If there is one event that mobilized crowds on the Internet in Canada, it was the solar eclipse of April 8. This rare astronomical phenomenon, which crossed Ontario and Quebec, was among the most searched subjects in the country in 2024.
People asked Google what a solar eclipse was, what time it took place and why it could be dangerous. They also explored how to look at it, how to make an eclipse box, and how to know if their glasses were effective for viewing the phenomenon.
This is not the only rare fact to have aroused the interest of Internet users. Southern Quebec has experienced several episodes of the Northern Lights, earning it 10th position for news queries on Google in the province.
Natural disasters such as Hurricane Milton in Florida, the fires in Jasper and the floods in southern Quebec also have their place in this provincial ranking.
Across Canada, there are strikes at Canada Post, Air Canada and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) which scrolled through many topical search results in 2024.
Research trends in Quebec: News
1. Euro 2024
2. Copa America
3. American elections
4. Eclipse
5. Olympics
6. Ouragan Milton
7. Floods in southern Quebec
8. Baltimore Bridge Collapse
9. Wildfires in Jasper
10. Northern Lights
Research Trends in Canada: News
1. Euro 2024
2. US Election
3. Copa America
4. BC Election
5. Jasper Fire
6. Hurricane Milton
7. LCBO Strike
8. Air Canada Strike
9. Baltimore Bridge Collapse
10. Canada Post Strike
The United States infiltrates research
The Canadian population was glued to the screens to follow the American elections in 2024, according to Google. Queries on the search engine related to the presidential election occupy third place in Quebec, and second in Canada.
Politicians from the United States also dominate search trends for people in Canada, with seven of the 10 most searched people having a connection to the topic. While Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Jill Stein, Joe Biden, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tim Walz and JD Vance occupy a place in the Canadian list, in Quebec, only Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden appear there.
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A view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore following its collapse.
Photo: Reuters / Harford County Fire and Emergency Services, Maryland
The collapse of the Baltimore bridge in the United States also made an impact in Canada, with the event also appearing in Google’s current trends this year.
Soccer is popular
Canada’s national sport may be hockey, but it’s soccer that steals the spotlight in Google news searches, putting Euro 2024 at the top of the trending list. Another soccer event, the Copa América, ranks second in Quebec, and third in the country.
Hockey fans in the province still remained loyal to the Montreal Canadiens, with numerous queries on Patrik Laine and Lane Hutson in athlete searches.
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Imane Khelif, Olympic boxing champion at 66 kg. (Archive photo)
Photo : Reuters / Peter Cziborra
The year 2024 was also an Olympic year, allowing the Games to rise to fifth place in search trends in Quebec. The world event is, however, absent from the pan-Canadian rankings.
Controversy over Olympic boxer Imane Khelif’s gender earned her top spot in athlete searches. Young swimming prodigy Summer McIntosh is also in the rankings, both in Quebec and across Canada.
Search trends in Quebec: athletes
1. Imane Khelif
2. Summer McIntosh
3. Simone Biles
4. Patrik Laine
5. Lamine Yamal
6. Alysha Newman
7. Lane Hutson
8. Ivan Demidov
9. Leon Marchand
10. Andre De Grasse
Cinema, TV series and video games
The movie Dune : second partby Denis Villeneuve, stole the show, with many people searching for this title on Google.
In Quebec, Noovo Info has two of the most sought-after shows of the year, reality TV OF Mexico et Big Brother. Video games are also popular in this category, with Falloutan adaptation of the game of the same name.
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The video game “Palworld” has divided the internet since its launch in early access on January 19, 2024.
Photo : Pocket Pair
Otherwise, the most searched video games are Connectionsfrom the American daily The New York Timesbut also Palworldwhich piqued curiosity with its Pokémon-like offering, but with guns. The Pokemon Company has also filed a lawsuit against the studio.
As for research on personalities in Quebec, we find Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge at the top of the requests. The director, host and actor caused a lot of ink to flow this year with a controversy over the n-word.
Normand Brathwaite, at the heart of a fraudulent advertising campaign on Meta platforms, also appears in this Quebec list, as does actress Julie Perreault.
In music, the conflict between the artists Kendrick Lamar and Drake, who insulted each other with songs (diss tracks) in the spring, kept millions of Internet users in suspense. The tracks Meet the Grahams, Not Like Us et Euphoria by the American rapper are among the most sought after in 2024, both in Quebec and in Canada.
Search trends in Quebec: films
1. Dune: Part Two
2. Saltburn
3. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
4. Inside Out 2
5. It Ends With Us (Never Again)
6. Oppenheimer
7. Madame Web
8. Terrifier 3
9. Alien: Romulus
10. Poor Things (Poor creatures)
Search trends in Quebec: television series
1. OD Mexico
2. Fallout
3. Baby Reindeer (My little reindeer)
4. Shōgun
5. The Perfect Couple
6. Nobody Wants This
7. Griselda
8. Maxton Hall: A world separates us
9. Big Brother 2024
10. 3 Body Problem
Search trends in Quebec: video games
1. Connections
2. Palworld
3. Helldivers 2
4. Infinite Craft
5. Brawl Stars
6. PokéRogue
7. The First Descendant
8. Star Wars Outlaws
9. XDefiant
10. Null Brawl