Power Play's picks for the five power players of 2022

The 2022 political year saw federal leaders grapple with both unprecedented protests at home and how to respond to wartime needs abroad. It also saw some top politicians take on new positions of power, while Indigenous leaders took their calls for accountability directly to the Vatican.

Here are CTV News Channel Power Play's picks for the top five political power players of the year, in no particular order.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office and posted on Facebook, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seen during his visit to Kherson, Ukraine, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP, File)

In February, the little-known leader of Ukraine was thrust into the global spotlight as he defended his country from Russia’s invasion and delivered chilling speeches from the heart of Kyiv as his homeland was withstanding constant bombardment.

For 10 months, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has managed to rally support from NATO countries despite Ukraine not being a member nation. His resolve has reflected his nation’s resistance in the face of Vladimir Putin’s attempted annexation of the entire country.

When the war first broke out and the United States offered to airlift Zelenskyy out of Ukraine, he famously responded: "I need ammunition, not a ride."

His consistent calls for nations to do more has led to Canada contributing more than $3.4 billion in assistance to Ukraine in both military and humanitarian aid. The war in Ukriane also put renewed focus on Canada's NATO spending commitments, seeing an increase become a key feature of the 2022 federal budget, with the target still not met.

His straightforward and emotional virtual address to Parliament in March brought the realities of war onto the floor of the House of Commons, while at home Zelenskyy’s nightly addresses to his people have been essential to keeping Ukrainians informed amid a world of disinformation. 

In an interview on Power Play, Ukrainian ambassador to Canada, Yulia Kovaliv, said those speeches have been crucially important.

"Every single evening he is telling Ukrainians what is happening, what we've done to get the support of our partners, what has been done inside the country to repair the [power] grids to warm up the people," said Kovaliv.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

In March, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made the ultimate power play of the year in striking a supply-and-confidence agreement with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The agreement is slated to last until 2025 if, and only if, the Liberals keep up their end of the bargain by delivering on key policy planks. 

In the first year of the deal, the NDP has forced the government to start what for now is a stop-gap dental benefit program for children under the age of 12 from low-income households, but is supposed to soon evolve into a more comprehensive national dental plan.

Two other wins for the NDP were the doubling of the GST tax credit and the one-time $500 top-up of the Canada Housing Benefit.

But as the health-care system continues to fray, the deal is showing to not be iron-clad. 

"There might be a moment where after we've exhausted fighting and we've pushed as much as we can and there's no more this government's willing to do for people and the prime minister is no longer willing to listen to us or to be forced to do what's right, and at that point we'll make a decision," said Singh in an interview.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre asks a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

After a seven-month leadership campaign that saw intense attacks against his fellow candidates, Pierre Poilievre walked away with an easy first ballot victory. When the results were announced in September, the long-time Tory managed to secure 68 per cent of the available electoral points and came in as the first choice in nearly all of the country’s 338 ridings. 

The decisive victory followed a divisive campaign, and that sentiment continued as Poilievre took his seat in the House of Commons opposite Trudeau.

With the cost-of-living crunch and inflation top issues for most Canadians, Poilievre and the Conservatives have hammered the Liberals in question period, claiming the pandemic spending has created the current economic climate. Firing back, Trudeau has repeatedly called out Poilievre's controversial views on using crypto-currency and his claim that he'd fire the Governor of the Bank of Canada.

Internally, Poilievre has managed to rally the Conservatives after two disappointing election results in 2021 and 2019, calling for his caucus to head into the new year standing on the side of "common people." 

Emergencies Act Inquiry Commissioner Paul Rouleau

Commissioner Paul Rouleau speaks with Freedom Corp. counsel Brendan Miller before asking security to remove the lawyer from the Public Order Emergency Commission, in Ottawa, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Making history as the first person to lead a national Public Order Emergency Commission as prescribed in the Emergencies Act, Paul Rouleau had a mammoth task ahead of him even before an unforeseen surgery delayed his work. 

Ultimately, he and his team of commission counsel lawyers had six weeks to question more than 70 witnesses and parse through thousands of pages of documentation related to the federal government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act to bring an end to the "Freedom Convoy" protests.

Despite the tall task, Rouleau managed to keep the commission's public hearings on track, even when the marathon hearings' cross-examinations became adversarial or conspiratorial.

While the fact-finding portion of the commission's work is now complete, Rouleau is facing down a February 2023 deadline to distill it all down and report back to Parliament. His findings are sure to be consequential, and any recommended changes will prompt interesting political debates ahead. 

Indigenous leaders' push towards reconciliation

Gerald Antoine, center, First Nations NWT Regional Chief, is flanked by Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami delegation, left, and Cassidy Caron, President of the Metis community, as they meet reporters in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, after their meeting with Pope Francis, Friday, April 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

This year, a delegation of Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors travelled to the Vatican. A week of meetings culminated in the Pope apologizing to Indigenous delegates at a public audience.

Then, history was made as the Pope travelled to this country and made an apology on Canadian soil. The six-day visit took the Pope to Alberta, Quebec and the territory of Nunavut, and focused on publicly addressing the Catholic Church's role in Canada's residential school system.

Last month, the House of Commons unanimously agreed to recognize what unfolded inside residential schools was a genocide.

But, Indigenous leaders in this country have been clear: the apology and recognition of the wrongs done is only the start, not the end when it comes to what the responsibilities of federal government and institutions like the Catholic Church.

And, as a new report from the Yellowhead Institute indicates, Canada still has a long way to go when it comes to reconciliation. The report found that of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 calls to action, just 13 have been completed to-date, two of which got done this year.

"At this rate, it will take 42 years, or until 2065, to complete all the calls to action," it states. 

Metis National Council President Cassidy Caron and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed both travelled to Rome and were with survivors when the Pope came to Canada. In an interview, the two Indigenous leaders spoke about how the apology was a “culmination of decades of work,” that meant something different to each person.

Now, they said, Canadian officials need to keep pushing down the road to reconciliation.

"From a systemic perspective, and from a relationships perspective, it also unlocks the potential to do more work together," Obed said.