meddling

Saturday July 13, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 13, 2019

John McCallum puts Liberals on the defensive again with advice to China

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is crying foul over the latest comments by Ottawa’s former ambassador to China, as the government tries to distance itself from those remarks.

January 24, 2018

John McCallum, jettisoned as ambassador in January amid rising diplomatic tensions between Canada and China, cautioned Beijing in an interview not to further escalate the crisis ahead of the federal election in October.

“Anything that is more negative against Canada will help the Conservatives, [who] are much less friendly to China than the Liberals,” McCallum was reported as saying to the South China Morning Post, in a story published Wednesday.

McCallum appeared to be speaking about the potential for more punitive measures that would affect Canadian exports. China has suspended imports of Canadian canola, pork and beef after the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in December at the behest of American officials.

“This problem will pass,” McCallum was quoted as saying. “It’s important for Canadian business people not just to come to China but to come often … especially when the going is tough.”

November 12, 2015

McCallum was let go from his post after remarks he made regarding the high-profile Meng extradition case. The longtime Liberal publicly opined that Meng, daughter of the founder of the Chinese telecom giant, had a strong case in fighting extradition to the U.S.

He also stated that any deal to spare Meng from prosecution in the U.S. should include the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, Canadians detained in China.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland took exception to her former colleague’s comments Thursday while speaking to reporters at an event in London.

“Mr. McCallum does not speak in the name of the Canadian government,” said Freeland. “I think it is inappropriate for any Canadian to be advising any foreign government in ways it ought or ought not to behave to secure any particular election outcome in Canada.” (CBC News) 

Wednesday April 10, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday April 10, 2019

Foreign interference in 2019 election ‘very likely’: report

The 2019 federal election is “very likely” going to be the target of foreign cyber interference, with voters being the most likely targets of this anticipated meddling, a new report from Canada’s electronic spy agency warns.

April 12, 2018

The report is also putting renewed spotlight on the risks of not having more robust cybersecurity and transparency requirements for social media platforms and political parties in place in advance of this year’s campaign, given these two areas are cited as being potential targets for foreign actors.

“An increasing number of foreign adversaries have the cyber tools, the organizational capacity and a sufficiently advanced understanding of Canada’s political landscape to direct cyber interference during the 2019 federal election, should they have the strategic intent,” the report states.

The report is an update to the 2017 Cyber Threats to Canada’s Democratic Process report published by the Communication Security Establishment (CSE).

September 17, 2015

The 2017 report noted that Canada’s electoral process would not be immune from potential interference by outside actors, and that federal candidates, parties, and voters are all at risk. The update notes that the likelihood of online election meddling has increased as the amount of cyber interference in other countries has increased over the last two years.

Now, CSE says that it is “highly likely” that interference in Canada’s democratic process will be done using similar tools that have been implemented in other countries, such as amplifying polarizing political issues, promoting one party over another or discouraging participating in the election altogether.

The document repeatedly cites Russia as an example of a foreign country that has been proven to be conducting this kind of cyber interference, including during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Though a CSE official speaking to reporters on background said it is not anticipated that interference in the Canadian election will be on the same scale as what Americans experienced.

The intention of cyber interference is to compromise or gain access to information, or to use online means to “covertly manipulate online information” in order to influence voters’ opinions and ultimately the outcome of the election. (Source: CTV News) 

 

Friday July 13, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 13, 2018

Trump is Already Making Theresa May’s Life a Living Hell

June 9, 2018

Accompanied by a sprawling entourage that has reportedly booked 750 hotel rooms, and will be shuttled around the country by 30 vehicles, 6 helicopters, and 2 planes, Donald Trump has officially arrived in the U.K. “His planes are massive,” an awestruck former Downing Street aide remarked to The Times of London. “Ours look like Playmobil by comparison.” Team Trump will certainly be well-traveled by the time they depart to meet Vladimir Putin in Helsinki Monday. As he visits Theresa May’s countryside retreat, Chequers; attends a black-tie dinner at the birthplace of Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace; and has tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle before heading to Scotland to play golf at Trump International Golf Links Scotland, the only mode of transport the president won’t get to enjoy is his long-sought-after ride down the Mall in a gold-plated carriage, which was apparently shelved due to the poor optics of mass protests.

April 13, 2018

Despite the fact that Trump’s schedule purposefully removes him from liberal London, and that protests—topped by a 20-foot-tall balloon depicting Trump as a smartphone-wielding baby—have reportedly been planned across the city, the president seems unconcerned about his ratings in Brexit Britain. “I think they like me a lot in the U.K., I think they agree with me on immigration,” he said at this week’s NATO summit, explaining that he had been reading up on Brexit, and surmised that May was not delivering the divorce deal the public had voted for. “The people voted to break it up, so I would imagine that’s what they’ll do,” he said. “But maybe they’re taking a little bit of a different route. So I don’t know if that’s what they voted for. I just want the people to be happy. They’re great people.”

June 27, 2016

For May, Trump’s metaphorical vote of no confidence could not come at a worse time. Just as the U.S. president touched down in England, bringing controversial connotations of nationalism and insularity to a divided U.K., freshly inaugurated Brexit secretary Dominic Raab presented the government’s long-awaited White Paper on Brexit, which expanded upon the “soft” Chequers compromise that pushed both Boris Johnson and Brexit secretary David Davis to depart May’s Cabinet. The response from Brexiteers was widely negative, and they were notably skeptical of a proposal they argued would keep the U.K. under the authority of the European court of justice. “It is a pale imitation of the paper prepared by David Davis, a bad deal for Britain. It is not something I would vote for, nor is it what the British people voted for,” complained backbench Brexit-monger Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has previously written about the inspiration Trump offers. (Continued: Vanity Fair) 

 

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Thursday November 2, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday November 2, 2017

World sees Trump as a weakened president

sketch

If you think it’s only Americans who are watching the news of a criminal indictment and a guilty plea of Trump campaign officials in the Russia probe, think again. Not only is the entire world following the dramatic developments, but world leaders, in particular, are keeping a close eye on a case that weakens President Donald Trump domestically — and has the potential to bring an early end to his presidency. 

 

March 7, 2017

There’s never a good time for a president to see former aides indicted, but Monday’s events — the indictment and arrest of two campaign officials, including the former Trump presidential campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and a guilty plea by foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, who admitted to communicating with people he believed to be linked to the Kremlin to get “dirt” on Hillary Clinton and arrange a meeting between Putin and Trump — came just a few days before Trump is scheduled to leave on a major trip to Asia. The timing could hardly be worse.

 

December 20, 2016

The stunning events made front page news from Chile to the Czech Republic. And there is no question that China’s President Xi Jinping, now more powerful than ever, is being closely briefed on the case. So is North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, as well as Iran’s supreme leader and others.

 
How will this investigation, which experts agree is only in its early stages, affect Trump’s ability to conduct business on behalf of the United States and the American people? It erodes his standing and his perceived power — and hence America’s, and it makes him less able to persuade others to align with Washington. In addition, it has the potential to cast doubts on his motives as he tackles international crises.
 

December 17, 2016

When global figures see an embattled President, they will see a wounded President. Trump has deliberately tried to make himself unpredictable, even frightening, to America’s adversaries. That fear element will now be magnified. Global (and domestic) audiences will wonder how his decision-making may be affected by his political troubles. (Continued: CNN) 

 
 

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