The people (on Facebook) have spoken.
As of 12:01am, EST, here's the top 30 wishes from the Great Canadian Wish List.
Abolish Abortion in Canada
Dave Gibert's wish to change Canada's abortion laws.
9543 supporters
(click ahead to see the next 29 wishes)
This Great Canadian Wish List wraps up on Canada Day. Tune into CBC TV, CBC Radio and CBC Newsworld for coverage of some of the top ideas brought forward by this series, and some analysis for what it all means.
Friday, June 29th
Q - CBC Radio Mike Wise talks with Jian Ghomeshi about the results so far on the Wish List.
CBC News at Six - CBC TV Toronto Mike Wise takes a look at the range of wishes presented so far.
Sunday July 1st
CBC Newsworld - Hourly newscasts
The World this Weekend - CBC Radio
Mike Wise looks at the top wishes, and looks at the issues raised, and the significance behind the Wish List initiative.
Thanks to everyone who has made a wish, shared their thoughts, and participated in our series.
Well the past few weeks have been nothing if not dramatic. For me at least. On the wish list.
What will happen with the final push? Will abolish abortion continue on its top-wish track, or will it be surpassed by some random wish--like solar powered dryers?
The last 30 hours on the wish list have seen some pretty strange things happening on the Great Canadian Wish List. In the course of an hour, I tracked one wish getting more than 900 votes. In fifteen minutes, another wish got another 400.
While I know many people are hard at work trying to build support for their wishes, clearly something was going on. Some honest group members alerted everyone there was a software glitch that allowed people to "cheat" by voting for a wish more than once. Several wishers took advantage of this exploit to inflate their numbers: we are not pointing fingers at anyone.
So what was the problem?
Yesterday, I noted the quick shift in the number of supporters for various wishes. "Abolish Abortion in Canada" and "I Wish that Canada would remain Pro-Choice," are neck-in-neck... both have had some pretty dramatic jumps in terms of numbers. Now, we did some numbers analysis and things just didn't quite add up. Then, by morning, cheat-talk was all over the discussion board.
Well, some big changes have swept in to the Great Canadian Wish List. The wish that abortion remains legal has gained serious ground, and now has almost 500 more supporters than the abolish abortion wish. And a wish made by Jack Layton, for better coverage for pharmaceuticals, has swept into the top ten--it seems from nowhere.
I'll write more on that tomorrow. For now, an editorial on the current fourth place wish--for tuition fees to be eliminated. It's written by Amanda Aziz, from the Canadian Federation of Students.
This one's on wish #3, for a Spiritual Revival in Canada.
It's written by Reverend Ed Hird, author of the book "Battle for the Soul of Canada."
Should we focus on the top wishes?
The wish that Canada remains pro-choice is trailing behind the wish that abortion be abolished--by about 700 supporters.
Just so you know--here at the CBC, we've received some complaints about the fact that we've continued to let this project continue, because "the wish list has been highjacked by anti-abortion lobby groups."
Our response? There's no such thing as "highjacking" with this project. Who ever can best organize their wish, and get the most people to support it... will come out on top. I guess the whole point is to BE good at lobbying for your wish.
I’m still awaiting more responses from potential editorialists for the top wishes… so today you’ll have to settle for my own musings on the happenings of the Great Canadian Wish List. I’m not going to touch the top wishes—they’re generating plenty of their own press… so I’ve been digging through the middle sections looking for topics of interest. If you want your wish to make it onto this page here’s what you can do: be creative about the way you describe it, and get some solid discussion going.
Okay people, time to get drastic. 845 of you, at least, are wishing for Canada to take drastic measures to save the environment. David Suzuki has thrown his support in with this group as well. So... tonight I bring you a short editorial written by Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada.
Why should your dream for Canada be kept a secret?
The Great Canadian Wish List
Make a Wish. Tell your friends. Build the list.
