Best of 2025, Canada Edition
Canada had a big news year dominated by the country’s fractured relationship with the United States.
What followed was a swell of support for all things Canadian. In that spirit, I’ve combed through the “Best of 2025” lists published by The Times to highlight the contributions of Canadians who impressed our editors and critics. This is not a comprehensive review of all the standout cultural works produced by Canadians in the last year. Rather, it is a spotlight on the authors, musicians, directors and others in Canada who have been recognized in our coverage. But you can always send us your other Canadian favorites from 2025. The Canada bureau wishes you all a happy holiday. Notable BooksMargaret Atwood, who for years said she was not interested in writing a memoir, finally did. It’s called “Book of Lives,” and it looks back on the moments that shaped her writing. Alexandra Alter, a reporter who covers the literary world for The Times, profiled Ms. Atwood last month. Read: 100 Notable Books of 2025 Best TV EpisodesWhat does the song “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence have to do with Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who accomplished an emergency plane landing on the Hudson River? Nathan Fielder, a Canadian comedian and director, offers one theory in the third episode of his show, “The Rehearsal.” The episode, “Pilot’s Code,” appears in Season 2 of the show. Read: Best TV Episodes of 2025 Favorite Hidden-Gem BooksIn the horror mystery “Exiles,” written by Mason Coile, the pen name of the Toronto author Andrew Pyper, rogue robots sabotage the first human settlers on Mars. Mr. Pyper died this year of cancer, according to an obituary in The Toronto Star. In the posthumous memoir “Insomnia,” Robbie Robertson, the lead guitarist of the Band, sheds light on his friendship with Martin Scorsese, a creative partner and steady presence during the turbulent moments of his life, from a divorce to the breakup of his musical act. Mr. Robertson, one of Toronto’s greatest songwriters, died in 2023. Read: Our Favorite Hidden-Gem Books of 2025
Best SongsJon Caramanica and Lindsay Zoladz, two pop music critics at The Times, make their picks for the best songs of the year. Here are the Canadian features:
Read: Best Songs of 2025 Best MoviesManohla Dargis and Alissa Wilkinson, two film critics at The Times, share a wide selection of movies worth watching this year, including several that showed at the Toronto International Film Festival. In “Life After,” the director Reid Davenport explores medically assisted death in the context of his own life, and offers some critiques of how the program is administered in Canada. Read: Best Movies of 2025 In the action genre, “40 Acres,” from the director R.T. Thorne, is a postapocalyptic thriller that follows a family of Black farmers in Canada as they fend off cannibals. Read: Best Genre Movies of 2025 Most StylishShai Gilgeous-Alexander, a Canadian basketball star who plays on the Oklahoma City Thunder, is one of the best-dressed athletes in the N.B.A. Read: The Most Stylish People of 2025, So Far Miscellaneous MomentsIn Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company’s production of “Wozzeck,” an opera by Alban Berg set during World War I, was a highlight for Graham Bowley, a culture reporter at The Times. Read: 41 Things That Stuck With Us in 2025 Best Graphic Novels“Cannon” by Lee Lai, a graphic artist living in Montreal, tells the story of Lucy, a young cook in an upscale restaurant in the city, who is caught between a toxic workplace, a transactional friendship and a tricky family dynamic that involves caring for an ailing grandfather. It’s only a matter of time before Lucy, whose nickname is Cannon, explodes. Read: The Best Graphic Novels of 2025 Best Children’s BooksA brother and sister watch a summer storm roll through in “Island Storm,” illustrated by Sydney Smith from Halifax, Nova Scotia. And another brother-sister story of survival takes place in a postapocalyptic desert in “Oasis” by Guojing, an author and illustrator based in Vancouver. Read: The Best Children’s Books of 2025 Trans Canada
Vjosa Isai is a reporter at The Times based in Toronto. How are we doing? Like this email?
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