The cartoon above is a portrayal of the Canadian government when it comes to the issue of poverty. The illustration depicts a panicked man ripping open his button up shirt and tie in an imitation of the iconic superman comics, in which Superman rips open his button up shirt to reveal a hero costume underneath. This man reveals an underwhelming identical button up shirt and tie. This artist is targeting and questioning the attitude of our leaders when it comes to the pertinent issue of poverty. This man's expression,represents the panicked state of the government and the fact that they are not ready to acknowledge or deal with the issue of poverty in this country. The extravagant title suggests the lavish plans that the government makes. The placement of the mediocre man under the lavish title embody s the fact that the government is falling short on it's promises and is highlighting basic human rights as luxuries rather than needs. The removal of his clothing only to reveal an identical outfit represents the fact that the government 'reforms' itself and builds new policies every dew years and yet no significant changes have been made. The message that the artist is trying to portray is one of lackluster government policies.
The cartoon above is a portrayal of the First Nations situation in Canada. The illustration depicts a beaver on a slot machine. The slot machine appears to say 'Indian Act' and there are various red cups and cigarettes littered around the beaver. The artist is targeting and questioning the stalled progression and lackluster conditions of the First Nation citizens of Canada. The bitter message of this cartoon is conveyed through what he is saying. The phrase 'C'mon!Papa needs first world living conditions!' depicts he fact that they have been deceived by the government and trapped in poverty and false promises so long, without seeing significant improvement that, they must rely on themselves to transform their lives. It portrays the fact that they still do not have access to First World living conditions. The slot machine is a critical factor in this piece as well. It speaks to the crisis several First Nations reserves are facing. Casinos are being built on their sacred lands in attempts to combat the severe poverty faced by a copious amount of reserves. The abundant amount of cigarettes and red cups scattered around the slot machine speak to the substance abuse issues several First Nations people feel due to several factors such as poverty and the cycle of abuse being passed on through generations which can be traced back to residential schooling. The message that this artist is conveying that the First Nations people must combat the institutionalized system which was built against them, parts of which still haven't been dismantled to this day. They must do this alone.
The cartoon above is a portray of the Canadian government's tumultuous relationship with out First Nations. The comic depicts Stephan Harper, our previous Prime Minster which speaks to the fact that these views and problems are still relevant in today's society. The split panel and drastically different facial expressions conveys he multilayered perspective our leaders have pertaining to this issue. The most poignant and critical piece of this comic is the words which Mr.Harper is saying. 'I resolve to continue to be a good friend to indigenous peoples.' is the side of the government speaking to their citizens, reassuring them everything is fine and that out country is perfect. This is the side which leads to the misconceptions and misinformation which so many citizens hold. '...As long as I don't actually have to talk to them." Speaks to this issue in several ways. It represents the private part of the government, which has not improved the lifestyle of the First Nations people in several decades. This is the slide which is missed by so many citizens. This is the slide which conveys the fact that First Nations people are dehumanized and treated as second class citizens in their own country! The artist's intent for this comic is to portray the government as 'two faced' and to call them out on the way they are handling this crisis.