Friday December 27, 2024

Canada's 2024 was a year of grappling with pressing challenges—from homelessness and healthcare to leadership and climate policies—balanced by moments of reflection, resilience, and the sharp wit of editorial insight.Graeme Gallery 2024: Canada

Canada as we knew it in 2024 | December 27, 2024 | Substack Newsletter

Posted on December 27, 2024 to The Hamilton Spectator

The year 2024 was anything but dull for Canada, with big challenges and defining moments shaping the nation’s story. From the growing homelessness crisis and debates over mental health care to political maneuvering on climate policies and leadership struggles, the headlines reflected a country grappling with complex issues. Internationally, Canada faced pressures on defence spending and foreign interference, while scandals and setbacks in sports and politics added unexpected twists. Through it all, editorial cartoons captured these events with humour and insight, shining a light on both our successes and shortcomings.

As Christmas approaches, a lamentation over broken promises and governmental failures at all levels, particularly in cities, reveals the stark reality of the homelessness crisis in Canada, with blame games and jurisdictional disputes overshadowing the urgent need to legalize housing and address the root causes.Thursday December 21, 2023: As Christmas lights twinkle, encampments of unhoused Canadians shiver in the cold while Trudeau, Ford, and city councils stay cozy indoors. Blame flies, but housing solutions remain frozen.

 

Proposing MAID expansion to include solely mentally ill patients in Canada poses risks due to unpredictable mental health trajectories, blurred distinctions between suffering and suicide, and the potential to incentivize death over addressing prolonged mental health care wait times.Tuesday January 16, 2024: The expansion of MAID for mental illness finds clarity where waitlists for mental health care, primary care, and social housing remain as muddled as ever. The irony is sharp and tragic..

 

Pierre Poilievre's backing of Alberta's controversial transgender policies seems more about playing to social conservatives than considering the potential harm to vulnerable youth.Friday February 9, 2024: Pierre Poilievre screeches toward Danielle Smith’s approval with his support for Alberta’s controversial transgender policies, leaving rubber marks on vulnerable youth in the process..

 

Trudeau and Ford agree on $3.1 billion for healthcare, tackling hospital issues. Meanwhile, Jagmeet Singh pushes for a national drug plan after Trudeau gives in on dental care. It's a political contrast before Valentine's Day.Wednesday February 14, 2024: Valentine’s Day politics: Trudeau gifts Ford $3.1 billion in healthcare cash while Jagmeet Singh sulks, holding out for his national drug plan. Love is complicated in Ottawa.

 

Canada must enhance efforts to meet NATO’s 2% defence spending target, reinforcing its obligations and commitments to global security.Friday March 1, 2024: After splurging on domestic priorities, Liberal ministers awkwardly avoid eye contact with NATO’s defence spending collection plate. The global stage is calling, but their wallets seem shy.

 

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday March 2, 2024 Reflecting on Brian Mulroney's passing, a celestial scene contrasts with a contemporary tableau of present federal leaders engaged in an uncivilized punch-up, highlighting the disagreeable nature of today's political discourse and its evolution.Saturday March 2, 2024: Brian Mulroney ascends to celestial peace, while below, Canada’s current political leaders turn Parliament into a boxing ring. The contrast between dignity and dysfunction couldn’t be starker.

 

The recent surge in measles cases in Canada, particularly in Montreal, underscores the urgent need to address vaccine hesitancy and combat anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, with historical evidence emphasizing the proven efficacy of vaccines in preventing disease and protecting public health.Wednesday March 6, 2024: Measles makes an unwelcome return, greeted with open arms by anti-vaxxers in Montreal. Vaccines work, but conspiracy theories seem to work faster.

 

Fossil fuel industries receive $5 billion annually in federal subsidies, while funds circulate through taxes and rebates in a carbon pricing scheme—a stark yet realistic facet of the green transition.Tuesday April 2, 2024: Big Oil pigs gorge on $5 billion in subsidies while Trudeau hands taxpayers crumbs disguised as carbon rebates. The green transition sure is lucrative—for some.

 

Canadian inquiries into foreign interference highlight the challenge of maintaining transparency without aiding adversaries, emphasizing the importance of careful oversight and accountability in protecting democratic processes.Saturday April 6, 2024: Canada’s open inquiries into foreign interference attract dark stares from global adversaries. Transparency is noble, but the eyes of India, Iran, Russia, and China suggest it might also be risky.

 

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.Saturday June 22, 2024: Justin Trudeau channels Joe Strummer in a punk-rock existential crisis: “Should I stay or should I go now?” With plummeting popularity, the decision is far from clear.

 

Canada's women's soccer team has marred the start of Paris 2024 with a scandal involving espionage through a drone, casting a shadow over their Olympic reputation and joining the ranks of infamous state-sponsored cheating scandals.Thursday July 25, 2024: Canada’s women’s soccer team crashes spectacularly at the Paris Olympics, with a drone espionage scandal deflating their reputation like a soccer ball kicked into the Eiffel Tower.

 

Many political leaders, once champions of carbon pricing, are now abandoning their principles and pandering to populist pressures for electoral gain, sacrificing crucial climate action in the process.Saturday September 14, 2024: “Axe the Tax” fever sweeps the country as unlikely allies Crombie, Singh, and Eby join Poilievre in pandering to populist demands. Climate action, once a rallying cry, is now a whispered regret.

 

Canada must confront U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s provocative meddling, including sovereignty-eroding rhetoric, damaging trade policies, and misogynistic attacks, with a coordinated and decisive response to reaffirm its independence and global standing.Thursday December 12, 2024: Trump obsesses over Canada’s snow globe, ignoring other global crises on his toy shelf. Trudeau must decide whether to shake things up or wait out the storm.

 

Tuesday December 17, 2024: Chrystia Freeland storms off, leaving Trudeau abandoned on the dance floor of his political career. The cracks in his leadership grow into gaping chasms.

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As we look ahead to 2025, the lessons of 2024 remain fresh. Canada faces hard decisions on leadership, the environment, and the state of our democracy. While the challenges are significant, the past year has also reminded us of the resilience and determination needed to move forward. With humour, humility, and a clearer view of what’s at stake, we step into the new year ready to face whatever comes next.

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Graeme Galleries:  Canada 2023 | Canada 2022 | Canada 2021 | Canada 2020