Editor’s Letter: Who is Toronto Life’s most influential person of the year?

At Toronto Life, around the time the colours turn, the big themes of the year tend to crystallize. In the past, that’s meant the rise of women’s pro sports, the AI revolution, the heroism of the front-line worker, the Raptors’ winning ways and the advent of medical marijuana. This year’s theme was patriotism, and it emanated not from within but from beyond, provoked by a venal, volatile, expansionist-minded American president.

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Make all the tired jokes you like about oxymorons, but Canadian pride coloured virtually every storyline this year. Premier Doug Ford, for instance, was a strong candidate for the top spot in our ranking of the city’s most influential people. He styled himself as Captain Canada, donning a “Canada Is Not For Sale” hat and appearing on any network that would have him, pushing his tough-guy act and standing toe-to-toe with Howard Lutnick. Ford yanked American hooch off the shelves; threatened the power supply to Michiganders, Minnesotans and New Yorkers; and aired an anti-tariff ad so effective that Trump threw a hissy fit.

With each pinch-hit grand slam, knee-buckling curveball and sprawling catch, the Blue Jays made a convincing case for number one as well. They strung together a breathtaking postseason and got heartbreakingly close to becoming MLB champions again. The Rogers Centre, still sparkling from its upgrade, couldn’t contain the pipe-burst of civic enthusiasm. Vintage bomber jackets and other glory-days merch not seen since the ’90s flooded the streets. The Jays’ exhilarating run was about more than sports: it became a national rallying cry, an opportunity to beat Americans at their own game, in prime time.

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This year, the eternally influential Margaret Atwood pressured the Edmonton Public School Board into reversing its absurd book-banning policy. Her dystopian masterwork The Handmaid’s Tale continued to prove itself prescient, and its sequel, The Testaments, is in TV development. She wrote a knockout memoir called Book of Lives and in May was named the recipient of the British Book Award for Freedom to Publish.

We could also have made a case for Maggie Kang, creator of the global smash hit KPop Demon Hunters, or for Mae ­Martin, the creative multi-hyphenate knocking down barriers and making audiences laugh, cry and sing along the way.

None of those candidates, however, matched the impact of Mark Carney. Canada’s prime minister is Toronto Life’s most influential person of the year not for his place of residence (though he did live here for a solid stretch) but because of the power of his actions.

Canada rests on the bedrock ideals of democracy, rule of law, academic freedom and an independent fourth estate. They allow for the liberty to publish without fear of political persecution; to trust in the courts; to dress how you like and to watch what you want, be it a queer icon’s stand-up set or your favourite baseball team.

In October, I sat down with the prime minister for an in-depth interview, and we discussed those ideals, Canada’s vexing domestic and international challenges, and how he sees the path forward. No politician is without flaws, and Carney’s political story has yet to be written. But, for his commitment to defending Canada’s economic, democratic and sovereign future, our choice was crystal clear.

Malcolm Johnston is the editor of Toronto Life. He can be reached via email at editor@torontolife.com.