to winning Canada’s place as a nation.
Sadly, the schoolbook set of 2004 would not even recognize the name of Company Sergeant Major John Osborn, the undisputed hero of Hong Kong.
a Canadian is recognized worldwide as the hero of Dieppe. His name is Lt.-Col. Merritt.
What about Canadian recognition for Lt.-Col. Jim Stone, who fought with the distinguished troop heroism of the 2nd Battalion PPCLI at the Battle of Kapyong in Korea?
The state-controlled CBC and the Canadian masses did not recognize General Georges Vanier, Canada’s greatest French Canadian soldier.
If the broadcasting company and loyal viewers could not be expected to go back into the mists of time, there are current day military heroes who walk among us. General Lewis Mackenzie of Sarajevo fame for one.
as L. Leugner, Warrant Officer (ret’d), of Cochrane, alberta so poignantly puts it: "These men all have one thing in common–without their leadership, heroism and belief in freedom, there would not be a Canada as we know it. Canada’s so called tolerant, gentle society might not exist without the sacrifice of the men and women who are truly our greatest Canadians: Our armed Forces, both past and present.
"The fact that none of the men mentioned above was even considered as a great Canadians proves, as andrew Coyne so eloquently pointed out in a recent column: `In Canada we gave up believing…in much of anything, really.’"
In the politically correct world of the CBC, the lions of heroism will always take a back seat to the much easier to defend lambs.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2024 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2024 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement