6 Canadians On Maclean's 2021 Power List Who Broke The Internet & Changed The Country

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It's been a transformative year for Canadians — one that wouldn't have been the same without some key figures.

Maclean's 2021 Power List was recently published. The magazine handpicked 50 Canadians who it says are "breaking ground, leading the debate and shaping how we think and live."

We have highlighted six Canadian from the list who either broke the internet or changed our country in major ways, and sometimes both.

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Justin Trudeau

When the world felt as though it was on the brink of ruin, it was Justin Trudeau who Canadians looked to, not only for leadership but also for comfort. 

From responding to a deadly global pandemic to making Canadians laugh out loud, not many can deny that the PM was on the frontlines, according to Maclean's

Joyce Echaquan

The death of Joyce Echaquan, a mother of seven, was captured on camera and had the nation and other parts of the world at a standstill.

Her story resurfaced a long-overdue conversation about racism in Canada and within the health care system, as well as the unfair treatment of Indigenous peoples, per the report.

Theresa Tam

Canada's full-time top doctor will go down in history as the queen of social distancing with how much effort she put into reminding Canadians of the necessary life-saving precautions to take in order to fight COVID-19.

In her limited spare time, she managed to fit in a conversation with Santa to help ease the hearts of parents and children over the holidays. 

Elliot Page

Making headlines is one thing, but obliterating the internet is another. It's something Elliot Page is no doubt familiar with.

The famous Canadian actor did so when he came out as trans in 2020 in a beautiful open letter that quickly went viral.  

Masai Ujiri 

Masai Ujiri is a well known key player in the Toronto Raptors franchise (off the court).

On top of his accomplishments, one moment from 2020, captured on tape, made Canadians band together.

Ujiri proudly walking to his team after winning the championship game and being shoved by a security guard "using unjustified force against a Black man," shed light on systemic racism faced in the Black community. 

The Nova Scotia Shooting Panel

What is being called "the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history" saw over 20 people dead. The shooting that occurred in Nova Scotia made the country hold its breath.

Its death toll broke the hearts of Canadians. Since the shooting, the panel looking at the tragic events has also sparked a conversation on how the RCMP handled the situation, according to Maclean's. 

  • Osobe Waberi was a Toronto-based Ethiopian-Somali Francophone writer at Narcity Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a specialist degree in journalism and a news media diploma from Centennial College. Before Osobe’s gig as a national trending writer at Narcity, she worked at Toronto Star, The Canadian Press, VICE, and CBC.

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