popularity – mackaycartoons

Thursday April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 24, 2025

As the NDP faces a potential decline in support, Jagmeet Singh’s leadership is under scrutiny, highlighting the party’s need for strategic realignment and renewed focus on core values.

The NDP Faces a Crossroads Amidst Election Uncertainty

March 27, 2025

As Canadians prepare to vote, the New Democratic Party (NDP), under Jagmeet Singh, is facing a tough election. Polls suggest a potential decline in support that could jeopardize the party’s status, highlighting the urgent need for change and strategic adjustment.

Opinion: Donald Trump pounds another nail into the NDP’s coffin

Jagmeet Singh’s leadership has been under intense scrutiny. Since becoming leader in 2017, Singh has had to navigate challenging political landscapes. Yet, his tenure is marked by decisions that have blurred the NDP’s distinct identity. The party’s agreement with the Liberals in 2022, though it brought some policy wins like dental and pharmacare coverage, has left voters wondering what makes the NDP different from the Liberals.

September 6, 2024

Strategically, the NDP has struggled to maintain its footing. By supporting the Liberal government, the party inadvertently gave the Conservatives a chance to gain ground, especially on issues like affordability, traditionally an NDP stronghold. This has led to a loss of support, with voters increasingly turning to parties they see as more capable of addressing pressing economic concerns.

Externally, the influence of Donald Trump has shifted voter focus towards leaders perceived as strong on international trade and relations. This shift has made it challenging for the NDP’s focus on social issues to resonate. Internally, the party grapples with an identity crisis, where a shift towards more fringe policies has alienated moderate supporters.

Critics also point to the NDP’s ambitious social programs, questioning how they plan to fund these initiatives. The perception that the party is out of touch with economic realities has eroded its credibility, even among supporters who align with its social ideals.

Analysis: Singh’s fateful steps

February 29, 2024

Despite these challenges, the situation presents an opportunity for the NDP to regroup and redefine its role. A change in leadership might be necessary to inject fresh energy and realign the party’s strategies with voter priorities. By focusing on core values like healthcare and social equality, and balancing these with economic pragmatism, the NDP can offer a clear and credible alternative to Canadians.

The party’s future will depend on its ability to adapt and reconnect with voters. As the election approaches, how the NDP addresses these challenges will determine its immediate success and long-term role in Canadian politics.

Dire Dipper Days

Pity the NDP and its leader, Jagmeet Singh, whose tenure may be one of the most consequential in decades due to his influence over Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government. Through the Liberal-NDP Supply and Confidence agreement, Singh championed pharmacare, dental care, and elements of the childcare plan. Yet, with just days before the 2025 federal election, the NDP languishes in single-digit support. It seems the party is headed for a harsh voter backlash, possibly signalling the end of Singh’s leadership after eight years. Whether he became too much of a prop for the Liberals, prolonged parliament for his pension, or faced racial bias, the outcome remains uncertain. Though I’m not an NDP member, Singh has been undeniably impactful in enacting NDP policies. Historically, the NDP has influenced significant social reforms, like universal healthcare and the Canada Pension Plan. Today, the party is overshadowed by a national crisis favuoring the Liberals and Conservatives. Though Singh may soon lose his position, his legacy of social benefits for Canadians stands strong.

Check out my making-of animated editorial cartoon for April 24, 2025, below! If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to my Substack newsletter, where I share weekly editorial cartoons every Saturday morning. Substack is a crucial platform for me amidst the uncertainties of being a staff cartoonist, especially given recent layoffs and newspaper closures affecting our field. As long as I hold my position, subscriptions will remain free. Thank you for your support! This “note” helps craft my weekly posts and showcases animated versions of my cartoons. Enjoy!

Youtube: April 24, 2025 https://youtu.be/WeNiZj0fLH0

– The Graeme Gallery

Read on Substack

Saturday June 22, 2024

June 22, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday June 22, 2024

* Find an animated version of this cartoon through this link!

Should He Stay or Should He Go? The Trudeau Dilemma

June 29, 2023

As the summer sun beats down on Parliament Hill, the corridors of power are rife with speculation about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s future. With his popularity at an all-time low, and an Ipsos poll revealing that 68% of Canadians want him to step down, Trudeau faces a critical juncture in his political career. The situation brings to mind the famous lyrics of The Clash: “Should I stay or should I go?”

According to the Ipsos poll conducted for Global News, Trudeau’s support has plummeted, with only 24% of Canadians backing the Liberals if an election were held tomorrow. In stark contrast, the Conservatives would secure a comfortable victory with 42% of the decided vote. Even within his party, there is a growing chorus of voices suggesting it’s time for Trudeau to step aside to avoid dragging the Liberals down with him. As one Liberal MP put it, “We would be better off changing leaders for the good of our country.”

News: Support for Trudeau nears ‘rock bottom’ as 68% want him to step down: Ipsos

June 6, 2024

Trudeau’s determination to stay the course is evident. Speaking on the ReThinking podcast, he expressed his commitment to defending his vision for Canada and his legacy, despite having considered stepping down amid personal challenges last year. His supporters argue that Trudeau is a formidable campaigner who thrives under pressure. They believe he can still turn the tide by engaging directly with Canadians and highlighting the government’s policy successes, such as $10-a-day childcare and new healthcare initiatives.

However, the road ahead is fraught with peril. The upcoming by-election in Toronto-St. Paul’s, a traditional Liberal stronghold, is seen as a bellwether for Trudeau’s leadership. A loss here could signal the beginning of the end for his tenure as Prime Minister. As political analyst David Coletto notes, “Not all by-elections matter. Not all have national consequences. But I suspect that a lot of Liberal MPs are watching closely how this result turns out.”

January 20, 2023

The dilemma facing Trudeau is not unprecedented in Canadian politics. Former Prime Ministers have faced similar crossroads. Brian Mulroney, plagued by declining popularity, chose to step down in 1993, allowing Kim Campbell to lead the Progressive Conservatives to a catastrophic defeat. Conversely, Stephen Harper, despite mounting unpopularity, led the Conservatives into the 2015 election, ultimately losing to Trudeau but preserving his party’s core support.

Analysis: With Trudeau on the ropes, Liberals contemplate the next election with hope and anxiety

May 8, 2018

The decision to stay and fight or to bow out gracefully is a personal one, often influenced by a leader’s sense of duty and legacy. Trudeau’s predicament echoes that of Kathleen Wynne, the former Ontario Premier who saw her popularity nosedive in the months leading to her 2018 defeat by Doug Ford. Wynne’s experience serves as a cautionary tale for Trudeau: once public sentiment turns decisively negative, it can be nearly impossible to recover.

For Trudeau, the summer of 2024 represents a pivotal moment. He must weigh the risks of leading his party into what promises to be a bruising election against Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives. The potential for a humiliating defeat looms large, yet so does the possibility of a political comeback. His decision will shape not only his legacy but also the future of the Liberal Party.

January 23, 2024

Political observers and Liberal MPs alike are divided. Some, like Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada, believe in Trudeau’s ability to reconnect with voters and lead the party to victory. Others, however, fear that his continued leadership will only exacerbate their electoral woes. As one high-ranking Liberal MP remarked, “If Justin Trudeau loses Toronto-St. Paul’s, I don’t see how he can stay on as leader.”

As Trudeau contemplates his next move, the echoes of “Should I stay or should I go” will undoubtedly resonate throughout his summer. The choice is his alone, but its ramifications will be felt across the political landscape of Canada. Whether he opts to stay and fight or to step aside for a new leader, the coming months will be a defining period for Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party. Politics, after all, is as much about timing as it is about leadership. (AI)

Friday April 23, 2021

April 29, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 23, 2021

Ford apologizes after public backlash to enhanced police powers, playground closures

Ontario Premier Doug Ford apologized to Ontarians Thursday morning, days after his government faced intense backlash for introducing a number of additional COVID-19 restrictions that were not recommended by health experts and then nixed earlier this week.

April 8, 2021

Ford, who is isolating at his late mother’s home in Etobicoke after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, said at a news conference he wanted to “address the events of this past week” after his government put in new measures in response to “extremely troubling modelling.”

The province was trying to curb mobility in Ontario, he said.

“But we moved too fast,” Ford said, with some measures going too far.

“Simply put, we got it wrong. We made a mistake. These decisions, they left a lot of people really concerned,” Ford said.

“For that I am sorry, and I sincerely apologize.”

The premier and some of his top cabinet ministers have been under fire after announcing last Friday that the province would close playgrounds and hand police arbitrary powers, among other additional measures, in a bid to curb the third wave of the pandemic.

November 12, 2020

The public outcry to both moves was so swift and fierce that the government reversed course on both within days of the announcement. Members of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table also disavowed the decisions, making clear in interviews with media that they were not based on their own recommendations to cabinet.

Various sources close to the government told CBC News the decisions came amid panic over the latest modelling for the pandemic and fears that Ford’s approval among voters would suffer badly if he was not seen to be taking action.

At one point during Thursday’s news conference, Ford appeared to cry while talking about the pandemic and how hard it has been for businesses, health-care workers and families.

June 9, 2020

“I understand your frustration,” he said. “This experience, this pandemic, it’s something that has affected every single person.”

Ford said Thursday it is “not lost on him” that he is able to isolate and continue working.

“For too many people right now, that’s not the case,” Ford said.

Throughout the pandemic, Ford and his ministers have shut down calls to create a system for paid sick days in Ontario by saying the province didn’t want to double up on the federal program, which until recently, they repeatedly said was sufficient.

Provincial officials have rejected calls from GTHA (Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area) mayors, the province’s science table, local medical officers of health, Opposition parties and countless citizens to do more. The City of Toronto called on the province to institute paid sick leave last May, but to no avail. (CBC)

Saturday June 8, 2019

June 15, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

June 8, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday June 8, 2019

Andrew Scheer has an Ontario problem — and it could be Doug Ford

October 2, 2004

Andrew Scheer’s Conservative Party is struggling to make inroads in Ontario, the battleground province that’s likely to decide October’s federal election. He might have Ontario Premier Doug Ford to thank for that.

Multiple polls suggest Ford and his Progressive Conservative government are deeply unpopular, just one year after ousting Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals from office.

While those polls undoubtedly aren’t being welcomed by provincial Progressive Conservatives — and may have been the motive behind Monday’s about-face on cuts to municipal funding — they don’t necessarily represent a pressing problem for Ford. He still has another three years to go before the next provincial election.

But the Ford government’s dismal poll numbers could present a big problem for Scheer, who needs Ontario if he’s to win the federal vote that’s now less than five months away.

The Conservatives continue to hold a six-point lead over the Liberals nationwide in the CBC’s Canada Poll Tracker, an aggregation of all publicly available polling data. The Conservatives have led ever since the SNC-Lavalin affair sent Liberal support tumbling.

June 5, 2019

The party has seen some significant gains in certain parts of the country. Compared to where the Poll Tracker pegged Conservative support in January and early February (before the SNC-Lavalin story broke), the party has gained up to five points in Quebec and the Prairies and between five and nine points in Atlantic Canada.

The Conservatives are also holding their support in British Columbia and Alberta. The drop in Liberal support has increased the Conservatives’ lead by about four points in B.C., five points in Alberta and nine points in the Prairies, while shrinking the Liberal lead in Quebec and Atlantic Canada by about 11 and 22 points, respectively.

But the dial has not moved as dramatically in Ontario.

The Conservatives hold a slight edge over the Liberals in the province, with 37 to 34 per cent support. While that represents a big drop for the Liberals, who won 45 per cent of the vote in Ontario in the 2015 election, it shows Scheer’s party up only two points over the result that cost Stephen Harper his job — and down as much as five points from where the Conservatives were in the province at the beginning of the year. (Toronto Star)

Thursday May 24, 2018

May 23, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 24, 2018

Almost half of NDP voters just want to stop Liberals, Tories from winning: Ipsos poll

According to recent data from an Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News, 46 per cent of NDP voters intend to vote for the party to stop the Liberals or the Ontario Progressive Conservatives from winning.

“All eyes are on Andrea Horwath right now because her support is the most tenuous,” said Ipsos’ Sean Simpson. “There’ll be more scrutiny paid to Ms. Horwath during the campaign.”

Sixty-four per cent of Ontarians responded that they’re voting for a particular party because they prefer it over all the others, though Ipsos’ Darrell Bricker commented that the number of voters casting ballots to strategically oust another party is “extremely high” during this election.

Simpson agrees that these figures show a large portion of the population “voting against something rather than voting for something.”

A slim majority of NDP voters, 54 per cent, claimed to be voting for the party because they prefer the party. Among PC voters, 64 per cent of respondents said they’re voting for the party because they prefer it over the others, while 36 per cent want to stop another party from winning.

Liberal voters on the other hand, while still maintaining the lowest support, have the highest percentage of voters (at 74 per cent) supporting them because they genuinely like their policies, while 26 per cent want to stop another party from forming a government. (Source: Global News)