Bernie Sanders – mackaycartoons

Wednesday July 31, 2019

August 7, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 31, 2019

U.S. demand is threatening Canada’s drug supply, groups warn feds

Concern over U.S. legislation that allows Americans to import cheaper medicines from Canada has prompted more than a dozen organizations to urge the federal government to safeguard the Canadian drug supply.

June 13, 2019

In a letter this week, the 15 groups representing patients, health professionals, hospitals, and pharmacists warn Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor of the potential for increasing drug shortages.

“The Canadian medicine supply is not sufficient to support both Canadian and U.S. consumers,” the letter states. “The supply simply does not, and will not, exist within Canada to meet such demands.”

Faced with voter anger over the steep and rising costs of drugs in the U.S., several states — including Florida with the blessing of President Donald Trump — have passed laws allowing residents to import drugs from Canada.

In the letter to Petitpas Taylor, the groups say the legislation could exacerbate drug shortages that become an increasingly serious concern in the Canadian health care system in recent years.

“Hospital and community pharmacies in Canada are resourced to serve the Canadian public,” they say. “They are not equipped to support to the needs of a country 10 times its size without creating important access or quality issues.”

Petitpas Taylor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The issue has recently garnered attention on both sides of the border. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic presidential candidate, has announced plans to accompany diabetics this weekend to Canada to buy life-saving insulin, which costs roughly one tenth the price here than in the United States. (CBC)

Friday May 19, 2017

May 18, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday May 19, 2017

What Maxime Bernier’s Canada would look like

The libertarian former cabinet minister is leading the Conservative leadership race, heading into the final stretch.

April 27, 2017

Maxime Bernier has a dramatically different idea about how Canada should work.

Bernier would get the federal government out of health care, transferring the full responsibility to provinces and paving the way for more private delivery.

Bernier would tie Canada’s foreign aid to “morality,” and believes billions of it should be spent instead on tax cut and healing the poor at home.

Bernier would end federal “welfare” for Canadian businesses, and axe popular tax credits for things like kid’s hockey gear and teachers’ classroom supplies in favour of across-the-board tax cuts.

And Bernier wants to do it all in a four-year term, should he become Conservative leader at the end of the month, and should he defeat Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in 2019.

May 28, 2008

In many ways, Bernier’s approach would be a significant break from the Stephen Harper era. Harper took a slow and steady course, favouring incremental change and reassuring moderate Canadians there was no Conservative “hidden agenda.”

Bernier is proposing dramatic change quickly — and his agenda certainly can’t be accused of being hidden.

“They’re conservative ideas, they’re conservative values,” Bernier said this week, discussing his libertarian-leaning platform.

While popular with a good chunk of the Conservative base, there is some concern within the party about how the greater population will receive Bernier’s libertarian policies — and how well he can bring together the Conservative family after a divisive leadership campaign. (Continued: Toronto Star)

Wednesday January 20, 2016

January 19, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday January 20, 2016

Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton remain overwhelming front-runners in races for 2016 nomination

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton remain the overwhelming national front-runners to win the 2016 nominations for each of their parties, a new poll released Tuesday showed.

According to the latest NBC News / Survey Monkey survey, Trump got the support of 38% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters nationally.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was his next closest competitor, with 21%, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in third with 11% support.

No other candidate got more than 8%.

On the Democratic side, Clinton remained the leader, with 52% support nationally among Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters, compared with 36% for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley got 1% support.

The results for both parties are unchanged from the poll NBC News and Survey Monkey released last week. (Source: NY Daily News)