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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 July 17, 2020

July 24, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 17, 2020

Heavy lifting for long-term care awaits Doug Ford

In the 100-kilometre journey to deliver a decent long-term-care system for Ontario, Doug Ford took a baby step forward this week.

June 17, 2020

By offering a 10 per cent subsidy hike to private-sector nursing home operators who open new beds, the premier should rid the province of at least some of those disgusting, overcrowded, four-person wards that became death-traps in the COVID-19 pandemic.

That change alone represents welcome, if overdue, progress. Indeed, the Ontario Long Term Care Association, which represents 70 per cent of the province’s 630 long-term-care facilities, applauded the changes Ford’s making.

But there’s less in the government’s new funding formula than meets the eye. If the goal is rebuilding an entire long-term-care edifice, Ontario’s stuck at the stage of digging the new foundation.

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the serious, even shameful, deficiencies in a vital part of Ontario’s public health-care system. The province’s nursing homes have witnessed the deaths of 1,730 elderly residents and eight workers since the outbreak began in March. That’s almost two-thirds of Ontario’s officially reported COVID-19 fatalities.

May 27, 2020

The fact that the Canadian military had to be ordered in to save seven nursing homes that were overrun by the disease proved beyond any doubt that this province had turned a blind eye to grave systemic failings. The abuse, neglect, bug infestations, bleeding infections and the residents crying for help for hours that the army discovered should have no place in this affluent, supposedly caring country.

Correcting that, along with improving homes that if not as bad are beneath basic, acceptable standards, is a monumental challenge. What Ford did this week was simply provide new details about a previously announced $1.75-billion infusion into long-term-care facilities.

When that money was first committed, the government promised 15,000 new beds and renovations of 15,000 existing beds over the next decade. It’s unclear if that bold commitment still stands.

April 9, 2020

Ford did say this week that his new funding changes mean 8,000 new beds and 12,000 redeveloped beds are in the works. Air conditioning and improved ventilation is on the way for many nursing homes. Safer, more comfortable facilities will benefit nursing home residents and staff alike.

Left unanswered is how Ford plans to provide the 30,000 beds he originally pledged for the coming years. That’s a nagging question that will not go away. There are 36,000 seniors on the waiting-list for long-term care in Ontario. Ford needs to show us all his road map for moving forward.

COVID-19 Cartoons

He needs to say if his nursing home system overhaul will include providing more hands-on, daily care for residents. It should. And what about the personal support workers who provide such essential services? They receive miserable wages for a demanding job that offers minimal security. Ford needs to increase staffing levels but also the pay and working conditions for that workforce.

In addition, the Ontario government needs a detailed plan for improving the oversight of the province’s nursing homes. If Ford is content with allowing the long-term-care system to rely so heavily on private providers, he must ensure proper transparency and accountability. That could come from the independent commission Ford wants to investigate the system. But he has yet to say when that commission will begin its job.

Not every long-term-care facility does a bad job. Too many do. Ford has signalled that transforming the system is one of his highest priorities. But what he announced this week will raise red flags that suggest he’s content with superficial fixes. We need him to completely re-invent how we care for our elderly. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial)

Friday May 3, 2019

May 10, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday May 3, 2019

Move over, Doug Ford. Jason Kenney is Canada’s new disruptor

Jason Kenney is back. First stop, Ontario.

Days after being sworn in as Alberta’s new premier Tuesday, sweeping to power with a 55-per-cent majority unrivalled by any politician in Canada today, Kenney wants to win over Ontarians.

Direct and in person.

Best known as a savvy Harper-era federal minister, officially responsible for immigration and multiculturalism, but unofficially assigned to wooing and winning the 905 vote, Kenney has reinvented himself as a fiery prairie populist.

All these years later, the Oakville-born Alberta premier still has an eye, and an ear, for the GTA.

Now he wants to be heard.

Not just by the Bay Street crowd who rewarded him with standing ovations during a lunchtime speech on Alberta’s energy woes, or from the smiling Ontario premier who pledged his support Friday (after bearing a private grudge against him for years — more on that later).

The new premier is getting his message out any way he can, not least in the pages of the Toronto Star. Which is why he sat down for a wide-ranging interview about Alberta’s plight, his political fight, and his plan to disrupt Canada even if it means talking up disunity in a country that still frets about national unity.

Ontarians, he says, should hear him out.

“Obviously, Ontario is sort of the elder brother of the federation, and I think it can play a role,” he tells me. The response at Friday’s business lunch showed “they get what Alberta is going through.”

Many politicians lay claim to a 100-day plan of action. Kenney, however, has unveiled a 100-hour agenda of disruption that he has spent years mapping out.

And he is just getting started — threatening B.C. with a fuel blockade and confronting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with a constitutional challenge over control of energy resources. (Continued: Toronto Star)

Thursday February 22, 2018

February 21, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday February 22, 2018

How Justin Trudeau NEVER misses an opportunity to don traditional attire

Dressed head to toe in robes of gold, then red, then white – Justin Trudeau has certainly cut a distinctive figure during his first three days in India.

Bollywood Justin

Indeed, the Canadian Prime Minister seems to have made a point of dressing like a local during his debut visit to the country as leader.

But he also has a history of donning traditional robes at home, especially to honor special dates in the Indian calendar.

As far back as 2012, Trudeau attended the premiere of Midnight’s Children – based on the book about Indian independence written by Salman Rushdie – dressed in a white sherwani robe.

Screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, Trudeau was only a member of parliament when he attended along with wife Sophie Gregoire, who opted for a navy blue halter gown.

Twice last year he also marked important dates in the Indian calendar while dressed for the occasion.

After the junket- February 26, 2018

In August he stepped out wearing a kurta – which literally translates from its Persian origins as ‘a collarless shirt’ – in order to celebrate Indian Independence Day.

Then again in October he donned a dark black sherwani – a heavy, more formal robe usually worn over the top of a kurta – to mark Diwali.

Although on that occasion he drew the ire of many Hindus by tweeting the image along with the caption ‘Dewali Mubarak!’

Mubarak as an Arabic word which means ‘blessed’ and is not used as a greeting by the majority of the Hindu religion.

In January this year, Trudeau was again dressed up to celebrate Thai Pongal, the harvest festival of the Tamil people, in Scarborough.

Trudeau has also routinely celebrates vaisakhi, a Sikh harvest festival, and often does so in traditional robes.

In 2013 he took to the streets of Vancouver in an emerald green jacket with a white cap covering his head, in a nod to the traditional Sikh turban. (Continued: Daily Mail)

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Wednesday September 13, 2017

September 12, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday September 13, 2017

Jagmeet Singh praised for ‘calm and positive’ reaction to anti-Muslim heckler

Federal NDP leadership hopeful Jagmeet Singh is garnering praise for the way he reacted to a woman who accused him last week of supporting Islamic extremism, because he chose to come out against “all forms of hate” instead of emphasizing that he is Sikh rather than Muslim.

August 3, 2017

The Ontario MPP was interrupted by an angry heckler at a meet and greet last Wednesday in Brampton, Ont. The woman stood in front of the candidate and shouted as aides tried to usher her aside in an incident that was caught on video and shared widely on social media well beyond Canada’s borders.

The woman accused Singh of wanting to impose Shariah law, an Islamic legal code based on the Qur’an, and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, an 89-year-old religious and political group. The exchange was caught on video and lasted more than four minutes.

“Many people have commented that I could have just said I’m not Muslim. In fact, many have clarified that I’m actually Sikh,” Singh explained in a statement.

“While I’m proud of who I am, I purposely didn’t go down that road because it suggests their hate would be OK if I was Muslim.”

A political science professor told CBC News on Monday that Singh took the right approach.

“It suggests the fact that he is not Muslim is irrelevant,” said Erin Tolley, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto.

“You can just imagine for example a white politician standing in front of a room and heard something racist being said. The exact wrong reaction is to say, ‘Well, I’m white, I’m not a person of colour, so this isn’t important to me.’”

Singh wanted to defuse the situation, she said, highlighting that hate of all forms is wrong, whether it’s directed at your community or not.

His response also signals that Singh, who wears a turban, has experience dealing with direct threats because of his outwardly religious appearance. (Source: CBC News)

This cartoon received an unusual amount of criticism through the mackaycartoons Facebook Page:

Republished in a number of publications. Below the Edmonton Journal and the Western Star, Corner Brook, Newfoundland:

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