bully

Saturday June 22, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday June 22, 2019

Trudeau and Trump meet and U.S. president says he will press China to release detained Canadians 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s third official visit to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump got off to a better start than his last disastrous G7 meeting with the unpredictable president.

May 24, 2019

Trump welcomed Trudeau to the Oval Office, calling him a “friend” and saying they would have a “positive day” and in a photo opportunity, Trump told reporters he would take up Canada’s cause with Chinese president Xi Jinping to release the detained Canadians “at Justin’s request.”

“I will represent him well, we have a meeting set up with President Xi and it’s obviously on the big transaction that we’re talking about and negotiating…but anything that I can do to help Canada I will be doing.”

Trump also said Trudeau’s going up to Capitol Hill to speak to members of Congress about ratifying the new NAFTA is “a good thing.”

Trump wavered for a moment on the ratification of the new NAFTA however, after a reporter asked about a promise of no more tariffs when the deal is ratified.

November 30, 2018

“I have to get the Democrats to approve it, so I like your positive thinking. But if — and the if is really subject to the Democrats, let’s see what happens — but I really believe that Nancy Pelosi and the House will approve it, I think the senate will approve it rapidly. It’s going to be very bipartisan.”

Trump did not rule out any further tariffs against Canada and Mexico, saying “they have to do what they have to do.”

He said if there are any “tremendous shipments of certain products” into U.S. markets, he might revive them.

“We were very pleased the steel and aluminum tariffs were lifted,” said Trudeau.

Trump replied: “There won’t be hopefully transshipping. If there’s transshipping, I’ll call Justin and he’ll take care of it, I’ll probably call him a second time and if he does it again, we’ll have to talk.” (Hamilton Spectator)

 

Tuesday January 29, 2019

Look! It’s animated! Regular version is here.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 29, 2019

‘Debacle’ with China latest foreign policy flub for Trudeau, says Scheer

The “debacle” over the firing of Canada’s ambassador to China is the latest in a string of foreign-policy failures for the prime minister, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer charged on Monday.

January 24, 2019

Scheer also cited Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s controversial photo-op-filled trip to India last winter, said Trudeau made “concession after concession” on the trade front to U.S. President Donald Trump, and frustrated Japan and Australia when Canada didn’t immediately sign on to a rebooted Trans-Pacific Partnership in late 2017.

“It’s clear that the prime minister’s foreign policy is a disaster and Canadians are paying for his mistakes,” Scheer said in the first question of the government in the newly constructed House of Commons in the West Block of Parliament Hill.

The final sitting of Parliament before this fall’s federal election opened with the Liberals on the defensive, following Trudeau’s decision on Friday to fire ambassador John McCallum.

The move came after a turbulent week that saw McCallum — an experienced cabinet minister who was parachuted into a sensitive diplomatic job with Canada’s second-largest trading partner — go off script in Canada’s efforts to win the release of two men imprisoned by the People’s Republic after Canada arrested a Chinese telecommunications executive.

February 22, 2018

“After clowning around in India and inviting a convicted terrorist along with him, he then was forced to take concession after concession from Donald Trump. He even angered our partners in Japan and Australia. And now we have the debacle with China. Why did the prime minister show such weakness and wait so long to fire his ambassador?” Scheer demanded.

Trudeau sidestepped the question and reiterated taking points about how the government is devoted to the rule of law and remains committed to marshalling international support to win the release of the two Canadians and seek clemency for a third man facing a death sentence on drug charges.

Earlier Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said McCallum was fired because he didn’t toe the government’s line in the current China crisis. (Continued: Globe & Mail) 

 

Friday December 22, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday December 22, 2017

Donald Trump threatens to cut ‘billions of dollars’ in aid to countries over UN Jerusalem vote

Donald Trump has threatened to withhold billions of dollars in aid from those nations which criticise his controversial decision to unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

December 7, 2017

In a raising of the stakes over the US’s move to recognise Jerusalem and shift its embassy there – something long requested by Israel and their conservative supporters in the US – Mr Trump said he could penalise those countries that voted against the move at the UN.

Previously, the US’s UN Ambassador Niki Haley had warned the US would would be “taking names” of any countries who supported a resolution criticising Washington’s actions. A vote is scheduled to take place on Thursday after the US on Monday vetoed a vote by the UN Security Council that would have demanded Mr Trump reverse his decision.

The Associated Press said Mr Haley had written to most of the 193 UN members states warning of possible retaliation. She said the President was taking the matter personally.

Speaking to members of his cabinet on Wednesday, Mr Trump said he liked what Ms Haley had spelled out. “For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us. They take hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars and then they vote against us,” Mr Trump said. (Source: The Independent) 

 

SaveSave

Thursday June 18, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday June 18, 2015 Five ACTION officers charged in fake ticket probe Five Hamilton police officers are facing criminal charges for allegedly writing 32 falsified tickets as members of the high-profile ACTION unit. It's alleged the tickets named 18 people who had no idea they were victims. The five are among seven members of the former ACTION Team One who were arrested Tuesday. They had been relegated to administrative duties amid a nearly nine-month long internal investigation. All seven have now been suspended with pay and could still face Police Services Act disciplinary charges, which are being investigated by a separate group of officers. At a news conference announcing the charges Tuesday night, police Chief Glenn De Caire said the service took the investigation very seriously and he's confident detectives have looked at all of the evidence. "We have followed the evidence and we have followed the law," he said. The investigation began after a Hamilton police officer found provincial offence notice books in a box destined for the shredder on Sept. 30, 2014. The booklets had the fill-out paper that is supposed to go to the offender still attached. It's alleged the officers made up the tickets, submitting them in court and for police statistics. It's also believed many of the victims were known vulnerable people the ACTION officers came across downtown. De Caire said police have met with some of the victims and all 32 tickets will be withdrawn. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5679224-five-action-officers-charged-in-fake-ticket-probe/ Police, Hamilton, tickets, corruption, thugs, bully, brutality, mirror, image, reflection

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 18, 2015

Five ACTION officers charged in fake ticket probe

Five Hamilton police officers are facing criminal charges for allegedly writing 32 falsified tickets as members of the high-profile ACTION unit.

It’s alleged the tickets named 18 people who had no idea they were victims.

The five are among seven members of the former ACTION Team One who were arrested Tuesday. They had been relegated to administrative duties amid a nearly nine-month long internal investigation.

All seven have now been suspended with pay and could still face Police Services Act disciplinary charges, which are being investigated by a separate group of officers.

At a news conference announcing the charges Tuesday night, police Chief Glenn De Caire said the service took the investigation very seriously and he’s confident detectives have looked at all of the evidence.

“We have followed the evidence and we have followed the law,” he said.

The investigation began after a Hamilton police officer found provincial offence notice books in a box destined for the shredder on Sept. 30, 2014. The booklets had the fill-out paper that is supposed to go to the offender still attached.

It’s alleged the officers made up the tickets, submitting them in court and for police statistics. It’s also believed many of the victims were known vulnerable people the ACTION officers came across downtown.

De Caire said police have met with some of the victims and all 32 tickets will be withdrawn. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Letter to the editor, June 22, 2015 – Cartoon was vilifying, premature

I found the editorial cartoon in the June 18 Spectator that portrayed police officers in a mirror under the word “thugs” to be demeaning, vilifying and certainly premature in its treatment of police.

While our local police service has suffered the slings and arrows recently afforded it by having several members charged with criminal offences it is important to recognize that the vast majority of our serving officers are in fact providing service to the public in a manner that is adequate, just and compassionate.

The officers charged with transgressions will have their day in court. If guilt is assessed against each, then the cartoon might have modest merit.

For the present, it does nothing to restore what a few officers have tarnished and in point of fact helps to erode public trust even further.

It suggests in a very graphic way that all police are thugs. I am sure, the artist and The Spectator did not really wish to convey such a message.

Policing is difficult enough without outside assistance which goes a great distance toward making daily work more difficult by exacerbating an already poor situation.

To blindly follow recent U.S. knee jerk response to perceived and alleged wrongdoing by police is dangerous and hurtful.

We can not condone what is alleged to have happened.

However, one truth is real. Thugs are thugs and these officers are innocent until proven guilty. The checks and balances built into our system of justice will win out at the end of the day.

Our serving officers still deserve public and media support and assistance for the good work they do on a daily basis.

Dan Welsh, Mount Hope