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retreat

Wednesday September 11, 2024

September 11, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Mark Carney’s appointment to lead the Liberal task force offers hope for revitalizing the party, but it will likely require a leadership change to prevent a total collapse under Justin Trudeau’s tenure.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday September 11, 2024

Mark Carney’s Arrival Could Be the Lifeline the Liberals Desperately Need

June 6, 2024

The federal Liberal Party is in crisis. Polls have been trending downward for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who, after nearly a decade in office, appears to be losing his grip on both the party and the public. Many believe Trudeau’s time is up, with growing calls for him to step aside before the next election. As the Liberals face what looks like an inevitable reckoning, Mark Carney’s arrival as chair of an economic growth task force offers a glimmer of hope. But can Carney, with his global financial pedigree, save the party from its current slump?

Opinion: Being tired of Justin Trudeau is not a good reason to vote him out

Public fatigue with Trudeau has set in (and like it or not as in the case of the author in the article linked above), with many Canadians increasingly disillusioned by his handling of economic issues, particularly the growing national debt and housing affordability. Longtime Liberal supporters are expressing their frustration, feeling disconnected from the party’s direction under Trudeau’s leadership. As one disenchanted voter remarked, “Resign immediately, you are finished. I was a lifelong Liberal until his government,” capturing a sentiment shared by many who believe Trudeau’s policies have alienated the party’s base.

December 30, 2021

This dissatisfaction makes the upcoming byelection in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, a Liberal stronghold in Montreal, a critical moment. Should the Liberals lose this seat, it would serve as a definitive sign that the Trudeau era is on the brink of collapse. In this context, Carney’s entry as a key figure in shaping the party’s economic vision may be the last viable strategy to stop the bleeding. He is untainted by the political baggage of the Trudeau administration, which offers a fresh face and a potentially invigorating presence in a party that desperately needs new energy.

Mark Carney’s credentials are impressive. His tenure as governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England during the 2008 financial crisis earned him global respect. Carney’s ability to stabilize markets and navigate complex economic challenges positions him as an asset in a time when economic anxiety dominates public discourse. But Carney’s entry into politics raises a deeper question: can a technocrat with a distinguished international résumé translate that success into electoral appeal?

Carney’s role in chairing the economic task force will involve consulting with business, labor, and Indigenous leaders to craft a platform focused on middle-class growth. His perspective, free from the entrenched political patterns of recent years, could indeed offer an opportunity to shift the narrative. In fact, his global experience and pragmatic approach might serve as the perfect antidote to the populist appeal of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, whose “everything’s broken” rhetoric has gained traction among voters frustrated with the status quo.

News: Mark Carney joins Liberals’ economic growth task force

The popularity surges of leaders like Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre highlight the perilous tendency of voters to invest unrealistic faith in political figures, underscoring the importance of maintaining critical analysis and skepticism in democratic engagement.

April 13, 2024

Pierre Poilievre’s rise within the Conservative Party has been marked by his dark, cynical depiction of Canada’s present state. His appeal is built on a promise to “fix” a broken country, a message that resonates with many who feel left behind. But Carney’s economic expertise and forward-looking approach offer a positive alternative. Unlike Poilievre’s gloomy pessimism, Carney represents the possibility of steering Canada toward a more hopeful, globally integrated future. His emphasis on economic growth, job creation, and pragmatic policies could counter the growing appeal of Poilievre’s populist surge.

In contrast to the Conservatives’ focus on austerity and deep spending cuts, Carney brings a vision of balanced growth and sustainable investment, aiming to restore fiscal health without exacerbating inequality. This approach may prove more appealing to moderate voters, who are wary of the rightward shift in the Conservative Party under Poilievre’s leadership.

April 6, 2021

For this to work, however, Trudeau must recognize the writing on the wall. The reality is that, despite Carney’s credentials, the Liberals will not regain their footing without a decisive change at the top. As one commenter astutely pointed out, “Carney should stand aside and let the party fail if Trudeau refuses to step aside. Nothing Carney can do will resurrect the Liberals’ election chances without a leadership change”.

This sentiment reflects the growing consensus that Trudeau’s leadership is becoming a liability rather than an asset. Should Trudeau stubbornly cling to power, Carney’s efforts may be in vain, as he risks being associated with the same failed policies and political missteps.

Opinion: Justin Trudeau draws in Mark Carney as Liberal MPs gather to consider the coming election

May 2, 2009

It is possible that Trudeau’s appointment of Carney to this prominent role is a calculated step toward a leadership transition. The speculation surrounding Carney as a potential successor has been persistent for years. If Trudeau’s government were to falter in the upcoming byelection or suffer further political setbacks, a leadership race could be triggered sooner than expected. In such a scenario, Carney’s entrance would not be as an economic adviser, but as the face of a revitalized Liberal Party.

For now, Carney’s task is monumental. He must navigate the current crisis while laying the groundwork for a more prosperous future. Whether this is part of a larger plan to position him as Trudeau’s heir or simply a last-ditch effort to salvage the Liberal brand, one thing is clear: the stakes could not be higher. Canada’s political landscape is shifting, and the outcome of these developments will define the country’s direction for years to come. (AI)

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2024-16, Canada, caucus, Chrystia Freeland, Harjit Sajjan, Hedy Fry, Justin Trudeau, leadership, Liberal, Marc Miller, Mark Carney, Pablo Rodriguez, party, retreat, Steven Guilbeault, Valerie Bradford

Tuesday August 27, 2024

August 27, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Canada, cabinet, retreat, reset, Justin Trudeau, eject, ejection, armchair, leadership, men in grey suits

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator and The Toronto Star – Tuesday August 27, 2024

An animated version of this editorial cartoon has been posted to Pinterest.

The Elephant in the Room at the Liberal Cabinet Retreat—Trudeau’s Leadership

January 25, 2023

As the Liberal cabinet gathers in Halifax for their annual end-of-summer retreat, weighty issues like housing, immigration, and economic stability dominate the agenda. Yet, the most pressing issue of all remains unspoken: the future of Justin Trudeau’s leadership. Despite the Liberals’ insistence on focusing on policy and delivering on existing promises, the growing discontent among Canadians and the palpable frustration within the Liberal ranks suggest that the real reset the party desperately needs will come only when Trudeau steps down—a move that, when it happens, will likely mark the true “retreat” for this government.

The Halifax retreat has highlighted the Liberals’ commitment to tackling the critical issues of housing affordability, immigration, and economic policy. These are undoubtedly important, especially as Canadians continue to struggle with high living costs and limited housing availability. The government’s discussions on refining the temporary foreign workers program, potential electric vehicle tariffs, and managing Canada-U.S. relations are necessary, but they feel increasingly overshadowed by the broader political landscape.

News: As Trudeau cabinet meets, Liberal MPs look for signs of change following byelection loss

January 24, 2023

Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives are riding high in the polls, capitalizing on widespread frustration with the Liberals’ handling of these very issues. The Liberals’ response, focused on incremental policy adjustments, seems insufficient to address the growing perception that this government is out of touch and running out of steam.

The recent developments in the United States, where President Joe Biden chose not to seek re-election, leading to Vice President Kamala Harris’s swift rise as the Democratic nominee, have not gone unnoticed in Canada. Biden’s decision to step aside was seen as a strategic move that allowed the Democratic Party to reset and potentially reinvigorate its base. Harris’s candidacy has injected new energy into the Democratic campaign, offering a fresh face to voters while maintaining continuity with Biden’s policies.

Opinion: Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are facing a bloodbath — and he’s ignoring the real problem his party faces

In contrast, Trudeau’s refusal to consider stepping down, despite persistently low approval ratings and a significant polling deficit, is increasingly seen as a miscalculation. While the Liberals continue to focus on their policy agenda, the absence of a clear succession plan is stifling any hope of a similar reset in Canada. The party is stuck in a holding pattern, unable to fully confront the political reality that Trudeau’s leadership may have become more of a liability than an asset.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces a pivotal decision amidst plummeting popularity and internal party dissent, debating whether to lead the Liberals into the next election despite significant electoral challenges.

June 22, 2024

Reader comments from recent articles encapsulate the growing frustration among Canadians. Many have simply given up on Trudeau, waiting for the next election to express their dissatisfaction at the polls. The sense of resignation is palpable, with some comparing Trudeau’s clinging to power to Donald Trump’s in the United States—a leader who, despite low approval ratings and widespread discontent, refuses to step aside.
The criticism is not just about policy failures but about a perceived arrogance in Trudeau’s continued leadership. As one commentator put it, “Nothing they do matters at this point, no one is listening to the Liberals anymore.” The longer Trudeau remains at the helm, the more it appears that the Liberals are unwilling or unable to confront the reality that a leadership change might be the only way to salvage their electoral prospects.

Despite the Liberal government’s attempts to press forward with their agenda, the elephant in the room remains Trudeau’s leadership. The Halifax retreat, for all its focus on policy, has done little to quell the growing sense that this government is on borrowed time. The real reset, the one that could potentially give the Liberals a fighting chance in the next election, will not come from minor policy shifts or new messaging strategies. It will come when Trudeau decides to step down, allowing the party to regroup and present a new leader to the electorate.

News: Trudeau insists he still has what Canadians want, despite polling numbers

January 20, 2023

Such a move would be a significant gamble, but it may be the only option left if the Liberals hope to reverse their fortunes. As the party gears up for the next year, the question is not just whether they can deliver on their promises, but whether they can convince Canadians that they are still the best choice to lead the country. Without a change at the top, that task becomes increasingly difficult.

In the end, the real “retreat” may not be this cabinet meeting in Halifax, but Trudeau’s eventual decision to step aside—a move that could herald the renewal the Liberal Party so desperately needs. Until then, the Liberals risk being stuck in a cycle of diminishing returns, with a leader whose time may well have passed. (AI)

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2024-15, armchair, cabinet, Canada, eject, ejection, Justin Trudeau, leadership, men in grey suits, reset, retreat

Tuesday September 12, 2023

September 12, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

September 12, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday September 12, 2023

Trudeau’s Grounded Plane, Liberal Party Turbulence

April 24, 1997

As the Liberal Party finds itself hemorrhaging support in national public opinion polls, there’s a striking parallel to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent experience in India, where his plane was grounded due to technical issues. The 158-member national Liberal caucus is gathering in London, Ont., for their summer retreat, and it’s a crucial moment for the party to strategize its comeback.

News: Canada PM Justin Trudeau stuck in India after plane breaks down  

July 26, 2023

The Sept. 12-14 retreat marks the first face-to-face meeting between all MPs and Prime Minister Trudeau since his controversial July cabinet shuffle, which sparked dissatisfaction among backbench MPs and generated negative media attention. Liberal MP Brenda Shanahan, chair of the national Liberal caucus, hasn’t commented on the situation, but the retreat’s schedule reveals a significant focus on caucus meetings and discussions.

In these retreats, MPs traditionally share feedback from their constituents and receive updates on government priorities from cabinet ministers and party headquarters. However, the drop in polling numbers is a pressing concern for Liberal MPs, who are eager to understand the government’s strategy to address this decline. They’re also curious about why the government hasn’t effectively countered Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s relentless attacks.

The cabinet shuffle, which cast a shadow over the government’s performance, remains a sore point within the party. Liberal MPs and former senior members alike view it as a morale killer, both inside and outside the caucus. Pollsters attribute the declining poll numbers to the party’s prolonged time in power and rising concerns about inflation and affordability among Canadians.

News: Liberals’ tanking poll numbers ‘top of mind’ as Trudeau, Grits head to national caucus retreat  

February 22, 2018

As the party grapples with these challenges, the situation in India serves as a metaphor for Trudeau’s leadership and the Liberal party’s predicament. Just as Trudeau faces unexpected obstacles with a grounded plane, the Liberal party must navigate its way out of a turbulent political climate, seeking to regain momentum and public trust. The journey ahead may be uncertain, but as experienced campaigners, Liberals know that a strong, strategic effort can make all the difference in the next election.The prime minister had been slated to leave India on Sunday. (AI)

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2023-15, broken, Canada, jet, Justin Trudeau, Liberal, party, Pierre Poilievre, repair, retreat

Wednesday January 25, 2023

January 25, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday January 25, 2023

Bad Government – Worse Alternative

Trudeau is already into his eighth year in power and he has enough collective wisdom advising him to have understood that his political “biological clock” is ticking.

January 11, 2023

He has outstanding ministers like Anita Anand, Marc Miller and François-Philippe Champagne who would like their chance. The exceptional Chrystia Freeland is tired of just drumming her fingers on the table and may bolt if Trudeau sticks around.

If he does, there are items on his balance sheet that stand out for hard-pressed Canadians. Although plagiarized from the NDP, Trudeau has negotiated and put in place a plan to provide quality affordable daycare. Quite a feat.

At the same time, the chronic underperformers in key files such as Justice, Immigration, Transport and Public safety have been allowed to muddle along, accumulating errors until they become a crisis. Since when has it become a Herculean task to deliver a passport?

An impression of overall incompetence is beginning to stick to Trudeau. He needs a new broom to sweep clean in the PCO (Privy Council Office).

Trudeau’s worst mark on the progressive report card is in the environment.

October 28, 2021

When Guilbault wanders into a meeting of environmentalists today, those who once admired him now start analyzing their shoelaces.

Trudeau bought a pipeline to boost oil sands production but, ever eager to please, Guilbeault surpassed his master by going along with the mindless offshore oil extraction project at Bay du Nord.

Guilbeault has the temerity to try to sell it as”net zero,” by referring only to the extraction process. It’s embarrassing that he thinks he can con people into forgetting that the petroleum is going to get burned somewhere on the planet, contributing of course to global warming and climate change.

At the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Guilbeault has just promised to restore 19 million hectares of land. That lofty undertaking, without the slightest hint of a plan (or a deal with the provinces) only served to remind Canadians of another vapid promise Trudeau made during a previous election: plant a billion trees. The actual number of trees planted was adjacent to zero. Make the announcement and disappear, sums up the Liberal strategy on sustainable development.

August 5, 2022

Brace yourselves because the new year, 2023, will likely be an election year. Should he choose to stick around, Trudeau will be in his fourth contest since first winning in 2015, a prospect as tiring for his troops as it is for Canadians.

The eternal Liberal rallying cry of “don’t split the vote” will also have more resonance than ever. Sure the Liberals successfully portrayed Andrew Scheer as a scary anti-choice relic and Erin O’Toole as (implausibly) an anti-vaxer! They won’t have anything of the kind to throw at the ultra-woke Singh. They will just have to point to Poilievre and, like a scary tale around the campfire, tell folks that Pierre the evil troll is coming for them unless they re-elect Justin the good. (CTV News) 

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

https://mackaycartoons.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-0125-NATshort.mp4
Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2023-02, cabinet, Canada, Chrystia Freeland, Danielle Smith, Doug Ford, fear, Francois-Philippe Champagne, Justin Trudeau, monster, Omar Alghabra, Pierre Poilievre, procreate, retreat

Tuesday January 24, 2023

January 24, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 24, 2023

Liberal Cabinet Retreat

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his first stop in Hamilton Monday a chance to grab lunch to go with MP Filomena Tassi at The Burnt Tongue on Locke Street.

October 28, 2022

The prime minister and his cabinet are staying in town this week from Jan. 23 to 25 for their post-holiday retreat.

After ordering a cheeseburger and broccoli cheddar soup, Trudeau took a moment to shake hands with the lunch crowd and pose for some photos.

Leaving the restaurant, he posed for a photo with Ashley Acacio and her three-week-old son Mac in his stroller, even correcting the position of a staffer taking a photo for the pair.

On the way to his vehicle, Trudeau hopped on an HSR bus that stopped to greet riders.

Meanwhile, about 200 demonstrators gathered downtown Monday to protest the retreat, calling for migrant rights. They were joined by anti-war demonstrators and about 25 anti-Trudeau and anti-vaccine mandate protesters.

The protesters marched along Main Street, across Summers Lane and blocked King Street in front of the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel for around 20 minutes.

Trudeau’s itinerary said he is expected to attend the retreat, which will focus on affordability and the economy, at 5:30 p.m. Monday. (Toronto Star) 

December 9, 2022

Meanwhile, it’s at the grocery store. It’s at the gas pumps. It’s at your favourite restaurant.

Nearly everywhere Canadians have gone in the past year, every bill might as well have had an extra charge tacked on to the bottom reading simply: inflation.

A shorthand for what’s essentially the rising cost of living, inflation swept across the globe in 2022 and Canada was not immune from its sting.

Canadians eager to travel in June after years of COVID-19 restrictions were met by a 49.7 per cent year-over-year hike in the cost of accommodations. The rest of that summer saw the average price for regular gasoline soar past $2 per litre in many parts of the country. And in October, Canadians were paying 44.8 per cent more for pasta from the grocery store than the same month a year earlier.

April 25, 2014

Poll after poll showed how stretched Canadian dollars had become amid 40-year highs in inflation, with many forced to make impossible decisions about how to feed their families, pay for medications and keep a roof over their heads.

More than a third (36 per cent) of Canadians say their financial situations are very bad or somewhat bad heading into 2023, according to Ipsos Public Affairs polling conducted exclusively for Global News between Dec. 14 and 16. (Global News) 

In the swearing-in of cabinet following the 2021 federal election, the dropping of the awkwardly named Minister of Middle-Class Prosperity, held by Mona Fortier, signalled the short termed portfolio (2019-2021) was an ill conceived addition to the executive team under Prime Minister Trudeau.

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2023-02, Bill Morneau, cabinet, Canada, castle, Chrystia Freeland, Editorial Cartoon, inflation, Interest rates, Jagmeet Singh, Justin Trudeau, Liberal, middle class, mortgage, recession, retreat

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