2018 was an excellent year for Canadian women in sport. From coast to coast, female athletes shined and made their country proud. Here are 12 Canadian women to watch in 2019.
2018 was an incredible year for Canadian women in politics. In October, Canadians elected the country’s first female Muslim MP, and in November, Canada got its first Indigenous woman elected as provincial premier. So, who are the Canadian women to watch in 2019?
Christine Sinclair: One of Canada’s most iconic athletes, Christine Sinclair is a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field. She’s been captain of the national team since 2006 and has scored an impressive 167 goals in 281 appearances.
12 Canadian Women To Watch In 2019
12. Kim Thúy
Kim Thuy is one of the most prominent Canadian women writers of her generation. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages, and she has won numerous awards, including the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction. Her latest book, Ru, tells the story of a Vietnamese refugee who comes to Canada after the fall of Saigon.
11. Christine Sinclair
Christine Sinclair is one of the most successful soccer players in Canadian history. In 2019, she will be looking to add to her record haul of international goals when Canada competes in the Women’s World Cup.
Sinclair is also a three-time Olympic medallist, and she has been named Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year on numerous occasions. At 36 years old, Sinclair is still at the top of her game, and she will be looking to lead Canada to glory in France this summer.
10. Vicki Saunders
In 2019, Vicki Saunders was one Canadian woman to watch. Saunders is a social entrepreneur, author, and educator who has dedicated her career to helping women and girls achieve their potential. She is the founder of SheEO, a global initiative that allows female entrepreneurs to get the funding and support to grow their businesses.
Saunders is also the author of “Create Your Economy: The Path to True Wealth.” In 2019, she will be releasing her second book, “The Art of Possibility: Transforming Life and Work from the Inside Out.” Saunders is an advocate for women’s empowerment and economic opportunity, and her work has helped thousands of women around the world achieve success.
9. Jessie Reyez
Jessie Reyez is a Canadian singer and songwriter who quickly makes a name for herself in the music industry. She first gained attention in 2016 when she released her debut single, “Figures.” Since then, she has released several other singles, including “Shutter Island” and “Apple Juice.”
Her music has been praised for its raw emotion and powerful lyrics. In 2019, Jessie Reyez was set to release her debut album, and she is already being hailed as one of the most promising new artists in Canada.
8. Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh has been a powerhouse in the entertainment industry for over two decades. She is known for her roles in the TV series Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve. In 2019, she will make history when she becomes the first Asian woman to be nominated for an Emmy award for lead actress in a drama series.
7. Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress. She gained worldwide fame in 1995 with the release of her debut album, Jagged Little Pill, which has been certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Morissette began writing songs at the age of eight and was recording them by the time she was 12. Her first album was released when she was 21.
Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award and seven Juno Awards. Morissette is also known for her powerful vocal range. She has been dubbed the “Queen of alt-rock angst” by Rolling Stone magazine. In 2019, Alanis Morissette will be releasing her eighth studio album, titled Such Pretty Forks in the Road. The album is expected to be a return to her acoustic roots.
6. Maryam Monsef
Maryam Monsef, the current Minister of Status of Women and youngest-ever member of the Cabinet, is one to watch in 2019. A refugee who fled Afghanistan at age 11 and immigrated to Canada, Monsef has become a successful entrepreneur and community leader.
In 2015, she was elected Member of Parliament for Peterborough—Kawartha, making her the first Afghan-born MP in Canadian history. Monsef rose to national prominence in 2016 when she was appointed Minister of Democratic Institutions in Justin Trudeau’s cabinet.
As Minister of Status of Women, she has made advancing gender equality a top priority, launching initiatives such as She Matters and the Gender Equality Strategy. In 2019, Monsef will continue to champion the rights of women and girls both in Canada and around the world.
5. Catherine McKenna
McKenna is a Canadian politician who currently serves as the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in the government of Justin Trudeau. She was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Liberal Party in 2015.
Before her election, McKenna was a partner at the law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, where she practised corporate law and advised on climate change issues. She has also been involved with several non-profit organizations, including the Centre for International Governance Innovation and WWF Canada.
McKenna is considered one of Canada’s most prominent young political leaders and has been named one of “Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women” by Chatelaine magazine. In 2019, she was expected to play a vital role in the upcoming federal election campaign.
4. Ayesha Curry
This year, Ayesha Curry is one of the Canadian women to watch in the world of sports. The wife of NBA superstar Steph Curry, Ayesha has made a name for herself as a cook, author, and TV personality. But she is also an accomplished basketball player in her own right.
Ayesha was born in Toronto and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. She started playing basketball at a young age and continued to play throughout high school and college. In 2011, she was drafted by the Houston Comets in the WNBA draft but decided to retire from professional basketball to focus on her family.
Ayesha has returned to the court in recent years, playing in various celebrity basketball games and exhibitions.
3. Mona Awad
Mona Awad is a Canadian author, actress, and professor born in Montreal, Quebec. She is best known for her work as an author, including her debut novel, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl (2016). The book was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Debut Fiction.
Awad has also written for television and film and teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto. In 2019, she was named one of Canada’s most influential women by BBC World News.
2. Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is one of the most influential Canadian women in the world. She is an author, social activist, and professor. In 2019, she was named one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time magazine. She has written over 50 books, including “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Oryx and Crake.” Her work has been translated into over 30 languages.
1. Bianca Andreescu
2018 was a banner year for Canadian women in tennis. Bianca Andreescu emerged as a top talent, reaching the semi-finals of the US Open. Her compatriots Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic also made headlines by reaching the finals of Wimbledon and the Australian Open, respectively. With 2019 set to be an even bigger year for Canadian women in tennis, here are three players to watch out for.
First up is Bianca Andreescu. The 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario, had an incredible 2018, with highlights including her semi-final run at the US Open. In January, she followed that up by winning her first WTA title at the ASB Classic in Auckland. Andreescu is currently ranked No. 22 globally and will be looking to break into the top 10 this year.
