Michael Ignatieff

January 16, 2007

Again I find myself the only cartoonist who felt it necessary to draw on something that has been completely ignored by everyone else: the Premier’s trade mission to India. The 17 day trip began last week and includes a 100-member Ontario government delegation with hopes of cashing in on the country’s lucrative film industry and becoming a self-styled “Bollywood North,” as Dalton McGuinty himself described it. To me it smells an awful lot like the old Chretien days, when the old Prime Minister would gladhand his way through countries like China and India with high hopes of bringing foreign investment to Canada. It’s debateable how effective these junkets are. For now let Dalton be the star of his own cheesy show.

Here’s some photos from the trip thus far. I’d love to see some cartoonist out there draw something on this rather comical journey by Ontario’s Premier.

By the Numbers

I was curious to find out how frequently Dalton McGuinty appears in cartoons so I did a little tabulation of cartoons I’ve drawn of him over the past 12 months. Through a simple defined search of my syndicate I discovered I drew 16 cartoons of him in 2006. Sue Dewar of the Ottawa Sun actually beat me by drawing 20. This led me to wonder which politician was drawn the most last year among all the artists represented through Artizans. Here’s the ranking:

  1. Stephen Harper — 422
  2. Ralph Klein — 89
  3. Paul Martin — 87
  4. Dalton McGuinty — 48
  5. Jack Layton — 45
  6. Michael Ignatieff — 42
  7. Rodney MacDonald — 35
  8. Peter MacKay — 34
  9. Stephane Dion — 34
  10. David Emerson — 32
  11. Belinda Stronach –28
  12. Rona Ambrose — 27
  13. Bob Rae — 23
  14. Gordon Campbell — 23
  15. Gilles Duceppe — 20
  16. Jim Flaherty — 17
  17. Jean Chretien — 15
  18. Scott Brison — 14
  19. Bill Graham — 9
  20. Frank McKenna — 9
  21. Joe Volpe — 9
  22. Ken Dryden — 7
  23. Ed Stelmach
  24. Hedy Fry — 6
  25. Gerard Kennedy — 4
  26. Jean Charest — 4
  27. Vic Toews — 4
  28. John Baird — 2
  29. Gary Doer — 1
  30. Lorne Calvert, Martha Hall Findlay, Danny Williams — 0

Friday June 15, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Friday June 15, 2012

Justin’s High Wire Act?

Justin Trudeau should, after a suitable period of introspection, politely thank those who would have him press-ganged into taking on the Liberal leadership. Then he should tell them to heave off. And enjoy the summer. – He’s not ready. Neither is the Liberal Party of Canada.

This latest effort to resurrect Trudeaumania, prompted by Bob Rae’s decision to bow out of the leadership rather than fight like a junkyard dog over the scraps of power, is manic. Trudeau says he’s under intense pressure to run. That can only grow now that he’s opened the door. But this is a mug’s game. The effort to drive the 40-year-old to jump before his time is a sign, not of his suitability, but of the party’s desperation. (Source: National Post)

Meanwhile, Nik Wallenda is hoping to make history Friday as he attempts to be the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope.

On a walk scheduled for 10:20 p.m. ET, Wallenda will cross from the American side to the Canadian side of the falls on a 500-metre wire suspended 60 metres above the churning water.

Others have crossed the water on tightropes, but over the gorge downstream and not for more than 100 years.

Wallenda estimates that the walk will cost him $1.3 million – the pricetag includes the fabrication and installation of the custom-made steel wire, permits and security on both sides of the border as well as travel and marketing.

He is recouping some of the costs through a deal with ABC to air his walk on a live special, which will air on CTV in Canada.

The Niagara Falls Parks Commission expects 120,000 people to gather on the Ontario side of the falls when Wallenda attempts his walk. (Source: CTV News)

 

Thursday January 19, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Thursday January 19, 2012

Italian cruise disaster

A stricken Italian cruise liner shifted on its rocky resting place Monday as worsening weather disrupted an increasingly despairing hunt for survivors and authorities raised their estimate of the number missing to 29 people.

As the Costa Concordia’s owners blamed their captain for veering shorewards on Friday in a bravura “salute” to residents of a Tuscan island, the giant ship slid a little, threatening to plunge its whole carcass and 2,300 tonnes of fuel below the Mediterranean waters of the surrounding nature reserve.

The slippage forced rescuers to suspend for a few hours their efforts to find anyone still alive after three days in the capsized hull, resting on a jagged slope near the island of Giglio. Firefighters said the search would resume at daybreak.

Six bodies have been found since the ship foundered after striking a rock Friday night. Italian coast guard officials on Monday revised the number of people missing up to 29 — 25 passengers and four staff members — from 16.

Environment Minister Corrado Clini said he would declare a state of emergency because of the risk that the ship’s fuel would leak into the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. No fuel spillage has been detected so far, he told an Italian TV show.

The father of the ship’s head waiter said his son telephoned him before the accident to say the crew would salute him by blowing the ship’s whistle as they passed close by Giglio, where both the waiter, Antonello Tievoli, and his father Giuseppe live. “The ship obviously came too close,” the elder Tievoli said. “I don’t know if Antonello asked the captain to come near, but the responsibility is always the captain’s.” (Source: Toronto Star) 

 

Tuesday May 3, 2011

Tuesday May 3, 2011By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday May 3, 2011

Harper finally wins majority

Canadian voters have radically redrawn the country’s political landscape, handing the Conservative Party its long-sought majority in an election that decimated the Bloc QuŽbŽcois and humbled the Liberals.

For the first time in history, the New Democratic Party will form the Official Opposition after an extraordinary breakthrough that propelled the party to more than 100 seats.

StephenHarperCartoonGallery-smThe extent of the transformation is startling. The Liberals now hold just four seats west of Guelph, Ont. The Conservatives, formerly shunned by Toronto voters, won nearly half of the seats in that city, twice as many as the Liberals.

The Bloc QuŽbŽcois, which defined Quebec federal politics for two decades, no longer qualifies for official party status. And Green Party Leader Elizabeth May won the partyÕs first seat, and the right to a place in the next election’s debates.

Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe lost his seat and resigned. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff lost his riding. Both defeated leaders were squeezed, like many of their candidates, between growth in Conservative support and Jack Layton’s surging New Democrats.

The night belonged to Stephen Harper, who put his party over the top after five years of minority government and becomes just the third Conservative leader since Confederation to win triple victories. (Source: Globe & Mail)

September 30, 2010

I’ve just wrapped up a two year term as President of my professional body, the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists. It culminated with a successful convention which took place here in Hamilton and involved the attendance of over 25 editorial cartoonists from across the country. We talked about issues confronting our jobs and our futures, and we celebrated our craft with a show of cartoons at the Art Gallery of Hamilton (which is on until December 12, 2010). We enjoyed a tour which included 3 visits to Niagara area wineries and closed the weekend with a dinner which welcomed Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff, who addressed our group. It has been an honour and privilege to head this organization, and I look forward to assisting Terry Mosher as he takes over the reigns with some ambitious plans for editorial cartooning in Canada.

Below is his letter addressed to members of the ACEC which he kindly acknowledges my wife and I, and thanks us for a great convention. What a classy guy!

———————-

Dear Graeme,

On behalf of the Canadian cartoonists, I would like to thank you for the exceptional job you have done serving as the president of our association. Furthermore, our thanks go out to you and Wendi for your hosting of the excellent ACEC convention in your home town of Hamilton this last weekend.

As the new president of the association, I am delighted that you will continue to keep us up to speed by maintaining our web site and introducing us all to Facebook for communication purposes within the organization. Furthermore, thanks go out to Wes Tyrell who has volunteered to give you a hand in these matters.

My wife, Mary Hughson, and I will continue to consult with you as we start to plan the next ACEC convention to be held here in Montreal sometime in 2012. More information on that get-together will be made available as we get closer to the event. In fact, we were thinking of sending out a newsletter of sorts every six months or so.

I am sending a copy of this email to many of the cartoonists whose names appear on various membership sheets, past and present. So this might be a good place to include several web sites of interest that were talked about in Hamilton.

Here are two international cartoon competitions that I can vouch for, having served on the jury of both this past year. In both cases, I promised the organizers that more Canadian cartoonists would be taking part in these events.

The World Press Cartoon competition is held in Portugal annually. The Grand Prize for this event is 20,000 Euros (along with many other cash prizes). The deadline for entries is January 31, 2011. More information and entry forms are available at: www.worldpresscartoon.com.

The second event I would recommend highly is the Aydin Dogan International Cartoon Competition held annually in Turkey. More information is available at: www.aydindoganvakfi.org.tr.

There are many other international events of interest. A selection of these can be found at this web site: http://caricaturque.blogspot.com.

Lastly, I’ve sent off a thank-you note to Michael Ignatieff for having put his head in the lion’s mouth in Hamilton last weekend (included).

Terry Mosher
Lachine, Quebec

www.aislin.com