Elephant

Tuesday August 14, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday August 14, 2018

Hamilton chamber continues to prepare for LRT construction

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce is launching another series of seminars to prepare businesses for light rail transit (LRT) construction.

April 7, 2018

The four-part series starts on Thursday evening with a session called “Countdown to Construction.”

Chamber President Keanin Loomis says it is planning on the basis that the $1 billion, provincially-funded project will proceed as scheduled, despite ongoing political questions.

The funding commitment was made by Ontario’s former Liberal government.

There has been much speculation in recent months about whether the 14-kilometre LRT line between McMaster University and Eastgate Square will proceed under Premier Doug Ford’s new PC government.

Loomis, a steadfast supporter of Hamilton LRT, notes that “if everything goes right, as I expect it will, we’re going to be facing construction next year.”

The construction is expected to happen over a period of about five years and Loomis recognizes there will be disruptions for businesses along the corridor, but he remains confident they will be “temporary” and “manageable.”

Metrolinx, based on the project’s latest timelines, is expected to award the contract to build Hamilton’s LRT in 2019. (Source: Global News) 

 

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Thursday, August 17, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday, August 17, 2017

Chapter 19 may be a NAFTA deal breaker for Canada

A lot of Canadian softwood lumber exporters will tell you Chapter 19 is an instrumental part of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

July 17, 2017

Softwood lumber is the longest and bitterest of Canada-U.S. trade disputes. Small wonder then that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has cautioned that removing Chapter 19 from the trade pact would be a deal breaker in the upcoming renewal talks between Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Chapter 19 is a mechanism NAFTA members can use to review the fairness of anti-dumping and countervailing duties. The U.S. has a long history of slapping such duties on Canadian softwood lumber shipments, and Canada has taken advantage of Chapter 19 to reverse those actions.

A Chapter 19 panel decides each case according to the domestic laws of the country that imposed the duties. So a Chapter 19 panel does not override a country’s domestic laws, but serves as a check on how each country is applying its own rules.

June 7, 2017

“There is absolutely no doubt that it acts as a check on some of the more abusive, arbitrary and discriminatory actions of the regulators on both sides of the border,” said Milos Barutciski, co-head of the international trade and investment law practice at Bennett Jones LLP in Toronto.

Softwood lumber has long been a flash-point in Canada-U.S. trade relations, and Canada has turned to Chapter 19, both under the original Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and subsequently under NAFTA, to address what it sees as the unfair imposition of duties.

August 27, 2005

The U.S. lumber industry argues that the tariffs are necessary because provincial governments unfairly subsidize Canadian producers who log on crown land. Canadian companies argue the tariffs are improper because they pay provincial governments market rates for that timber.

“Chapter 19 has been a very important piece in every softwood lumber dispute since the original FTA was signed,” Barutciski said. (Source: Financial Post) 

 

Wednesday October 12, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Wednesday October 12, 2016 Wednesday August 12, 2016 The GOP civil war is finally here. And Trump is winning With the release of the 2005 "Access of Hollywood" tapeÊand Donald Trump's subsequent drop in the polls, many already reluctant Republicans are now running for cover from him and his campaign. House Speaker Paul RyanÊand Senator John McCainÊare the most prominent among them, and Trump has responded by calling them out individually on his Twitter feed. The GOP civil warÊso close to erupting so many times during the course of the Trump campaign is finally here. All because of a new drop in the polls that may or may not last very long. There may be no winners in the end of this intramural battle, but the only one who can win is Trump. And that's why Trump should not just continue to play up this growing rift with the establishment, he should play it up as much as possible. Think about it: If Trump loses the election, Republican leaders hoping to avoid the worst effects of being associated with his controversial persona won't be spared much. The Trump supporters will never forgive them and the news media and the Left will never given them any credit for "doing the right thing" anyway. It's a form of Stockholm syndrome to not only start to like your captors, but look for reasons to blame the captivity on your fellow hostages. This is a no-win scenario if there ever was one for the GOP establishment powers. Democracy can be ugly. And what Republicans like McCain and Ryan have had so much trouble accepting is that the voters in the primaries flocked to Trump. It doesn't matter if Trump deserved it or not. It doesn't matter if he had the best chances to win the general election. If a political party works to undermine what its voters want, it is dead. Trump's campaign is thus still alive while we watch the GOP commit a form of suicide as it fears national polls and the news media more than its own vo

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 12, 2016

The GOP civil war is finally here. And Trump is winning

With the release of the 2005 “Access of Hollywood” tape and Donald Trump’s subsequent drop in the polls, many already reluctant Republicans are now running for cover from him and his campaign.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain are the most prominent among them, and Trump has responded by calling them out individually on his Twitter feed. The GOP civil war so close to erupting so many times during the course of the Trump campaign is finally here. All because of a new drop in the polls that may or may not last very long.

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There may be no winners in the end of this intramural battle, but the only one who can win is Trump. And that’s why Trump should not just continue to play up this growing rift with the establishment, he should play it up as much as possible.

Think about it: If Trump loses the election, Republican leaders hoping to avoid the worst effects of being associated with his controversial persona won’t be spared much. The Trump supporters will never forgive them and the news media and the Left will never given them any credit for “doing the right thing” anyway. It’s a form of Stockholm syndrome to not only start to like your captors, but look for reasons to blame the captivity on your fellow hostages. This is a no-win scenario if there ever was one for the GOP establishment powers.

Democracy can be ugly. And what Republicans like McCain and Ryan have had so much trouble accepting is that the voters in the primaries flocked to Trump. It doesn’t matter if Trump deserved it or not. It doesn’t matter if he had the best chances to win the general election. If a political party works to undermine what its voters want, it is dead. Trump’s campaign is thus still alive while we watch the GOP commit a form of suicide as it fears national polls and the news media more than its own voters. This is what losers do — when the going gets tough and chips are down, they turn on each other. (Continued: CNBC)

 

Thursday March 3, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday March 3, 2016 US election 2016: US Republicans express Donald Trump fears Mr Trump has declared himself a "unifier", but he's strongly opposed by most of the Republican establishment. Senator Lindsey Graham warned on Wednesday that Mr Trump would lose in November's election. And former nominee Mitt Romney is to make a speech on Thursday in which he is expected to challenge Mr Trump. He has been fiercely critical of the businessman, whose hardline stance on issues like immigration put him at odds with Republican orthodoxy. His victories on so-called Super Tuesday consolidated his position as the most likely Republican candidate to vie for the White House against the Democratic nomination. Texas Senator Ted Cruz walked away with three states, bringing his total to four, while Florida Senator Marco Rubio won his first state (Minnesota) in the primary race to date. Mr Trump will be joined by Mr Cruz, Mr Rubio and Ohio governor John Kasich at a Fox News Republican debate on Thursday, but retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has failed to win any states, said he would not be attending. In a statement on Wednesday, he said he saw "no path forward" for his presidential campaign, though he has stopped short of ending his race completely. Several party leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, have spoken out against Donald Trump's controversial policies and positions in recent days. His latest controversy centres on his failure to disavow David Duke, a leader of the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan, who endorsed him. He later said he had on several occasions in the past disavowed Mr Duke. Mr Ryan forcefully denounced the real estate mogul on Tuesday, saying: "They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry. This party does not prey on people's prejudices." "Let me make it perfectly clear, Senate Republicans condemn David Duke and the KKK,

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday March 3, 2016

US election 2016: US Republicans express Donald Trump fears

Mr Trump has declared himself a “unifier”, but he’s strongly opposed by most of the Republican establishment.

Senator Lindsey Graham warned on Wednesday that Mr Trump would lose in November’s election.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday February 10, 2016 Poll: Trump, Sanders lead ahead of New Hampshire's vote Donald Trump continues to lead the Republican race in New Hampshire on the eve of the vote, the final CNN/WMUR tracking poll finds. On the Democratic side of the race, it remains Bernie Sanders' primary to lose, with the Vermont senator holding a 26-point lead over Hillary Clinton. The field of candidates vying for a second place finish behind him is finally beginning to separate, according to the survey. Trump holds 31%, down two points from the February 3-6 release, but within the poll's margin of sampling error. READ: The full CNN/WMUR tracking poll results Behind him, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio earned 17% support -- within the margin of sampling error of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 14%, but significantly ahead of the fourth and fifth place candidates in the poll, Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 10% and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 7%. Behind Bush, Carly Fiorina stands at 5%, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 4% and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 3%. Aside from Trump, none of the Republican candidates moved more than 1 point in either direction compared with the previous CNN/WMUR tracking poll. About three-quarters of the interviews conducted for this poll were completed before the Republican candidates debated Saturday night, their final such match-up before Tuesday's election. Although the post-debate sample size is too small to produce a separate estimate of the vote, interviews conducted Sunday and Monday found no drop in support for Rubio, and actually showed a slimmer margin between Trump and Rubio. There has been little movement in the last two days in the other metrics tested in the survey, with about two-thirds still saying they expect to see Trump win on Tuesday (64%), and about a third saying they would never vote for Trump (32%). (Source: CNN) http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/08/politics/donald-trump-bernie-sa

And former nominee Mitt Romney is to make a speech on Thursday in which he is expected to challenge Mr Trump.

He has been fiercely critical of the businessman, whose hardline stance on issues like immigration put him at odds with Republican orthodoxy.

His victories on so-called Super Tuesday consolidated his position as the most likely Republican candidate to vie for the White House against the Democratic nomination.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz walked away with three states, bringing his total to four, while Florida Senator Marco Rubio won his first state (Minnesota) in the primary race to date.

Mr Trump will be joined by Mr Cruz, Mr Rubio and Ohio governor John Kasich at a Fox News Republican debate on Thursday, but retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has failed to win any states, said he would not be attending.

In a statement on Wednesday, he said he saw “no path forward” for his presidential campaign, though he has stopped short of ending his race completely.

Several party leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, have spoken out against Donald Trump’s controversial policies and positions in recent days.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday February 19, 2016 Pope Francis says Trump's views on immigration 'not Christian' Pope Francis said Thursday that Donald Trump is "not Christian" if he intends to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. Trump immediately fired back, saying it is disgraceful for a religious leader to question a person's faith. Trump, a leading U.S. Republican presidential candidate, has promised to build a wall along the Mexican border from Texas to California and expel 11 million people who are in the country illegally if elected president. The Pope's comments en route home from Mexico came hours after he prayed at the Mexico-U.S. border for people who died trying to reach the United States. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said. "This is not in the Gospel." Not having heard Trump's border plans independently, Francis said he'd "give him the benefit of the doubt." But he added: "I'd just say that this man is not Christian if he said it this way." Texas Senator Ted Cruz, another Republican presidential contender, has also supported building a border wall, and joked that he will make Trump pay for it. Trump, a Presbyterian, last week criticized Francis' plans to pray at the border. He said the move was ill-informed and showed Francis to be a political figure being exploited by the Mexican government. "I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," Trump said in an interview with Fox News. "I think Mexico got him to do it because they want to keep the border just the way it is. They're making a fortune, and we're losing." On Thursday, he responded to the Pope's comments during a campaign stop in Kiawah Island, S.C. "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith," he said. "They are using the Pope as a pawn and they sh

His latest controversy centres on his failure to disavow David Duke, a leader of the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan, who endorsed him. He later said he had on several occasions in the past disavowed Mr Duke.

Mr Ryan forcefully denounced the real estate mogul on Tuesday, saying: “They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry. This party does not prey on people’s prejudices.”

“Let me make it perfectly clear, Senate Republicans condemn David Duke and the KKK, and his racism,” Senator and majority leader Mitch McConnell commented.

Influential congressman Peter King joked he would leave politics if Mr Trump became the nominee.

Wednesday December 9, 2015And Marco Rubio indicated in his speech on Tuesday that the Republican establishment was unlikely to back the former reality TV star.

“If this was anybody else as a front-runner, there’d be people right now saying ‘Let’s all rally around the front-runner,'” he said, adding, “that will never happen with Donald Trump”.

According to the New York Times, some party donors are already trying to raise funds for an anti-Trump effort.

Meanwhile, The Center for Public Integrity reports that Republican super PACs ran as many as 8,500 adverts in the run up to Super Tuesday to try to discredit Donald Trump’s election campaign.

Mr Graham warned that Republicans would “lose to Hillary Clinton” with Mr Trump as their party nomination.

Mrs Clinton also won seven states on Tuesday, consolidating her lead in the Democratic race over rival Bernie Sanders. (Source: BBC News)

 

Thursday February 18, 2016

 

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday February 18, 2016 Canada to lose 2,830 jobs as Bombardier slashes workforce Bombardier Inc. says it will cut 7,000 positions over the next two years including 2,000 contractors in both aerospace and train divisions Ð almost 10 per cent of its global work force. Most of the job losses will be in Canada and Europe, but will be partly offset by hiring in certain growth areas as production ramps up for the new CSeries aircraft. ÒWe are taking this difficult decision to make Bombardier strong,Ó said Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare on a conference call with analysts on Wednesday after reporting weak fourth quarter earnings. The Montreal-based aerospace and rail equipment company says the cuts will begin in the coming weeks and be completed by 2017. It was not immediately clear where the job cuts will be, though 2,830 will be in Canada. Of those, 430 will be in Ontario and 2,400 in Quebec. In Canada, 400 jobs will be eliminated in the transportation division and 2,430 in the aerospace division. Transport Minister Marc Garneau says he has mixed feelings about the job cuts and the Air Canada deal. The minister sang the praises of BombardierÕs new aircraft, but he did not immediately commit to helping the troubled company out of its financial difficulties. The Quebec government is putting up $1 billion (U.S.) for a 49.5 per cent stake in the CSeries program, while the Caisse de depots et placement du Quebec, the pension plan, spent $1.5 billion (U.S.) for a 30 per cent stake in the companyÕs train division. Bombardier has asked the federal government to join in with financial assistance for the CSeries, but like Garneau, Navdeep Bains, minister of innovation, science and economic development, said Ottawa is still studying the idea. ÒAny action the government takes with respect to Bombardier will be first and foremost in the interest of Canadians,Ó Bains said in a statement. ÒWe have been clear th

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday February 18, 2016

Canada to lose 2,830 jobs as Bombardier slashes workforce

Bombardier Inc. says it will cut 7,000 positions over the next two years including 2,000 contractors in both aerospace and train divisions – almost 10 per cent of its global work force.

Most of the job losses will be in Canada and Europe, but will be partly offset by hiring in certain growth areas as production ramps up for the new CSeries aircraft.

“We are taking this difficult decision to make Bombardier strong,” said Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare on a conference call with analysts on Wednesday after reporting weak fourth quarter earnings.

The Montreal-based aerospace and rail equipment company says the cuts will begin in the coming weeks and be completed by 2017.

 

It was not immediately clear where the job cuts will be, though 2,830 will be in Canada. Of those, 430 will be in Ontario and 2,400 in Quebec.

In Canada, 400 jobs will be eliminated in the transportation division and 2,430 in the aerospace division.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday February 12, 2016 Trudeau shies away from Liberals' balanced-budget vow, cites fading economy Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is backing away from a campaign vow to balance the public books before the end of his government's four-year mandate Ñ a promise that was central to the Liberal election platform. As a result of a weakening economy, the government's upcoming 2016-17 budget plan will show a deficit larger than the Liberals' promised $10-billion shortfall cap, Trudeau told Montreal's La Presse newspaper. Just how big that deficit will be remains unclear. If the economy continues to deteriorate, it will be difficult for the Liberals to live up to their pledge to balance the books in 2019-20, Trudeau said in an interview published Thursday. Less than two months ago, Trudeau insisted that the Liberal plan to make good on that key balanced-budget promise was "very" cast in stone. The doubts raised by Trudeau offer a glimpse of the fiscal pressure faced by the Finance Department as it crafts the government's first federal budget, expected late next month. "If we look at the growth projections for the next three or four years, it will be difficult (to return to balance)," Trudeau was quoted by La Presse as saying. "But everything we're doing is aimed at creating economic growth. When predicting the level of growth four years in advance, governments often miss the target." During the fall election campaign, Trudeau promised to keep deficits below the $10-billion mark in 2016-17 and 2017-18 unless the economic situation got radically worse. "Yes, we will go over $10 billion," Trudeau told La Presse. "By how much? We are in the process of examining that." In recent months, the Canadian economy has sputtered in large part due to the steep drop in commodity prices. On Wednesday, a National Bank of Canada report said the country's fading economic prospects could put the Liberal government on tra

Friday February 12, 2016

Transport Minister Marc Garneau says he has mixed feelings about the job cuts and the Air Canada deal.

The minister sang the praises of Bombardier’s new aircraft, but he did not immediately commit to helping the troubled company out of its financial difficulties.

The Quebec government is putting up $1 billion (U.S.) for a 49.5 per cent stake in the CSeries program, while the Caisse de depots et placement du Quebec, the pension plan, spent $1.5 billion (U.S.) for a 30 per cent stake in the company’s train division.

Bombardier has asked the federal government to join in with financial assistance for the CSeries, but like Garneau, Navdeep Bains, minister of innovation, science and economic development, said Ottawa is still studying the idea.

“Any action the government takes with respect to Bombardier will be first and foremost in the interest of Canadians,” Bains said in a statement. “We have been clear that such an important decision will only be made after due diligence, careful consideration and a strong business case.”

Bellemare said federal investment is very important because it would provide “a strong endorsement on the program itself.” As well, it would bring additional financial flexibility to support sale campaigns and production. (Source: Toronto Star)

 

SOCIAL MEDIA & OTHER PRESS

Discussion thread on in French on Reddit, and a slightly different tone in the comments also on Reddit.

Ottawa Citizen, February 22, 2016

Ottawa Citizen, February 22, 2016