disco

Friday December 4, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday December 4, 2020

Doug Ford Approval Rating Poll Finds His Popularity Is Slipping

Series: Young Doug Ford

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s pandemic sheen may be wearing off, a new poll suggests, but he still enjoys support from a majority of the province. 

Ford’s approval rating has fallen to 55 per cent, a drop of 14 percentage points since May, according to the poll released by Angus Reid Institute Tuesday.

At his high point, that rating was 69 per cent. The moment came early in the pandemic, a couple months after the premier started holding daily press briefings on the status of COVID-19. 

He showed a side of himself that was noticeably different from the tough-talking premier Ontarians saw early in his mandate. He spoke frankly about the coming economic crisis — “some people are gonna face some tough times” — and got choked up speaking about his own mother-in-law, who caught COVID-19 in a long-term care home.

November 19, 2020

“From a public opinion perspective, the early days of the pandemic were a strongpoint for Premier Doug Ford in Ontario,” the institute’s new report said. “Ford’s shift in persona enabled him to earn the approval of Ontarians previously entrenched along party lines.”

He’s now on the less popular side of the Canadian premiers’ spectrum. 

Ford’s drop comes as cases of COVID-19 surge once again. Ontario’s reported more than 1,700 new cases of the novel coronavirus every day for the past four days. And the premier’s faced an onslaught of criticism in recent weeks, after the auditor general said his government’s response to the pandemic was “disorganized and inconsistent” and the Toronto Star reported he had ignored public health advice.

October 27, 2020

B.C. Premier John Horgan, who won re-election in October, is tied with Quebec Premier François Legault for most popular premier in Canada. Both are approved of by 64 per cent of voters in their provinces. 

Legault’s popularity stands up even though his province has seen more COVID-19 infections and deaths per capita than any other in Canada. 

“Despite this, Premier François Legault continues to be perceived as a fixture of strength, his approval statistically unchanged at 64 per cent,” Angus Reid Institute said.

The least popular are Manitoba’s Brian Pallister, at 32 per cent approval, and Alberta’s Jason Kenney, at 40 per cent. The two Prairie premiers are grappling with soaring second waves of COVID-19 cases and devastating outbreaks at institutions. (Huffington Post) 

Thursday August 8, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday August 8, 2019

Has Doug Ford finally put the cronyism scandal behind him?

It is the calm after the summer storm in Premier Doug Ford’s government.

June 27, 2018

Seven weeks ago, Ford shook up his cabinet in a bid to reboot an administration that polls suggest is struggling — only to be immediately rocked by a cronyism scandal.

Dean French, the premier’s chief of staff, quit on June 21, a Friday night resignation that swamped news coverage of the massive switch of a dozen ministers just one day earlier.

While seven French-linked appointees have also stepped down or been forced out in the wake of the controversy, the departure appears to have triggered the reset the cabinet shuffle was meant to signal.

Yes, staffers have left or are leaving shortly — some because they’re seen as too close to the hard-charging ex-chief; others because they had long been fed up working for him.

However, Ford’s dismal poll numbers are fuelling anxiety within his Conservative caucus, suggesting the party has not put its problems behind it.

April 9, 2019

Overall, though, a sense of quiet professionalism has descended upon the premier’s office thanks largely to interim chief Jamie Wallace, a former Queen’s Park press gallery president and Postmedia executive who ran the Sun tabloid chain.

“It’s palpable,” confided one senior Progressive Conservative, like others speaking on background in order to discuss the scene in the premier’s office.

“Jamie’s been around Queen’s Park forever. He understands the place, he treats (the political staff) well, and he’s respectful to (the public servants),” said the Tory insider.

“He knows what he doesn’t know and isn’t afraid to ask someone who does,” said a retired cabinet minister, who has advised Wallace.

March 22, 2019

“You’d be surprised how rare that is in any government,” said the former PC minister, who has worked with Tories and Liberals at Queen’s Park.

Another PC official said Wallace, who worked briefly in government when Ernie Eves was premier, is implementing processes and discipline that were sorely lacking in a freewheeling 14-month-old administration.

“He understands the need for a plan,” said the official, noting things were so chaotic and ad hoc in the government that it at times seemed as if “message planning” was being driven by what happened to be on CP24, the premier’s favourite cable news channel, at the time.

Now that the “French connections” scandal appears to be fading from the headlines, the premier insists “we’re moving forward as a government.” (Hamilton Spectator) 

Thursday March 19, 2015

Thursday March 19, 2015

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday March 19, 2015

Dancing and Governor-Generalling

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is reiterating his openness to a possible coalition with the Liberals if it is necessary to topple Stephen Harper’s Conservatives.

While expressing confidence he will become prime minister with a majority government, Mulcair told reporters Tuesday the scenario of a minority government cannot be excluded and that turfing the Tories is imperative.

The Opposition leader accused his Liberal counterpart, Justin Trudeau, of putting personal interests ahead of those of Canadians.

Trudeau has repeatedly stated he’s not interested in discussing coalitions.

“Whenever we have opened that door, Justin Trudeau slams it shut,” Mulcair said in Montreal. “My first priority is to get rid of Stephen Harper. The first priority of Justin Trudeau is Justin Trudeau.” (Source: Toronto Star)

The NDP leader said this year’s election should be a three-way battle from the outset, paving the way for a social democratic government.Meanwhile, David Johnston will serve as Governor General for another two years, ensuring he’s around for the coming fall election and Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2017.

Serving out the extension would put Johnston, 73, among the ranks of George Vanier, Vincent Massey and Roland Michener as one of the longest-serving Canadian governors general.

In making the announcement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday that Johnston had accepted the offer to remain in office until September, 2017, a period that will cover many of the events that year to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

But the extension also ensures Johnston is around for a key event this year — the expected federal election this October, which could produce a minority government.

Observers had been expecting Johnston’s term to be extended to ensure his constitutional expertise was on hand should it be needed in the aftermath of the vote. (Source: Toronto Star)