Canadian Newsmaker of the Year

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This article is about the honour awarded by the Canadian Press. For the honour awarded by Time, see Canadian Newsmaker of the Year (Time).
Igor Gouzenko was the Canadian Press' first Newsmaker of the Year.
Igor Gouzenko was the Canadian Press' first Newsmaker of the Year.

The Canadian Newsmaker of the Year is an award voted every year since 1946 by the Canadian Press. It is an opinion on which Canadian has done the most to influence the news.[1] Since Broadcast News was formed in 1954, it has joined the Canadian Press in selecting a newsmaker.[1]

Canadian historian Chad Gaffield has approved of the practice by saying it is a return to studying how one person can influence history, rather than studying obscure people.[1] The award often goes to politicians,[2] as evidenced[3] by Pierre Trudeau's record 10th award in 2000 breaking a tie with Lester B. Pearson's nine wins. The media have also noted that the title is often positive, but not always.[4]

In 1999 a Newsmaker of the Century was chosen, rather than a Newsmaker of the Year. This occurred during a time when many lists were produced inspired by the turn of the millennium.[1] The standard was "lasting significance," and the voters gave a mix of compliments and criticisms to the selected Newsmaker, Trudeau, though Trudeau replied that he was "at once surprised and quite pleased with the information."[5]

[edit] List of Newsmakers of the Year

Barbara Ann Scott was the second Newsmaker of the Year and first female Newsmaker (photo by Yousuf Karsh, 1946).
Barbara Ann Scott was the second Newsmaker of the Year and first female Newsmaker (photo by Yousuf Karsh, 1946).
Image:PearsonPDphotoportrait.jpg
Diplomat and politician Lester Pearson won the title more than any other person except Pierre Trudeau.
Wayne Gretzky was the Newsmaker for 1982.
Wayne Gretzky was the Newsmaker for 1982.
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was the Newsmaker for 1983, 1984, and 1991.
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was the Newsmaker for 1983, 1984, and 1991.
Athlete Donovan Bailey was the Newsmaker of 1996.
Athlete Donovan Bailey was the Newsmaker of 1996.
Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan were the Canadian Newsmakers for 2006.
Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan were the Canadian Newsmakers for 2006.
Image:RCMP officer Expo 67.jpg
The RCMP was named the Canadian Newsmaker for 2007.
Year Awardee Notes
1946 Igor Gouzenko embassy clerk who exposed Soviet espionage
1947 Barbara Ann Scott first North American to win World Figure Skating Championship
1948 William Lyon Mackenzie King retired as the longest reigning Prime Minister in the Commonwealth
1949 Louis St. Laurent popular politician who won election as Prime Minister
1950 Lester Pearson diplomat
1951 Lester Pearson
1952 Lester Pearson
1953 Lester Pearson
1954 Marilyn Bell marathon swimmer
1955 Lester Pearson
1956 Lester Pearson
1957 John Diefenbaker won unexpected minority government in election
1958 John Diefenbaker won largest majority government in Canadian history in the 1958 election
1959 John Diefenbaker and Joey Smallwood Prime Minister and Premier of Newfoundland
1960 John Diefenbaker
1961 James Coyne resigned as governor of the Bank of Canada
1962 Réal Caouette Social Credit politician who helped vote out Diefenbaker government
1963 Lester Pearson became Prime Minister after winning the 1963 election
1964 Lester Pearson oversaw Flag Debate as Prime Minister
1965 Lucien Rivard convicted drug smuggler who escaped from prison for 136 days
1966 John Diefenbaker refused to surrender PC leadership
1967 Lester Pearson oversaw Canadian Centennial festivities as Prime Minister
1968 Pierre Trudeau became Prime Minister after winning the 1968 election
1969 Pierre Trudeau
1970 Pierre Trudeau
1971 Pierre Trudeau
1972 Pierre Trudeau
1973 Pierre Trudeau
1974 Pierre Trudeau
1975 Pierre Trudeau
1976 René Lévesque won 1976 provincial election to become Quebec's first sovereignist premier
1977 René Lévesque
1978 Pierre Trudeau
1979 Joe Clark became Prime Minister after winning the 1979 election
1980 Terry Fox averaged 42 km a day on an artificial leg during his Marathon of Hope
1981 Terry Fox died at age 22
1982 Wayne Gretzky hockey player nicknamed "The Great One", scored a record 92 goals in a single season
1983 Brian Mulroney won leadership convention to lead PC Party
1984 Brian Mulroney became Prime Minister after winning a record 211 of 282 seats in the 1984 election
1985 Steve Fonyo cancer victim who lost a leg and ran a marathon similar to Terry Fox
1986 Rick Hansen world-class cross-country wheelchair athlete
1987 Rick Hansen
1988 Ben Johnson set world record in the 100 meter at the 1988 Summer Olympics, but was subsequently disqualified for steroid use
1989 Michael Wilson Minister of Finance responsible for the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement
1990 Elijah Harper Manitoba MLA who filibustered to stop the Meech Lake Accord
1991 Brian Mulroney implemented the Goods and Services Tax and dealt with the aftermath of Meech's failure
1992 The referendum on the Charlottetown Accord CBC.ca claimed that this was the first time that the "country's newsrooms have selected a symbol instead of a specific person," which would be done again in 2006.[6]
1993 Kim Campbell short-lived Prime Minister who was the first woman to hold that office
1994 Jacques Parizeau became Premier of Quebec in the 1994 Quebec election
1995 Lucien Bouchard Leader of the Opposition and key player in the referendum on sovereignty
1996 Donovan Bailey sprinter ran 100 meter dash in record 9.84 seconds, winning Olympic gold
1997 Sheldon Kennedy child abuse victim who went public in his campaign against abuse
1998 Jean Chrétien Prime Minister. Chretien was chosen over the National Post's publisher Conrad Black by one vote, for favourable public opinion. Chretien merely replied that a prime minister is often a newsmaker.[7]
1999 Pierre Trudeau voted Canadian Newsmaker of the 20th century (no newsmaker named for 1999 itself). The vote also produced a top 10 list of newsmakers, in which Terry Fox came second, followed by Levesque, Frederick Banting, Tommy Douglas, William Lyon Mackenzie King, Pearson, Wilfrid Laurier, Billy Bishop and Mulroney.[5]
2000 Pierre Trudeau events of the 6 days that marked his passing and state funeral
2001 Stockwell Day Canadian Alliance leader was challenged by many in his own party. Day received 74 votes, and the second choice was Chretien with 12 votes. It was argued that while the Newsmaker of the Year title is often a positive title, Day was selected for perceived ineptness and probably did not want the title.[4]
2002 Jean Chrétien Editor Don McCurdy explained, "While not everything he has done has met with a positive reaction, like the gun registry fiasco, much of it has been notable."[3]
2003 Paul Martin became Prime Minister after winning the Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention, 2003
2004 Paul Martin won Canada's first minority government in 25 years in the 2004 election, and was linked to the sponsorship scandal
2005 John Gomery judge who held the inquiry into the Liberal sponsorship scandal
2006 The Canadian Soldier Due to the war in Afghanistan; editor Gary MacDougall said that "The issue of Canada's involvement in Afghanistan has been on the lips, and in the hearts, of Canadians all year."[8]
2007 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police The crises and scandals that engulfed the RCMP throughout the year. According to an editor: "The RCMP dominated Canadian news this year." [9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d "Poll to select century's events," Moose Jaw Times Herald, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan: September 27, 1999, pg. 7.
  2. ^ "Most CP survey winners politicians," Trail Times. Trail, B.C.: December 30, 2002. pg. 8.
  3. ^ a b Canadian Press, "Canadian Press names Chretien newsmaker of 2002," December 31, 2002, URL accessed 20 February 2007.
  4. ^ a b "A worthy winner," Expositor. Brantford, Ontario: December 28, 2001. pg. A.8.
  5. ^ a b Scott White, "Trudeau named Canadian newsmaker of the century," Canadian Press, December 6, 1999, URL accessed 23 August 2000
  6. ^ CBC.ca, "'Canadian Soldier' voted 2006 Newsmaker," Yahoo! Canada News, December 25, 2006, URL accessed 4 January 2007.
  7. ^ CBC.ca, "Chretien top newsmaker of 1998," URL accessed 20 February 2007.
  8. ^ Bill Graveland, "Canadian Soldier chosen as Newsmaker of 2006," Canadian Press, December 25, 2006, URL accessed 2 January 2007.
  9. ^ Jim Brown, "[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/MediaNews/2007/12/25/4739958-cp.html RCMP picked as CP's newsmaker of 2007]," Canoe - CNews, December 26, 2007, URL accessed 26 December 2007.