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Thursday June 29, 2017

June 28, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 29, 2017

Peter Mansbridge plans quiet exit from ‘The National’

Peter Mansbridge doesn’t want to make a fuss about leaving the anchor’s chair at CBC’s The National.

At Issue

Nearly a year after telling viewers he planned to retire from the public broadcaster’s flagship program, the 68-year-old newsman who defined an era at CBC News plans to sign-off for the final time with little fanfare.

“Don’t expect much,” he said in a recent interview. “I’ve never wanted it to be about me, this program.”

As Canada’s 150th celebration nears on Saturday, so does Mansbridge’s chosen date to say goodbye. The procession begins Wednesday night when he delivers his final broadcast of The National from the CBC’s Toronto studio.

Brian Williams

Carole MacNeil helms Thursday’s show, which will pay tribute to Mansbridge’s 50-year career, including almost 30 years as The National anchor. He’ll then return to the newscast one last time on Friday from Ottawa, before leading the CBC’s Canada Day broadcast at Parliament Hill.

“I’ve always taken most of the summer off anyway, so it seemed like a good exit point,” he said.

Mansbridge’s storied journalism career was launched at 19 thanks to a stroke of luck. He was plucked from an airport cargo job in Churchill, Man., after a CBC Radio manager heard his broadcast-ready voice over an intercom system. (Source: Global News)

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Saturday October 8, 2016

October 7, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday October 8, 2016

Conservative leadership hopeful Brad Trost questions Andrew Scheer about social conservatism

Saskatchewan Member of Parliament and Conservative leader hopeful Brad Trost says his policies make him a true social conservative choice.

“I’ve got about five or six policy platform items that will be of interest to social conservatives,” Trost said in Ottawa on Monday.

Trost wouldn’t go into detail what his policy platform planks will be but would only say “euthanasia, abortion and a couple of other issues,” will be included.

“These are things I believe. When you see my policy platforms they will demonstrate they are social conservative proposals that are not only popular inside the Conservative party but the general public.”

First elected in 2004, Trost has been vocal on many issues, including same-sex marriage.

Recently, Trost’s campaign started running ads with a picture of two fingers side by side, with the message “Marriage is the union of one man, one woman.”

He’s also taking aim at fellow Saskatchewan MP Andrew Scheer, who also recently entered the leadership race. Trost says that comments he’s read of late leads him to believe Scheer is not a true social conservative.

When Scheer launched his leadership campaign last week, he indicated that abortion and same-sex marriage were issues he considered resolved within the party and he would not re-visit them.

“I don’t think he’s taking a pro-life stand in this campaign,” said Trost. “I’m not sure if Mr. Scheer is a social conservative. That’s something he’s going to have to deal with. One of the social conservative groups referred to his statements the other day as pro-abortion.”

In response to Trost’s latest volley, Scheer simply said “no comment.”

Trost also sounded off on Harper’s time as Prime Minister, saying the he doesn’t believe Harper was a social conservative either. (Source: CBC News)

Tuesday August 18, 2015

August 17, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday August 18, 2015

Ingredients of a populist rebellion simmer in Canada

Politicians take heed: Populist rebellions are under way in both the United States and Britain. Canada is not immune. If a backlash against political elites who disrespect voters ever reaches our shores, it will not be pretty.

This grey decade has left all developed nations grappling with low growth, high unemployment and way too much debt, personal and governmental.

Populist movements have swept through Canada in the past, usually in times of discontent. The Great Depression spawned both the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation on the left and Social Credit on the right. Western anger at Central Canada’s indifference spawned the Reform Party in the 1980s.

So why has Canada been spared its own Donald Trump or Jeremy Corbyn? Luck, mostly. The recession in Canada wasn’t as severe as in the U.S. or Britain. The Conservative government was able to bring the budget back into balance without having to impose much in the way of austerity.

More important, while politics in Canada is polarizing between left and right, it does so within a deep consensus on the importance of both horizontal (between regions) and vertical (between classes) redistribution.

But Canada is not immune to populist pressure from either the left or right. The Occupy movement, a populist protest from the left, flared in Canadian cities as well as in the United States and overseas. Doug Ford took 34 per cent of the vote in the 2014 Toronto mayoral election, despite his brother’s outrages.

When any governing political elite ignores or belittles a group of voters, it risks a populist backlash. If the Conservatives win the next election, social activists may take direct action against them.

If the NDP or Liberals win, and the economy suffers because there is no political will to build an oil pipeline anywhere, expect a populist reaction from the right, especially in the West.

With luck, things will never get as extreme as Donald Trump or Jeremy Corbyn. But don’t be too certain. Remember Rob Ford. (Source: Globe & Mail)

Wednesday November 5, 2014

November 5, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

Illustration by Graeme MacKay – Wednesday November 5, 2014

‘The beginning of the long dash’ indicates 75 years of official time on CBC

It has been called the longest-running feature on CBC Radio.

The National Research Council’s official time signal was first broadcast on CBC Radio 75 years ago on Wednesday.

On Nov. 5, 1939, as the Second World War was breaking out in Europe, Canadians first heard “the beginning of the long dash” which officially indicated the arrival of 1 p.m. eastern standard time.

Since 1939, the time signal has been broadcast regularly on CBC Radio, allowing Canadians to set their clocks to the exact time set by the NRC.

The signal served an important role in the pre-digital age, allowing Canadians access to exact time in a world of analog clocks which were not always reliable.

In today’s age of instant communications, GPS systems and 24-hour business transactions, the official time set by the NRC is perhaps even more important. People can now access accurate NRC time whenever they want on their computers and cellphones. (Source: CBC)

Saturday November 1, 2014

October 31, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

Saturday November 1, 2014

PR firm dumps Jian Ghomeshi over ‘lies,’ sources say

Jian Ghomeshi was dumped by Navigator, the high-profile crisis management firm retained to protect his public image, because the company believed Ghomeshi lied to them, sources have told Toronto Star.

“He lied to the firm,” said a source with knowledge of the situation.

According to the sources, until late Sunday night, Navigator was “buying (Ghomeshi’s) story” that it was a jilted ex-girlfriend who had manufactured lies that Ghomeshi was abusive. One source said the former CBC radio star had convinced the firm that there were no other allegations and there was nothing to be “concerned” about.

Then, as a Star investigation showed at least eight women were making serious allegations of assault or sexual harassment against Ghomeshi, the firm decided at a series of meetings that it could not represent someone who, in their opinion, had lied.

The Star was not able to determine if publicity firm Rock-it Promotions dropped Ghomeshi for the same reason. A source with knowledge of the Rock-it situation said that firm, which had been with Ghomeshi for two years (Navigator was a recent hire) was disappointed as more and more allegations surfaced.

Both companies issued releases Thursday afternoon announcing they had cut ties with Ghomeshi, but neither said why. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)