Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday November 28, 2007
Probe into hockey brawl between 8-year-olds
A decision on whether to lay a criminal charge in connection with a hockey brawl involving eight-year-olds at a tournament in Guelph, Ont. will likely come on Wednesday, says a police spokesperson.
“It’s the interaction between the two coaches — whether or not that was a consensual fight or an assault,” Sgt. Cate Welsh of the Guelph Police told CTV.ca on Tuesday.
Niagara Falls Thunder coaching staff allegedly spat at a counterpart with the Duffield Devils, Welsh said.
But what had everyone talking is the bench-clearing brawl erupting at the game’s end on Friday, which involved such young players. Players for both sides belong to Novice AAA teams.
“This is a really rare incident,” Richard Ropchan, executive director of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association told CTV.ca, adding he can’t think of a similar one in his nine years with the OMHA.
“Certainly the fact that eight-year-olds are involved — well, that certainly got my attention.”
Ropchan added that the brawl “points right to the adults involved. You can’t blame the kids for that.”
Witnesses say there were cheap shots throughout the game, culminating with a fight. (Source: CTV News)
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday September 17, 2007
Green party would add six new holidays
The Green Party of Ontario is proposing six new statutory holidays, dwarfing a pledge by the governing Liberals that would see Ontarians receive one additional day off.
Under Green leadership, vacation days would be provided in March, April, August and November and municipal and provincial polling days would be holidays.
“It gives people more time to spend with family and gardening and cleaning the house and that makes people feel awful good about themselves and then they feel better at work,” party leader Frank de Jong said yesterday in an interview.
“I don’t think this is rash or extreme in any sense of the word. In Ontario, we only have two weeks’ holidays. That’s substandard in the modern world. This is trying to partially catch up to Europe. Europe will still be ahead of us by a week.”
The platform, released yesterday at Queen’s Park, also includes promises to phase out the provincial health premium, ban the construction and refurbishment of nuclear reactors, move toward a single publicly funded education system and a fuel-efficiency incentive of up to $2,000 per vehicle.
But Mr. de Jong offered little insight on the economic impact of half a dozen new holidays.
“This was our decision when we wrote the platform that this was an appropriate number. These are, I suppose, arbitrary decisions of the platform writing team,” he said. (Source: National Post)
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday September 11, 2007
Electoral reform on ballot? Who knew?
It would be the most radical change in close to a century in the way we elect provincial politicians.
To find out what people think about the Ontario referendum being held a month from today, the Toronto Star stopped 50 people at Yonge & Bloor Sts. — Just one person knew about it.
Only three others were interested enough to listen to what was being proposed.
On Oct. 10, in addition to voting for the next provincial government, Ontarians will be asked if they want to keep the traditional way of electing MPPs or opt for a new mixed-member proportional system that advocates argue will more fairly represent voters’ wishes.
“I don’t know anything about it” and the ever-popular “huh?” were the most common responses to questions about what people thought about the referendum.
This is all a bit depressing for many on the 104-member Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform who spent months studying electoral systems before choosing mixed-member proportional as the best option for Ontario.
Those who like it say it will give small parties a realistic shot at seats in the Legislature.
Those who dislike it say it will destabilize Ontario with never-ending minority governments. (Source: Toronto Star)
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney directly and bitterly blames Pierre Trudeau for his greatest political defeat: the failure of the Meech Lake Accord that recognized Quebec as a distinct society.
In a CTV documentary to be broadcast Sunday — and in his soon-to-be-released memoirs — Mulroney recounts how Trudeau used a personal vendetta to turn the public against an Accord that was supported almost entirely by the political class.
“(Trudeau) called me a weakling, he called us cowards, he called the premiers snivelers,” Mulroney told Lloyd Robertson, CTV’s chief news anchor and senior news editor.
The Meech Lake Accord was a set of failed Constitutional amendments hammered out by Mulroney and the 10 premiers, including Quebec’s Robert Bourassa, in 1987. The Accord was designed to persuade Quebec to endorse the Canada Act.
Mulroney had hoped to upstage Trudeau, who had failed to persuade Quebec to sign onto the 1981 Constitution after months of debate with the premiers. And it was clear in the interview that the failure of the Accord still troubles Mulroney deeply after 14 years out of office. (Source: CTV News) Original posting.
* * * * *
In the days following former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s death on February 29, 2024, reflections on his legacy resurface. My editorial cartoon from September 7, 2007, depicting Mulroney debating at the crypt of his predecessor, Pierre Trudeau, becomes emblematic of the complexities within Canadian politics. At the heart of my commentary is an attempt to articulate the old saying, “why bring so-and- so into the debate when so-and-so isn’t around to defend himself.”
March 2, 2024
Mulroney’s posthumously published memoirs shed light on his bitter defeat – the failure of the Meech Lake Accord. He accuses Trudeau of orchestrating a personal vendetta, tarnishing public perception and ultimately leading to the Accord’s demise in 1990.
The hypothetical notion of a face-to-face conversation between the two on constitutional matters remains unexplored in historical records, leaving room for speculation. Mulroney’s memoirs serve as a posthumous attempt to shape his legacy, offering insights into the intricacies of his decisions.
..and for the record, yes, I bought book. Got it signed too! October 12, 2007
Beyond the Meech Lake Accord, Mulroney’s allegations against Trudeau extend to scrutinizing his past, including Trudeau’s decision not to fight in World War II. These accusations mirror past criticisms of Trudeau’s wartime activities.
As Canadians mourn Mulroney’s passing, his memoirs and the echoes of past debates with Trudeau will undoubtedly be scrutinized by historians, leaving a legacy that transcends individual victories and defeats in Canadian political history. (Graeme MacKay, March 2, 2024) The following interview is a companion piece the CTV article above.
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday September 4, 2007
When summer ends, vacation redux begins
Labour Day is the final act of a grand and happy play. The songs have all been sung. The lovers have been reunited at last! The curtain must come down, but hold the applause for just a few more moments.
Shakespeare once wrote that “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” This time of year, those words really hit home. Summer is definitely too short here in Southern Ontario. Perhaps that is why we grasp its beauty so tightly. In the hills, the song of the cicadas is getting louder and the hay rolls are appearing everywhere like magic out of summer’s magic hat.
In a few more days it will be time to pack up the tools of the season: wiffle balls, baseball mitts, grilling implements. Time to wave goodbye and head back to reality. In a few more days I’ll have to finish the last Harry Potter, the last ear of corn, the last 10 o’clock breakfast.
Still, there is reason to celebrate in spite of car packing and impending tie wearing. Even after we return home, there is more to look forward to. All is not lost to the dedicated vacationer. When summer ends, vacation redux begins.
Vacation redux is a special phenomenon that everyone has experienced and most have ignored.
Being away from home, even for a few days, means breaking from the routine. Vacations are fun and energizing because we can sleep later or get up earlier, depending on our interests. (Source: Buffalo News)
