Wednesday June 17, 2015

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday June 17, 2015 Trudeau and Mulcair today: Compare and contrast Major speeches by NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau today served up an intriguing contrast. Mulcair sought to soothe anyone worried about the sort of economic change an NDP government might bring. Trudeau tried to reignite interest, especially among progressive voters whose enthusiasm for him might be waning, by promising Liberals would usher in big change in Canadian democracy. The two men vying to be seen as the most viable alternative to Prime Minister Stephen Harper clearly face different challenges. Mulcair is on the rise in the polls, and his aimÑas he delivered an economic policy speech in Toronto at the Economic Club of CanadaÑseemed to be to forestall a worried reaction to his emergence as a serious challenger. But Trudeau has slipped in recent months, after a long stretch leading the polls, creating whatÕs shaping up as a tight three-way race with HarperÕs Conservatives and MulcairÕs NDP. His goal in a speech to assembled Parliament Hill reporters at OttawaÕs Ch‰teau Laurier was to reignite interest in his leadership with at least one promise that canÕt be ignored. And both took the opportunity to shore up their policy messages with a little personal narrative, the sort that modern political strategists view as essential to connecting with voters. (Continued: Maclean's) http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/trudeau-and-mulcair-today-compare-and-contrast/ Canada, Thomas Mulcair, Justin Trudeau, NDP, Liberal, campaign, election, politics, platform, polls

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday June 17, 2015

Trudeau and Mulcair today: Compare and contrast

Major speeches by NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau today served up an intriguing contrast. Mulcair sought to soothe anyone worried about the sort of economic change an NDP government might bring. Trudeau tried to reignite interest, especially among progressive voters whose enthusiasm for him might be waning, by promising Liberals would usher in big change in Canadian democracy.

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday June 13, 2015 Bill C-51 is killing the LiberalsÕ chance to become the official Not-Harper party The federal LiberalÕs cynical centre-of-the-road support of the ConservativesÕ latest anti-terrorism legislation may be hampering its bid to become the Not-Stephen-Harper party. The signs have been apparent for weeks: Liberal ÒprogressivesÓ Ñ the civic-minded, donating, engaged grassroots types vital to the survival of the party Ñ have found themselves horrified by leader Justin TrudeauÕs support for a bill that has been criticized, hyperbolically, as the forerunner to a Canadian police state. The party has faced overwhelming social media criticism from its grassroots, a sudden surge of polls showing the NDP neck-and-neck with the Liberals and the Tories and, lately, there are even more ominous signs of Liberal struggle. At least four Liberal candidates have stepped down in recent weeks and some tangential evidence suggests that a backlash over C-51 may be at least part of the reason. Of course, the trend pales in comparison to the handful of high-profile Conservative incumbents who have recently stepped aside ahead of OctoberÕs general election. It also happens to be fewer than the number of NDP candidates who have similarly done so Ñ although the Dippers find themselves short due to their unexpected success in Alberta. (Three federal candidates were elected to the provincial legislature in May.) While the Alberta bump may be contributing to the federal NDPÕs rise in the polls, C-51 may be simultaneously weighing the Liberals down. The Liberals announced they would support a mildly amended C-51 earlier this year in what was largely thought to be a bid to bolster the partyÕs flailing national security credentials. TrudeauÕs contradictory stance on CanadaÕs military mission in Iraq and Syria proved to be none too popular among the middle class heÕs so arduously trying to court. But if TrudeauÕs ob

The two men vying to be seen as the most viable alternative to Prime Minister Stephen Harper clearly face different challenges. Mulcair is on the rise in the polls, and his aim—as he delivered an economic policy speech in Toronto at the Economic Club of Canada—seemed to be to forestall a worried reaction to his emergence as a serious challenger.

But Trudeau has slipped in recent months, after a long stretch leading the polls, creating what’s shaping up as a tight three-way race with Harper’s Conservatives and Mulcair’s NDP. His goal in a speech to assembled Parliament Hill reporters at Ottawa’s Château Laurier was to reignite interest in his leadership with at least one promise that can’t be ignored.

And both took the opportunity to shore up their policy messages with a little personal narrative, the sort that modern political strategists view as essential to connecting with voters. (Continued: Maclean’s)

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Published in The Winnipeg Free Press, Brandon Sun, The Woodstock Sentinel Review, and Red Deer Advocate