judge • mackaycartoons

Saturday May 7, 2022

May 7, 2022 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday May 7, 2022

Let’s take a deep breath over Roe V. Wade

Could we all take a deep breath?

May 13, 2017

A leaked draft decision from the U.S. Supreme Court about abortion has created a bizarre political firestorm here in Canada. The most dangerous place to be these days is between a live microphone and a Canadian politician wanting to tell us how they will fight until their dying breath to protect Canadian women against the insidious evil emanating from south of the border.

Can we bring a little sanity to the situation?

First, the court has not banned abortions. A draft internal document was leaked on a case challenging abortion law which may or may not reflect the court’s final decision. If the leaked decision stands, abortion will lose its constitutional protection and individual state legislatures will be able to regulate or outlaw it. Although a dramatic change, it would not create a nationwide ban

This case has no effect on Canada where there hasn’t been an abortion law since 1988 when the Canadian Supreme Court found the existing law unconstitutional. No successive government was able to come up with a replacement and no major Canadian political party currently supports reopening the issue. Although several Conservative MPs and a second-tier leadership candidate have tried to raise restrictions, it is simply not on the political radar.

Friday May 6, 2022

May 6, 2022 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday May 6, 2022

The Supreme Court might never recover from overturning Roe v. Wade

October 23, 2020

On Monday, Politico published a draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling declaring that the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to end their pregnancies. The court later confirmed that the document, written in February, is genuine, but emphasized that it is not the court’s final word. We hope not. If the justices embrace the sweeping document, they will deal a grievous blow to freedom in the United States — and to the legitimacy of the court itself.

Such a leak from the court’s typically tight inner sanctum is itself astonishing. The court works on trust among justices and staff, so that the justices can deliberate frankly. Whether the document leaked from a conservative justice’s chambers, in an effort to lock in the support of others on the right for its far-reaching language, or from a liberal’s, in an effort to mobilize outside pressure against such a ruling, the leak represents a dire breakdown in norms and another dramatic sign of the court’s political drift.

Tuesday September 11, 2018

September 10, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday September 11, 2018

Ford plans to invoke notwithstanding clause for first time in province’s history

Premier Doug Ford is taking an unprecedented step, invoking the province’s powers and using the “notwithstanding” clause to override a court decision that shut down his plans to cut the size of Toronto’s city council.

July 28, 2018

For the first time in the province’s history, Ford says he plans to use a rarely reached-for tool in the Charter to allow the cut to 25 wards from 47 for the upcoming election to continue — and warned he will use it more than once if he has to.

He said his government is also appealing a court decision released Monday morning and will resume the legislature this week to reintroduce the bill that forced changes to Toronto’s ongoing election.

“I believe the judge’s decision is deeply concerning and the result is unacceptable to the people of Ontario,” Ford said.

Ford made the announcement at a news conference Monday afternoon just hours after a bombshell ruling that shut down his government’s plans to align city council wards with provincial and federal ridings.

“I was elected,” Ford told reporters, while saying the judge “was appointed.”

The actions of the Ford government were harshly criticized in the ruling by Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba, who said the province’s Bill 5, the Better Local Government Act, infringed Charter rights and deemed it unconstitutional.

The judge called that move “unprecedented” and ruled it “substantially interfered with both the candidate’s and the voter’s right to freedom of expression” guaranteed by the Charter.

In doing so, he ordered an election continue on the basis of 47 wards, returning the campaign to a state before Bill 5 was tabled at Queen’s Park. (Source: Toronto Star)

Saturday February 18, 2017

February 17, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 18, 2017

Ontario’s auditor general is not satisfied after an expert panel sided with the Liberal government in a $10.7-billion accounting dispute.

The auditor and the government disagree over whether a $10.7-billion surplus in two jointly sponsored pension plans should appear as an asset on the government’s books.

December 11, 2014

Auditor general Bonnie Lysyk says that because the government doesn’t have the right to unilaterally access that surplus, it shouldn’t count as an asset.

But an expert panel this week said that it is an asset because it has a future economic benefit, since the government could reduce contributions and would therefore have additional funds to spend elsewhere.

But Lysyk says in order for her to issue a clean audit opinion, she wants to see a letter from the unions representing workers covered by the plans saying the province can use that money.

The government says joint pension agreements already spell out how surpluses are to be handled and no additional letter is needed. (Hamilton Spectator)

Tuesday August 11, 2015

August 10, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday August 11, 2015

Stephen Harper defends travel ban to terror zones

After several weeks on break, the Mike Duffy trial resumes this week.

Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is defending his proposal to ban travel to parts of the world controlled by terrorists, saying it’s not a “human right” that such travel is allowed.

[slideshow_deploy id=’1787’]

“This is limited to only those areas that are clearly under the control of terrorist organizations. We’re talking about a few, small number of areas in the world,” Harper said Monday morning during a campaign stop in Markham.

“Obviously parts of Iraq and Syria would be the kinds of areas that we’re talking about,” he said.

On Sunday, Harper said a newly-elected Conservative government would introduce a legal crackdown on so-called terror tourism and go after Canadians who travel to such areas.

[caption id=”attachment_5962″ align=”alignleft” width=”216″] 2011-2015[/caption]

Harper said that the government advises against such travel and anyone who does go to these hotspots is “taking their life into their hands.”

“Frankly, these are not areas where families go. These are areas where we know why people are really going. They are going to terrorist training,” Harper said Monday.

“There is no human right to travel and visit ISIS. That is not a human right in this country,” he said.

At an early-morning event in Montreal, Trudeau dismissed the travel ban idea as little more than a distraction from the Conservatives’ dismal economic record. (Source: Toronto Star)

2015-08-11tearsheet