candy

Saturday October 28, 2023

The federal government, led by Justin Trudeau, is making changes to its climate policy, which primarily benefit Atlantic Canada. These changes include increased rural rebates and exemptions for home heating oil from the carbon tax. This has generated mixed reactions and debates.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday October 28, 2023

Trudeau’s Climate Policy Reversal: A Veiled Political Move

June 9, 2023

In recent announcements, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has presented significant changes to his government’s climate policy, with a particular focus on Atlantic Canada. While these changes are framed as responses to the cost of living crisis and environmental concerns, they raise questions about Trudeau’s underlying motives and political strategy.

Trudeau’s decision to increase rural rebates on carbon pricing and exempt home heating oil from the carbon levy, while also piloting a new rebate program for lower-income households to switch to heat pumps, has been met with both support and skepticism. While the Prime Minister portrays these changes as “enhancing” climate policy, many observers see a different narrative unfolding.

News: Ottawa exempting home heating oil from carbon tax for 3 years, Trudeau says  

These policy reversals come just a year after the government voted against a Conservative motion to remove carbon pricing on home heating fuel. The sudden shift is undoubtedly influenced by the significant backlash against the carbon levy in Atlantic Canada, where opinion polls show the Conservatives gaining a double-digit lead over the Liberals. The timing of these changes, only after the next election, raises suspicions about their true motivation.

April 21, 2021

While the exemption on home heating oil may provide relief to Atlantic Canadians, it is hard to overlook the underlying political calculations. Critics, including Western premiers and the NDP, accuse the government of regional favoritism, with the Atlantic Premiers stating that these changes fall short of addressing their concerns adequately. Trudeau’s emphasis on “low-hanging fruits” and the argument that home heating oil is worse for the environment raise questions about whether these decisions are primarily a political maneuver.

The lack of transparency in the government’s release of cost breakdowns for these changes only adds to the skepticism surrounding their motives. While Trudeau assures that the rural rebate increase falls within the “existing envelope” of revenues, concerns linger about the impact on businesses and the overall effectiveness of these policies in reducing emissions.

News: Poilievre pans Trudeau’s carbon pricing pivot, Liberals pitch pause as ‘great news’  

August 24, 2022

It’s also worth noting that the government’s decision to exempt home heating oil and not other heating fuels like natural gas creates an imbalance in how these policies affect different households. Trudeau’s explanation that they are focusing on the transition from oil to heat pumps does little to quell concerns about regional bias.

The timing of these changes, just before the Conservative Leader’s “axe the tax rally,” adds another layer to the political intrigue. Critics argue that Trudeau’s motive is to secure voter support, especially in Atlantic Canada, rather than genuinely addressing climate issues or the cost of living crisis.

In conclusion, while the government’s policy changes may bring some relief to Atlantic Canada, they also raise questions about the true motives behind these decisions. The lack of transparency, regional inconsistencies, and their political timing cast doubt on whether they genuinely serve the interests of Canadians or are primarily a strategic move to regain support in a region where it has been slipping away. (AI)

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro. If you’re creative, give illustration a try:

 

Saturday October 29, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday October 29, 2022

It’s not a trick: Your Halloween treats are getting smaller

September 29, 2022

Standing in the centre aisle of the drugstore, with its seasonal display of spooky bat decorations, vampire teeth and fun-sized bags of chocolate, don’t be surprised if something seems off.

It isn’t a nightmare. Your Halloween candy just got smaller.

A bag of dark chocolate Hershey’s Kisses is now a couple of ounces smaller than before. A two-pack of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is a tenth of an ounce lighter. And Cadbury milk chocolate bars are about 10 percent skimpier.

Consumers can partly blame “shrinkflation” — the phenomenon of manufacturers reducing the size of their products rather than increasing the price. Over the past two years, companies have downsized paper products, salty snacks and many other consumer packaged goods as their ingredient, labor and transportation costs have skyrocketed.

December 10, 2021

But it’s also part of a years-long plan to make Americans’ treats less caloric. In 2017, Mars Wrigley, Ferrero (owner of Nestlé’s American candy business), Ferrara Candy and Lindt (which owns Ghirardelli Chocolate and Russell Stover Chocolates) joined forces to decrease calorie counts, offer a broader range of portion sizes and provide labeling that lists calories on the front of their packaging.

The National Confectioners Association last month announced that 85 percent of chocolate and candy sold today comes in packaging that contains 200 calories or fewer per pack. And nearly 100 percent of candies sold now have front-of-pack calorie labels, up from just over half in 2016.

“Five years ago, we were behind the ball on front-of-pack labeling,” said Christopher Gindlesperger, spokesman for the association. “Those four companies, that make up about half of the market, drove a remarkable change and rallied the rest of the industry.”

December 1, 2007

Other moves are intended to provide lighter options for candy consumers. Hershey, for instance, introduced “thins” versions of classic candies like Reese’s cups, York patties and Kit Kats. The company has launched an increasingly long list of zero-sugar options, from Jolly Ranchers to Twizzlers.

In short, many candy sizes and packages are shrinking but prices aren’t.

“All of these companies are having to make these decisions based on cost,” Wyatt said. “But I can say with certainty candy companies committed to these [calorie reductions and front-of-label calorie counts] before that inflation started. The products that have transparent labeling outperform others.”

Candy may in fact be the category that first experienced shrinkflation, Dworsky said. In the 1950s, he said, candy companies told vending machine operators they would have to raise prices, going from 5 cents per candy bar to 6 cents. The vending machine folks balked and asked the candy companies just to make the products smaller.

Dworsky’s message: The only way for consumers to protect themselves from shrinkflation is by memorizing product weights.

“It will go too far when you open that carton of eggs and there are only 11 inside,” he joked. (The Washington Post) 

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

Thursday September 22, 2016

2016-09-22Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday September 22, 2016

Donald Trump Jr. Compares Syrian Refugees to Skittles That ‘Would Kill You’

Donald Trump Jr. is facing intense backlash on social media after he posted a message on Twitter Monday night that compared Syrian refugees to a bowl of Skittles sprinkled with a few that “would kill you.”

Friday November 20, 2015

November 20, 2015

“This image says it all. Let’s end the politically correct agenda that doesn’t put America first,” the post said.

Mr. Trump, a top adviser in his father’s presidential campaign, appeared to suggest that the nation was faced with a blind selection process in which a few potentially poisoned pieces would be lurking among the thousands of Syrians fleeing a brutal five-year-old civil war.

November 18, 2015

November 18, 2015

The post, shared widely on Twitter, drew swift condemnation and comparisons to white supremacist memes.

Social media users shared images of displaced residents in the region. President Obama’s chief speechwriter, Jon Favreau, invoked Omran Daqneesh, the bloodstained, dust-coated boy who was shown sitting in an ambulance after an airstrike and who became a symbol of the suffering in Aleppo, Syria.

July 22, 2016

July 22, 2016

The post also spurred a strong response from Wrigley, the owner of Skittles:

“Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don’t feel it’s an appropriate analogy. We will respectfully refrain from further commentary as anything we say could be misinterpreted as marketing,” the company said in a statement that was emailed on Tuesday by a spokeswoman and that initially appeared in The Hollywood Reporter. (Source: New York Times)

 

Saturday June 7, 2014

Saturday June 7, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday June 7, 2014

Stephen Harper to attend swearing-in for Ukraine’s new president, Petro Poroshenko

Stephen Harper announced Tuesday that he will travel to Kyiv during his upcoming European trip to attend the swearing-in of Ukraine’s new president, Petro Poroshenko.

The ceremony is set for Saturday, and if Harper does indeed attend it will mark his second trip to Ukraine since mass protests toppled the government of former president Viktor Yanukovych in February.

Russia has since annexed Crimea and Ukrainian forces have battled pro-Russian forces in the country’s east. In response, Canada has levied sanctions against Russia.

“Canada has been a leader in the global response to Russian aggression in Ukraine,” said a statement about the trip released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Canada also sent a large team of election officials to help oversee Ukraine’s national election, which Poroshenko — a billionaire chocolate magnate — won in May.

Harper’s decision to stand behind Poroshenko during the swearing-in – several other high profile politicians including U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden will be there as well – is likely intended to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Harper has taken a harder line than most toward the Russian leader, the CBC’s Chris Hall reports.

“His boldness has increased since Russian troops first made an open grab for power in Crimea,” Harper said in a recent speech. (Source: CBC News)

 

Tuesday October 23, 2000

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 23, 2000

They’re Off; Chretien calls Nov. 27 vote; opposition calls it opportunistic

Canadians will decide Nov. 27 whether the Liberals should be punished for calling an early election or rewarded with a third mandate.Amid opposition claims that his government is arrogant, cynical and out of touch with ordinary Canadians, Prime Minister Jean Chretien visited Governor General Adrienne Clarkson at her official residence yesterday.

He asked her to dissolve Parliament, officially triggering a campaign that had been going on informally for weeks.

Speaking outside Rideau Hall against a backdrop of autumn leaves, the prime minister said an early election is necessary to let Canadians decide what should be done with the country’s burgeoning massive budget surplus.

Immediately, the other parties dumped all over the Liberals, protesting that the election call — just three-and-a-half years into their five-year mandate — is unnecessary and opportunistic.

Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark, NDP leader Alexa McDonough and Canadian Alliance campaign co-chairman Jason Kenney each described Chretien’s go vernment as arrogant, framing what is likely to emerge as a central theme of the campaign.

“What’s happened today is that Jean Chretien has walked off the job, ” Clark said. “He’s walked off the job with a lot of business left to be done.”

The dissolution of Parliament leaves 20 pieces of legislation unfinished, effectively killing them.

“The record of this government is that of arrogance, ” Kenney said. “Canadians are tired of this tired government.”

Chretien calls Nov. 27 vote; opposition calls it opportunistic

“I wouldn’t expect them to say anything else, ” Heritage Minister Sheila Copps said.

“It is an election campaign and obviously they’re out to oppose the government. The reality is it’s the Alliance-Reform that asked for the election originally. Asking people to make a choice when you’re in the fourth year of the mandate — I don’t consider that arrogant.”

The smiling prime minister, who walked to the Governor General’s residence with his wife Aline, said he was feeling both confident and humbled by the opportunity to ask Canadians for another mandate.

Copps enjoys the highest profile among local Liberal MPs, who represent every riding in Hamilton, Halton, Brant and Niagara.

But Marlene Richards, Canadian Alliance riding association president for Ancaste r-Dundas-Flamborough-Aldershot, said she is sensing that voters in the Hamilton area are hungry for a change.

“There’s something exciting in the air, ” she said. “I’m feeling very, very positive about our own riding.”

Most local Alliance riding associations expect to nominate candidates within the next week.

During the weekend’s provincial Tory party convention in Toronto, both federal Alliance leader Stockwell Day and Conservative leader Joe Clark made appearances, seeking to win support for their competing camps among Mike Harris Tories.

The future for Day and Clark will depend on their ability to make gains in vote-rich Ontario, which holds more than one-third of all the seats in the federal Parliament. (Hamilton Spectator, A1, 10/23/2000)