2022-22

Thursday July 14, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday July 14, 2022

Canada’s decision on Russian-owned gas turbine equipment is about helping its German NATO ally

There will be no quick victory in the war in Ukraine. After nearly five months of fighting, the loss of thousands of lives and the devastation of some of the country’s largest cities this is the sickening reality. 

April 12, 2022

Despite capturing vast territory, the Russian army that invaded Ukraine without provocation in February has failed to force its opponent to surrender that land. For its part, the Ukrainian military has neither given up resisting the Russians nor succeeded in driving them out.

Just over a week ago, the Russians triumphantly declared they had captured the entire Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. But on Tuesday, the Ukrainian government announced its forces had carried out a long-range missile strike that hit a Russian ammunition dump and killed 52 Russian soldiers in south Ukraine. More notably, the Ukrainian government said this signalled a counterattack aimed at forcing Putin to abandon the land his soldiers have seized.

And so with these events, the conflict has entered a new phase. This will almost certainly not be a short military adventure for Russia. And there will be no a quick recovery of freedom for brave Ukraine. The pundits who originally predicted it would all be over in weeks were wrong. This is now a long war. It will be an increasingly bitter, brutal war of attrition. It will be fought out over many months. And while it might end when one side or the other is too bloodied and exhausted to go on, it retains the potential of becoming a broader European conflict.

It is essential for the NATO allies — including Canada — who have been supporting Ukraine with the weapons and money it needs to realize all this and act accordingly. There must be no splits in their united front. Of course, sending NATO troops into Ukraine is off the table because that would risk escalating the war beyond Ukraine’s borders. However, there can be no backing off the pledges they have made to help Ukraine keep its independence, preserve its democracy and teach Russian President Vladimir Putin his authoritarian piracy will not prevail in this century.

April 13, 2022

To a degree, Ukraine’s western allies have already adjusted their tactics and strategy. The European Union recently named Ukraine as a candidate for membership. The G7 countries, including Canada, have strengthened sanctions against Russia. At a recent summit in Madrid, the members of NATO decided to reinforce their presence on the alliance’s eastern borders to deter and, if that’s not possible, defend against further Russian invasions. As part of that initiative, Canada agreed to upgrade the NATO battle group it leads in Latvia to a brigade. While the federal government has not said this means more boots on the ground it proves Canada’s commitment to the region, even at some risk to Canadian lives.

The federal government had struggled with another dilemma before deciding this week to return Russian-owned gas turbine equipment to Germany, which would then hand them over to Russia. And this despite Canada’s economic sanctions against Putin. The Ukrainian government understandably objected to an action it said would benefit Russia and its sales of natural gas to countries such as Germany. Yet because of the disruptions in gas shipments caused by the war, Germany faces an energy crisis. It is bizarre that western countries are trying to defeat Russia with economic sanctions and supporting Ukraine even as much of western Europe still relies on Russian gas. But Canada’s controversial decision was primarily about helping its German NATO ally. And that ally will be more dependable in the coming long war if its citizens are not freezing in the dark this winter.

Though Russia has more soldiers and a bigger arsenal than Ukraine, it has suffered devastating losses in both its human and material resources. If this war drags on long enough and continues to punish both the Russian economy and military, perhaps other Russian leaders will rise up and oust Putin. However, Ukraine is suffering too — with as many as 200 of its troops dying in battle every day.

For now, NATO countries should continue raiding their own military stockpiles and arming Ukraine with weapons superior to what the Russians possess. And above all they must reject any peace proposal on Putin’s part that would allow him to dismember Ukraine and continue to occupy the areas he has stolen. This is now a long war. NATO must back Ukraine for the long haul. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Wednesday July 13, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 13, 2022

Ousted Conservative leadership candidate Patrick Brown undecided about second Brampton mayoral run

Patrick Brown Cartoons

A spokesman for Patrick Brown says the disqualified Conservative leadership candidate won’t make any decisions about running for re-election as mayor of Brampton, Ontario until he has time to talk to family and friends.

Brown entered the race to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada without resigning his job as Brampton’s mayor.

He previously said he would consider running again in October’s municipal election if he thought he couldn’t win the federal race, and he has until August 19th to register as a mayoral candidate.

Brown’s position in the federal race changed last week when the party’s leadership election organizing committee voted to boot him from the contest over an allegation that he breached federal financing laws. (CP24) 

Boris Johnson cartoons

Meanwhile, Eight candidates have made it through to the first stage of the Tory leadership contest – actually getting onto the ballot.

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have already attracted some big name support, while another big name, former health secretary Sajid Javid, is no longer in the running.

The first hustings are being held in parliament Tuesday night, with candidates given 12 minutes each to put their case, before MPs take part in the first round of voting Wednesday afternoon. (Channel 4 News) 

 

Tuesday July 12, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday July 12, 2022

Rogers outage won’t ‘sink’ $26-billion deal to buy Shaw, competition expert says

March 19, 2021

As the fallout from the Rogers Communications Inc. service outage continues to play out, one competition expert says she doesn’t think it will “sink” the telecom giant’s proposed $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc., but believes it will make everyone pay closer attention to the deal.

In an interview on Monday, University of Ottawa professor Jennifer Quaid said the only way the outage would have a negative impact on the deal would be if there was any evidence showing Rogers displayed a lack of thoroughness in reporting the circumstances due to limited competition in the market.

Quaid also said that there is now a bigger opportunity for regulators to take a closer look at cost savings from the proposed deal and whether those savings would come from eliminating redundancy systems and reducing technical staff.

Telecom researcher Ben Klass said the outage shows that further consolidation and concentration of power in the market is “a bad idea” for Canada.

“We are used to hearing that ‘bigger is better’ when it comes to telecommunication and technology companies, but last weekend’s outage shows that there are also significant risks associated with putting too many eggs in one basket,” he said. “There is strength and value in diversity and decentralization.”

Edward Jones analyst David Heger said the network outage is an additional risk factor for the Rogers-Shaw transaction, but doesn’t believe it will actually hurt it.

“Regulators may point to the outage as another reason why the merger concentrates too much customer traffic with one operator,” he said. “However, I still believe that the proposed sale of Shaw’s Freedom Mobile wireless operations to Quebecor (Inc.) should address this concern.”

The deadline for Rogers, Shaw and Quebecor to reach a definitive agreement on the sale of Freedom is July 15. (Yahoo Finance) 

 

#SupportSatire

Plum-Pudding in Danger by James Gillray

Recently, I got a nice up-close look at “The Plum-Pudding in Danger”, one of the most famous/important editorial cartoons in the English speaking world.

 
“The satirical prints of James Gillray were as eagerly viewed for their take on current events as any newspaper in the Georgian era. Gillray’s celebrated satire, ‘The Plumb-pudding in danger’, shows British Prime Minister William Pitt and Emperor Napoleon of France carving up the globe. The illustration is detailed but the point is clear – the age of Western imperialism was underway.” – ‘Breaking the News’ exhibit, The British Library
 
For hundreds of years we do what we draw because of trail blazers like James Gillray. Help keep it going #supportsatire
 

Photo by Graeme MacKay

 
The Plum-Pudding in Danger; or, State epicures taking un petit souper – “The great globe itself, and all which is too small to satisfy such insatiable appetites.”

To personify this humorous design with license, we might say, to use the school boy’s phrase, these two were “deep dogs at pudding,” and took special care to leave little in the dish worth having, for those who were to sit down to their leavings. Billy looks at Boney’s carving tool, and opening his eyes with amazement, says to himself, -O! O! Mr. Greedygut! To be sure he is helping himself to a slice where the plums are found to be thickest. But the other, determined to he a match for him, slips in his cocteau, and very modestly divides the pudding in half, where ’tis richest in spice and sweetmeats, and with a look that seems to imply there is yet enough for ” cut and come again.”

A plum-pudding has been compared to many things, and not unaptly, amongst others, to a civilized nation, The sweet-meats being assigned to the king and his courtiers; the plums and currants to the law; the eggs to the church ; the nutmeg to the army, and the brandy to the navy: the suet to trade, with here and there a plum for a fat alderman; the sight and smell alone for genius and taste, and the scrapings of the pudding-bag for the labouring poor.

On looking upon these two dividers of the smoking orb, and associating with the print, the circumstances of the times that gave rise to it, we can scarcely believe that the whole was not a dream; or that the events, now that the world is at peace again, were of much more importance, with all the mighty deeds of the one in the cabinet and the other in the field, which divided the world, than the dividing a plum-pudding: yet, have the satellites of each, flattered these champions with the never ceasing plaudits of posterity, or in other words, with the unfading glory of immortality.

This book (1805) was on display at: Breaking the News Exhibit (Closes Aug 21, 2022) at the British Library, London.

Saturday July 2, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 2, 2022

The misery of waiting overnight in line in hopes of getting a passport

May 25, 2022

After two days and one night lining up outside the passport office at downtown Vancouver’s Sinclair Centre, Kris Hansen still hadn’t made it inside, still hadn’t spoken to a single Service Canada official. The 50-something school principal spent a Thursday night last week under a blanket on the sidewalk on Hastings. There were no security guards outside. No Porta Potties. No signage. No one in line had any idea when – or if – they would be seen.

After sitting cross-legged on the concrete for hours on end, Mr. Hansen had bought himself a canvas camping chair. He was trying to renew his son’s passport. The boy wants to see his dying grandfather in Japan one last time. He is desperate to say goodbye.

“I have no choice,” Mr. Hansen said, shaking violently from the bitter, pre-dawn cold. “I know how much this means to him.”

A few minutes later, a kind soul began handing out blue plastic ponchos, to help cut the north wind coming off the Burrard Inlet.

“I’m just so tired,” Mr. Hansen said, his eyes filling with tears. “I haven’t slept. I’ve had to cancel classes. There are so many better ways this could be handled. This is lacking all logic. All common decency.”

For the past five months, this is how people in B.C.’s Lower Mainland have been applying for – and renewing – their passports. A surge in demand is creating massive backlogs across the country. The wait times at the Surrey passport office are just as bad. The office in Richmond doesn’t have a printer able to create passports. Last week, police had to be called to the Montreal passport office to help with large crowds.

A week earlier, the federal government rolled out a new “triaging” system to deal with the passport crisis, which began ahead of March break: Those flying out in less than 48 hours are now given priority access, explained Karina Gould, Minister of Children, Families and Social Development, whose portfolio is responsible for the passport office.

So, people began immediately booking tickets for fake trips that they won’t be taking, to increase their odds of actually setting foot inside a Service Canada office.

Julie Scott-Ashe, a GIS mapping analyst with the B.C. government, managed to secure an appointment at a Saskatoon passport office. Saskatoon and Regina are the only two passport offices in the country with appointments before August. Since it would cost $1,200 to fly to Saskatchewan from Vancouver, she is planning to book a cheap flight to Edmonton, then rent a car and drive the rest of the way.

She needs to renew her daughter’s passport, so their family in Europe can reunite for the first time since the pandemic began.

Five months into the crisis, Canadian passport offices still close for weekends and holidays. They still shutter at 4, every afternoon. Last week, the Vancouver office had just half the 15 staff that normally work there.

Why hadn’t Ottawa asked bureaucrats to temporarily help staff passport offices, Ms. Scott-Ashe wondered. Before B.C. began rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, she noted, the province encouraged its civil servants to volunteer to work on the project. (The Globe & Mail)