Weeda's Greatest Canadian Women
As many Canadians know, the "Greatest Canadian Contest" was held in November 2004 by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) with Tommy Douglas taking the top honours. A steadfast social reformer, he was the father of Canadian Medicare and
grandfather of Kiefer Sutherland. Check out more of his biography at Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Douglas.
The CBC contest was based upon a similar British program. While some people felt there were some fundamental flaws in the way the contest was structured, I feel that anything that gets people discussing national history is a good thing. Canadians as a people tend to have self-effacing heroes. Putting pedestals, even briefly, under a hundred important figures can't be a bad thing.
All this being said, I could not help but notice the lack of female representation on the list. There were only 19 women in the top 100 and not one woman made it to the final ten. I do understand that women filling key positions in society is a recent and still evolving process but still feel that this imbalance needs to be addressed. This is why Weeda Stamps has decided to host its own contest: Weeda's Greatest Canadian Women.
Here are the nominations we've received so far. Click on individual names to read about who they are.
1. Although Harriet Tubman was born American, #3569 explains her contribution to Canada. "I would nominate Harriet Tubman for this award. She lived much of her life in St Catharines,Ontario and was instrumental in bringing escaped black slaves to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Although her immediate effect was in Ontario, she should be recognized throughout the country because she helped establish Canada as a haven for refugees, and therefore helped establish Canada's international reputation. Harriet's work with black slaves was the seed of Canada's multicultural identity as a nation which welcomes immigrants of all races form all over the world."
2. Birdie Stewart was (Granville's) Vancouver's first Madam. In 1885 she ran a house next to the Methodist parsonage on Water Street. (She was there first). She and her girls helped the Methodist minister by providing soup for the poor. After the great fire of 1886, she offered shelter to those burned out even though she and her girls only had a tent. When the first city father's couldn't afford the wages for the constabulary, she and her girls were fined every month--they actually paraded to the police magistrate's tent--providing the necessary capital for the constabulary and the fire engine that was on order from Chicago when fire swept the city.
Birdie and her girls were the forgotten founding mothers of Vancouver. Her story is soon to be published in a book by Roxanne Gregory
For more inspiration, check out Dawn E. Monroe's site at http://famouscanadianwomen.com/
Send in your Greatest Canadian Woman to beverly@weeda.com
