There’s much to criticize about L’actualité’s roster of most influential people; still, it serves as a useful temperature check.
The magazine explained that the people featured on the list enjoy an influence that transcends their respective environment and extends to the entire population. This influence has to be exercised in Quebec, L’actualité wrote.
Unsurprisingly, Premier François Legault tops the list. He’s followed by Health Minister Christian Dubé, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, with Hydro-Québec CEO Michael Sabia coming in at No. 5.
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. There are many elected officials in there. Out of 100 people, 21 come from politics, 20 are from the world of culture and 17 are from the media.
The bottom five on the list of 100 most influential people in Quebec are Martin Munger, executive director of Food Banks of Quebec, Université de Sherbrooke Prof. Luc Godbout, rocket scientist Farah Alibay, political analyst Chantal Hébert, media pundit Richard Martineau and bookending the list, at No. 100, is TV producer and host Julie Snyder.
Upon its release, the list unleashed a tsunami of criticism because of its lack of diversity. There is not one Black person, for example. But diversity should also be reflected in age groups and gender. Only eight are in their 30s, 42 are in their 50s and five are over 70 years old. As for gender parity? Sixty-six of the province’s most influential people, according to L’actualité, are men, 33 are women and one of the entries is a couple.
L’actualité addressed the controversy by saying the exercise did not consist of drawing up a wish list of who should have influence; rather, it lists those who have it at this moment in history, in the most objective manner possible. The mise-au-point is important. But beyond the people named, the industries they hail from give us a temperature check on what moves the needle in Quebec — from climate to unionism, from artificial intelligence (an area where the province shines) to the art (and business) of living (Ricardo chimed in at No. 28.)
Lack of diversity aside, it’s quite a wonder that no university president is featured on the list.
As imperfect as it may seem, L’actualité’s list is important to understand where we are. The conversations it has sparked are signs there’s still work to be done and that we expect more of both who should represent us and who we want to be. That’s progress.