Political Torment and Foreign Interference

Saturday February 1 | Substack Weekly Newsletter 13

Entering the second month of 2025 at the mercy of one man, with a lot of power, holding court with designs on changing the world to suit his unpredictable vision.

A dictator on day one? He’s been dictating since last Monday.

During the past week, Canada faced challenges related to foreign interference, domestic politics, and external pressures, particularly from the United States. As the week evolved the theme in my editorial cartoons highlighted a need for resilience and adaptability with all the torment, as I like to call this age we Canadians are going through.

January 30, 2024

My re-run the week draws from an editorial cartoon I created a year ago, when Donald Trump was beginning his political resurgence amidst Canada’s ongoing discussion about foreign meddling and allegations of collusion by traitors in Parliament. At that time, Trump’s chances of reclaiming the presidency seemed slim, yet Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was already echoing Trump’s rhetoric, cynically using the inquiry for his own political advantage. This parallel between Poilievre and Trump was underscored by a poll indicating that 48% of Canadians believed Poilievre would support Trump, while Trudeau struggled to link the two amid Poilievre’s continued lead over the Liberals. An October 2024 poll showed 21% of Canadians supported Trump at the time.

Tuesday January 28, 2025: The Release of the Foreign Interference Report

So this week began with the release of an important report on foreign interference in Canada’s elections. For months the investigation has been simmering in the background with waning public interest. The report outlined troubling activities from countries like China, Russia, Iran, India, and Pakistan, including assassinations and infiltration of Parliament. In recent months, this serious assault on the democratic process has been overshadowed by the chaos following Trump’s election win, which has significantly impacted Canadian politics in the form of psychological terror.

“Trumpzilla,” illustrates the disruptive effects of Trump’s policies, while “King Elon” represents broader challenges of misinformation allowed to flourish thanks to Trump’s coddling of the tech oligarchs. There’s a pressing need for Canadian leaders to address both foreign interference and the economic consequences of Trump’s actions.

Wednesday January 29, 2025: Doug Ford’s Distraction Tactics

Doug Ford’s call for an early election appeared to be a tactic to distract from his own spending issues rather than a genuine response to external threats. Although he positions himself as a defender against Trump’s tariffs, many voters recognize this as an attempt to deflect attention from his lack of good governance of taxpayer revenues and over a list of glaring challenges from healthcare to housing to education.

As the Liberals prepared for leadership changes on the federal level, and the NDP struggled to remain relevant, Ford seems likely to retain power unless he makes significant mistakes. Voter frustration may grow as they notice the tactics used to divert scrutiny from important issues. But, many may also shrug with indifference and see the whole election undertaking as a cynical move by a cynical politician to grab an ideal opportunity to retain power – the Progressive Conservatives will likely get the mandate Ford seeks, and like the last Ontario election, voter apathy will pull in the highest percentages in the final result.

Thursday January 30, 2025: The Slow Response to Foreign Interference

Back to the foreign interference report. Key questions about the government’s awareness and response to foreign interference remained unanswered.

My cartoon depicted a race among a snail, turtle, and hare, illustrating the slow political response to this critical issue and highlighting the urgency for action before the next federal election.

Canada stands on the brink of a federal election, with Parliament currently closed and political parties appearing indifferent to the looming threats of foreign interference while they strategize to maintain or gain power. Numerous questions linger, yet there is a palpable lack of energy and patience to address them. What began as a well-intentioned inquiry into foreign interference has been effectively undermined by domestic political maneuvering by all parties.

Friday January 31, 2025: The Fragile State of U.S.-Canada Relations

Speaking of futility, as Trump pursued his “America First” agenda, Canada continued facing torment with potential economic challenges from U.S. tariffs.

In the cartoon “Groundhog Day 2025,” Canada is portrayed as a beaver, symbolizing the repetitive nature of political challenges stemming from Trump’s policies. It underscores a futility in resisting the coming blows. There’s a necessity for Canada to adapt to coming harsh measures. Ultimately, this country will have to come up with innovative answers to satisfy Donald Trump, but above all, the message in all this is that Canada needs to rely less and seek greater independence from U.S. influence.

Key to this cartoon are those who are watching. Uncle Sam is literally tied up in America First policy, while the world looks on in horror unknowing of what comes next with who-knows-what from a one man – cough *autocrat* cough – show looking for imperial dominance. Whatever is in store for Canada, the torment the country faces will serve as a convenient example, and a warning to anyone who wants to stand in the way of the bully-in-chief.

Saturday February 1, 2025 : A Shift Away from Trump

The week concluded with a respite from foreign torment and glancing at the options before voters in the first week of Ontario’s snap election. While Doug Ford and Pierre Poilievre enjoyed strong poll numbers, and not much else in regards to conservative alignment, the political landscape is shifting, especially for the Liberals with Bonnie Crombie stepping into leadership for her first election —same for Marit Stiles, of the NDP. All the leaders are busy defining themselves on who they aren’t, and not necessarily on what they stand for.

There is an absence of traditional political discourse in this election.

I miss Editorial Board meetings with the leaders. Reflecting on past encounters with politicians, there was an opportunity to ask the leaders to address significant challenges that may not been part of the rhetorical messages that evolve in campaigns – as in, “it’s great that you want to fight the foreign monster tormenting the country, but how do you plan on fixing crumbling health care in the province?”

Every election I could count on the party leaders coming to us at the Hamilton Spectator. Without any effort I could walk a few steps from my desk with sketch book and draw them at the giant publishers board room table as they fielded questions from a panel of editorial writers and reporters. It was a way to get the message out and they all came, the Premiers, and the opposition leaders. All that stopped in 2018 when team Doug Ford never bothered to accept our invitation. Then the pandemic came in the next election, and now there seems to be no chance for any of them, which is too bad — the leaders escape scrutiny — they can stick to their own script to get the message out.

Embracing Change Amidst Chaos
The week underscored the need for Canada to confront the challenges of foreign interference and external influences. As the political landscape evolves, it’s essential for citizens to stay engaged and hold leaders accountable. By adapting to these changes and learning from past experiences, Canada, and the province can build resilience and move toward a more stable future. Hopefully, this came across in my editorial cartoons created throughout the past 7 days. In the week to come, expect more fallout from the tariffs, more misery, and politicians thrashing about. The satire never stops.

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