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Liberal

Tuesday March 7, 2023

March 7, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 7, 2023

Ontario’s Liberals hit rock bottom. Could Bonnie Crombie be their saviour?

The bad news for Ontario’s Liberals is that they’ve hit bottom.

The good news? Hitting bottom means they’ve bottomed out — and have nowhere to go but up.

Just not so fast. For a once-powerful party that has seen better days, these are early days in the rebuilding exercise.

Wait — correction: It’s not early days.

It’s been more than 1,000 days since Liberal delegates chose Steven Del Duca to begin “rebuilding” their dysfunctional dynasty at a March leadership convention precisely three years ago. Today, with only eight MPPs, Liberals are still on life support.

But after a weekend reunion in Hamilton, the party may be breathing easier. More than 1,500 diehards braved a cosmic snowstorm to preside over the rebirth of a moribund movement.

There were no formal tributes to the departed Del Duca. He is gone and now forgotten.

Instead, all eyes were on the new crop of aspiring leaders, each of them playing coy about “exploring” their candidacy and testing the waters. It doesn’t matter who they are, because you’ve likely never heard of these undeclared unknowns:

May 8, 2018

Stephanie Bowman, Ted Hsu, Yasir Naqvi, Nate Erskine-Smith and Adil Shamji. I’d tell you which ridings these backbenchers represent, federal or provincial, but if you don’t already know, it likely won’t help.

That said, I will say each of them is whip-smart: Among them — in random order — is a trade lawyer and ex-attorney general; an emergency room physician; a chartered accountant and bank vice-president; an Oxford-educated litigator; and a Princeton-educated physicist.

That’s a big brain trust, but it bears repeating — given that a physicist is among them — that political science and rocket science are unrelated. Physics requires logic, while politics demands fuzzy logic.

Which is why Premier Doug Ford’s Tories rule the province today, while the leaderless Liberals languish in obscurity and purgatory. I never make predictions, but it’s a safe bet that any of the above candidates might fail to light the party and province on fire.

Not because they’re not smart, which Del Duca was in his day. The question is whether they can touch people, reach voters, connect with them, and win them over.

May 4, 2022

None of the aspirants (two of them political rookies) strikes me as a breakout contender — at least not yet. In the old days, an unknown leader might have taken the time — and had the luxury of time — to cultivate the mass media and reap a harvest of votes at election time.

But we live in an era of celebrity politics, where a Ford can come from out of nowhere to rule Ontario and win re-election by cementing his connection to voters. Never mind the premier’s preposterous proposals to cut the gas tax, kill the carbon tax and pave a highway to nowhere — love him or hate him, people vote for him.

Against that backdrop, what’s a Liberal to do? One possibility is to fight fire with fire, meet celebrity with celebrity.

February 1, 2023

February 1, 2023

Perhaps that’s why a gaggle of former movers and retired shakers from the old Liberal brain trust took stock of the candidates and then tried to recruit the leader of another party — the Greens’ Mike Schreiner, MPP from Guelph. They published a love letter to the Delphi from Guelph that went unrequited.

For all of their flattery and folly — Schreiner is hardly brimming with crossover celebrity power — their desperate public appeal amounted to a vote of non-confidence in the current crop. Right or wrong, the mere fact that the old guard was so quick to write off the new contenders was telling.

Schreiner was a no-show on the weekend, of course. Like Del Duca, his apparition had not only come and gone but was also forgotten.

Yet that did not leave the field open to the other contenders or pretenders to the throne. Unexpectedly, they had a close encounter with celebrity power and buzz beyond the environmental movement:

October 23, 2001

Bonnie Crombie had arrived. Until recently, she had evinced no interest in the Liberal leadership, insisting her loyalty was to the mayoralty of Mississauga.

But Crombie, too, made her way through the snow drifts to the Hamilton convention centre to press the flesh — or more precisely, pose for selfies with admiring delegates in a crowded hospitality suite. Her Honour was never onstage but she stole the show.

Why now? What changed?

“She wanted to see the reaction,” an adviser said, musing that she generated “rock star status.”

Beyond celebrity power, is there a path to power? Crombie’s experience as a former MP and city councillor, now helming Canada’s sixth-biggest city, sets her apart from her rivals.

More importantly, she boasts a talent that her rivals cannot yet claim: A proven ability to poke and provoke Ford when they go face to face on the issues.

Will she run or will she walk away? Crombie is dragging her feet for now, insisting she won’t be rushed.

The only certainty is that the race is starting to get interesting. Unlike the New Democrats, who missed out on a leadership race when Marit Stiles ran unopposed, the Liberals may be in for a contest. (Martin Regg Cohn – The Toronto Star) 


 

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor, The Hamilton Spectator, March 10, 2023 

Spec unfair to Liberals

I have always bragged to my friends in other communities how The Spectator was a smart local paper but something happened this weekend which made me rethink that. For those who didn’t know, the Ontario Liberal Party gathered in Hamilton for the first time in three years. Fifteen hundred people from all over the province braved a snowstorm to come here with the intent of reviving the party through constitutional change and electing a new executive council. There were great ideas shared and a feeling of empowerment. Coincidentally or not, federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre chose Saturday to have a rally in Stoney Creek. Those at the conference were aware he was in town for a couple of hours. I figured neither of the events would get a lot of coverage since we are well aware of cutbacks to newspapers, so you can imagine my surprise when I opened Monday’s paper to find a Spec reporter and photographer attended the Conservative event and not once in three days showed their face at the Liberal convention.

This is not sour grapes. This is about fair coverage especially when we have a high profile by-election. If Tuesday’s editorial cartoon is any indication, the Spec has chosen its political stance.

Sue Prestedge, Hamilton

 

Posted in: Ontario Tagged: Dalton McGuinty, Doug Ford, dump truck, Kathleen Wynne, leadership, letter, Liberal, Ontario, party, Steven Del Duca

Wednesday February 1, 2023

February 1, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

February 1, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday February 1, 2023

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner isn’t ruling out a bid for the leadership of the Ontario Liberals.

A group of high-profile Liberals — including former cabinet ministers Deb Matthews and Liz Sandals, and current Liberal caucus member Lucille Collard — released a letter Sunday urging Schreiner to join the party and run to be its leader.

October 18, 2012

“Our party needs to rediscover a politics of purpose and principle. We need to reach out to a new generation of voters. We need to open up to new people and new ideas and to embrace the kind of energy and enthusiasm that is driving grassroots activism and engagement across the province,” the Liberal group wrote.

“And that’s why we’re turning to you … We believe that your strong principle-based approach and your ability to connect and motivate activists — especially young people — is exactly what our party and province need now.”

Speaking to CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Tuesday, Schreiner said he is mulling over the unusual proposal.

“My response is: give me time to think about this. Most importantly, give me time to consult with people — especially my constituents in Guelph and my friends and colleagues in the Green movement and people across the province — about the best way I can move forward to advance the issues I care about,” he said.

November 22, 2022

Schreiner had previously dismissed the idea when it was broached late last year, but he said the letter “really challenged” him to consider how he might “work differently” on issues like the climate crisis, housing affordability and protecting the Greenbelt.

The Liberal group argued that as Liberal leader, Schreiner would have a broader platform to rally Ontarians opposed to Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government.

“I think I owe it to people to think about it,” Schreiner told Metro Morning.

The party has been without a permanent leader since Steven Del Duca stepped down last year following a devastating election loss — the party’s second such result in a row.

Several Liberals have publicly said they’re exploring a run at the top job, including MP and former Ontario cabinet minister Yasir Naqvi, MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith and current Ontario Liberal caucus member Ted Hsu.

he letter and companion DraftMike.ca website are not going over well with some Liberals.

September 28, 2012

Erskine-Smith wrote on Twitter that purpose and principle are indeed needed, along with “serious renewal” in the party.

“But we don’t need gimmicks, open letters, or Hail Marys,” he wrote. “There is no substitute for hard work and grassroots engagement. We need serious leadership. For a change.”

In response to those comments, Schreiner said Tuesday that he considers the letter “genuine outreach” but that he needs time to consider his options.

Schreiner has been the leader of the Ontario Greens since 2009 and in 2018 won the party’s first seat in the legislature.

His performance in the 2022 election debate was widely praised and he is well liked at the legislature, but despite the party’s high hopes of winning a second seat in that election, the Greens remain a caucus of one. (CBC) 

 

Posted in: Ontario Tagged: 2023-03, Comic Book, Green, leadership, Liberal, Mike Schreiner, Ontario, party, superhero, superman

Tuesday January 24, 2023

January 24, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 24, 2023

Liberal Cabinet Retreat

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his first stop in Hamilton Monday a chance to grab lunch to go with MP Filomena Tassi at The Burnt Tongue on Locke Street.

October 28, 2022

The prime minister and his cabinet are staying in town this week from Jan. 23 to 25 for their post-holiday retreat.

After ordering a cheeseburger and broccoli cheddar soup, Trudeau took a moment to shake hands with the lunch crowd and pose for some photos.

Leaving the restaurant, he posed for a photo with Ashley Acacio and her three-week-old son Mac in his stroller, even correcting the position of a staffer taking a photo for the pair.

On the way to his vehicle, Trudeau hopped on an HSR bus that stopped to greet riders.

Meanwhile, about 200 demonstrators gathered downtown Monday to protest the retreat, calling for migrant rights. They were joined by anti-war demonstrators and about 25 anti-Trudeau and anti-vaccine mandate protesters.

The protesters marched along Main Street, across Summers Lane and blocked King Street in front of the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel for around 20 minutes.

Trudeau’s itinerary said he is expected to attend the retreat, which will focus on affordability and the economy, at 5:30 p.m. Monday. (Toronto Star) 

December 9, 2022

Meanwhile, it’s at the grocery store. It’s at the gas pumps. It’s at your favourite restaurant.

Nearly everywhere Canadians have gone in the past year, every bill might as well have had an extra charge tacked on to the bottom reading simply: inflation.

A shorthand for what’s essentially the rising cost of living, inflation swept across the globe in 2022 and Canada was not immune from its sting.

Canadians eager to travel in June after years of COVID-19 restrictions were met by a 49.7 per cent year-over-year hike in the cost of accommodations. The rest of that summer saw the average price for regular gasoline soar past $2 per litre in many parts of the country. And in October, Canadians were paying 44.8 per cent more for pasta from the grocery store than the same month a year earlier.

April 25, 2014

Poll after poll showed how stretched Canadian dollars had become amid 40-year highs in inflation, with many forced to make impossible decisions about how to feed their families, pay for medications and keep a roof over their heads.

More than a third (36 per cent) of Canadians say their financial situations are very bad or somewhat bad heading into 2023, according to Ipsos Public Affairs polling conducted exclusively for Global News between Dec. 14 and 16. (Global News) 

In the swearing-in of cabinet following the 2021 federal election, the dropping of the awkwardly named Minister of Middle-Class Prosperity, held by Mona Fortier, signalled the short termed portfolio (2019-2021) was an ill conceived addition to the executive team under Prime Minister Trudeau.

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2023-02, Bill Morneau, cabinet, Canada, castle, Chrystia Freeland, Editorial Cartoon, inflation, Interest rates, Jagmeet Singh, Justin Trudeau, Liberal, middle class, mortgage, recession, retreat

Thursday May 28, 2022

May 26, 2022 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 28, 2022

All parties fall short on housing crisis

December 1, 2021

When it comes to tackling the crisis of housing affordability in Ontario, pretty much everyone agrees on what must be done: build a lot more houses.

The trouble is, none of the parties asking for your vote on June 2 have a convincing plan to achieve the ambitious goals they’ve set out.

We got our hopes up earlier this year when a task force appointed by the Ford government produced an admirably clear and compact report on how to tackle the issue of supply lagging behind demand.

The panel put its finger on a key reason for the problem: the fact that municipalities typically put most of their land off-limits for anything but single-family homes.

So in too many communities, you can’t build duplexes or small apartment buildings, the so-called “missing middle” that would make cities denser by allowing a lot more units to be built.

But that would mean leaning heavily on municipalities whose councils usually speak for existing homeowners — the ones who want to preserve the “neighbourhood character” of their cities by keeping things just as they are. It’s called “exclusionary zoning.”

April 2, 2020

It was no big surprise, therefore, that when the Ford government produced a housing plan in March it conspicuously failed to address this issue head-on.

The plan made no mention of the ambitious goal the task force set out: building 1.5 million new housing units over the next decade. And it had nothing to say about exclusionary zoning.

At least the municipal affairs minister was frank about why he didn’t follow through with the task force’s key recommendation: he didn’t want to upset towns and cities. “They’re just not there yet,” he said.

He may be right. But we need to get there given how serious the national housing crisis is. Canada has the lowest average housing supply per capita among G7 nations, with 424 units per 1,000 people. That’s behind the United States and the United Kingdom. France, by comparison, leads the G7 at 540 units per 1,000. The pandemic, which allowed households to accrue record savings and saw unprecedented stimulus measures, stoked the country’s hot housing market and pushed it into utterly unaffordable territory.

August 26, 2021

Voters who want to make up their minds based at least partly on which party would best tackle the crisis of housing affordability will find more to chew on in the platforms put forward by the New Democrats, Liberals and Greens. But, on this same crucial point, the opposition parties also fall short.

On the positive side, both the NDP and Liberals include the goal of building 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years. But that won’t be achievable unless cities allow denser housing across much more of their area; the time is long gone when just building endless suburbs on empty land could be justified.

The opposition parties actually have quite a bit to say about exclusionary zoning. They clearly recognize that it’s a problem. But when it comes to actually acting on this, they’re awfully vague.

The NDP’s housing platform promises to end exclusionary zoning. How? It says it would “work with municipalities to reform land-use planning rules.” The Liberals say almost the same. They would “work with municipalities to expand zoning options.”

July 13, 2016

Clearly, none of the parties want to anger municipalities or residents who already own single-family homes in low-rise, low density neighbourhoods. It’s understandable politically, but it puts a big question mark over whether they’d be able to meet their big targets for new homebuilding.

There’s much more to housing policy, of course. The opposition parties promise to build a lot more affordable housing for those completely shut out of the market. And there’s a big difference in what they would do for renters.

The Liberals would reinstitute rent control for units built after 2018 (the PC government excluded them). The NDP would go much further and bring in rent control for all units, even if a tenant voluntarily moves.

But the key to loosening up the housing market is more houses. And right now none of the parties are really stepping up. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Posted in: Ontario Tagged: 2022-18, balloon, election, Green, housing, Liberal, NDP-Liberal, Ontario, party, Progressive Conservative, rent, voter

Thursday December 30, 2021

December 30, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday December 30, 2021

Ottawa’s New Pastime: Leadership Speculation

No wonder there is a sense of déjà vu on Parliament Hill. The minority Parliament elected in September met for just two-and-a-half weeks before taking its holiday break.

September 1, 2021

Perhaps that business-as-usual post-election vibe in the House is why one of the favourite political discussions among insiders is speculation as to who will lead the two main political parties into the next election. Some may think this a waste of time. With a second consecutive minority government no one knows when the next election might be. And neither of the major party leaders, Justin Trudeau or Erin O’Toole, plans to step down. Quite the contrary. Both have said they are determined to lead their parties when voters next go to the polls.

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2021-43, ambition, Canada, desert, Justin Trudeau, leadership, Liberal, prospector, succession, Vision
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This website contains satirical commentaries of current events going back several decades. Some readers may not share this sense of humour nor the opinions expressed by the artist. To understand editorial cartoons it is important to understand their effectiveness as a counterweight to power. It is presumed readers approach satire with a broad minded foundation and healthy knowledge of objective facts of the subjects depicted.

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