leadership

Wednesday December 10, 2003

December 10, 2003

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 10, 2003

Tory stalwart Joe Clark partyless

The new Conservative Party of Canada lost three MPs yesterday, hours after a proud announcement that it had officially registered for business and begun operations.

Former Tory leader Joe Clark and fellow MPs Andre Bachand of Quebec and John Herron of New Brunswick said they couldn’t bring themselves to participate in the new organization, formed through a merger with the Canadian Alliance.

“This is not my party,” Clark said as he arrived for what he called his last Tory caucus meeting. “This is something entirely new. I will not be part of this new party.”

Herron, like Clark, said he had notified Speaker Peter Milliken that he would serve out his current term but would keep calling himself a Progressive Conservative — the old party name that was ditched in the merger.

“I sought a mandate to be elected as a Progressive Conservative,” Herron said. “I plan on fulfilling my mandate.”

In effect, Clark and Herron will be treated as independents under Commons rules, with reduced opportunity to ask questions, participate in debates and serve on committees.

Bachand, who has been courted by the federal Liberals, said he hasn’t decided whether to remain in politics but, if he does, it won’t be under the banner of the new Conservative party. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Tuesday October 23, 2001

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 23, 2001

Liberal Leadership Hopeful

As several Conservative cabinet ministers prepare to square off in the coming race to succeed Ontario Premier Mike Harris, another more subtle positioning is also under way.

Lyn McLeod, Bob Rae, Mike Harris. Ancaster News, 1995 – 1996. Graeme MacKay went by the pseudonym “Ham”.

Opposition Liberals are also fine-tuning their strategy, adapting it to a political landscape that’s now suddenly devoid of the familiar opponent they once called “Chainsaw Mike.”

There’s no guarantee that the substantial lead Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals currently enjoy in the polls will be there come election time, which is likely still two years away, experts say.

A cautious, moderate approach in the coming months would serve the Liberals well, agreed Henry Jacek, a professor of political science at McMaster University in Hamilton.

“People do not like confrontation now — they want a softer, kinder, gentler government that will pull people together,” Jacek said. That desire has only grown since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, he added.

The new attitude of voters could give McGuinty, long seen as less slick and savvy than his Conservative counterparts, a distinct advantage, Jacek said.

“Suddenly, the so-called liabilities of McGuinty — his soft questions — now are much more what the Ontario public wants. They want a soothing leader.” (Hamilton Spectator)