mackaycartoons

Graeme MacKay's Editorial Cartoon Archive

  • Archives
  • Kings & Queens
  • Prime Ministers
  • Sharing
  • Special Features
  • The Boutique
  • Who?
  • Presidents

Elizabeth May

Wednesday November 6, 2019

November 13, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday November 6, 2019

Elizabeth May calls it quits. Could the Greens do better with someone else?

Over the last decade, Elizabeth May became one of the strongest and most widely known personalities in Canadian politics. Under her leadership, the Green Party of Canada achieved the best results in its 35-year history.

October 14, 2015

Also under May, the Greens peaked at less than seven per cent of the popular vote and three seats in a 338-member House of Commons.

This is where the challenge lies in assessing May’s leadership and legacy.

By any measure, she’s the most successful leader in her party’s history. But that success was limited. And it’s fair to ask whether she and her party should have accomplished much more, particularly in the recent general election.

To May’s credit, her share of the political oxygen around Parliament Hill consistently exceeded her party’s share of popular support.

April 18, 2007

She convinced Stéphane Dion to not run a Liberal candidate against her in 2008 — when she chose to pursue a long-shot campaign against Peter MacKay in the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova — and then talked her way into the televised leaders debates despite the fact that her party had never won a seat.

After she was elected in 2011 — defeating a Conservative incumbent in Saanich-Gulf Islands in British Columbia — she became a prominent voice calling not only for action on climate change but also for better decorum in the House of Commons and more respect for the sovereign power of Parliament. She was a constant presence in the House  and a regular guest at parliamentary committees, where she would turn up bearing amendments she wished to propose.

She took advantage of every opportunity afforded her as a member of Parliament, all while making her case that the institution, its members and political parties needed to change. The Greens, she vowed, would be different — if they could ever elect enough MPs to form a proper caucus.

September 29, 2008

In 2008, her first election as leader, the Greens received 6.8 per cent of the vote, a two-point jump over the previous election result; the party still failed to elect an MP. Three years later, the Greens focused their efforts on getting May into the House. They succeeded, but the party’s national support slipped to 3.9 per cent. In 2015, its share of the popular vote fell again, to 3.5 per cent.

The Greens elected their second MP in May when Paul Manly won a by-election in British Columbia. He and May were then joined in October by Jenica Atwin, who pulled off a surprise victory in Fredericton.

Three MPs is three more than the Greens had before Elizabeth May became leader. But three MPs is also a smaller number of victories than the Greens seemed capable of winning at the outset of this fall’s campaign.

September 18, 2019

In early September, the Greens were polling at 11 per cent and seemed to have a shot at overtaking the New Democrats for third place. The NDP was weaker than it had been in 15 years, and the issue of climate change — the Green Party’s raison d’être — was more salient than it had ever been. It was possible to imagine the Greens winning a dozen or more seats.

In announcing her departure on Monday, May boasted that the Greens received more than a million votes in this year’s election. But the party’s share of the popular vote — 6.5 per cent — was still below the 2008 mark.

She also celebrated the fact that the party had “doubled” its vote in Quebec — which sounds more impressive if you don’t know that means the party went from 2.3 per cent in Quebec in 2015 to 4.5 per cent this fall. (CBC News) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2019-39, Canada, elite, Elizabeth May, Green Party, leadership, meritocracy, nobility, patronage, retirement, row boat, ship

Wednesday October 23, 2019

October 30, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 23, 2019

Justin Trudeau’s Anemic Victory

Sure, he eked out a “win.” But it shouldn’t have even been a fight.

This should not have been a competitive election.

Justin Trudeau 2015

When Justin Trudeau won a healthy majority government in 2015, it seemed as if destiny itself had cleared the way for the scrappy scion of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to dominate Canadian politics for years to come. Neither the Conservative Party nor the New Democratic Party nor the Green Party had any leader in the hopper who seemed able to compete with the Kennedy-esque Mr. Trudeau, who scored photo shoots in Vogue and his own comic book cover. He should have been untouchable for an election or two, at least.

And yet on Monday, Mr. Trudeau’s government was reduced to a minority. His party lost the popular vote to the Conservatives. Canada’s electoral map is now disturbingly divided between the Liberal-dominated east of the country, and the Conservative-dominated west. Mr. Trudeau will likely depend on the support of the other parties to keep his hold on power.

Justin Trudeau’s First Term

What happened to Canada’s progressive idol? The short answer is that Mr. Trudeau came to power when Canadian politics was dominated by issues like deficit spending, electoral reform and whether a local Conservative candidate peed in a cup on television. At the time, he presented a happy contrast to incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who seemed stodgy, cynical and petty by comparison. Mr. Trudeau’s campaign promised “sunny ways” and at a time when the future looked rosy for Canada, voters responded warmly to the change of tone.

But the world has grown much scarier and more uncertain since the 2015 election. And Mr. Trudeau has done little to convince voters that he is the right man to manage it.

November 12, 2015

Take, for example, the refugee crisis. Mr. Trudeau won in part in 2015 after striking a compassionate stance on the global crisis in the wake of the death of Alan Kurdi, the little refugee boy whose body washed up on a beach in Turkey, inspiring horror and outrage around the world.

It was a moment for Mr. Trudeau to distinguish himself. Canada has always seen itself as welcoming toward refugees, and the Liberal Party responded by promising Canada would take in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year. But Canada’s once-easy consensus on matters of asylum and immigration has been shaken over the past four years. Canadian openness was sorely tested shortly after Mr. Trudeau’s election by an influx of asylum seekers using loopholes to enter the country at unofficial border crossings. Perhaps as a result, reporting about asylum seekers; far-right groups have even taken to protesting near the border. 

March 9, 2016

Mr. Trudeau was also elected in 2015, just as President Barack Obama was in the twilight of his term. Relations between Canada and the United States seemed warm. The relationship between the two leaders was even described as a “bromance” (Mr. Obama endorsed Mr. Trudeau via Twitter in the closing days of this campaign.)

The warm feelings did not last long. In 2016 came the election of Donald Trump. Whatever Mr. Trump’s election says about the state of the liberal world order, or of America’s political and economic insecurities, none of it has been particularly comforting for your friendly neighbors to the north.

November 12, 2016

Mr. Trump broke with recent tradition by visiting other countries ahead of Canada early in his term. Mr. Trudeau went from being one-half of a bromance to the guy whose firm handshake became a matter of international scrutiny. A relationship that once seemed unshakable now seems vulnerable to partisan whim.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Trudeau might be considered political foils — except one man represents a global superpower and a country ten times Canada’s size. Down south, the revised North American trade agreement  may be a petty partisan affair that scores a few laugh lines on the stump; up here, that trade deal was a matter of obsession on national political talk shows for months.

April 11, 2018

Canadian domestic politics have also taken an ugly turn. The drop in oil and gas prices, amid difficulty building pipelines, has resulted in depressed economies in the western provinces, raising the specter of an angry new separatist movement in Alberta. Paradoxically, Mr. Trudeau’s attempt to head off that movement by purchasing the Trans Mountain pipeline was seen as a betrayal by progressive and Indigenous communities who believed Mr. Trudeau would be a champion of climate change.

All of these incidents have shaken Canadian’s faith in our alliances, our economy and ourselves. Though Canada’s economy is strong, according to monthly polls conducted by the polling firm Ipsos Public Affairs, more than half the country believes a recession is imminent. The firm’s barometer of consumer sentiment and sociopolitical stability has registered a steady decline since the end of 2016.

June 22, 2018

Just a few years ago, Mr. Trudeau’s charisma and progressive bona fides were everything Canada wanted to say about itself to the world. But symbolism and optimism alone feel thin when the risks to your institutions and economies grow material.

In Mr. Trudeau, we have a leader whose major legislative achievements include legalizing marijuana and putting in place a carbon tax. His greatest hits in power include gallivanting across India in an outfit so outlandish he could have served as a cast member in a Disney remake.

February 9, 2019

He demonstrated the hollowness of his progressive virtues during what became known as the SNC-Lavalin scandal, in which he allegedly sidelined Canada’s first Indigenous attorney general because she refused to subvert the independence of her office by granting a politically well-connected engineering firm a pass on corruption charges. The episode betrayed a government that is just as centralized, controlling and cynical as the one it replaced.

Time magazine’s discovery and publication of photographs depicting Mr. Trudeau in painted brownface and wearing a garish Aladdin costume was the perfect encapsulation of the man’s faults.

September 20, 2019

No one seriously believes that Mr. Trudeau is or was a racist — at least not in a way that intends active malice. Rather, this prime minister, who has apparently lost track of how many times he darkened his skin for fun, is a blinkered frat boy. A child prince who, in the past, has sometimes “been more enthusiastic about costumes than is sometimes appropriate.”

The Liberals themselves tried to capitalize on a growing sense of insecurity among Canadians during the election by portraying the Conservatives as racist Trump-lite populists. However bad this tactic made the Conservatives look, it did as much to highlight the Liberals’ key weakness — that if Canada is facing some kind of ascendant far-right threat, this lightweight who wore blackface may not be the one best equipped to meet it.

Given the domestic and global factors that influenced this election, no doubt many Liberals will see securing a minority government as a success. This is the victory of low expectations. Mr. Trudeau will now struggle to pass budgets and maintain confidence in the House of Commons in a divided country.

The only factor saving Mr. Trudeau from a disastrous outcome on Monday was that none of the other parties convinced the electorate that they were better equipped to deal with the future that lies ahead. That was their failure. But Canadians should expect to be back at the ballot box before too long. And if you were a Canadian voter suddenly troubled by such uncertainty, honestly, is this the guy you would pick again? – Jen Gerson (Source: New York Times) 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: #elxn2019, 2019-37, Andrew Scheer, Canada, disguise, Elizabeth May, Jagmeet Singh, Justin Trudeau, Minority, Yves-François Blanchet

Friday October 18, 2019

October 25, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

October 18, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 18, 2019

Is the 2019 election Canada’s ‘nastiest’ ever? Not by a long shot

Canada’s electoral history has never been pretty.

Sir John A. Macdonald

In the years immediately before and after Confederation — when votes were carried out by voice at public meetings — the system was crooked by design. The parties frequently purchased loyalties with cash, or with gifts of food, booze or household staples. And they made certain they were getting what they paid for by keeping lists of the bribes and crossing off names.

The necessary funds came from party backers and self-interested corporate titans — people like railway baron Sir Hugh Allan, who was at the centre of the Pacific Scandal that led to the fall of Sir John A. Macdonald’s government in 1873.

“Elections cannot be carried without money,” fumed John H. Cameron, the Conservative MP for Peel, as the House of Commons debated secret ballots in the scandal’s aftermath. “Under an open system of voting, you can readily ascertain whether the voter has deceived you. Under vote by ballot, an elector may take your money and vote as he likes without detection.”

Sir Robert Borden

The abuses continued even after open voting ended. Clergy regularly threatened hellfire from the pulpits, and businesses promised instant unemployment, should parishioners or employees break ranks and vote for the wrong party. Electoral lists were drawn up by government appointees who struck off opposition supporters and retained the names of residents who had moved or died — so that ballot boxes could be stuffed if required.

How bad was it back then? According to Elections Canada, between 1874 and 1896 the courts overturned the results in 134 ridings on the grounds that one party or the other had committed vote fraud.

Changes to the laws on elections and political donations improved the situation. But that didn’t result in campaigns becoming more genteel or evidence-based.

Matthew Hayday, a professor of Canadian history at the University of Guelph, cites a few prime examples of gutter politics. In the 1917 election, Robert Borden’s Unionist government manipulated voting rules, painted anti-conscription Quebecers as traitors and openly accused Liberal Leader Wilfrid Laurier of being in the corner of the German Kaiser.

Kim Campbell

In the 1993 campaign, Kim Campbell’s Conservatives aired their infamous “Think Twice” commercials featuring close-ups of Jean Chrétien’s face — ads that many perceived as mocking the Liberal leader’s partial facial paralysis.

“To me, those campaigns were far worse than anything we’ve seen in this election,” said Hayday.

Richard Johnston is the Canada Research Chair in Public Opinion, Elections and Representation at the University of British Columbia. He said he thinks that this campaign has been “more vituperative” that many recent elections — but negative politics has been the norm in Canada for a long time.

He pointed to the June 1945 federal and Ontario provincial elections, which saw Conservative backers portraying the left wing Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) — the forerunner of the NDP — as a party of “foreign” ideas, and published pamphlets featuring anti-Semitic caricatures of David Lewis, the CCF’s national secretary.

Paul Martin Jr.

“That would probably be the true low point in Canadian history,” said Johnston.

In fact, upbeat and optimistic campaigns like Jack Layton’s 2011 run, or Justin Trudeau’s 2015 offer of “sunny ways”, are the exceptions in Canadian politics — not the rule.

Paul Martin’s Liberals clung to power in 2004 by going ultra-negative against Stephen Harper’s Tories. The 2011 Conservative win was sullied by the ‘Robocall’ scandal — which saw voters directed to the wrong polling places — and by the attempted ‘swiftboating’ of Jack Layton with a leaked story about an old massage parlour raid.

And it’s worth noting that self-fulfilling prophecies seem to be at play this time around. A year ago, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and Trudeau both warned that the 2019 election would be dirty and perhaps “the nastiest one yet.”

To be sure, this campaign has been filled with pointed personal criticism, and things like Trudeau’s blackface scandal and the controversy over Scheer’s dual citizenship have often overshadowed the platforms.

And it’s fair to say that, as the vote approaches, all the parties seem to be doing their best to stoke public fears about their opponents with talk of “secret” plans about hard drugs or abortion, or through third party attack ads and selectively-edited campaign literature.

October 16, 2019

“We are living in a more polarized political climate in Canada,” said Johnston, “and nobody’s hands are clean.”

It’s worth remembering at this point that, just six months ago, the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP all signed on to a global “election integrity” pledge through which they vowed to crack down on the use of social media bots and avoid the dissemination of “falsified, fabricated” disinformation.

The Verdict: False. The 2019 campaign has featured plenty of ugliness, but it is hardly ranks among the “nastiest, dirtiest” elections in Canadian history. Still, as the clock ticks down, there might be new depths to be plumbed. (CBC News) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: #elxn2019, 2019-37, Andrew Scheer, Canada, Elizabeth May, finish, Jagmeet Singh, Justin Trudeau, Maxime Bernier, race, Yves-François Blanchet

Thursday October 17, 2019

October 24, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday October 17, 2019

Barack Obama tweets endorsement of Justin Trudeau

Former president Barack Obama has tweeted an endorsement of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and says he hopes Canadians give Trudeau “another term” in office.

March 11, 2016

“I was proud to work with Justin Trudeau as President,” Obama wrote on Wednesday afternoon. “He’s a hard-working, effective leader who takes on big issues like climate change. The world needs his progressive leadership now, and I hope our neighbors to the north support him for another term.”

The endorsement of a former American president is a rare — and possibly unprecedented — event in Canadian politics. But this is the second time Obama has spoken up to endorse an international leader since he left office. In May of 2017, Obama recorded a video in which he endorsed Emmanuel Macron for the French presidency.

I was proud to work with Justin Trudeau as President. He’s a hard-working, effective leader who takes on big issues like climate change. The world needs his progressive leadership now, and I hope our neighbors to the north support him for another term.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 16, 2019

While it remains to be seen what impact, if any, Obama’s endorsement might have on the Canadian electorate, the Liberal party has already touted his tweet to supporters in a fundraising appeal that was sent out on Wednesday afternoon.

March 9, 2016

At a campaign stop in Quebec Wednesday, Trudeau didn’t answer a question about whether he or his team sought out the endorsement, saying only, “I appreciate the kind words and I’m working hard to keep our progress going.”

Asked about the Obama tweet as he campaigned in Montreal, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he had a lot of respect for Obama but said “in this respect he’s wrong.”

“Mr. Trudeau has really let down people and consistently chosen to help out the powerful and the wealthy over Canadians,” Singh said, replying “no” when asked whether he thought Obama’s move would hurt the NDP campaign.

Hamilton Spectator Endorsement

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer was also asked about the endorsement during a campaign stop in Ancaster, Ont.

“I’ve got millions of Canadians like the ones here tonight behind me. I’m not very interested in what former foreign leaders are saying,” Scheer said. “I’m just focused on finishing this election strong and putting together and putting forward my plan to help Canadians get ahead.”

Asked whether he thought Obama’s tweet was appropriate, he said “I’ll let Canadians be the judge of that,” adding he wouldn’t speculate on why Obama made the endorsement. (CBC News) 

Hamilton Spectator Endorsement 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: #elxn2019, 2019-36, Andrew Scheer, Canada, Elizabeth May, endorsement, Jagmeet Singh, Justin Trudeau, Maxime Bernier, Yves-François Blanchet

Wednesday October 16, 2019

October 23, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 16, 2019

From Thanksgiving and Straight into Fear Season

Trudeau digs for NDP, Green votes, issues dire warning about ‘Conservative cuts’

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau aimed a pitch at NDP and Green voters today, warning darkly that a Conservative government would mean deep spending cuts, a lack of action on climate change and weak support for abortion services — and arguing that voting Liberal is the only way to prevent it.

October 25, 2016

“In terms of the NDP and the Greens, remember this: If you want progressive action, you need a progressive government, not a progressive opposition,” Trudeau said during a campaign stop in Fredericton.

“Voting Liberal is the only way to stop Conservative cuts. Liberals know that the way to grow the economy is by investing in people and we have the record to prove it.”

Questioned by journalists after his statement, Trudeau was asked bluntly if the current Liberal strategy is to drive votes away from the NDP and Greens by whipping up fear among Canadians.

“We have been very positive in the approach that we take and we will remain so,” he said. “I’m looking for a strong mandate to continue to invest in Canadians and I will be sharp in the policy differences between us and the Conservatives.” 

October 7, 2015

Asked about an abortion clinic in Fredericton that’s under threat of closure due to a lack of funding, Trudeau said if he’s re-elected he would meet with New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs to discuss the province’s obligation to fund abortion clinics. He said he would use all the tools at the government’s disposal under the Canada Health Act.

“A Liberal government, a Liberal prime minister, will always stand up to provinces who want to limit women’s rights to choose, something that the Conservatives, particularly under Andrew Scheer, will not do,” he said.

Trudeau also said he is best positioned to push back against Conservative premiers such as Alberta’s Jason Kenney and Ontario’s Doug Ford, “who don’t want to act on climate change.” (CBC)


Conservatives stoke fear of NDP-Liberal coalition as Scheer pushes for majority

Andrew Scheer is raising the spectre of a reckless, tax-and-spend Liberal-NDP coalition government to urge Canadians to hand the Conservatives a majority on Oct. 21.

October 31, 2017

The Conservative leader warned Monday that such a coalition would lead to out-of-control spending, “massive” new taxes and “endless deficits” that would drive away investment and throw thousands of Canadians out of work.

Scheer played the fear card even though Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau refused to contemplate forming a coalition and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh walked back his earlier speculation about joining forces with the Liberals to prevent the Conservatives from forming a minority government.

Scheer pounced on what he portrayed as Trudeau’s failure to rule out a coalition.

“Now, he’s even leaving the door open to coalition government with the NDP in a desperate attempt to cling to power, a coalition that will lead to even higher taxes, less jobs, more deficits and bigger household bills,” Scheer said during a campaign stop in Winnipeg.

“So my message to Canadians is this: only a Conservative majority government can prevent a government with Justin Trudeau as the spokesman but the NDP calling the shots.”

Scheer asserted that Canadians have “a crystal clear choice between a Trudeau-NDP coalition that will raise taxes, run endless deficits and make life more expensive and a Conservative government, a majority government, that will live within its means, lower taxes, put more money back in your pockets.” (CTV) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: #elxn2019, 2019-36, Andrew Scheer, Canada, Elizabeth May, fear, graveyard, Halloween, Jagmeet Singh, Justin Trudeau, Maxime Bernier, scary, Yves-François Blanchet, zombie
1 2 … 6 Next »

Social Media Connections

Link to our Facebook Page
Link to our Flickr Page
Link to our Pinterest Page
Link to our Twitter Page
Link to our Website Page
  • HOME
  • Sharing
  • The Boutique
  • The Hamilton Spectator
  • Artizans Syndicate
  • Association of Canadian Cartoonists
  • Wes Tyrell
  • Martin Rowson
  • Guy Bado’s Blog
  • You Might be From Hamilton if…
  • Intellectual Property Thief Donkeys
  • National Newswatch
  • Reporters Without Borders Global Ranking

Brand New Designs!

Your one-stop-MacKay-shop…

T-shirts, hoodies, clocks, duvet covers, mugs, stickers, notebooks, smart phone cases and scarfs

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
Follow Graeme's board My Own Cartoon Favourites on Pinterest.

Archives

Copyright © 2016 mackaycartoons.net

Powered by Wordpess and Alpha.