The news is also the decisions and actions of leaders that play a crucial role. Here are five that clearly stood out in 2023.
Tiff Macklem
Archive photo, AFP
Ordinarily, ordinary people do not know the governor of the Bank of Canada. But the fight against inflation led to the Bank of Canada suddenly raising interest rates. Governor Macklem's announcements on Wednesday morning have become a real threat to many mortgage holders.
The biggest increase came in 2022, but the few additional points this year will have hurt particularly badly. Did the bank overreach and cause greater damage to the economy? We'll find out in the coming months. In 2024, Mr. Macklem should bring better news.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
The PQ leader simply dominated the political scene. In the 2022 election he revived the PQ, which was already an achievement. However, in 2023 he brought the PQ back to winning ways. Winning a partial victory in Quebec and ending the year in first place in public opinion is something no one would have imagined 12 months ago.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon defined a style, he demonstrated strong personal qualities and demonstrated competence. From the very top, 2024 could be a very sporty year for him.
Michael Sabia
Archive photo, Stevens LeBlanc
Unforeseen in political life: During the year, the prestigious position of President of Hydro-Québec became vacant. François Legault pulled off one of his rare feats of 2023 by convincing the former president of the Caisse de dépôt to resign his post as Canada's deputy finance minister.
When Mr. Sabia became head of Hydro, he became one of the most influential people in Quebec. When it comes to the energy transition, the moment is crucial; future investments are enormous. Network reliability, customer service, increasing production capacity – the workaholic Sabia didn't need much time to get his action plan in motion.
Melanie Hubert
Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
The FAE president forced the game by launching an indefinite general strike on November 23rd. Did the FAE, the smaller of the two teachers' unions, choose the right strategy or not? This verdict will be made in the coming weeks. For members with no income, the costs were enormous. But the shock to society was noticeable.
It sparked the longest teachers' strike in Quebec history, a strike that jeopardized the school year of thousands of children…without losing parental support.
Bruno Marchand
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
The mayor of Quebec has occupied an important place in the municipal community. In particular, he played a key role in mobilizing around the issue of homelessness. He did not hesitate to publicly confront the ministers, even if he had to pay the price.
Things in his city are complicated. He became a star as a supporter of the tram, but the majority of his own population did not want it. Furthermore, the Legault government tore the baby from her arms. A character to keep an eye on in 2024.