culture

Saturday February 25, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 25, 2018

President Trump at CPAC Insists Arming Teachers, Not Gun Control, Will Keep Schools Safe

President Donald Trump reiterated his support for arming teachers during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference Friday morning, saying that keeping guns out of schools makes them targets for mass shooters.

January 17, 2013

“When we declare our schools to be gun free zones, it just puts our students in far more danger,” said Trump. “People that are adept with weaponry and with guns — they teach. I don’t want to have 100 guards with rifles standing all over the school. You do a concealed carry permit.”

Other than one mention of “strengthening” background checks, Trump did not talk about the ideas for tighter gun control that he has floated in the last week – including raising the age of purchasing some weapons and banning bump stocks. The National Rifle Association, which was an early backer of Trump’s and channeled over $30 million towards supporting his campaign, opposes raising the age limit.

July 25, 2015

The speech seemed in line with many of the talking points of NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, who went on the offensive on Thursday on the same CPAC stage, accusing gun control advocates of exploiting last week’s Florida school shooting tragedy.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, allegedly opened fire with an AR-15 rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, killing 17 people. In the days following, Trump pledged to take action to help prevent more school shootings in America, inviting those who have experienced school shootings to the White House. He reiterated his call to action on Friday, telling the audience, “We will act. We will do something.” (Source: TIME) 

 

Thursday June 22, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 22, 2017

LCBO extends hours in lead up to Canada Day as possible strike looms

The LCBO is extending hours amid fears of a last call due to a possible work stoppage next week.

March 4, 2015

With 8,000 unionized workers set to hit the bricks on Monday, the provincial alcohol monopoly some Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores will be open from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. starting Thursday.

“Extended store hours across Ontario will help accommodate customer shopping leading up to Canada Day and possible labour disruption,” the LCBO said in a statement Wednesday.

“We continue to bargain with the union’s bargaining committee, with the union in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. Monday,” the Crown agency continued.

“To ensure access to the best product selection and to avoid disappointment, customers should shop in advance of Sunday . . . if possible,” it said.

June 23, 2009

“We remain focused on reaching a fair, sustainable and responsible collective agreement. However, in the event of a labour disruption, we have plans to provide some level of service.”

Details on those strike provisions are not yet known.

In the event that workers are not on strike over the Canada Day long weekend July 1, the LCBO is hoping to keep as many as 450 of its 650 stores open with the longer hours that Sunday.

June 26, 2009

However, all outlets will be closed on the Saturday. They will be open Monday even though that is a statutory holiday.

Employees, 84 per cent of whom are part-time, are seeking greater certainty from the LCBO over scheduling and guarantees about eventually gaining full-time jobs.

Premier Kathleen Wynne, who is reforming labour laws this fall to protect workers in precarious employment circumstances better, has warned that “it’s a good idea for government to set an example in terms of good labour practice.” (Toronto Star) 

 

Tuesday May 16, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday May 16, 2017

Cultural appropriation: at its base, it’s all about money

The debate over cultural appropriation is complicated. At one level it is about the legitimacy of telling the stories of others. At base, it is about money.

It became front-page recently when the editor of a little-known literary magazine created a firestorm by daring to support the idea.

“Anyone anywhere should be encouraged to imagine other peoples, other cultures, other identities,” Hal Niedzviecki said in Write, the journal of the Writers’ Union of Canada. He went on to suggest, tongue-in-cheek, that an “appropriation prize” be created for writers who managed to accomplish this task.

For that, he was denounced by his employer and a number of authors. He quickly resigned.

Those living happily outside the hothouse of Canadian literature might be surprised that this is even an issue. By definition, fiction writers write fiction. In that sense, everything is borrowed. (Continued: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Thursday January 19, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday January 19, 2017

Kevin O’Leary makes late entry into Conservative leadership race

It’s finally official: Kevin O’Leary is running to become leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

January 15, 2016

After months of flirting with the idea, he picked the morning after the party’s French-language debate and used a video on his Facebook page to declare his candidacy.

“You know why? I listened to you,” he said in the video posted Wednesday, thanking the “40,000” Canadians he said went to his website and encouraged him to run.

“I’m reaching 1.2 million Canadians a week now on social media,” he said in an interview with CBC News Network’s Suhana Meharchand.

‘Kevin O’Leary has a long record of saying whatever ridiculous thing comes to his mind.’- Lisa Raitt, Conservative leadership candidate

October 25, 2016

“I don’t have a money problem. I don’t have a name recognition problem. I want to do what’s right for the party: sell tens of thousands of memberships and then let them decide … who should carry the torch to Ottawa to perform the exorcism we need in this country in 2019 to rid the country of Justin Trudeau,” he said about Canada’s Liberal prime minister.

“What I’m talking about is beyond Trudeau. His entire caucus is incompetent,” he said, adding that even after last week’s cabinet shuffle, “it’s not working.”

Those wishing to vote for the next Conservative leader on May 27 must purchase a party membership before March 28.

O’Leary, 62, joins the contest months after it started. Three of the 13 other candidates made their candidacies official last spring, and will have been organizing for more than a year by the time the vote is held.

O’Leary’s campaign must catch up in the space of a few months. But his various television programs in Canada and the U.S. have already made him a household name. (Source: CBC News) 

 

Tuesday October 25, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday October 25, 2016 Steven Blaney kicks off Conservative leadership campaign with proposed niqab ban Quebec MP Steven Blaney is running for leadership of the Conservative Party, and his first major policy position is a ban on the niqab and a promise to invoke the notwithstanding clause if courts strike down his new measures. The former minister in the cabinet of Stephen Harper said he will introduce legislation that would forbid the Islamic face-covering while voting and taking the oath of citizenship. He also said that the prohibition would extend to people working in the federal public service. "We are a country that is built on immigration, but we have to be sure that those new Canadians we welcome are understanding of how we live. We don't want our country to become like the country they left," Blaney told reporters Monday. "We fully welcome you, but we want you to respect who we are.Ó The measures are necessary, Blaney said, to "ensure the sustainability of our integration model" and to protect women's rights. The proposal revives a controversial debate from the last campaign, when Harper himself suggested the niqab should be banned from the public service. His party enacted policies to prevent women from wearing a niqab while taking the citizenship oath, and promised to create a "barbaric cultural practices" tip line. Those two proposals led some to accuse the party of engaging in identity politics and fuelling anti-Muslim sentiment. Zunera Ishaq, a Muslim woman, went to court to challenge the government's ban, and, in the middle of the campaign, the Federal Court of Appeal cleared the wayÊfor her to wear the head covering. (Source: CBC News)Êhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/steven-blaney-conservative-leadership-niqab-ban-1.3818673 Canada, Conservative, party, niqab, assisted suicide, end of life, conservative, leadership, Kellie Leitch, Steven Blaney, culture, race, religion, stephen ha

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 25, 2016

Steven Blaney kicks off Conservative leadership campaign with proposed niqab ban

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð 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.Ó 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.Ó 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.Ó In response to Trost's latest volley, Scheer simply said "no comment.Ó 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) http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada

October 8, 2016

Quebec MP Steven Blaney is running for leadership of the Conservative Party, and his first major policy position is a ban on the niqab and a promise to invoke the notwithstanding clause if courts strike down his new measures.

The former minister in the cabinet of Stephen Harper said he will introduce legislation that would forbid the Islamic face-covering while voting and taking the oath of citizenship. He also said that the prohibition would extend to people working in the federal public service.

Friday October 10, 2014

October 10, 2014

“We are a country that is built on immigration, but we have to be sure that those new Canadians we welcome are understanding of how we live. We don’t want our country to become like the country they left,” Blaney told reporters Monday. “We fully welcome you, but we want you to respect who we are.”

The measures are necessary, Blaney said, to “ensure the sustainability of our integration model” and to protect women’s rights.

The proposal revives a controversial debate from the last campaign, when Harper himself suggested the niqab should be banned from the public service.

Friday December 8, 2006 PM: Same-sex issue closed The last major threat to same-sex marriage rights in Canada was soundly defeated in the House of Commons today, with MPs sending the message that they donÕt want to revisit the emotional, divisive debate. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he heard the message and will respect it. ÒWe made a promise to have a free vote on this issue, we kept that promise, and obviously the vote was decisive and obviously weÕll accept the democratic result of the peopleÕs representatives,Ó Harper said. The question put to MPs was whether they wanted to see legislation drafted to reinstate the traditional definition of marriage, while respecting the existing marriages of gays and lesbians. That Conservative motion failed 175-123. In the tense Commons, MPs watched each other carefully to see how the other would vote. Some Liberals cheered as prominent Tories voted to let sleeping dogs lie. Some Conservatives applauded Liberals who did the opposite. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) Canada, same-sex marriage, gay marriage, civil union, marriage, dinosaur

Friday December 8, 2006

Zunera Ishaq, a Muslim woman, went to court to challenge the government’s ban, and, in the middle of the campaign, the Federal Court of Appeal cleared the way for her to wear the head covering. (Source: CBC News)

2016-10-25tearsheet