compassion

Wednesday November 18, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday November 18, 2015 Paris attacks polarize Canadians on refugee resettlement plan Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suspend his plan to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees by January 1st. Premier Wall believes Friday's attacks in Paris are a reminder of "the death and destruction even a small number of malevolent individuals can inflict upon a peaceful country and its citizens." And he's not the only one voicing such fears. Jurisdictions across Europe and North America are rethinking their intake of Syrians amid reports that one of the Paris attackers may have been processed as a refugee from Syria. In Europe, Poland's plan to take in 4,500 refugees now appears in doubt and Germany's open-door policy is facing a fresh wave of criticism. In the United States, eight Republican governors have vowed to close their doors to Syrian refugees. But yesterday President Barack Obama stood by his plan to admit 10,000 refugees in 2016. In Canada, online petitions demanding a halt to Prime Minister Trudeau's plan are making the rounds. One such petition, in Quebec Ð a province whose cultural rifts are often compared to those in France Ð has gained nearly 59,000 signatures in a matter of days. A competing petition calling for support for the refugees quickly racked up nearly 25,000 signatures of its own. Those working behind the scenes to try to bring thousands of Syrian refugees to Canada have not been swayed by the attacks in Paris. Immigration Minister John McCallum issued a statement yesterday reiterating the government's commitment to immediately resettle 25,000 refugees and that it will not compromise Canada's security in order to do so. (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-november-17-2015-1.3322358/paris-attacks-polarize-canadians-on-refugee-resettlement-plan-1.3322384 Canada, North America, racism, bigotry, islamophobia, Sy

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday November 18, 2015

Paris attacks polarize Canadians on refugee resettlement plan

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suspend his plan to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees by January 1st. Premier Wall believes Friday’s attacks in Paris are a reminder of “the death and destruction even a small number of malevolent individuals can inflict upon a peaceful country and its citizens.”

And he’s not the only one voicing such fears.

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday September 4, 2015 How Canada could be doing more to stop the migrant crisis They are desperate people taking desperate measures as they flee war, persecution and poverty. They endure abuse, starvation and, for the unlucky, death in their search for asylum. The numbers are numbing. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 60 million displaced persons are on the move. Each day an additional 42,500 Ð the equivalent of everyone living in the Northwest Territories Ð are forced to leave their homes. The flows, the most since the mass displacements after the Second World War, are global. They are desperate people taking desperate measures as they flee war, persecution and poverty. They endure abuse, starvation and, for the unlucky, death in their search for asylum. The numbers are numbing. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 60 million displaced persons are on the move. Each day an additional 42,500 Ð the equivalent of everyone living in the Northwest Territories Ð are forced to leave their homes. The flows, the most since the mass displacements after the Second World War, are global. The number of European migrants increased 51 per cent in 2014: through Turkey, the worldÕs top refugee-hosting country; across the Mediterranean; and within Ukraine. The number of Asian migrants is up 31 per cent, with Iran and Pakistan now in the top four refugee-receiving nations. Displacement in the Middle East, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa is up 18 per cent. Ethiopia has replaced Kenya as the top African host nation. The numbers from the Americas are up 12 per cent because of the six million still displaced within Colombia. Refugee claims are up 44 per cent in the United States as a result of the increased flow from Central America. The displaced are labelled variously as aliens, illegals, migrants or refugees. Few countries particip

The refugee settlement issue was regarded as a European problem from a North Americans standpoint two months ago in September

Jurisdictions across Europe and North America are rethinking their intake of Syrians amid reports that one of the Paris attackers may have been processed as a refugee from Syria.

In Europe, Poland’s plan to take in 4,500 refugees now appears in doubt and Germany’s open-door policy is facing a fresh wave of criticism.

In the United States, eight Republican governors have vowed to close their doors to Syrian refugees. But yesterday President Barack Obama stood by his plan to admit 10,000 refugees in 2016.

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday November 12, 2015 Refugees as a long-term investment in the country Immigration Minister John McCallum and the new Liberal government have drawn global attention and praise with a frantic Beat the Clock pledge to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the year. The deadline is probably unnecessarily tight and, to do it right, Canadians would probably give the new Trudeau government the breathing room needed to push the Jan. 1 deadline. But the government has the support of the UN Refugee Agency, provinces, cities, the military, airlines, labour organizations, churches and Canadians. It evokes memories of the last time this country opened its arms in such a compassionate embrace and one Toronto man knows better than any the work involved in pulling off such a herculean task. Scott Mullin was 22 and barely out of Carleton University when the Star headlined a March 5, 1979, piece about him Ñ ÒViet refugees view Canadian as a god.ÕÕ A few months later, the CBC called him ÒThe One-Man Board of Immigration,ÕÕ in a July 1979 piece from reporter Peter Mansbridge. Mullin, now the vice-president of community relations for the TD Bank, determined which of the so-called Vietnamese Òboat peopleÓ came to Canada and which were denied passage, relying largely on gut impressions which resulted in far more ÒyaysÓ than Ònays.Ó ÒWe have to look upon this for ourselves as an investment in the future,ÕÕ the young Mullin told Mansbridge 36 years ago. ÒThe first six months we might have a lot of problems, but whatÕs this guyÕs son going to be like and howÕs he going to do? I think thatÕs the important thing you have to look at.ÕÕ (Source: Toronto Star) http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/11/11/refugees-as-a-long-term-investment-in-the-country-tim-harper.html Canada, Syria, Syrian, migrants, Hercules, emperor, Justin Trudeau, John McCallum, immigration, refugees, war

In Canada, online petitions demanding a halt to Prime Minister Trudeau’s plan are making the rounds. One such petition, in Quebec – a province whose cultural rifts are often compared to those in France – has gained nearly 59,000 signatures in a matter of days. A competing petition calling for support for the refugees quickly racked up nearly 25,000 signatures of its own.

Those working behind the scenes to try to bring thousands of Syrian refugees to Canada have not been swayed by the attacks in Paris.

Immigration Minister John McCallum issued a statement yesterday reiterating the government’s commitment to immediately resettle 25,000 refugees and that it will not compromise Canada’s security in order to do so. (Source: CBC News)

 OTHER MEDIA

Rolling out the “welcome mat”…

Posted by The Hamilton Spectator on Tuesday, November 17, 2015

 

Winnipeg Free Press, Thursday November 19, 2015

Winnipeg Free Press, Thursday November 19, 2015

 

Saturday, September 12, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday, September 12, 2015 Stephen Harper is going Down Under to come up on top. With polls suggesting the Conservatives are struggling in third place, the party has reached out to Lynton Crosby, a top Australian political campaign strategist who has been credited with securing victories for British Prime Minister David Cameron and other right-leaning leaders. Crosby, known as the "Wizard of Oz" for his string of political successes, is working with the Tories as their campaign tries to regain momentum after a series of negative headlines. But the exact role he will play is unclear. Conservative campaign spokesman Kory Teneycke would only say that "Crosby is somebody that pretty much everyone in our organization has known for a long time, we've had a lot of cross-pollination over the years with our friends in Australia and also the U.K." Teneycke wouldn't get into details, but denied Crosby was running the campaign, adding, however, "he's been around for a very long time and continues to be around." Crosby is widely acknowledged for playing a key role in the surprising majority victory of Cameron's Conservative Party in Britain this year. He was also the national campaign director for the successful campaigns of former Australia prime minister John Howard in 1998 and 2001 and was behind the winning London mayoral campaigns of Boris Johnson in 2008 and 2012. He has been described as the Australian Karl Rove, after the key adviser to former U.S president George W. Bush. According to a Guardian profile of him, Crosby employs the strategy of wedge politics Ñ finding an issue that can be exploited to split off an opponent's traditional supporters. (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-election-2015-lynton-crosby-conservatives-1.3223315 Canada, election, #elxn2015, Lynton Crosby, migrants, refugees, Stephen Harper, crisis, polls, compassion

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday, September 12, 2015

Lynton Crosby, Australian strategist, hired by Tories to boost political fortunes

Stephen Harper is going Down Under to come up on top.

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday September 9, 2015 Canada Election Shifts Gears After Trying Summer for Harper After a month of campaigning, the three-way race for CanadaÕs Oct. 19 election has narrowed as warning signs emerge for Prime Minister Stephen Harper in his bid for a fourth consecutive term. The incumbent Conservative has endured an explosive court case, talk of a recession and a refugee crisis that have eroded his traditional core platform planks: accountability and economic stewardship. Tom Mulcair of the leftist New Democratic Party and Justin Trudeau of the centrist Liberals, meanwhile, are each working to position themselves as the best alternative to Harper. Polls have shown the three parties essentially tied -- though one, published Monday night by Nanos Research, suggests Harper has sunk to third place. The deadlock may break as Canada emerges from an end-of-summer long weekend, with students returning to classrooms and workers settling back into routine. ÒThe campaign to date has been largely a phone campaign producing little attention,Ó said Frank Graves of Ekos Research. ÒAll of this will change post-Labour Day as the real war for votes begins in earnest.Ó An Ekos poll published Friday showed MulcairÕs New Democrats in the lead with 30.2 percent support, HarperÕs Conservatives at 29.5 percent and TrudeauÕs Liberals close behind at 27.7 percent. MondayÕs Nanos survey, conducted for CTV and The Globe and Mail, found the NDP ahead with 32.7 percent, followed by the Liberals at 30.8 percent and Harper at 26.2 percent. The electionÕs first month included two weeks of testimony in the criminal trial of former Conservative senator Mike Duffy that exposed the inner workings of HarperÕs office and a plan to cover up disputed expenses. While explosive, that testimony has largely been forgotten now, Graves said. (Source: Bloomberg) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-08/canada-s-election-shifts-ge

With polls suggesting the Conservatives are struggling in third place, the party has reached out to Lynton Crosby, a top Australian political campaign strategist who has been credited with securing victories for British Prime Minister David Cameron and other right-leaning leaders.

Crosby, known as the “Wizard of Oz” for his string of political successes, is working with the Tories as their campaign tries to regain momentum after a series of negative headlines.

But the exact role he will play is unclear. Conservative campaign spokesman Kory Teneycke would only say that “Crosby is somebody that pretty much everyone in our organization has known for a long time, we’ve had a lot of cross-pollination over the years with our friends in Australia and also the U.K.”

Teneycke wouldn’t get into details, but denied Crosby was running the campaign, adding, however, “he’s been around for a very long time and continues to be around.”

2011-2015

2011-2015

Crosby is widely acknowledged for playing a key role in the surprising majority victory of Cameron’s Conservative Party in Britain this year. He was also the national campaign director for the successful campaigns of former Australia prime minister John Howard in 1998 and 2001 and was behind the winning London mayoral campaigns of Boris Johnson in 2008 and 2012.

He has been described as the Australian Karl Rove, after the key adviser to former U.S president George W. Bush. According to a Guardian profile of him, Crosby employs the strategy of wedge politics — finding an issue that can be exploited to split off an opponent’s traditional supporters. (Source: CBC News)

(St. John's) Telegram, September 15, 2015

(St. John’s) Telegram, September 15, 2015