2024 is almost in the rear view mirror so it’s time to look back on the top news in Canada for 2024! 2024 was a dynamic year in Canada with many unexpected political events dominating the year. Continue reading below to get a refresher on the top news headlines in Canada in 2024:
- Pharmacare Act – In February 2024, the Trudeau government introduced Bill C-64, (Pharmacare Act), which outlines the groundwork of national universal pharmacare in Canada including the provision of single-payer coverage for contraception and diabetes medications.
- Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) – The first season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League began in January 2024. The league includes three women’s hockey teams from Canada (Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire and Ottawa Charge), and three teams from the United States.
- Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney dies on February 29, 2024 at the age of 84 while in Florida. A state funeral was held at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal on March 23, 2024. Mulroney was buried at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal.
- Canada experienced the warmest winter on record in 2023/2024. The unusually mild winter weather was caused by climate change, El Niño, high ocean temperatures, and residual heat from summer and fall in 2023.
- The Toronto Public Library system was hit by a cyberattack in late 2023, which resulted in the library’s electronic cataloguing system being down for several months. While library customers were still able to use the library’s free Wi-Fi, books could be taken out only manually. Library book shelves quickly emptied while returned books were stored in cardboard boxes in the library. The Toronto Public Library is the largest public library system in Canada and the library with the highest circulation per capita in North America.
6. A Total Solar Eclipse took place on April 8, 2024. The eclipse was visible in parts of Ontario including Toronto, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. It was the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044.
7. The Edmonton Oilers make the final round in the Stanley Cup Finals. They lost to the Florida Panthers.
8. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians release a report in June 2024 stating that several Canadian MPs and senators willingly colluded with foreign states, including India and China, in Canada’s democratic processes and institutions.
9. LCBO workers go on strike in July 2024 for the first time in history. The strike lasted two weeks before the workers ratified a new three-year contract.
10. The University of Waterloo and Lakehead University announce that they have identified bones of James Fitzjames, captain of HMS Erebus during the Franklin expedition on King William Island.
11. In September 2024, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announces the early termination of the Supply-And-Confidence Agreement with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government.
12. In November 2024, former President of the United States Donald Trump was re-elected.
13. In November 2024, Canada Post workers went on strike. The strike lasted 32 days before The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered the workers to return to work.
14. In December 2024, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removed Chrystia Freeland from her position as Minister of Finance and allegedly proposed a less powerful ministerial position days before she was to deliver the Fall Economic Statement. In response, Chrystia Freeland resigned from the Trudeau cabinet.
I hope you enjoyed reading about the top news in Canada in 2024. Let me know in the comment section if there is another news story I should have added. You may be interested in reading, “Toronto events in January 2025“
