Catherine McKenna

Tuesday June 29, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday June 29, 2021

Catherine McKenna quitting federal politics, says years of online attacks were ‘just noise’

After enduring a barrage of online hate and physical attacks on her constituency office during her six years as an MP, Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna announced Monday she will not run again in the next election.

November 24, 2015

McKenna — who led the contentious fight to levy a national price on carbon emissions as environment minister — has long been the target of sexist attacks over her vocal defence of climate action in the face of entrenched opposition.

But she said the hardship she has endured in politics was not the motivation for her departure. Rather, she said, she wants to spend more time with her kids after many nights away during her time in office. She said the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to “step back and reflect on what matters most.”

McKenna also said she wants to focus her energies on fighting climate change from outside of government. She’s offered to help Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Canadian delegation at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland later this year.

November 28, 2015

She’s no stranger to this forum. Only days after being named to cabinet in 2015, McKenna led the Canadian delegation at the COP21 conference in Paris where almost every country on earth agreed to emissions reductions to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

McKenna said her experiences shouldn’t dissuade young women from entering politics. While there may be some abuse, she said, elected office is still the best place to be to bring about change.

Her office was vandalized and her Twitter feed the source of many misogynistic messages — but McKenna said entering federal politics was the only way she could enact Canada’s price on carbon and implement the country’s first “meaningful climate plan” to dramatically drive down emissions by 2030.

December 15, 2015

After the Supreme Court upheld the carbon levy as constitutional, she said, all parties came to accept that pricing pollution is the best way to curb emissions — a sign that politicians can make a difference.

As infrastructure minister, she also signed cheques worth tens of billions of dollars to build public transit and other green-friendly projects.

“For the many people who are understandably cynical about politics, I hope you take that as hard evidence as to what’s possible. Things change, sometimes the biggest things,” she told a press conference along the Rideau Canal in her Ottawa riding.

“I have had my share of attacks, but that’s just noise. People want you to stop what you’re doing, and they want you to back down. We doubled down.”

October 9, 1997

She vowed to do more to tackle the hate some women face when in Parliament. “I’ll do everything to fight that when I’m gone,” she said. “We need good people in politics. Politics matters.”

McKenna’s decision not to run again in Ottawa Centre creates an opening for another Liberal in a riding the party carried easily in the 2015 and 2019 federal elections after years of NDP representation by former New Democrat leader Ed Broadbent and later Paul Dewar.

There’s been some speculation that the former Bank of Canada governor, Mark Carney, may jump into politics after endorsing Trudeau and the Liberals at the party’s convention in April. Carney, who lives in the area, could make a bid to carry the Liberal banner in this urban seat. (CBC) 

 

Tuesday December 15, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday December 15, 2015 After Paris climate talks comes the hard part: a global carbon diet The world is about to go on a carbon diet. It won't be easy Ñ or cheap. Nearly 200 countries across the world on Saturday approved a first-of-its-kind universal agreement to wean Earth off fossil fuels and slow global warming, patting themselves on the back for showing such resolve. On Sunday morning, like for many first-day dieters, the reality sets in. The numbers Ñ like calorie limits and hours needed in the gym Ñ are daunting. How daunting? Try more than 7.04 billion tonnes. That's how much carbon dioxide needs to stay in the ground instead of being spewed into the atmosphere for those reductions to happen, even if you take the easier of two goals mentioned in Saturday's deal. To get to the harder goal, it's even larger numbers. In the pact, countries pledged to limit global warming to about another one degree Celsius from now (or 2 C measuring against the pre-industrial average global surface temperature) Ñ and if they can, only half that. Another, more vague, goal is that by sometime in the second half of the century, human-made greenhouse gas emissions won't exceed the amount that nature absorbs. Earth's carbon cycle, which is complex and ever-changing, would have to get back to balance. (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/paris-cop21-climate-deal-fallout-1.3363024 Canada, Carbon, Climate Change, Justin Trudeau, Kathleen Wynne, Rachel Notley, Catherine McKenna, Business, oil, industry, manufacturing, sustainable, development

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 15, 2015

After Paris climate talks comes the hard part: a global carbon diet

The world is about to go on a carbon diet. It won’t be easy — or cheap.

Nearly 200 countries across the world on Saturday approved a first-of-its-kind universal agreement to wean Earth off fossil fuels and slow global warming, patting themselves on the back for showing such resolve.

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday November 28, 2015 Paris climate talks: powerful business lobbies seek to undermine deal As the UNÕs climate talks in Paris begin, the lobbying and public relations push from some of the biggest corporations responsible for climate change has gone into overdrive. What are the messages theyÕre so keen to spread, and what will they mean for the COP21 conference Ð and for the climate? A recent report from the NGO Corporate Europe Observatory reveals that whatÕs on offer at COP21 is nothing short of a climate catastrophe, a guaranteed recipe to cook the planet. But rather than sending the dish back, political leaders have asked for seconds, bringing the very companies responsible for the problem ever closer into the UN fold. James Bacchus, a trade expert at the International Chamber of Commerce, says: ÒThis issue is important for governments to address but it is far too important to leave to governments alone.Ó Fortunately for Bacchus, the UN agrees. The problem, however, is that is has also succeeded in creating several platforms to ensure business-friendly proposals are at the heart of climate policy-making, rather than vice versa. New markets, experimental technologies, all endorsed so polluters donÕt have to change their business models. The UNÕs climate chief, Christiana Figueres Ð who before taking up her post was principal climate change advisor to Latin AmericaÕs leading energy utility, Endesa Ð has even told the world to Òstop demonising oil and gas companiesÓ. (Continued: The Guardian) http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/nov/27/paris-climate-talks-un-business-lobbying-deal-governments Climate Change, COP21, Paris, conference, environment, business, summit, machinery, talk, action

On Sunday morning, like for many first-day dieters, the reality sets in. The numbers — like calorie limits and hours needed in the gym — are daunting.

How daunting? Try more than 7.04 billion tonnes. That’s how much carbon dioxide needs to stay in the ground instead of being spewed into the atmosphere for those reductions to happen, even if you take the easier of two goals mentioned in Saturday’s deal. To get to the harder goal, it’s even larger numbers.

In the pact, countries pledged to limit global warming to about another one degree Celsius from now (or 2 C measuring against the pre-industrial average global surface temperature) — and if they can, only half that.

Another, more vague, goal is that by sometime in the second half of the century, human-made greenhouse gas emissions won’t exceed the amount that nature absorbs. Earth’s carbon cycle, which is complex and ever-changing, would have to get back to balance. (Source: CBC News)

 

Thursday November 5, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday November 5, 2015 (James Mennie column) When you consider weÕve just come through a federal election campaign where the selfie proved itself a legitimate and highly effective political tool, it wasnÕt surprising this weekend to see Justin Trudeau, the undisputed winner of that campaign, proving once again he is the most photogenic prime minister designate in recent Canadian history. If you missed it, the Trudeau familyÕs trick or treat theme on Saturday night was rather eclectic, Mom and Dad going with a generic Star Wars look while the two older children opted for your standard Disney princess and sword toting bird ensemble while the youngest (the choice presumably made for him) was led from door to camera-crew-surrounded door as a Ninja Turtle. Given that Trudeau had already tweeted a Happy Halloween message and family portrait to his 932,000 followers, the images flooded social media and the comments seemed for the most part to be positive, many of them expressing delight at the countryÕs being led by so down to earth and happy looking a family. And when you consider that even the crustiest, most hard bitten political analysts have acknowledged that TrudeauÕs message of hope and positiveness pretty much cut Stephen HarperÕs campaign to ribbons, itÕs a pretty safe bet the optimistic glow engendered by the Liberal victory on Oct. 19 will continue beyond the swearing-in ceremony for Trudeau and his first cabinet scheduled for Wednesday. That said, IÕm not entirely sure that glow will still be around by, say, Christmas. And the reason I suspect TrudeauÕs national honeymoon wonÕt survive 2015 is that the selfie taking, Star Wars loving, YouTube dancing, drama teaching, musketeer mustachioed candidate- the guy who actually won this thing Ð will, by sheer political necessity, cease to exist once the words ÒSo help me GodÓ have left his lips on Wednesday. The transformation wonÕt be due to pr

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday November 5, 2015

No more selfies, but way more drama

(James Mennie column) When you consider we’ve just come through a federal election campaign where the selfie proved itself a legitimate and highly effective political tool, it wasn’t surprising this weekend to see Justin Trudeau, the undisputed winner of that campaign, proving once again he is the most photogenic prime minister designate in recent Canadian history.

If you missed it, the Trudeau family’s trick or treat theme on Saturday night was rather eclectic, Mom and Dad going with a generic Star Wars look while the two older children opted for your standard Disney princess and sword toting bird ensemble while the youngest (the choice presumably made for him) was led from door to camera-crew-surrounded door as a Ninja Turtle.

Given that Trudeau had already tweeted a Happy Halloween message and family portrait to his 932,000 followers, the images flooded social media and the comments seemed for the most part to be positive, many of them expressing delight at the country’s being led by so down to earth and happy looking a family. And when you consider that even the crustiest, most hard bitten political analysts have acknowledged that Trudeau’s message of hope and positiveness pretty much cut Stephen Harper’s campaign to ribbons, it’s a pretty safe bet the optimistic glow engendered by the Liberal victory on Oct. 19 will continue beyond the swearing-in ceremony for Trudeau and his first cabinet scheduled for Wednesday.

That said, I’m not entirely sure that glow will still be around by, say, Christmas. And the reason I suspect Trudeau’s national honeymoon won’t survive 2015 is that the selfie taking, Star Wars loving, YouTube dancing, drama teaching, musketeer mustachioed candidate- the guy who actually won this thing – will, by sheer political necessity, cease to exist once the words “So help me God” have left his lips on Wednesday.

The transformation won’t be due to pressure from any opposition in the House of Commons. The Tories are far too busy trying to figure out how to re-invent themselves and disinfect their party of the political agenda they spent 11 weeks defending during the campaign to effectively hound the new government any time soon. And the NDP is (I suspect) still preoccupied doing a slow burn over how they managed to let a principled stand on a wedge politics issue like the niqab sink their shot at governing while the same stand had no effect whatsoever on the Trudeau Liberals.

No, in the end, I think that Trudeau the prime minister will say good-bye to Justin the candidate because, just like anyone else who’s trained in drama, Trudeau knows when it’s time to change roles. And it’s becoming clear that the role of Justin the candidate has served its purpose. (Continued: Montreal Gazette)

 

Letter to the Editor

Spec’s Trudeau endorsement seems suspect

RE: Editorial cartoon (Nov. 5)

I find this cartoon disrespectful and lacking in humour. Especially two days before our new government is sworn in.

Considerable effort is already underway to live up to the promise of getting 25,000 refugees in by the end of the year. Numerous groups across Canada are hard at work, our armed forces are looking at ways to implement the plan and other initiatives are under evaluation.

It might be mentioned that the actual number of Syrian refugees taken into Canada, after a few years, is shockingly less than 5,000.

We did not honour our initial promise to take in 1,300 by the end of 2014.

Just another reminder that the Spectator’s endorsement of Justin Trudeau continuous to seem suspect.

Richard Ring, Grimsby