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diaper

Tuesday October 9, 2012

May 9, 2012 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Tuesday October 9, 2012

Gerry Ritz, XL Foods failed consumers badly

BETWEEN a mediocre federal agriculture minister and a fumbling food giant, Canadians have been exceptionally ill-served during the current outbreak of E. coli that originated in a mega-meat-processing plant in Alberta.

So far, the consequences of government and corporate mismanagement of the situation have not been fatal. Although 11 Canadians in various provinces have taken ill, we are a far cry from the Listeria outbreak of 2008 when tainted luncheon meat from an Ontario factory killed 22 consumers and sickened 35 others.

Two things were widely remarked upon during that crisis. First were the earnest efforts by Maple Leaf Foods and its CEO, Michael McCain, to behave like responsible — and responsive — corporate citizens. Second was the disastrous leadership of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz who got caught cracking jokes about the outbreak in a conference call with scientists.

This time around, we are still stuck with Mr. Ritz, who should have been shuffled out of cabinet years ago. Worse yet, the corporate entity involved, XL Foods, has failed to seize the bull by the horns, à la Maple Leaf. Instead of being proactive in word and deed, XL Foods has engaged in foot-dragging and wagon-circling. Its idea of crisis management is to record a platitude about taking “full responsibility” on its answering machine, instead of putting an engaged executive front and centre.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, under Mr. Ritz’s watch, allowed the mega-facility to keep churning out products for three weeks after the E. coli red flag was first raised, despite the fact the company was barely co-operative in providing information and not even following its own protocols. (Source: Halifax Chronicle-Herald) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: agency, Agriculture, austerity, Canada, Canadian, cow, diaper, e-coli, food, inspection, inspectors, listeria, recall, safety

Friday February 29, 2008

February 29, 2008 by Graeme MacKay

February 29, 2008

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday February 29, 2008

Smitherman apologizes for diaper comment

Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman has apologized for his comments about “seriously considering” wearing an adult diaper to better understand the condition in nursing homes. 

“I guess it’s not surprising that people have jumped on it but I’m disappointed that anyone would see this as trivialization,” he told Global Morning News Thursday. “I really didn’t mean it that way.”

The comments were made Wednesday at Queen’s Park following complaints from nursing home staff about residents being forced to wear soiled diapers for much of the day because there are not enough caregivers to change them. 

The fallout in response to those comments by various opposition parties Thursday was vast. 

Some have called for the health minister’s resignation for the insensitive remarks and others have asked Mr. Smitherman to come up with a concrete solution to improve long-term care in the province. 

“If people were offended or think I shouldn’t have raised those comments. I apologize,” Mr. Smitherman told a Toronto radio station Thursday. 

Valerie Hanley, whose elderly mother is one of the 75,000 people living in long-care in the province, was disgusted by the health minister’s comments.  (Source: National Post) 

 

Posted in: Ontario Tagged: apology, diaper, gaffe, George Smitherman, health, long term care, minister, Nursing homes, Ontario, senior

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This website contains satirical commentaries of current events going back several decades. Some readers may not share this sense of humour nor the opinions expressed by the artist. To understand editorial cartoons it is important to understand their effectiveness as a counterweight to power. It is presumed readers approach satire with a broad minded foundation and healthy knowledge of objective facts of the subjects depicted.

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