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The Canadian Newsmaker of the Year is a title awarded by The Canadian Press (CP) annually since 1946, based on a survey of editors and broadcasters across the country on which Canadian has had the most influence on the news in a given year. Canadian historian Chad Gaffield stated that the practice of recognising a newsmaker of the year was a return to the study of how history can be influenced by one person, rather than studying obscure people.
The honour is often granted to politicians, sometimes upwards of 10 times, and though it is generally a positive acknowledgement, it is not guaranteed to be such. In 1999 a newsmaker of the century was chosen in place of a newsmaker of the year, with candidates having to meet the standard of "lasting significance". Voters gave a mix of compliments and criticisms to the winner, Pierre Trudeau, who responded by noting that he was "at once surprised and quite pleased with the information."