John Munro

February 1, 2007

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HAMILTON EAST
Everytime I draw a cartoon I like to think of it as becoming part of a chronology of particular stories. On my website you’ll find related cartoons beneath each daily illustration of certain current events. Today’s cartoon is the first in over a year that I’ve drawn on the intriguing political situation in Hamilton East, the federal riding of John Munro, Sheila Copps, and Toni Valeri. Here you’ll find links to cartoons on the Hamilton East political story.
In 2002 things could not have better for Liberals in the riding of Hamilton East. The federal and provincial Parliamentarians were firmly in place and a new influencial councillor was on the rise.

Then Jean Chretien announced he was stepping down. The Liberal Party foundation in Hamilton East would begin to crumble. Indeed, throughout the city, fortunes for Liberals would completely change over the next 4 years.
Sheila Copps wanted to become Liberal leader of Canada.

After going down to defeat by Paul Martin at the 2003 Liberal leadership convention, Sheila Copps turned down the offer of a patronage appointment from Martin and announced that she intended to remain in the House of Commons. Many suspect that Martin wanted to appoint Copps as Canada’s ambassador to France or UNESCO. Tony Valeri and Stan Keyes, both Hamilton area MP’s were elevated to cabinet, while Copps was demoted to the backbenches.

Riding redistribution placed Hamilton East MP Copps in a serious nomination battle with another Liberal MP, Tony Valeri from Stoney Creek Glanbrook.

In a December interview Copps complained that Prime Minister Paul Martin was trying to drive her, other women and other Martin opponents out of the Liberal caucus. On January 14, 2004, she suggested that she could campaign for the New Democratic Party in the upcoming election if Valeri won the Liberal nomination. Copps later retracted this threat.

The once rock solid Liberal foundation in the Hamilton area ridings was showing great wear and tear by this point. John Bryden, the MP from the western part of the city had crossed the floor to join the Conservative Party. Beth Phinney, from Hamilton Mountain, was offering her seat to Sheila Copps. Dominic Agostino, the popular Liberal MPP from Hamilton East would throw his support to Valeri. Area city councillors, such as Sam Merulla, would not know who to support.

March 6, 2004 was the date of the Hamilton East–Stoney Creek Liberal party nomination meeting, and Valeri defeated Copps by 2,802 votes to 2,491. Copps alleged improprieties in the nomination process and the conduct of the vote, and called on various authorities to investigate. No evidence was found to substantiate Copps’ allegations.

On the Provincial scene in Hamilton East the popular Liberal MPP, Dominic Agostino suddenly died on March 24, 2004, of liver cancer, to the surprise of many. Some city councillors tried seize upon the opportunity to consider a successor. But in a by-election to fill his legislative seat held on May 13, 2004, Dominic’s brother Ralph Agostino, a Catholic separate school board trustee, failed to retain the Hamilton East seat for the Liberal Party, falling far behind city councillor and NDP candidate Andrea Horwath. During the campaign, Councillor Sam Merulla, was showing signs of abandoning the Liberals for the NDP.

Following a near loss in the June 2004 federal election Valeri was appointed to the sensitive position of Government House Leader in Paul Martin’s minority government. He changed his hair style during this time.

Meanwhile, Stan Keyes who ran as Liberal candidate for the redistributed riding of Hamilton Centre, was defeated by the NDP candidate David Christopherson, a former provincial cabinet minister. The former amateur sports minister would have to watch the summer Athen’s Olympics from his livingroom. (Keyes was later given a patronage appointment by Martin as consul general to Boston. Then, after being demoted by Stephen Harper, went on to become President of The Canadian Payday Loan Association.)

Not much would happen in Hamilton Liberal party politics during the minority government of Paul Martin. Sheila Copps would release her second autobiography, Worth Fighting For, in October 2004, baselessly alleging that Martin had put a pledge in his 1995 budget to rescind the “outdated” Canada Health Act. Beth Phinney would resign her seat.

In the Christmas election of 2006, the Hamilton Spectator reported that Toni Valeri had purchased a property for $225,000 only to later sell it to a Liberal supporter for $500,000 a few months later. While Valeri insisted that the Ethics Commissioner had cleared the transaction, lingering doubts about the sale remained. Valeri was narrowly defeated by a margin of less than 500 votes by the New Democratic Party candidate Wayne Marston. Beth Phinney’s old seat would go to the NDP’s Chris Charlton, Dundas-Ancaster-Etc would become Tory under David Sweet, and Stan Keyes old riding would continue to be represented by David Christopherson of the NDP. No Liberals would be left standing in Hamilton after the 2006 federal election.
By February 2007, with another federal election set to be announced at anytime, Liberals in Hamilton East-Stoney Creek remain in disarray.

Saturday November 11, 2000

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday November 11, 2000

Our endorsement is a call for dramatic change; The Spectator’s opinion

At the outset of this municipal election campaign, this newspaper argued there was an urgent need for meaningful change in local political leadership. We argued for a new political style that would help heal the rifts created by amalgamation. We called for political leaders who have a fresh vision, not rooted in parochialism or tied to the stale, unproductive political culture that has hobbled Hamilton and diminished its reputation and potential.

Now, in the final days of the campaign, we renew that call. It is more apparent than ever the new City of Hamilton needs and deserves a new mayor, someone who stresses collaboration and consensus and can make citizens from all corners of the new united city feel like they belong and have a role to play in making our community a better place to live and work.

Among the credible candidates for Hamilton’s mayoralty, Bob Wade best fits this bill and, in The Spectator’s view, is the best choice for mayor.

We make this endorsement in the full knowledge that public opinion polls, including our own, suggest incumbent Bob Morrow enjoys a significant advantage over Wade, Fred Eisenberger, John Munro and the rest of a crowded field. If the municipal election were held today, Morrow would probably emerge victorious.

The reason Morrow remains the choice of most voters, up until today at least, is that he is far and away the best known of the candidates. How could he not be? Morrow has been mayor for 18 years and in public life for nearly 25. He is a fixture. Ask 100 Hamiltonians if they’ve ever met him and chances are most will say yes. He’s a tireless participant in the symbolic and ceremonial aspects of the mayor’s job. Some people have said his campaign this time around is a shambles, but we beg to differ. The reason Morrow’s campaign isn’t better organized is that it doesn’t need to be. The man has been campaigning since the last time he was elected.

Let us also say this about Bob Morrow: In no way are we attempting to diminish his contribution to this community over his many years in public service. He deserves credit and respect for his civic patriotism. He is Hamilton’s longest-serving mayor, and the fact that he is not the best choice to lead for another three years does not tarnish his legacy of loyalty and love for his community.

But what about Morrow’s record? According to him, it’s fine. Yes, Hamilton has a few problems, he’ll say, but is headed in the right direction under his capable stewardship. Like many politicians who have a similar nature, Morrow loves to take credit but isn’t equally keen to take responsibility. Point out the lack of progress on downtown redevelopment, and he’ll deny that’s true and label you unfairly negative. Lament the damage caused by crushing taxation inequity, and he’ll blame the provincial government. Criticize him too much and you may find yourself on the receiving end of one of his infamous near-hysterical tirades, which are usually followed by apologies. In the end, you either see things his way or you’re wrong. And after 18 years in the mayor’s office, Bob Morrow says everything is fine.

We don’t agree.

Hamilton is at a crossroads. To begin with, the Hamilton of 2001 will be an entirely different city than it is today. The store clerk in Stoney Creek, the realtor in Ancaster, the truck driver in Dundas, and the farmers in Flamborough and Glanbrook are equal partners in this new city. They need and deserve a leader who is credible, trustworthy, team-oriented and, above all, endowed with common sense.

When Wade was mayor of Ancaster, he spoke out against amalgamation because he felt he had to reflect the prevailing will of his constituents. When it became obvious that one-tier government was inevitable, he quickly accepted reality and was among the first suburban politicians to declare his determination to make the new city work. Along with his council colleagues, he has helped make Ancaster one of the most prosperous communities in Ontario.

Wade is not charismatic. His political persona is best described as steady, calm and low-key. If he has a considerable ego, it’s not obvious. Wade’s strength is in his track record of efficiency and cohesive leadership and in his ability to bring people together. His platform stresses communication and consultation more so than any other candidate’s. There is little doubt that Wade would put the unity and progress of the new council and city ahead of his personal political ambition and parochial preferences.

Paradoxically, the same qualities that make Bob Wade the best choice for mayor at this time in Hamilton’s history make him a somewhat lacklustre campaigner, which may explain in part why he is lagging in opinion polls. But to be fair, that is also due in part to his team’s decision to make their big push in the very final days of the campaign, which means all election polls including our own were completed before Wade’s major thrust was launched. For the record, we’re not sure that was the best strategy, but that’s another discussion.

What of the other candidates?

John Munro has spent more time condemning all the incumbents than setting out his own vision. He wants your vote because of his history as a federal politician with a track record of securing benefits for his city. He says he can be as effective at getting money from Ottawa and Queen’s Park now as he was then, but offers few specifics. And his style of hyper-aggressive, angry criticism is an unseemly throwback. Notwithstanding his commendable record of public service, Munro’s platform is more about what others have done wrong than what he’d do right.

Fred Eisenberger’s candidacy has been one of the few pleasant surprises of the campaign. Although he presents as somewhat aloof, Eisenberger is the most intellectual of the candidates. His policy ideas, such as offering taxpayers the option of speeding the cleanup of Hamilton Harbour if they’re willing to pay more for water, are creative and direct.

Perhaps because he was a dark-horse candidate from the start, he seems the most fearless. He is also the most individualistic, and that has a good and bad side. As mayor, he’d be less likely to take part in the sort of backroom cronyism and deal-making that have been such a part of Hamilton’s political culture on Morrow’s watch. But we wonder if his track record and personal style would limit his ability to bring the new council together, to build bridges and reach consensus.

In the end, Eisenberger’s strengths and weaknesses are, regrettably, academic. He has been hobbled by a relatively unsophisticated campaign organization and limited money. Much as he is eminently worth hearing and considering, it’s unlikely his message has been widely heard or understood. Eisenberger has a lot to offer and given his relative youth, we hope he remains in the public arena because he clearly has much to contribute.

In many ways, Bob Wade is Bob Morrow’s opposite. Morrow is smooth, fast on his feet and prone to rambling responses to direct questions. He frequently substitutes his well-honed politica l instincts for substantive discussion and policy. Wade is not as eloquent, but he’s not prone to overblown hyperbole and bluster, either. He’s calm, rational, thoughtful, reflective and focused.

These are qualities that can bring unity and productive action to the first government of the new City of Hamilton. And that’s why Bob Wade is the best choice for mayor. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial, A1, 11/11/2000)

 

Tuesday October 23, 2000

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 23, 2000

They’re Off; Chretien calls Nov. 27 vote; opposition calls it opportunistic

Canadians will decide Nov. 27 whether the Liberals should be punished for calling an early election or rewarded with a third mandate.Amid opposition claims that his government is arrogant, cynical and out of touch with ordinary Canadians, Prime Minister Jean Chretien visited Governor General Adrienne Clarkson at her official residence yesterday.

He asked her to dissolve Parliament, officially triggering a campaign that had been going on informally for weeks.

Speaking outside Rideau Hall against a backdrop of autumn leaves, the prime minister said an early election is necessary to let Canadians decide what should be done with the country’s burgeoning massive budget surplus.

Immediately, the other parties dumped all over the Liberals, protesting that the election call — just three-and-a-half years into their five-year mandate — is unnecessary and opportunistic.

Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark, NDP leader Alexa McDonough and Canadian Alliance campaign co-chairman Jason Kenney each described Chretien’s go vernment as arrogant, framing what is likely to emerge as a central theme of the campaign.

“What’s happened today is that Jean Chretien has walked off the job, ” Clark said. “He’s walked off the job with a lot of business left to be done.”

The dissolution of Parliament leaves 20 pieces of legislation unfinished, effectively killing them.

“The record of this government is that of arrogance, ” Kenney said. “Canadians are tired of this tired government.”

Chretien calls Nov. 27 vote; opposition calls it opportunistic

“I wouldn’t expect them to say anything else, ” Heritage Minister Sheila Copps said.

“It is an election campaign and obviously they’re out to oppose the government. The reality is it’s the Alliance-Reform that asked for the election originally. Asking people to make a choice when you’re in the fourth year of the mandate — I don’t consider that arrogant.”

The smiling prime minister, who walked to the Governor General’s residence with his wife Aline, said he was feeling both confident and humbled by the opportunity to ask Canadians for another mandate.

Copps enjoys the highest profile among local Liberal MPs, who represent every riding in Hamilton, Halton, Brant and Niagara.

But Marlene Richards, Canadian Alliance riding association president for Ancaste r-Dundas-Flamborough-Aldershot, said she is sensing that voters in the Hamilton area are hungry for a change.

“There’s something exciting in the air, ” she said. “I’m feeling very, very positive about our own riding.”

Most local Alliance riding associations expect to nominate candidates within the next week.

During the weekend’s provincial Tory party convention in Toronto, both federal Alliance leader Stockwell Day and Conservative leader Joe Clark made appearances, seeking to win support for their competing camps among Mike Harris Tories.

The future for Day and Clark will depend on their ability to make gains in vote-rich Ontario, which holds more than one-third of all the seats in the federal Parliament. (Hamilton Spectator, A1, 10/23/2000)

 

Friday August 18, 2000

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday August 18, 2000

Coyote Ugly Meets Hamilton Mayoral Race

We live in a time when Hollywood shyly ejects weekly remakes of dependable plots, terrified to include anything that might confuse the dullest audience member. The new studio guidelines prefer PG cuts from directors, so we get movies like Coyote Ugly that start out with no brains and now don’t have any sex, either. Into this wilderness comes a movie like The Cell, which is challenging, wildly ambitious and technically superb, and I dunno: I guess it just overloads the circuits for some people. – Roger Ebert (Hamilton Spectator, D9, 8/18/2000)