The Agony and the Exit: Donato's Political Cartoons

Joan McGrath is a Toronto Board of Education library consultant.

Political cartoons are by their very nature the most ephemeral of art forms; the panel that leaves you gasping with laughter when it appears in conjunction with the day’s events is merely puzzling a few months later, when most of what went on at the time has been forgotten, and some of it has even been forgiven. Andy Donato’s cartoons for The Toronto Sun, however, are among the most deeply acid-etched anywhere, and will probably make history researchers of the 21st century giggle. This collection dates from 1975 to 1984 (the CCIP says 1985, but that’s going a bit too far) and covers most of Trudeau’s farewell antics. Might as well laugh at Canada’s political scene; can’t cry all the time.