September 28, 2007

Greg Sorbara, the Province’s Finance Minister, was at the Spec last week to speak to the Ed. Board. (It’s taken me a while to get around posting this.) I like the guy. He’s smart, friendly, funny, and trustworthy. His boss, the Premier, is friendly in person, but when he gets talking his aww shucks attitude and his tendancy to blow off government falterings with statements like “our work has only just begun”, and “we were handed a mess by the previous Tory government”, it gets to be a bit grating. Sorbara gives similar message points, but he seems to be more genuine when reflecting on the challenges of government. If it were my choice Sorbara would be leader of the Liberals and Premier of Ontario — but it’s not the case so the man will continue to be puppet master to Dalton McGuinty.

I haven’t always been kind to Sorbara. Here’s a few of my cartoons over the last 4 years which have included the provincial Finance Minister:

Here Hamilton is shafted as Sorbara caters to the 905 area around Toronto taking advantage of social service pooling.
Here he delivers his second Provincial Budget
Here Sorbara nurses the imposition of the Health Premium in the Liberal’s first Budget.
Here Sorbara and McGuinty are shown doing very little as homeowners get burned on their property assessments.
Here Sorbara and McGuinty are portrayed in a issue combination cartoon, one relating to securing a Shriner sponsored hospital in Ontario, and another

* * * * * Update: October 30, 2007 * * * * *

A new cartoon featuring Greg Sorbara’s sudden decision to sit as a backbencher in the second term of the McGuinty Liberal government: