The worst Canadians? Love him or hate him, Pierre Trudeau transformed the nation. By voting him Canada's worst, you showed that one person's hero is often another's villain.

To many Canadians, Pierre Elliot Trudeau ranks among our greatest prime ministers. He was Canada's first political rock star--a charismatic Quebecer who strode to power in 1968 and inspired an optimistic nation with dreams of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a patriated Constitution, and a bilingual, multicultural Canada.

So when we asked our readers to weigh in with their choice for the Worst Canadian in history, we didn't expect Trudeau to top the list.

But top it he did, beating out an obscure punk rocker by a couple hundred votes--a result that perhaps speaks as much about the perils of online polling as it does about the love-hate relationship Canadians have had with this paradoxical prime minister, who could wear a flower in his lapel while giving critics the finger.

To balance this admittedly unscientific survey, we also polled a panel of experts--ten of Canada's most renowned historians and writers of popular history--to come up with an alternative list, one that's arguably more measured and takes into consideration the full breadth and scope of Canadian history.

Trudeau didn't make the cut on the alternative list--but many of you did vote for at least some of the experts' choices. In fact, the response was overwhelming, with almost 15,000 votes cast. And since the goal of the poll was to spark a broader discussion of Canada's history--including debate over the many contentious characters that have, for good or for ill, shaped our nation--we consider the exercise a resounding success.

As for Trudeau, it's clear from the results that he remains a polarizing figure.

"He did more to divide East and West than any PM in history," one voter wrote.