OTTAWA – The last year in Canadian politics included some major elections and tough negotiations. It saw fresh faces take on top positions, while other longtime politicians moved into new roles.
Here are CTV Power Play host Don Martin’s picks for the top five political power players of the year:
5. B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan and Green Leader Andrew Weaver
The B.C. Green Party holds the balance of power in that province’s legislature. The three-seat party's support enabled John Horgan's NDP government to take power and keep it. For taking down a Liberal dynasty, we consider the two-party minority government to be a power player of the year.
Not a coalition by name, the two parties have clashed on issues already, but "overall it’s been a very successful term," said Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver in an interview with CTV's Power Play from Victoria.
Weaver said both sides are committed to making it work. "I don’t see any reason why this won't last the full four years."
4. United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney
He resigned as an MP just 16 months ago to run for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. His subsequent plan was to induce a merger between the PC's and the Wildrose Party. Then he would seek the leadership of the newly constituted United Conservative Party. It all went according to plan, and last week Jason Kenney was elected as a UPC MLA in a lopsided provincial byelection victory.
That sets up the final chapter of his plan: to defeat the NDP government of Rachel Notley in 2019. For completing this ambitious mission so far, UPC Leader Jason Kenney is one of the power players of the year.
"When we started this whole project, people said it was crazy, it couldn’t possibly work. All the know-it-all political scientists and pundits said it wasn’t possible, but we did it," Kenney said in an interview from Calgary, broadcast on the Dec. 17 episode of CTV’s Power Play.
3. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh
Singh began the year as a relative unknown in a third-place party as an NDP MPP in the Ontario Legislature. After entering the federal NDP leadership race as the only outsider, he stunned the establishment to win on the first ballot in October.
Singh told CTV Power Play host Don Martin that, since winning, he’s been travelling Canada, meeting with people. "I had no sense that this would be my life, and now I wake up every couple days trying to double check what city I’m in… it’s an incredible journey," Singh said.
Over the next two years Singh said he wants to inspire people about the country that an NDP government could build.
2. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer
He started as a longshot to win his party’s top job, but mistakes and dropouts narrowed the field and opened up a split that allowed Andrew Scheer to become leader of the Conservatives. For winning the title of Official Opposition Leader, and putting considerable heat on the government over the finance minister's tax policies and ethical lapses, Scheer makes this year’s list.
"I’m confident that my approach will be successful," Scheer told CTV’s Power Play in an interview in his Centre Block office. In 2018 he said his message to Canadians will be: "After the photo op is over, after the Instagram post has gone out and you see the image that the prime minister is trying to get out there, what has Justin Trudeau actually done for you? What have his policies actually been? And have they been working? They haven’t."
1.Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland
She spent the year walking on eggshells and navigating minefields in diplomatic relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, during NAFTA talks and over the escalating tensions with North Korea. She’s walked the political tightrope on various other files, including Myanmar and Ukraine. Also, in the spring, she delivered a special address in the House of Commons outlining Canada’s foreign policy priorities that set the path for charting Canada’s new place on the international stage.
While Freeland was meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Ottawa, Power Play convened former foreign affairs ministers Peter MacKay and Lloyd Axworthy to review her 2017 political performance.
"She has been one of the best performers in this government," said MacKay.
"The foreign minister has done very well by Canada in the last three or four months. I think she’s had heavy lifting to do… She’s been very calm and very cool about it," said Axworthy.
All of this considered, is why Freeland tops this year's list.
CTV’s Power Play with Don Martin is back Jan. 3 at 5pm EST. Tune in to find out what 2018 in Canadian politics has in store.
