Without a doubt, the senators behaving badly tale topped the searches in 2013. The names of Patrick Brazeau, Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy were tied to allegations of over spending by tens of thousands of dollars, and culminated in all three being suspended without pay from their positions as senators in November.
2. Liberal leadership 2013
It was a landslide victory for Justin Trudeau back in April, garnering 80 per cent of the votes for Liberal leader at the party's leadership convention. Since being elected party leader, Trudeau has been in hot water for some controversial remarks he made about marijuana, and most recently his praise for China.
3. BC election results
Despite all signs pointing to a win for the NDP in B.C. at this year's provincial election, Premier Christy Clark managed to lead the Liberals to a victory. The loss was devastating for the NDP and Adrian Dix; so much so, Dix has announced he will be stepping down, and a new leader will be chosen in early fall of 2014.
4. Quebec charter of values
After being elected to power last year, Premier Pauline Marois and her PQ minority government began discussing plans to introduce the controversial Quebec Charter of Values (which has a much longer name in reality). While much of Canada has spoken out against the measures to restrict the wearing of religious symbols by government employees, many Quebec residents appear to remain divided on the issue.
5. Ontario teachers strike
When kids were meant to be coming back to school after the winter holiday break this year, they were met with threats of their teachers walking off the job. Things got tense as Premier Dalton McGuinty tried to make good with teachers, repealing the anti-strike measure Bill 115, but it wasn't until April (and McGuinty was replaced with Premier Kathleen Wynne) before a deal was struck.
6. Ashley Smith death inquiry
The tale of the troubled teen who died at Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener, Ont. is still unfolding as the inquiry into her suicide at the facility continues. The inquiry has heard that the 19-year-old Smith was prone to violent outbursts and attention-seeking behaviour, which has been used to partially explain why guards did nothing. It has come out through the inquiry that guards were repeatedly told not to intervene when Smith was acting out, which ultimately resulted in her death by self-strangulation.
7. RCMP harassment
The RCMP is under fire after a series of accusations by former officers and employees, accusing the force of turning a blind eye to reports of sexual harassment. To combat issues of harassment, the RCMP issued a new code of conduct specifically addressing these issues, replacing the previous 25-year-old code of conduct
8. Target Canada stores
Famous retail brand Target crossed the border from its U.S. home this year, bringing Canadians what many hoped would be similar merchandise and discounts as seen in its American stores. Unfortunately, many Canadians say that the brand's presence in Canada hasn't lived up to the hype, and that's translated into disappointing sales for the company.
9. Ontario byelections
Just a few short months after Kathleen Wynne won party leadership, some Ontario residents took to the polls in provincial byelections, after five Liberal MPPs vacated their seats. They were replaced with two NDP, two Liberals and one PC party member — likely indicating that the next time the entire province heads to the polls, the parties will be faced with plenty of divided Ontarians.
10. Keystone pipeline
All year, the Keystone XL Pipeline project has been a controversial news item, as Canadians and Americans remain passionate both for and against the creation of the pipeline. Some argue it's a safer alternative to transporting oil by rail, especially in light of the Lac Megantic rail disaster in July. Others believe that the pipeline will help create jobs, and provide a much-needed way to transport Canadian oil to the U.S.
Honourable mention: Idle no more
Chief Theresa Spence first came into the public eye in 2011, when the Attawapiskat reserve was found to be in a housing crisis, and many First Nations people were seen living in deplorable conditions. In protest of a lack of action by the government, Spence began a hunger strike December 2012. It continued for six weeks, and during that time, spawned the Idle No More movement, placing her at the centre of First Nations rights protests.
Honourable mention: Canadian epassports arrive
For the first time, Canadians could get a 10-year passport instead of the previously used 5-year. These new passports, in addition to having more visually-interesting images of Canadian history, also include an electronic chip encoded with the passport holder's information, in order to improve security and reduce fraud risk.
Honourable mention: Sun News Network denied by CRTC After launching in 2011, Sun News Network sought to be included on basic cable packages in order to be accessible by all Canadians. The "mandatory carriage" designation was denied to the controversial station in August, but the CRTC did offer Sun News Network some hope, in that it will be reviewing if the current rules and distribution of national news services are fair and are being fairly enforced across Canada.
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