Thursday February 14, 2008
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday February 14, 2008
Ont. mulls alternatives to prayer in legislature
Our Premier
Which art in Ontario
Diversity be thy name
Thy will be done
in Earth as
it is in Toronto
Give us non-gluten
alternatives to bread
And forgive us our fibs
As we forgive Liberals
who fib against us
And lead us not into
faith-based schools
But deliver us from
John Tory
For thine is non-sectarian
all-inclusive and P.C.
For diversity and
multiculturalism
A pœple
Premier Dalton McGuinty says it’s time Ontario changed the Lord’s Prayer at the legislature to better reflect the province’s multicultural population.
“More than one-half of people living in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), for example, were born outside the country, and one-third of (residents in) the province were born outside the country,” McGuinty told reporters on Wednesday.
“I think it’s time for us to assure that we have a prayer that better reflects our diversity.”
The premier wants an all-party committee to work with the speaker’s office to look for alternatives to the Christian prayer, which has opened daily proceedings at the legislature since 1969.
The committee will be seeking advice from citizens and faith communities, but it is expected the Lord’s Prayer will be replaced.
“I think we’re the second-last province in Canada which has not changed its basic prayer that was adopted over a hundred years ago,” said McGuinty, who denied the move is an attempt to counter some of the negative feelings stirred up by the debate over funding faith-based schools in last fall’s election. (Source: CTV News) http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ont-mulls-alternatives-to-prayer-in-legislature-1.276242
* * * * * *
Looking back at a cartoon I drew 16 years ago, during the uproar over prayer in Ontario’s legislature, it feels like revisiting a different era. At the time, Premier Dalton McGuinty had sparked a debate about whether the Lord’s Prayer truly reflected our diverse province.
In the cartoon, I took a playful jab at the traditional prayer, crafting a tongue-in-cheek version that better suited multicultural Ontario. “Our Premier, Which art in Ontario, Diversity be thy name” — those words, painstakingly chosen, reflected not only my wit but also a deeper commentary on the changing face of our province.
Reflecting on McGuinty’s call for a more inclusive prayer, I can’t help but remember the heated discussions it ignited. Critics, like opposition leader John Tory, voiced concerns about the intersection of religion and politics. But McGuinty’s push for change mirrored the evolving demographics of our province, with over half of GTA residents being born abroad.
Today, with hindsight as my guide, that cartoon might seem like a relic of a bygone era. Yet, its message still resonates. It reminds me of the ongoing journey towards inclusivity and understanding in our diverse society, a journey that continues to shape Ontario’s identity. (Graeme MacKay – April 1, 2024)