premier

Saturday July 28, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 28, 2018

Doug Ford defends unilateral moves to slash Toronto council, axe regional chair elections

There’s a new sheriff in town.

November 20, 2013

Brandishing his political clout, recently elected Premier Doug Ford is unilaterally slashing the number of councillors at Toronto city hall and cancelling democratic elections for regional chairs in Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka.

Ford’s disruption of civic elections on Friday triggered an eruption in municipal politics across the GTHA. In one surprise development, Jennifer Keesmaat, Toronto’s outspoken former chief planner, entered the city’s mayoral race and will take on John Tory.

Tory, for his part, is calling for a referendum on the size of Toronto’s city council.

from 47 members to 25 and is dealing a body blow to a political enemy, Patrick Brown, his predecessor as Progressive Conservative leader, who was a front-runner for the Peel post.

Those hopes dashed, Brown immediately registered to run for mayor of Brampton against Linda Jeffrey.

But Ford, who never discussed his plans during the June 7 election campaign, signalled that he is more powerful than any municipal leader and suggested civic governments could effectively be run from Queen’s Park.

June 22, 2018

“We’re going to get things done. We’re going to run city hall a lot more efficiently than before,” the premier told reporters 12 hours after the Star revealed his sweeping changes.

“No one has ever said to me: ‘Doug, we need more politicians,’ ” said Ford.

“In fact, it’s the opposite. People tell me that we have too many politicians making it harder to get things done, making it harder to get things built, making it harder to deal with the real problems we face,” he said.

Ford, a one-term Toronto councillor while his late brother, Rob Ford, was mayor from 2010 to 2014, said he was fed up with the “hours and hours of endless debate . . . all of it taking place on the taxpayer’s dime.”

“It’s clear that the size of government is just too large.”

City wards will mirror provincial and federal riding boundaries if the legislation, which will be tabled Monday, is passed. (Source: Toronto Star) 

 

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Friday June 28, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 28, 2018

Incoming Ontario premier Doug Ford invites public to outdoor ceremony after swearing-in

Doug Ford is set to officially become Ontario’s premier on Friday and he’s inviting the public to come watch.

A ceremony is scheduled to take place on the steps of the legislature after the Progressive Conservative leader and his cabinet are sworn in inside Queen’s Park.

While the indoor portion is closed to the public, the ceremony outside — which will see Ford reaffirm his oath of office and give a speech — is open to everyone.

Ford, who was elected to a majority earlier this month, has yet to say what size his cabinet will be or who will be appointed to each portfolio.

But he has made several other major announcements, including a pledge to scrap the province’s cap-and-trade system immediately once the legislature resumes.

He has also placed the public service under a hiring freeze and ordered that all discretionary spending be put on hold. (source: Global News) 

 

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Friday June 15, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 15, 2018

‘It will be very difficult’: Ontario’s Doug Ford faces uphill battle amid NAFTA troubles, Trump’s tariffs

Doug Ford pledged to stand united with the federal government in its heated trade dispute with the United States as the beleaguered NAFTA talks become a “critical” issue for his new government.

April 20, 2018

“The stakes are high,” Ontario’s premier-designate told reporters following a meeting with auto and steel industry representatives Wednesday. “Thousands of jobs rely on the outcome of these talks. Thousands of Ontario families are counting on us to defend their interests.”

The U.S. struck out at Canada last month with tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum. Hours later, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on $16.6 billion of U.S.-made steel, aluminum and a range of other goods. Relations have been on a downward course since then, with Trump calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “weak and dishonest” in a Twitter post, apparently after he was angered by a G7 press conference in which Trudeau restated his objections to the U.S. Levies.

June 18, 2016

Ford said the “name-calling” was “not acceptable whatsoever.”

“I want to be very clear: we stand shoulder to shoulder with our federal counterparts,” he said.

As the Canada-U.S. dispute deepens, analysts say Ford will have his work cut out for him as he strives to deliver on his campaign promises amid weakened provincial finances and an increasingly uncertain business environment. (Source: Financial Post) 

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Tuesday February 23, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday February 23, 2016 Dalton McGuinty portrait set to be unveiled at QueenÕs Park Three years after leaving in tense times, Dalton McGuinty is coming back to QueenÕs Park. Permanently. His official portrait will be unveiled Tuesday and hung outside Premier Kathleen WynneÕs office in a hallway thatÕs home to two other paintings by the same artist, Istvan Nyikos, who painted former Progressive Conservative premiers Bill Davis and Mike Harris. McGuinty is his first Liberal premier but Nyikos, who left Hungary as a refugee in 1967 and studied at what is now the Ontario College of Art and Design, says he wouldnÕt touch politics with a 10-foot paint brush. ÒItÕs none of my business. As a taxpayer, maybe, but not as an artist,Ó he quips from his Collingwood studio. In fact, Nyikos Ñ who has also painted four speakers of the legislature, six chief court justices and former governor general Ray Hnatyshyn, to name just a few Ñ prefers not to know his subjects too well. ÒI take the face value, literally, of what the people give me . . . a superficial knowledge is good enough.Ó Nyikos adds, tellingly: ÒI canÕt paint my wife or my family. IÕm too close to them. I love them. I know them too well.Ó He has several sittings with each subject, sketching or painting the face and taking photographs of hands and other details. He works from those over the course of six to eight weeks, often painting several portraits concurrently. Nyikos says his clients, who may well have ruffled feathers in their professional lives, are unfailingly polite as they make small talk. ÒI try to paint them at their best.Ó Coincidentally, the unveiling takes place the night before the second court date of McGuintyÕs two former top aides, chief of staff David Livingston and deputy chief Laura Miller. They face criminal charges of breach of trust, mischief in relation to data and misuse of a computer system following a lengthy Ontari

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday February 23, 2016

Dalton McGuinty portrait set to be unveiled at Queen’s Park

Three years after leaving in tense times, Dalton McGuinty is coming back to Queen’s Park. Permanently.

Mike Harris

His official portrait will be unveiled Tuesday and hung outside Premier Kathleen Wynne’s office in a hallway that’s home to two other paintings by the same artist, Istvan Nyikos, who painted former Progressive Conservative premiers Bill Davis and Mike Harris.

McGuinty is his first Liberal premier but Nyikos, who left Hungary as a refugee in 1967 and studied at what is now the Ontario College of Art and Design, says he wouldn’t touch politics with a 10-foot paint brush.

“It’s none of my business. As a taxpayer, maybe, but not as an artist,” he quips from his Collingwood studio.

Jean Chretien

In fact, Nyikos — who has also painted four speakers of the legislature, six chief court justices and former governor general Ray Hnatyshyn, to name just a few — prefers not to know his subjects too well.

“I take the face value, literally, of what the people give me . . . a superficial knowledge is good enough.”

Nyikos adds, tellingly: “I can’t paint my wife or my family. I’m too close to them. I love them. I know them too well.”

He has several sittings with each subject, sketching or painting the face and taking photographs of hands and other details. He works from those over the course of six to eight weeks, often painting several portraits concurrently.

Nyikos says his clients, who may well have ruffled feathers in their professional lives, are unfailingly polite as they make small talk.

“I try to paint them at their best.”

Coincidentally, the unveiling takes place the night before the second court date of McGuinty’s two former top aides, chief of staff David Livingston and deputy chief Laura Miller.

They face criminal charges of breach of trust, mischief in relation to data and misuse of a computer system following a lengthy Ontario Provincial Police investigation into deleted emails.

Livingston and Miller deny any wrongdoing. McGuinty co-operated with the police investigation and was not a suspect. (Source: Toronto Star)

 

Tuesday November 24, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday November 24, 2015 Justin Trudeau, premiers seek to unify Canada's message on climate change With a first ministers meeting set to take place in Ottawa today just one week before the start of the Paris climate talks, a number of premiers are reminding Justin Trudeau he's not swooping in at the 11th hour to save the day. In fact, some are voicing concern the new prime minister may "fiddle around" with plans already in place. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna reiterated a key Liberal campaign pledge on Friday: "We promise to provide national leadership to take action on climate change, put a price on carbon and reduce carbon pollution," she told attendees of the Canada 2020 conference on Friday. Earlier in the day, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard reminded journalists at the same conference that the provinces have been showing leadership on this file for years. "I am very happy to be working with the federal government and colleagues around the table, but let's resist the temptation to start from scratch." Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has been among those most resistant to putting a price on carbon for his province, expressing concern that the harm to the economy would outweigh environmental benefits. That said, he is expected to unveil a plan later on Monday to have his province get at least half of its electricity supplied by renewable resources. New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant says he also intends to make sure economic considerations remain front and centre at the meeting. "We are all very much focused on creating jobs and growing the economy so we have to have these subjects come up in the same conversation to make sure we are growing the economy in a sustainable way," he said Saturday.(Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-premiers-climate-change-meeting-1.3330284 Canada, Justin Trudeau, Kathleen Wynne, Rachel Notley, Philippe Couillard. Stephen McNe

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday November 24, 2015

Justin Trudeau, premiers seek to unify Canada’s message on climate change

With a first ministers meeting set to take place in Ottawa today just one week before the start of the Paris climate talks, a number of premiers are reminding Justin Trudeau he’s not swooping in at the 11th hour to save the day.

In fact, some are voicing concern the new prime minister may “fiddle around” with plans already in place.

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna reiterated a key Liberal campaign pledge on Friday: “We promise to provide national leadership to take action on climate change, put a price on carbon and reduce carbon pollution,” she told attendees of the Canada 2020 conference on Friday.

Throwback to 2014

Throwback to 2014

Earlier in the day, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard reminded journalists at the same conference that the provinces have been showing leadership on this file for years.

“I am very happy to be working with the federal government and colleagues around the table, but let’s resist the temptation to start from scratch.”

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has been among those most resistant to putting a price on carbon for his province, expressing concern that the harm to the economy would outweigh environmental benefits.

That said, he is expected to unveil a plan later on Monday to have his province get at least half of its electricity supplied by renewable resources.

New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant says he also intends to make sure economic considerations remain front and centre at the meeting.

“We are all very much focused on creating jobs and growing the economy so we have to have these subjects come up in the same conversation to make sure we are growing the economy in a sustainable way,” he said Saturday.(Source: CBC News)

Published in the Regina Leader-Post, Wednesday November 25, 2015

Published in the Regina Leader-Post, Wednesday November 25, 2015