2019 was quite a politically-heated year, due to the Canadian federal election in October 2019 and the continued pressure to impeach the President of the U.S. Although political scandals dominated the news cycle, other news stories captured Canadians’ attention. We have culled through the newsmaking stories – the ones that appeared in your Twitter and Facebook feeds – and have named the top 10 Canadian news stories of 2019, beginning with number 10:
10. Andrew Scheer resigns as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. There was mounting pressure from within the party for Scheer to resign due to his unimpressive showing in the election, but his resignation was expedited by the fact that he had been using Conservative Party funds to pay for his children’s private school education.
9. Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives in Montreal for the Global March for Climate Action. Thunberg met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during her visit and told him that he was not doing enough to protect the environment from climate change.
8. China announces that two Canadians detained on suspicion of harming national security acted together to steal state secrets. Chinese authorities announced that former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig violated Chinese laws by stealing Chinese state secrets and intelligence, aided by Canadian businessman Michael Spavor. The two were arrested Dec. 10 in what was widely viewed as a retaliation move after Chinese executive Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Huawei, was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities.
7. Bruce McArthur, the serial killer who preyed on men in Toronto’s gay village, pleads guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder. McArthur, a landscaper, placed the remains of his victims in planters outside a home in north Toronto.
6. Photos of Justin Trudeau wearing blackface are leaked to the media. Trudeau apologizes and says he “should have known better”. In one incident, Trudeau dressed as Aladdin in blackface at a private school where he taught.
5. Sportsnet fires Don Cherry for making racist comments on Hockey Night in Canada’s Coach’s Corner. The comments implied that immigrants to Canada did not buy poppies for Remembrance Day because they did not appreciate the sacrifices made by Canadian war veterans.
4. Justin Trudeau and his cabinet approve the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion nine months after the Federal Court of Appeal rescinded its original approval because the government had not consulted with the Indigenous community.
3. Trudeau demotes Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to Minister of Veterans Affairs of Canada for not intervening in the prosecution of SNC Lavalin for fraud and corruption charges regarding the payment of CA$48 million in bribes in Libya to officials in the government of Muammar Gaddafi. Trudeau is heavily criticized for attempting to interfere with the administration of justice. Wilson-Raybould resigns from Cabinet shortly after.
2. Bianca Andreescu rocks the tennis world by beating Serena Williams and becoming the U.S. Open 2019 Champion. Andreescu is the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam Singles Title.
1. Toronto Raptors led by forward Kawhi Leonard mesmerizes Canada by overcoming a 0-2 deficit in the lead-up to the finals and winning the NBA Championship. The win is the number one news story of the top 10 Canadian news stories of 2019 because it was the first NBA Championship win by a Canadian team and the first Toronto team of the four major North American professional sports leagues to win a championship in 25 years. The City of Toronto celebrated the historic win by throwing the Raptors a parade that was televised across the country.
Those are our top 10 Canadian news stories of 2019. Please let us know in the comment section if you agree or if you feel there are other news stories that should make the top 10.
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IT’s always nice to look back at the prior year news and events. Glad you shared some from Canada to enjoy reading. I’m going to have to peek into a few of these news stories, I had no idea some of these things happened.
I really enjoyed reading this post. Thanks for providing a recap of the year. I had no idea that a lot of these things happened.
Such an interesting post. We do not hear too much about Canada down here in the US so i was curious to hear what happened in your country
I think some of the Canadian news e.g. Trudeau in blackface seemed to go viral whereas other issues remained more contained in Canada. Cheers, Lori
Looking back over the year in headlines is always a great way to reminisce. I tend to forget a lot of things (almost as soon as they happen), so going back always helps with the old memory! haha
These are such a crazy variety of headlines. I remember the blackface one and was like, “Yikes.”
Yes, I think a lot of people cringed when hearing about Trudeau in blackface. Cheers, Lori
As a Canadian, this brings me back to all the moments I saw these headlines throughout the year. The Raptors and Andreescu winning were definitely ones worth celebrating!
Yes, the Raptors and Andreescu wins were so exciting for Canadians! Cheers, Lori
The year went by so darn fast! It’s great to have a nice recap of the top new in Canada like this.
I honestly didn’t know a whole lot about any of these. I don’t follow up much on news like I probably should. A lot of interesting things here though.
When my mom is living with us (1/3 of the year) she watches a ton of political news, but since I’m in the US, I didn’t know about many of these stories. I think Greta is right, the leaders of our countries need to do more to stop global warming.
I agree with Greta that the leaders need to do more to fight climate change. Cheers, Lori
I am familiar with some. And it’s really great to go back to these news before the year ends. Thanks for sharing.
So much happens in a year that sometimes we forget what happened earlier on. Cheers, Lori
2019 was definitely full of tragic stories and the year isn’t over yet.
It is always interesting to look back on the news stories of the year and see what really was the biggest hitter on the headlines. Interesting to read Canada’s as someone from outside.
Tons of stuff going on. Nice to look back to see what we have learned (hopefull). I usually stay away from anything that has to do with politics, but to each their own.
I can understand why you want to stay away from politics-related news! At times, it can make you want to pull your hair out! Cheers, Lori
These News stories are really interesting to read. I’m not familiar with some but it’s good to read them before the year ends.
Yes, so much happens in a year that by the year’s end, you sometimes just remember the news items from the last few months. Cheers, Lori
So much definitely has happened this year, especially when it comes to politics. Congratulations to the Raptors though! I don’t watch a lot of NBA but it’s really awesome news.
I’m not a huge basketball fan either, but I have become more interested now that the Raptors won the championship! Cheers, Lori
Wow! Great year end review. I can’t say I’ve kept up on Canadian news – thank you for sharing the top stories
I guess Canadian news doesn’t get circulated much beyond our borders, unless it is a Trudeau-Trump issue! Cheers, Lori
Wow! I can’t believe it about Don Cherry! I remember watching Hockey games and Hockey Night In Canada when I was younger.
Yes, it was quite a huge story that he was fired since he had been on Hockey Night in Canada for over 30 years! Cheers, Lori
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