establishment – mackaycartoons

Thursday March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday March 9, 2023

Ottawa says special rapporteur on election interference will be named within weeks

As the Trudeau government promises to appoint a special rapporteur within weeks to investigate claims that China meddled in Canada’s last two elections, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is casting doubt on the independence of the new role.

February 25, 2023

On Monday night, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will name an “eminent” and independent person as a special rapporteur on election interference. He said the special rapporteur “will have a wide mandate and make expert recommendations on combating interference and strengthening our democracy.”

The next day, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the government wants to appoint the special rapporteur in a very short period of time.

“We’re talking about weeks, not months,” he said.

Trudeau said he’s open to consulting with the opposition parties on choosing someone for the role. Poilievre said he was skeptical.

“He could pick someone independent but he won’t,” Poilievre told reporters Tuesday morning.

“He’ll pick another Liberal establishment insider, a real Ottawa insider with some grey hair who looks like a reasonable fellow, but we all know that it will be someone tied to him, tied to the Liberals.”

March 2, 2023

The Conservatives have largely dismissed a recent report highlighting foreign interference observations during the 2021 election. The report was written by Morris Rosenberg, who was appointed to the role by the public service.

The veteran former public servant also worked as the head of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Poilievre’s party has said that fact makes him not credible.

“[Trudeau is] going to appoint a special rapporteur that will be appointed by him who will come out and say, ‘Oh, everything is fine, let’s move on,'” said Poilievre.

“He wants closed and controlled and we want an open and independent inquiry to make sure it never happens again.”

‘Special rapporteur’ is term often used in the context of the United Nations. Special rapporteurs are are often appointed to conduct fact-finding missions or investigate allegations of human rights violations.

April 24, 2009

During a separate news conference, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said the special rapporteur should be appointed by Parliament, not the prime minister.

NDP House Leader Peter Julian told CBC’s Power & Politics that Monday’s announcement was a baby step and the special rapporteur needs to be “impeccable.”

“It cannot be somebody who is considered partisan and cannot be somebody who is not considered independent from the Liberal government,” he said.

Trudeau said Tuesday he will consider names floated by his political opponents.

“We will of course be open to suggestions that the various parties put forward for names for this independent special rapporteur,” he said during a news conference in Kingston, Ont. (CBC)

From sketch to finish in 30 seconds, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

Thursday June 9, 2016

June 8, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 9, 2016

Paul Ryan stresses party unity in GOP meeting

House Speaker Paul Ryan reiterated his support Wednesday for Donald Trump at a closed door meeting with House Republicans and asked his colleagues to unite behind the presumptive Republican nominee, according to several members who attended the session.

Ryan’s backing of Trump comes a day after he blasted the businessman’s remarks about a federal judge as a “textbook definition of a racist comment.”

June 4, 2016

Trumps comments have sparked a fury on Capitol Hill where many Republicans worry that Trump’s racially tinged criticism of Judge Gonzalo Curiel could ultimately hurt down-ballot GOP candidates competing in congressional races this year.

Though Ryan didn’t back away from his endorsement, he said he would continue to speak out when he believed the billionaire businessman makes inappropriate statements.

Ryan spokesman said the speaker did not “urge” the party to fall in line behind Trump but stressed the importance of unity.

Ryan “just reaffirmed his disagreement with the comment, respecting that the people have elected Donald Trump as our Republican nominee and what we’re going to do is we’re going to use our position in a positive way to help America out,” said Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y.

Trump tried to quell some of the outrage on Tuesday, releasing a statement saying his past remarks had been misconstrued, and Trump avoided the topic all together during a speech he gave later that evening.

Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative group in Congress, said Trump needs to “quit spending time bashing judges.” He will vote for Trump, he said, but, “I don’t endorse people that bash judges — based on his ethnic heritage.” (Source: CNN)

Wednesday October 10, 2012

October 10, 2012 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Wednesday October 10, 2012

Will Trudeaumania strike twice?

Hamilton and the federal Liberal party once had a healthy romance going. The Steel City could be counted on to send a few Liberal MPs to Ottawa come election time and counted among them powerhouses John Munro and Sheila Copps.

This was especially true during the heady days of Trudeaumania, in the late 1960s.

Today, Liberal leadership candidate Justin Trudeau hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps and see if he can make history’s magic repeat itself.

He’s visiting Hamilton Wednesday night as part of a mini-tour of the region.

Trudeau, 40, will be at the downtown Sheraton Hotel from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. His staff says he will be joined by Liberal supporters and local community members. Admission is free and members of the public are welcome.

“His old man galvanized Canadians and brought them together like never before,” said well-known local Liberal Bert Allen. “I think this guy can do what his old man did in 1968.”

Trudeau also wants to “meet with Hamilton residents” at the event and speak to them about his “vision for Canada and the Liberal party.”

Justin Trudeau paid a visit to the city on Nov. 19, 2007 to help out Hamilton Mountain Liberal candidate Tyler Banham (now part of Trudeau’s Ontario leadership team). The newly-minted Quebec MP was greeted by more than 100 diehard Liberals at two events. There was a palpable excitement in the air. People pulled him this way and that way to get their picture taken with him and two people proclaimed he would be prime minister one day. He said it was a challenge growing up in his father’s shadow. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Thursday February 24, 2000

February 24, 2000 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday February 24, 2000

Like his namesake, McCain fights back

Say what you will about the American primaries — and there is a lot not to like — no one can dispute that the all-out brawl for the Republican nomination is the most fascinating political contest in years, probably since the 1952 Republican nomination battle between Dwight Eisenhower and Robert Taft.

Like the Hollywood legend whose name he bears, Senator John Wayne McCain proved again this week that Governor George W. Bush can beat him up with the political equivalent of bar room stools and gun butts, but McCain will get back up and throw another punch.

McCain’s most recent blow landed solidly. His success in Michigan and Arizona confirm that the fight for the Republican nomination is far from over. As importantly, it is further evidence that McCain’s anti-establishment rhetoric and promises to cleanse politics reson ate clearly with a cynical American electorate. McCain’s candidacy can never again be considered a fluke, especially considering that in Michigan he had the entire state Republican machine working against him. State Governor John Engler endorsed George W. Bush, as had other state officials, and Bush also had the continuing support of pro-life and Christian conservative organizations. That all this armament couldn’t even buy him a draw is terrible news for his campaign.

The challenge for the Bush campaign is formidable. The Bush strategy of portraying McCain as an unacceptable centrist is backfiring in that, by default, it portrays Bush as an inflexible conservative. Bush must also demonstrate, quickly, that he can win a battle on his own, without the support of local Republican bosses.

McCain’s challenge is much different, but no less daunting. He has succeeded so far due to his his disarming sincerity, but the closer he gets to all important Super Tuesday on March 7, the more his affable lack of certainty may hurt rather than help. If he evolves too much into a more traditional political model, he risks losing the appeal that has fired his success among moderate Republicans and disaffected Democrats. But unless he moves some distance, McCain will remain anathema to traditional Republicans, and probably won’t last much beyond Super Tuesday. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial, A12, 2/24/2000)