Events

#ThisHappened in Canada 2020

By
Tuesday, 8 December 2020

2020. 

It’s been a year!

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For Canadians on Twitter, 2020 has been a year of unprecedented change and challenge. Passion and protest. Healing and hope. 

It’s hard to know where to begin highlighting the Canadian experience on Twitter in 2020.

In past years, we have used our blog each December to share rankings of the Canadian Twitter accounts with the most mentions across categories such as film & television, music and sports. 

In 2020, these are the Canadian accounts that ranked in top spot for each of those categories. 

Film & Television 

Music

Sports

Beyond these big names, myself and our team wanted to use this blog post to highlight other key Canadian accounts from recent months. These are individuals and organizations that truly stood out and helped inform some of the biggest Canadian conversations from 2020. 

Our entertainment lead Michael Palombo (@michaelpalombo) will share five top accounts from Canadian film, television & music from 2020 while our sports lead Conor Clarance (@FirstNameConor) will shine a spotlight on five top Canadian sports accounts of the year. 

New for 2020, we also wanted to highlight five Canadian accounts from the public health arena. These are accounts that gave Canadians the latest real-time COVID-19 content and emerged as key accounts to follow as a nation adjusted to the various stages of the pandemic. Our Canadian policy lead Michele Austin (@_MicheleAustin) does the honours in this category. 

There are thousands of other Canadian accounts that easily could have fit within this blog post. Paired with the Canadian brands that stood up and stood out on Twitter in 2020 (as shared previously by Jamie Michaels, our Canadian lead for #TwitterNext), 2020 was a year of change for every Canadian. 

Our team thanks the many Canadian individuals and organizations on Twitter that made a difference this year and we look forward to bigger and brighter things in 2021.

Film, Television & Music 

Words from Michael Palombo, Head of Entertainment Partnerships, Twitter Canada

Even when forced apart, Twitter kept Canadians socially connected and perpetually entertained (and informed) in 2020. Twitter was a global living room this year with a strong uptick in Twitter watch parties, digital-first award shows and other virtual events. With Canadian media usage expected to rise by 60% for the year (according to a Neilson report), we pivoted alongside our partners to help craft unique entertainment content. This included important conversations such as our #VoicesMatter Q&A during the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival featuring Regina King (@ReginaKing) and the cast of One Night in Miami. We also saw many Canadian voices from the worlds of film, television and music step up in 2020, offering commentary and perspective on topics of social justice, inclusion and other essential cultural conversations. Here are five individuals who stood out.

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Simu Liu, actor (@SimuLiu)

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Elliot Page, actor (@TheElliotPage)

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Backxwash, musician (@backxwash)

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Dan Levy, actor (@danjlevy)

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Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, actor (@ramakrishnannn)

Sports 


Words from Conor Clarance, Head of Sports Partnerships, Twitter Canada

#SportsTwitter in 2020 showcased the prominent voices of Canadian sports. And make no mistake: many of these conversations were taking place outside stadiums as the sports industry adjusted to the events of 2020. With many professional leagues and the 2020 Olympics OIympics on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw thousands of Canadian athletes take to Twitter to stay connected, stay engaged and offer commentary on the issues impacting the entire planet. From Super Bowl champions hitting the frontlines in Canadian hospitals, Team Canada prioritizing safety over competition and top athletes taking a stand on broader institutional issues, a wide range of powerful Canadian athlete voices rang out on Twitter in recent months. Our service was also central to the announcement of new organizations such as the Hockey Diversity Alliance and other team efforts to combat injustices and pursue evolutions for how sports are played and perceived. Here are just five of the men and women who were part of that collective Canadian chorus across all sports in 2020.

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Canadian Olympic Committee (@TeamCanada)

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Evander Kane, San Jose Sharks & the Hockey Diversity Alliance (@evanderkane_9)

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Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets (@BeMore27)

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Kia Nurse, New York Liberty (@KayNurse11)

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Laurent Duvernay-Tardif CQ, MD, Kansas City Chiefs (@LaurentDTardif)

Public Health

Words from Michele Austin, Public Policy & Government, Twitter Canada

In 2020, more and more Canadians than ever before turned to Twitter to participate in the public health conversation and follow what was happening in real time. With a critical mass of expert organizations, official government accounts and health professionals on our service, our goal is to elevate and amplify authoritative health information as far as possible. Twitter introduced search prompts for Canadians looking for information on COVID-19 and vaccines. Through it all, Canadian health experts and organizations made masterful use of Twitter. Their innovative approaches to keeping us informed made Twitter the vital resource for real-time updates and information on the pandemic. Here are five accounts that especially stood out.

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Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada (@CPHO_Canada)

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Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Chief Medical Officer of Alberta (@CMOH_Alberta)

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Ontario Medical Association (@OntariosDoctors)

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Ottawa Public Health (@ottawahealth)

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Government of Newfoundland (@GovNL)

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