Talk:Canada/Catalogs

Additional sports figures

In general, I do not favor the inclusion of athletes in the catalog of "Notable Canadians". Rather, they should be included in the appropriate sub-page of their sport.

Don Cherry (ice hockey, television commentator) - Maurice (Rocket) Richard (ice hockey) - Toe Blake (ice hockey) - Sandra Schmirler (curling) - Hayley Wickenheiser (ice hockey) - Myriam Bedard (biathlon) - Clara Hughes (cycling and speed skating)

James F. Perry 10:14, 14 February 2008 (CST)

Selection criteria for "Notable Canadians" listing

In compiling the listing of Notable Canadians, I have taken the approach that this list, attached as a subpage to the main entry for Canada, should contain a listing of those Canadians whose lives and activities were of exceptional and timeless importance to an understanding of Canada, its people, culture, and history. These are the people with whom an educated, intelligent person should, by and large, be familiar with if he or she wishes to assert that they have a good understanding of Canada. Alternatively, they are the people whose biographies constitute "high priority" biography topics for the subject of Canada.

The value of such a listing as on the article page lies in the thoughtfulness in choosing whom to include - that is, precisely in its selectivity, or, more accurately, its intelligent selectivity. In selecting individuals for inclusion on the list, I have consulted the following reference works, among others:

• H. Graham Rawlinson and J.L. Granatstein, The Canadian 100: the 100 Most Influential Canadians of the 20th Century (1997)
• Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Biography (approximately 18,000 entries)
• Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Encyclopedia" (approximately 25,000 entries, including 10,000 biographies)
• The on-line Canadian Encyclopedia
• Memorable Canadians web site

James F. Perry 11:27, 26 February 2008 (CST)