Childcare

Saturday August 31, 2024

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Saturday August 31, 2024

Poilievre asks Singh to pull support for Liberal government to prompt fall election

Pierre Poilievre’s impatience and lack of a clear policy agenda risk undermining his party’s chances of capitalizing on current Liberal unpopularity, while Jagmeet Singh and the NDP are unlikely to abandon a coalition that has allowed them to achieve significant policy wins.

News: Pierre Poilievre’s Impatience Risks Derailing Conservative Hopes

The popularity surges of leaders like Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre highlight the perilous tendency of voters to invest unrealistic faith in political figures, underscoring the importance of maintaining critical analysis and skepticism in democratic engagement.

April 13, 2024

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, finds himself in a powerful but precarious position. His party’s poll numbers are soaring, bolstered by widespread dissatisfaction with the governing Liberals. Canadians are feeling the pinch of high interest rates, inflation, and a general fatigue with a Prime Minister who, after nearly a decade in power, appears to have lost his political spark. The conditions seem ripe for a change in government, but Poilievre’s recent actions and rhetoric suggest a leader growing impatient—and that impatience could prove costly.

Recent byelection results reveal the fragility of the Liberal-NDP coalition as provincial leaders like Bonnie Crombie and Naheed Nenshi distance themselves, exposing the risks of political alliances.

June 28, 2024

Poilievre’s repeated calls for NDP leader Jagmeet Singh to pull his party’s support from the Liberal government and trigger an early election are increasingly sounding like the pleas of a politician more concerned with capitalizing on current discontent than with presenting a comprehensive vision for the country’s future. His demand for an immediate “carbon tax election” is rooted in the Conservatives’ popular “Ax the Tax” campaign, which taps into the frustration of cash-strapped Canadians. However, beyond this single-issue focus, Poilievre’s broader platform remains vague, leaving many Canadians wondering what the Conservatives actually stand for beyond opposition to the status quo.

The irony in Poilievre’s rhetoric is palpable. His criticism of Singh’s potential pension entitlement comes across as hollow, given that Poilievre himself qualified for a parliamentary pension at an exceptionally young age. This inconsistency does little to bolster his credibility and instead opens him up to charges of hypocrisy, undermining his attempts to position himself as a champion of fiscal responsibility and integrity.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday December 22, 2023 The shifting Canadian attitudes towards pharmacare, as reflected in recent surveys, involve considerations of health care priorities, political negotiations, and changing sentiments amidst economic uncertainties and the ongoing pandemic, with key players including Justin Trudeau, Jagmeet Singh, and the evolving landscape of Canadian politics.

December 22, 2023

Furthermore, Poilievre’s urgency for an election may be premature. While the Liberals are undoubtedly struggling—hampered by high spending, borrowed NDP policies, and a Prime Minister who seems past his best before date—there are signs that the economic situation might improve. Interest rates could come down, easing the affordability crisis that has plagued Trudeau’s government and offering a potential lifeline to the Liberals. If affordability improves, so too could the Liberals’ standing with voters, making Poilievre’s current window of opportunity narrower than he anticipates.

Rick Mercer: Pierre Poilievre’s Pension

The NDP, meanwhile, has little incentive to abandon its agreement with the Liberals. By securing significant policy wins like dental care, pharmacare, and child care, Singh has demonstrated his party’s ability to influence government policy, fulfilling the NDP’s traditional role as the driver of progressive social programs. These achievements are tangible and meaningful, and they align with the NDP’s long-standing priorities. Why would Singh risk these gains by pulling the plug on the agreement and potentially ushering in a Conservative government that is likely to dismantle them?

Raising concern about Trudeau's governance due to issues like ArriveCAN mismanagement, CERB problems, and potential pitfalls of rushed decisions for political support, such as quick deals on Pharmacare and Dental care.

February 29, 2024

Indeed, Poilievre’s petulant rhetoric and lack of a clear alternative policy agenda could backfire. Canadians may be discontent with the current government, but they are unlikely to vote for change without knowing what that change would look like. Voters need to hear more from Poilievre than just critiques of the Liberals—they need to understand his vision for the country, how he plans to achieve it, and who will benefit (or suffer) under his leadership. Without this, his calls for an early election may come across as little more than political opportunism, lacking the substance needed to convince Canadians that the Conservatives are ready to govern.

In politics, timing is everything. Poilievre’s impatience, coupled with his reliance on rhetoric over concrete policy proposals, risks alienating voters who might otherwise be open to supporting the Conservatives. If the Liberals manage to stabilize their position, and if the NDP continues to extract meaningful concessions from the government, Poilievre could find that his window of opportunity closes just as quickly as it opened. The pendulum of Canadian politics may indeed be swinging towards change, but unless Poilievre can present a compelling, detailed alternative to the current government, he may find himself watching from the sidelines when the time comes. (AI)

Friday April 1, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 1, 2022

Minister of Everything must tell Liberals they can’t have it all

December 30, 2021

Ms. Freeland is now tasked with delivering a budget at a critical time for Canada: when the country is in the early yet unstable stages of pandemic recovery, when a war is being fought in Ukraine, when drought caused by climate change has affected domestic and global yields and when inflation in Canada and abroad is surging. Indeed, the country is now at a precarious financial moment, when it could use the steady hand of that minister it saw on Feb. 24, speaking with genuine conviction about a policy she believes in deeply. What it doesn’t need is a minister dressed in Liberal garb, selling a politically advantageous budget when Canada can’t endure any more risk.

Next week, Ms. Freeland will produce a budget that accounts for her government’s many spending promises – and the new spending promises inherited through the supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP, plus a likely increase in defence spending – while somehow also reassuring capital markets and stimulating long-term growth. This government has never been shy about spending beyond its means, and it has done so every year far beyond projections, while citing low interest rates and an ill-defined need to “invest” in the economy. The pandemic, of course, necessitated emergency spending on a record scale, although Canada’s trillion-dollar debt and projected deficits over the coming years now mean the country is staring down hefty financing costs: $43.5-billion in 2025-26, to cite one figure from a recent Parliamentary Budget Officer report. For context, the government is spending less than that to settle a years-long dispute over compensation for Indigenous children.

September 22, 2021

With the economy now recovering (GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2021 exceeded the forecast rate, and the unemployment rate is down to prepandemic levels), the time for runaway, short-term spending is over, and indeed it risks exacerbating inflationary pressures. Interest rates are going up, and Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to be 48 per cent for 2021-22 (up from 31.2 per cent in 2019-20), which means the government has far less room to manoeuvre should it get hit with another crisis. The Liberal Party’s impulse may be to continue to promise everything – Child care! Dental care! Fighter jets! Green retrofits! Rapid housing! – and to leave the bill for some future government to sort out, which is why Canada depends on Ms. Freeland now to make some tough calls and bring the budget down to earth. (The Globe & Mail) 

 

Wednesday December 2, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday December 3, 2015 Trudeau children's nannies being paid for by taxpayers Canadian taxpayers are paying the wages of two nannies hired to care for the children of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie GrŽgoire-Trudeau, according to cabinet orders posted online. The hirings were approved late last week, with cabinet authorizing the appointment of the two women under the Official Residences Act as "special assistants at the prime minister's residence." They will be paid between $15 and $20 an hour during the day and $11 to $13 an hour for night shifts effective Nov. 4 Ñ the day Trudeau and his cabinet were sworn in. The disclosure comes after an election campaign where Trudeau repeatedly attacked the Conservatives' enhanced universal child care benefit, or UCCB, and income splitting for families, arguing rich families like his and former prime minister Stephen Harper's didn't need taxpayers' help. "In these times, Mr. Harper's top priority is to give wealthy families like his and mine $2,000," Trudeau said in reference to the Conservatives' income-splitting tax credit. "Let me tell you something: We don't need it. And Canada can't afford it." Trudeau is also entitled to collect annual UCCB payments of about $3,400 for his three children. He promised to give the money to charity. One of the women hired was with the Trudeaus this past week on the prime minister's foreign trip that wrapped up Monday at the UN climate change conference in Paris. She posted photos online of the couple's two children who came on the trip. There were also shots of her with the Trudeaus' youngest child on Facebook visiting museums and at the hotel where they stayed in Paris. The prime minister's director of communications, Kate Purchase, said in an email that the two women who have been hired are doing more than childcare. "Like all families of prime ministers, a small number of staff provide assi

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 2, 2015

Trudeau children’s nannies being paid for by taxpayers

Canadian taxpayers are paying the wages of two nannies hired to care for the children of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, according to cabinet orders posted online.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday January 12, 2007 Is Justin Trudeau set to run as MP? Justin Trudeau is about to enter federal politicsÑwell, according to everyone but him, that is. While the 35-year-old school teacher and academic is remaining coy about his intentions, a report published in MontrŽalÕs French-language daily La Presse on Tue, Jan 9, claims that the eldest son of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau is planning on running as a Liberal candidate in the next federal election in Outremont, a riding located in the centre of the Island of MontrŽal that is home to wealthy Francophone families and a sizeable Jewish community. Outremont is considered to be an extremely ÒsafeÓ riding for the partyÑsince its creation in 1933, the Liberals have failed to win the seat only once, in 1988Ñand the areaÕs current MP, former Transport Minister Jean Lapierre, has indicated that he does not plan to run in the next election. Despite his denials and deflections (ÒI have no comment to make at this time,Ó Trudeau wrote in an email to the MontrŽal Gazette), the increasing likelihood of TrudeauÕs entrance into the House of Commons has set political pundits and journalists abuzz. A recent article in MacleanÕs magazine headlined ÒHis SecretÕs OutÓ claims that Trudeau hinted in an interview that he would make an announcement regarding his future in politics sometime after Christmas, while a close friend of the supposed star candidate reportedly told the magazine ÒOff the record, I think heÕs pretty much there.Ó (Source: Vue) editorial cartoon, 2007, Justin Trudeau, Pierre Trudeau, Colm Feore, politics, Outremont, trudeau

Friday January 12, 2007

The hirings were approved late last week, with cabinet authorizing the appointment of the two women under the Official Residences Act as “special assistants at the prime minister’s residence.”

They will be paid between $15 and $20 an hour during the day and $11 to $13 an hour for night shifts effective Nov. 4 — the day Trudeau and his cabinet were sworn in.

The disclosure comes after an election campaign where Trudeau repeatedly attacked the Conservatives’ enhanced universal child care benefit, or UCCB, and income splitting for families, arguing rich families like his and former prime minister Stephen Harper’s didn’t need taxpayers’ help.

“In these times, Mr. Harper’s top priority is to give wealthy families like his and mine $2,000,” Trudeau said in reference to the Conservatives’ income-splitting tax credit. “Let me tell you something: We don’t need it. And Canada can’t afford it.”

Trudeau is also entitled to collect annual UCCB payments of about $3,400 for his three children.

He promised to give the money to charity.

April 25, 2012

One of the women hired was with the Trudeaus this past week on the prime minister’s foreign trip that wrapped up Monday at the UN climate change conference in Paris. She posted photos online of the couple’s two children who came on the trip.

There were also shots of her with the Trudeaus’ youngest child on Facebook visiting museums and at the hotel where they stayed in Paris.

The prime minister’s director of communications, Kate Purchase, said in an email that the two women who have been hired are doing more than childcare.

“Like all families of prime ministers, a small number of staff provide assistance. Given the nature of the prime minister’s responsibilities and his young family, the Trudeaus employ two household employees who, in addition to performing other duties around the house, act as secondary caregivers to the three children,” Purchase said. (Source: CBC News)

Social Media

Regina Leader-Post, December 3, 2015

Regina Leader-Post, December 3, 2015