Pierre Poilievre – mackaycartoons

Friday October 16, 2015

October 15, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 16, 2015

Blue Jays win throws curve at election

The federal election is dealing with a late curveball hurled by the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays.

Blue Jays fans in the vote-rich 905 and 416 regions — studded with ridings that could help determine who becomes Canada’s next prime minister — are certain to tune into the Jays game on Monday night while possibly tuning out the election.

2011-2015

The first pitch in the third game of the Jays’ American League showdown against the Kansas City Royals is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Monday, 90 minutes before the polls close to end an election campaign that’s been almost as enthralling to Canada’s political junkies as the Jays post-season run has been to the country’s sports fans.

The team’s post-season games have earned huge ratings, with overnight numbers for the first three outings against the since-defeated Texas Rangers suggesting an average audience of 2.8 million for the Rogers-owned Sportsnet.

Scott Moore, president of Sportsnet and NHL Properties for Rogers, tweeted that more than nine million Canadians watched Wednesday night’s thrilling nail-biter that ended with a 6-3 Jays victory and elimination for the Rangers.

“Seriously. Elections Canada should consider setting up polling stations in sports bars on Monday night,” Conway Fraser, a self-described communications strategist, tweeted shortly after Major League Baseball announced the timing of the game.

Added another: “So the jays first ALCS home game is election night? . . . so much for voter turnout.”

Yet another Twitter user chided any voters pondering skipping voting in favour of cheering on the Jays: “I can’t stress enough that ALCS game 3 is at 8 p.m. on Monday. Voting goes ALL DAY people. Worst excuse to not vote,” tweeted Drew Garner.

Nonetheless broadcaster CTV is conducting a web poll asking people: “Which result will interest you more? The federal election or the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS Game 3?”

In response, one apparent Jays retorted: “Anything will be more interesting than the election results. Whatever they are, we have the next 4 yrs to discuss & argue.” (Source: Toronto Star)

Wednesday May 20, 2015

May 19, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Wednesday May 13, 2015

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday May 20, 2015

Employment minister Pierre Poilievre won’t say sorry for ‘vanity videos’

Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre won’t apologize for using taxpayer dollars to produce YouTube videos of himself promoting the universal child care benefit.

Poilievre insisted Friday he’s simply using innovative ways to inform Canadians about the newly enriched and expanded child benefit.

But opposition MPs denounced the “vanity videos” as a new low for a government that has a penchant for producing partisan advertising on the public dime.

And the Canadian Taxpayers Federation agreed.

“The bottom line is that taxpayers should not be forced to pay for partisan advertising masquerading as information-based government advertising,” said Aaron Wudrick, the federation’s federal director.

The latest examples “highlight the need for an independent third party” to vet all government advertising, he added.

One of the videos shows Poilievre explaining the child benefit to shoppers at a children’s consignment clothing sale in his Ottawa riding. It was filmed on a Sunday by two members of the Employment department’s in-house creative production team, which has an annual operating budget of about $50,000.

A departmental spokesman said the Sunday shoot took two hours, which was paid overtime for the two videographers involved. Editing was done in-house during regular work hours. (Source: Toronto Star)

Published in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, National Newswatch, The Regina Leader-Post, NUPGE drawing conclusions, and The Woodstock Sentinel Review

Thursday, April 10, 2014

April 10, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday, April 10, 2014

Pierre Poilievre accuses elections watchdog of wanting more power

Democratic Reform Minister Pierre Poilievre is fending off near-universal condemnation of his controversial elections overhaul by attacking the integrity, impartiality and motives of the chief elections watchdog.

Exactly four weeks after he launched Bill C-23 with a swipe at Marc Mayrand for “wearing a team jersey,” Poilievre accused the chief electoral officer of making “astounding” and untrue claims about the legislation in a desperate bid to pad his power and his budget.

“His recommendations really boil down to three broad requirements for him,” Poilievre told the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee Tuesday as it launched a “pre-study” of the bill before the House of Commons considers amendments or passes it.

“He wants more power, a bigger budget and less accountability.”

The broadside drew sharp condemnation in the Commons during the daily question period.

“Will the prime minister stand in this House and apologize to parliamentarians, and apologize to Marc Mayrand, for that cowardly, baseless attack on Canada’s chief electoral officer?” NDP Leader Tom Mulcair demanded.

Stephen Harper responded by congratulating Philippe Couillard, the Quebec Liberal party leader, for his victory Monday night in the provincial election.

Poilievre stood by his morning testimony at the Senate committee.

For his part, Mayrand refused to respond in kind.

Appearing later at the same Senate committee, he attempted to keep the focus on the sweeping changes he and other electoral experts fear will disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters, erode the independence of Elections Canada, slow down investigations into breaches of election law and make spending limits on political parties unenforceable. (Continued: CBC News)

OTHER MEDIA: Reprinted in the Edmonton Journal, National Newswatch, iPolitics

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

April 1, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Dimitri Soudas fired as Conservative Party executive director

Dimitri Soudas has been forced out as the Conservative Party of Canada’s executive director after trying to interfere with his fiancée’s Conservative nomination battle.

Soudas, who was Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s director of communications in 2011, has been the party’s executive director since December. He worked for Harper for nine years, starting when Harper was the leader of the official opposition. Soudas left after the party won a majority government in May 2011, and took a job with the Canadian Olympic Committee. He left that job just days before the party announced they’d hired him in the top staff job.

The party’s national council was briefed on the move during a conference call at 9 p.m. ET Sunday.

Soudas’s fiancée, Eve Adams, is fighting local chiropractor Natalia Lishchyna for the Conservative nomination in Oakville-North Burlington, a newly created riding that technically won’t exist until the next election. Adams is the MP for Mississauga-Brampton South, a riding that’s being split in 2015.

The Canadian Press has reported that tempers flared when Adams showed up at a riding board meeting March 19, and was asked to leave after an unpleasant exchange. Two separate Conservative sources said one board member threatened to call the police when she stayed on.

Soudas couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

A spokesman for the party confirmed that Soudas “stepped down as executive director” of the party, but wouldn’t comment further. A source told the CBC’s Hannah Thibedeau that Soudas was told to resign or he would be fired.

Conservative Party President John Walsh sent an email to the national council, obtained by CBC News, that named Simon Thompson as the interim executive director.

Thompson is currently the party’s chief information officer. He started last September. Prior to that, he worked for Deloitte in Ottawa. (Source: CBC News)