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Wednesday May 31, 2023

May 31, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday May 31, 2023

Danielle Smith vs. Trudeau – Oil, Populism, and Federal Friction!

December 2, 2022

Alberta’s recent election witnessed the remarkable comeback of Premier Danielle Smith and her United Conservative Party (UCP). However, as Smith solidifies her position as premier, concerns arise about the potential tensions that may emerge between Alberta and the federal government, particularly under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Smith’s return to politics reintroduces a populist playbook that resonated with Albertans frustrated with COVID-19 restrictions and those seeking fundamental changes to Alberta’s role within Canada. This article explores the implications of Smith’s victory and the heightened conflict that may unfold in Canadian politics.

Smith’s campaign hinged on her promise to pass the Alberta Sovereignty Act, granting the provincial government the ability to opt out of enforcing federal legislation it deemed contrary to Alberta’s interests. While she tempered her stance on COVID-19 restrictions, the desire for increased provincial autonomy remained prevalent. The act was modified to become the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act, aiming to ease concerns about secession while asserting Alberta’s constitutional toughness. By aligning with Saskatchewan’s similar efforts, Smith seeks to protect Alberta’s oil and gas industry and safeguard the province’s prosperity.

Opinion: The lessons for Pierre Poilievre from the Alberta election  

October 28, 2021

This election outcome sets the stage for potential clashes with the federal government. Smith’s victory, driven by support from oil and gas advocates, gives her a mandate to prioritize and defend the industry. As Alberta and Saskatchewan unite, they aim to push the federal government back within its designated boundaries, asserting provincial jurisdiction and potentially limiting federal actions. Such conflicts have the potential to strain federal-provincial relations, posing a significant challenge for Prime Minister Trudeau’s government.

Smith’s political challenges lie in reconciling competing pressures. To secure her victory, she had to appeal to centrist voters by advocating for well-funded public services and lower taxes. However, her populist base may exert pressure for more confrontational positions. Conflict with the federal government in support of oil and gas becomes a unifying stance, satisfying those who desire Alberta’s affluence and low tax rates while resonating with populists who share Smith’s resentment toward Ottawa.

Smith’s triumph holds lessons for Canadian conservatives. It demonstrates that centrist voters may overlook a leader’s controversial associations if presented with a strong economic proposition. However, it is important to recognize that Alberta’s unique circumstances as an oil-rich province contribute to the viability of such an offer. Other Canadian jurisdictions may not possess the same capacity.

News: United Conservatives’ narrow Alberta win sets up conflict with Trudeau  

October 14, 2022

Danielle Smith’s extraordinary political comeback as Alberta’s premier promises to have a profound impact on Canadian politics. As she assumes her role, tensions are likely to rise between Alberta and the federal government due to conflicting interests in resource development and environmental policies. Failure to resolve these conflicts in favor of Alberta may result in proposals for greater provincial autonomy, including the establishment of a provincial police force, pension plan, or revenue collection agency. Smith’s emergence as a prominent national figure raises questions about the future of Canadian politics and the delicate balance between federal and provincial powers. (AI)

 

Thursday May 7, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 7, 2020

Farmers expected a miracle. No wonder they’re disappointed by Ottawa’s aid package

July 29, 2014

When the Canadian Federation of Agriculture laid out a $2.6-billion ask last week to help farmers endure the COVID-19 pandemic, they were setting the bar very high. And so it is little wonder that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Tuesday announcement of a program worth barely $252-million sent the farming community reeling.

Fair enough. The funding announcement was indeed underwhelming, and it will not be enough to get some of those on the precipice to stick around. Many will exit the industry, regrettably. Our preannouncement estimates were that as many as 15 per cent of our farms could be lost by year’s end due to COVID-19; Ottawa’s plans will not change that.

August 10, 2019

The $125-million program to support livestock raises a variety of questions. Executing the program will take time, something producers do not have. Few details were given about the role of provinces or how much farmers will receive. The measures presented will likely not prevent more animals from being euthanized in the days to come. Along with milk dumping, COVID-19 is serving up case studies on a silver platter for animal-rights activists. It’s a shame that our farmers have been put in this position.

May 22, 2019

Losing farms will not compromise our nation’s food security, however. Farmland doesn’t just disappear, as it can always be exploited by someone else. But the most significant concern is how we can create jobs and wealth in rural economies located far from urban centres. This should be a priority; occupying our vast nation’s topography should be top of mind, from coast to coast to coast. Ottawa doesn’t show that it cares for rural communities enough – or for agriculture, for that matter – but it should, before it’s too late.

Coronavirus cartoons

Its response to farmers pleading for help was unsurprisingly slow as well. In the United States and Europe, most governments have provided pandemic-related financial aid directly to farmers weeks ago. In the United States, every American is providing $86 in support for agriculture by way of government-sanctioned programs; in Europe, it is over $90 per capita. Here in Canada, each of us giving six measly dollars to support agriculture. Farmers have every right to be disappointed. (Globe & Mail)


 

Thursday August 30, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday August 30, 2018

U.S. is intent on ending supply management for Canadian dairy: Trudeau

April 20, 2017

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it is obvious the Trump administration is intent on dismantling Canada’s supply management system.

But he says Canada won’t buckle on the issue at the NAFTA talks.

The vexing question of greater U.S. access to the Canada’s protected dairy sector is now pivotal as the NAFTA negotiations in Washington draw closer to President Donald Trump’s Friday deadline for a three-country deal.

A concession on dairy — which is explosive politically in Canada — is one of the few cards the Trudeau government has left to play at the bargaining table after the U.S. and Mexico reached their own side deal on Monday.

Experts say Trump has not specifically set his sights on dismantling supply management, and is more angry with a new classification of milk products that Canada introduced two years ago that he says has undercut U.S. exports and hurt his country’s farmers.

Trump says he’s optimistic a deal can be worked out with Canada by the end of week. (Source: Financial Post)

Tuesday August 29, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday August 29, 2017

Not ‘a slam dunk’: Mike Duffy faces uphill battle for $8M in damages, experts say

Sen. Mike Duffy is hoping to extract a lofty sum from the Senate and the RCMP, arguing they unfairly subjected him to a witch hunt that resulted in gross Charter violations and salary loss that now demand some form of compensation.

But legal experts well-versed on civil lawsuits of this sort say it could be a tough slog for the P.E.I. Senator.

At the heart of Duffy’s $8-million lawsuit is a claim that the Red Chamber and the Mounties ran roughshod over his rights in their dogged pursuit of a scapegoat for public outrage over questionable expenses.

Duffy claims he was “threatened, cajoled, arm-twisted and rebuked” by former prime minister Stephen Harper’s office to publicly admit wrongdoing even though he maintained all expenses were above board.

The Conservative-controlled Senate was then the “government’s servant” and booted him from the upper house to serve a political agenda when things went awry. The RCMP, in turn, hastily assembled a criminal case that unfairly subjected Duffy to humiliation among other ills.

In his statement of claim, filed Thursday, Duffy said his Charter rights under section 7 (the right to life, liberty and the security of person), section 11(d) (the right to be presumed innocence) and section 12 (freedom from cruel and unusual punishment) were ignored throughout this scandal by both the Senate and the police.

“The system makes it really hard to allege a violation of the Charter based simply on a suspension from a position, loss of pay and the mere fact you were charged for a crime; it’s hard to argue that leads to a Charter violation when you’re ultimately acquitted and your job is reinstated,” Carissima Mathen, an associate professor of constitutional law at the University of Ottawa, said in an interview.

“The government enjoys a significant level of immunity.” (Continued: CBC News) 

Mike Duffy Comedy Gallery

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Thursday April 20, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 20, 2017

Canadian envoy fires back at Trump over dairy claims

Canada’s envoy to Washington has shot back at criticism by President Donald Trump and U.S. milk producers, saying the facts don’t support a charge that the Canadian dairy industry is to blame for the woes of some American farmers.

January 26, 2017

“Canada does not accept the contention that Canada’s dairy policies are the cause of financial loss for dairy farmers in the United States,” Ambassador David MacNaughton said in a letter to the governors of Wisconsin and New York that was released Tuesday night in rebuttal to Trump’s surprise criticism of Canada earlier in the day.

“The facts do not bear this out.”

The U.S. president’s surprise decision to call out Canada by name Tuesday put dairy farmers north of the border on notice that they are in America’s fair-trade sights.

Trump launched his broadside after a brewing trade spat that has seen the U.S. dairy lobby accuse Canada of “systemic disregard” of its trade obligations, while the Canadian industry accused its American rival of “scapegoating.”

October 10, 2015

Trump also signalled he wants to do more than simply tweak the North American Free Trade Agreement, saying he is looking for “very big changes” to the trilateral pact that includes Mexico, or else he will scrap it once and for all.

Trump levelled the threats — some of his strongest-ever anti-Canadian rhetoric — during an event at a Wisconsin factory where he unveiled his “Buy American-Hire American” executive order.

After what has been a relatively warm beginning in relations with Canada, which included what was seen by many as a positive trip to Washington by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump dropped the gloves on Canada’s well-guarded dairy sector.

He appeared to be taking dead aim at the Canadian industry and its supply-management system during an appearance in Wisconsin, a state he took from the Democrats with his “America First” anti-trade message.

It is also a state that is feeling the effects of Canada’s decision to impose import taxes on ultra-filtered milk, a protein liquid concentrate used to make cheese. It had been duty-free but Canada changed course after its milk producers complained. (Source: CBC News)

The Telegram, St. John’s, Nfld., April 25, 2017