Well, let me just second the emotion of Shelley Fralic’s column in the Vancouver Sun today. The CBC does this whole hullabaloo of publicity about nominating “the Greatest Canadian”, and not a single chick makes it into the top ten.

I hear Avril Lavigne was thisclose to making it, due to the utterly democratic method of voting lifted straight from “American Idol”, as did the late great Mr. Dressup. I guess some of the final choices make sense. You just want to hug David Suzuki, don’t you? And Wayne Gretzky is so darned likable even if he is now a big cuddly corporate whore. It would be pure sacrilege to disparage Terry Fox.

But c’mon, Lucy Maud Montgomery singlehandedly created a reason for tourism to PEI with Anne of Green Gables. Margaret Atwood is CanLit personified and a bestselling author abroad too. Emily Murphy made it so women were defined as persons before the law in Canada. And how about that Laura Secord (and the yummy chocolates named in her honour)? And whatever the name of that woman who created Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High is, she ought to be in there too.

But lets just leave some of the other top-100 finalists out of it, shall we? Just because Celine Dion and Pamela Anderson are all famous is no reason to go nuts. There’s an old joke that all Canadian celebrities need to wear nametags, and being famous enough to have your name actually known does not make you great.