Author: Graeme MacKay

Wednesday October 9, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 9, 2019

Can Jagmeet Singh build on debate-night momentum? It’ll be difficult, experts say

September 5, 2019

Experts say Jagmeet Singh, of all the federal party leaders, came out on top after Monday’s official English-language debate, but they caution it’ll be difficult for the NDP leader to turn that momentum into votes.

Doing so would involve breaking a campaign narrative established over the last month that paints the 2019 federal election  race as a neck-and-neck battle between the Liberals and the Conservatives, according to McGill professor Daniel Béland.

“The challenge is that it’s widely perceived — and it’s true — that it’s a race between two parties, and it’s also a debate about who should not be the next prime minister,” said Béland.

Monday night’s event was the first and only English debate featuring all six federal party leaders in the 2019 election campaign.

August 27, 2018

Singh went into the evening “relatively unknown” to many of the Canadians watching and he made “an excellent first impression,” according to Anne McGrath, a longtime senior NDP staffer and now public affairs associate at Hill+Knowlton.

In what turned out to be a chaotic and time-crunched debate, experts agree Singh stood out during those two hours for his positive messaging and a few choice zingers.

Throughout the debate, Ipsos measured Twitter sentiment and volume regarding the party leaders, parties and issues exclusively for Global News.

According to the measurements of attitudes towards the leaders, Singh started strong and was the only leader to finish the night with a “net positive rating,” the results showed.

The question now is whether and how Singh can make that strong performance benefit his party — which has remained a distant third in the polls so far — in the lead up to Election Day.

October 1, 2008

A debate performance can end up meaning nothing or everything to an election campaign, according to Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs.

“What typically happens is what we see on the debate and then what everybody says happened afterwards. And it’s the ‘what-everybody-says-afterwards’ that tends to have a bigger impact,” Bricker said. “We’ll know later in the week when we start seeing polling results coming out whether or not he’s actually moving ballots.”

Nelson Wiseman, professor of political science at the University of Toronto, said he thinks that it’s “unlikely” Singh’s performance will move the needle significantly but he likely accomplished “cementing” support among New Democrats who may have been “wavering.”

September 18, 2019

While Singh is far behind the Liberals and Conservatives, Béland noted the NDP has pushed ahead of the Green Party in the polls in some provinces, which wasn’t the case just a month ago. Re-establishing a solid third-place standing is “an important thing” for the party, Béland argued.

“The NDP should emphasize the fact that if there’s a minority government, the NDP might have the balance of power and that’s something really important,” he said. (Global News) 

 

Tuesday October 8, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 8, 2019

Ford government dodges CUPE strike but more education labour woes ahead

After narrowly averting a massive strike by 55,000 educational support workers, Premier Doug Ford’s government will now turn full attention to teacher negotiations.

Talks between the province and several unions are ongoing.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF), l’Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) represent over 160,000 teachers currently without a deal.

ETFO is currently in the process of gauging whether or not an appetite exists for job action. The union is taking strike votes with members across the province. If a majority approves, 78,000 teachers, occasional teachers and other education professionals could be in a legal potential strike position as early as November.

Laura Walton, who headed up CUPE talks with the province, said after their deal was brokered Sunday that the union stands in solidarity with ETFO and other labour groups.

Walton also indicated CUPE made few concessions in bargaining.

September 26, 2019

The deal still needs to be ratified by members, a process which could take a month. However Walton’s message to Education Minister Stephen Lecce was clear Sunday.

“Thanks for opening the piggybank and allowing us to get the services that we needed for our students, they’ll thank you too.”

Lecce responded to Walton’s statement Monday.

“I think what we have done is we’ve opened up classrooms in Ontario and I think that’s the focus and I think we’ve done so within our mandate to be fair,” he said on Global News Morning. “I think that all parties in the province of Ontario could leave this negotiation with a sense of incremental achievement on their priorities.“

Sources with knowledge of the negations told Global News the government essentially “caved to political pressure.”

The deal happened amid a federal election where Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has been seen as distancing himself from Ford due to the premier’s low approval ratings. (Global News) 

 

Saturday October 5, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday October 5, 2019

Trudeau and Scheer demonstrate their hypocrisy

For those of you hoping to have a policy filled debate and deep examination of the issues, think again. So far any policy announcements, however many, have been drowned out by character flaws, amidst accusations of hypocrisy and being liars all around.

September 20, 2019

The most infamous case is that Justin Trudeau, as an adult man nearing his 30s, put on ‘brownface’ during a 2001 costume party in Vancouver; Trudeau came to the party dressed as Aladdin. The Liberal leader had to issue a clear and unequivocal apology and Liberal candidates were left scrambling to justify the previous behaviour of their ‘virtue signalling’ leader who for years criticised political opponents for catering to racists or even being racist themselves.

All this speaks to a level of hypocrisy that has been muted about Trudeau until now. He goes around preaching multiculturalism and understanding, yet demonstrated a complete lack of it with the brownface / blackface stunts. Trudeau also carries himself as a ‘champion of the environment’, yet it was revealed this week that he has been travelling for the campaign using two planes: one for him and media, and the other for equipment, signage and flags to various events.

May 2, 2019

“You’re the only leader using two planes on the campaign trail: one for you and the media, and the other for your costumes and your canoe,” Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer quipped at him.

But it’s not like Scheer himself has been immune to questions about his character, having billed himself as an insurance broker prior to entering politics. The Globe and Mail revealed that he was never licensed to sell insurance in his native Saskatchewan. Scheer was eventually forced to backtrack and explain that he was simply ‘on his way to getting accredited’ being a broker while working in a broker’s office, but left that job after a few months to embark on a political career.

March 19, 2016

Another issue that popped up for Scheer was that he had dual citizenship from his father, who was American. There’s actually nothing wrong with having dual citizenship; I wouldn’t be surprised if a future election featured all party leaders having dual citizenship of some kind since we’re a country of immigrants. What stands out here is the hypocrisy, as Conservatives previously criticized former Liberal leader Stephane Dion and NDP leader Tom Mulcair for also having dual citizenship.

Scheer himself even raised the issue on a blog post about former governor general Michaelle Jean, who held dual citizenship with Canada and France.

August 17, 2005

The irony of his second question about Jean is striking to say the least.

“Nobody asked,” was Scheer’s response when he was asked why he didn’t bring up his dual citizenship before, and now says he renounced it when he became Tory leader and that ‘paperwork is being processed’ before the election was called. But your political instincts must be lacking if you didn’t think that was a major issue that should have been addressed if you wanted to become prime minister.

October 2, 2019

Justin Trudeau and Andrew Scheer: the two men who are still the only viable choices to end up winning the election on October 21 and becoming the leader of this country. Unfortunately Jagmeet Singh, who has actually handled himself rather well during the campaign thus far, is still mired in third place and the best the NDP can hope for is influence in a minority government situation.

But at the end of the day, let’s accept the fact that both the two main party leaders are very flawed individuals with their own problems. They both applied different standards to themselves when it came to past behaviour. (insauga.com) 

 

Friday October 4, 2019

October 4, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 4, 2019

Here’s how often Trudeau has called out Harper, Ford instead of Scheer

It’s no secret to those following the federal election campaign that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau seems to be going after former prime minister Stephen Harper as much, if not more, than Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.

September 26, 2019

But just how much more?

Roughly 33 per cent.

Global News has been tracking how many times at official events and media availabilities each of the two front runners reference the other — or others entirely.

That does not include photo ops, whistlestops or unscheduled remarks.

Those records show Trudeau has referenced Harper (in English) at speeches and campaign stops a total of 62 times so far over the last 21 days.

Scheer, on the other hand, has mentioned Trudeau 326 times so far in the campaign.

May 30, 2017

That’s equal to roughly seven times the amount that Trudeau mentioned him.

Global News reached out to both parties asking about their attacks but didn’t receive clear answers to the question of why they were focusing on the attacks seen so far: a Conservative spokesperson accused Trudeau of being afraid to run on his record and whipping up fear, while a Liberal said the choice for voters is whether to return to the same kinds of policies seen under the Harper and Ford governments.

A source working with Ford’s government also echoed the federal party remarks when asked about the number of times Trudeau has brought up Ford, accusing Trudeau of “banking on the fact that he can make Ontarians afraid.”

October 28, 2016

“The reason that Scheer is pounding on Trudeau is because the entire Liberal brand is Trudeau. So if you’re going to rough up the Liberals, it starts with their leader and he also knows Trudeau is a controversial figure in Canada now,” said Darrell Bricker, president of Ipsos.

“For the people who don’t like him, he is a hot button so every time he [Scheer] gets a chance to push it, he does.”

Bricker said the same isn’t true for Scheer, who polls suggest remains an undefined brand in the minds of voters.

April 17, 2019

“He’s not the Conservative brand the same way Trudeau is the Liberal brand,” Bricker said. “So what the Liberals are trying to do on the other side, because he is a bit of a blank slate, they’ve got their chalk out and they’re trying to colour him in.”

The way they’re trying to do that, Bricker said, is by making direct links in voters’ minds to two other highly controversial figures: Ford and Harper.

According to a poll by Angus Reid last week, half of Ontario voters say their opinions of Ford and his government will sway their vote on Oct. 21, with 85 per cent of those saying Ford’s government will make them less likely to support Scheer and the federal Conservatives. (Global)

Putting a lid on problems from r/canadapoliticshumour


 

Thursday October 3, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday October 3, 2019

In debate, Bloc leader says only his party represents the Quebec nation

Whether it was on abortion, religion, or health care, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet hammered home a single message Wednesday night: the only party in which Quebecers can fully recognize themselves is the one he heads.

September 17, 2019

During the first French-language election debate, where leaders fought for the hearts of Quebecers — and their coveted 78 seats in the House of Commons– Blanchet repeatedly tried to position his opponents as out of step with the majority of Quebecers, whom he sees as forming a nation apart.

And the Bloc leader used the debate to try to convince Quebecers he would be the champion in Ottawa of the policies put forward by their highly popular and self-professed “nationalist” premier, Francois Legault.

Early on, Blanchet hit the Conservative leader on abortion, painting Andrew Scheer as a man who rejects a value “anchored” within Quebecers. He then described Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau as a haughty prime minister who looks down on Quebecers who desire a secular state.

And he criticized the NDP leader for wanting to expand medical coverage across Canada, calling Jagmeet Singh a centralizing politician looking to strip Quebecers of their constitutional right to determine their own health care needs.

July 19, 2019

“I am going to Ottawa to defend the right of Quebec to function in its own way,” said Blanchet, who was acclaimed as Bloc leader in January. “I don’t want to send people to Ottawa who want to undue what we are doing in Quebec.”

Blanchet asked Trudeau to accept Premier Legault’s demand that he stay out of any court challenges against Quebec’s secularism law, known as Bill 21.

The legislation bans some public-sector employees from wearing religious symbols in the workplace, such as hijabs for Muslim women and turbans for Sikh men.

Bill 21 is also overwhelmingly popular among francophones in Quebec — and with the Bloc. But Trudeau said he wouldn’t commit to staying out of any court challenges.

August 8, 2015

Blanchet said the value of state secularism is something Quebecers inherited from the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, which included a social rebellion against links between the political world and the Roman Catholic Church.

He said he has “an enormous problem” with Quebecers’ tax dollars in Ottawa going towards court challenges against a law adopted “in their own legislature” in Quebec City.

Toward the end of the debate, moderator Pierre Bruneau asked Blanchet a simple question that went to the heart of the Bloc’s purpose: How many laws has the Bloc gotten adopted in Ottawa?

Blanchet evaded the question, knowing the answer was zero.

“The contribution of the Bloc is to use all the advantages of the parliamentary system to get gains for Quebec,” Blanchet said. (National Post)