Canada Politics5 lists Trudeau made including ‘Newsmaker of the Year’
[Justin Trudeau has been named CP’s Newsmaker of the Year. PHOTO: The Canadian Press]
Flashing his pearly whites and soft mop of hair, he has become idolized nationally and internationally. Lauded in gushing terms that a certain young Canadian pop star was in his hey day, Canada’s 23rd prime minister has set political and personal pulses racing since his David-versus-Goliath win in October.
Sneeringly dismissed as a guy with “nice hair” (take that Justin Bieber), the 43-year-old son of former PM and playboy Pierre Trudeau, managed to snatch the Canadian election with a unexpected come-from-behind win, crushing a near decade-long Tory dynasty, capturing a majority in Quebec and reviving the ailing Liberal Party by bolstering its federal seats from 34 to 184.
Trudeau won hearts internationally at the G20 summit, the COP21 Climate Conference and delighted the Queen in a special sit-down meeting. Dignitaries of all stripes rushed to greet him and clamoured for selfies. In some cases, his appearance brought screams from women in the crowds.
He was also the burning source of the #APEChottie hashtag during the APEC meeting in the Philippines.
Trudeau’s promise to bring 25,000 Syrians to Canada and then showing up at the airport to greet the first group last week triggered rounds of accolades from the media and from those in the Arabic world.
The adoration continues. Here are the Top 5 lists he’s made:
1. Forbes World’s Most Powerful 2015. No. 69 out of 73.
No Canadian PM has ever made the top list. According to Forbes editors, Stephen Harper had made it to their “short list” in the past seven years but never the precious top list which, according to the magazine, ranks the “global elite whose actions move the planet.”
Forbes boasts that the Most Powerful is more like the “0.00000001 per cent.” The Top 3 are as follows: Russian President Vladimir Putin followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and then U.S. President Barack Obama.
2. Vogue’s Top 10 “unconventionally sexy” Men
Trudeau cemented his hot status with an intimate photo with his wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau and a praise-filled profile in the fashion world’s bible.
“Sexy, feminist, and capable of balancing a baby on one hand: Prime Minister Trudeau gets our vote,” gushed Vogue’s Janelle Okwodu.
The PM joined other “convention-defying hotties,” such as British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, comedian Aziz Ansarai and talk show host John Oliver.
3. Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year
The annual anointment is voted on by news editors and directors across the country. According to Stephen Meurice, CP editor-in-chief, Trudeau was “the runaway choice” for his “flawless” campaign, his politics of positivity and institutional changes he’s making on Parliament Hill, which are expected to resonate for years to come (i.e. a 50 per cent female cabinet).
He nabbed 87 per cent of the vote, leaving Alberta Premier Rachel Notley in the dust with a mere seven per cent. Of course, she did best him on another list (read No. 5).
4. Most Valuable Politician by The Hill Times 19th Annual Poll
“It’s a whole new era now,” Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research who partnered with the paper for the poll, said in an interview.
Trudeau garnered 44.5 per cent of the vote. Not only did he triumph as MVP, he also snared Biggest Political Comeback, Biggest News Story and Most Approachable member of Cabinet.
One of the respondents of the survey noted that Trudeau was an underdog who “smashed through all expectations to give our disjointed, divisive but awesome country… hope.”
5. The Power 50, Canadian Business Magazine
The list of influential business people had the PM at No. 4 highlighting the fact that he’s pledged to “spend $125 billion on infrastructure over the next decade to juice growth, resulting in deficits for the next three years. “
The magazine also observed the Liberal government’s plan to pour money into education and health and to deal with climate change, which will mean major changes for industry.
Notley notched the top spot on this list, with the magazine deeming her “the traffic cop at the intersection of Oil St. and Climate Ave.”
