Truths 2020

Maclean’s asked notable Canadians what this crazy, awful year proved wrong

The pandemic, political upheaval and an economic crisis have exploded truths and ideas that mere months ago seemed so fundamental they were beyond question

Democracy is our destiny? Not sure about that anymore. Rich countries can overcome? Doesn’t seem like it. In a crisis, leaders will lead? If you’re lucky. All the ’truths’ 2020 has called into question.

The worst system except for all the others has been under attack for years. Trump just made us notice.

The pandemic has made it clear in more ways than we would have thought to count: you actually need to be there

The job description is right in their title, but too many simply failed to show up for work

The economic crisis spurred by the pandemic has unveiled inequalities and obstacles once thought a thing of the past for women, begging the question: Have women really secured their foothold in the job market?

Our decades-long love affair with rugged independence has suddenly fallen away as populations throughout the democratic world surrendered individual liberties for the sake of the collective

Long treated as a key economic indicator by many, it is now completely detached from how the economy is actually doing. (Which is badly.)

After decades of planet-threatening growth, emissions fell off a cliff. Environmentalists sense a turning point.