Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday February 26, 2020
Indigenous MPP says singing God Save The Queen in legislature ‘a step backwards’
Members of Ontario’s legislature began a new tradition Monday of singing God Save the Queen in the chamber, which an Indigenous politician said is a step backward for reconciliation.
Young Doug Ford: The Series
The legislature recently adopted a host of procedural rule changes, including singing the royal anthem in addition to the Canadian national anthem on the first Monday of each month. It was sung
Monday for the first time since the legislature resumed from the winter break and the new rule went into effect.
Sol Mamakwa, a New Democrat who represents the northern riding of Kiiwetinoong, with a majority Indigenous population, said it was hurtful to hear the anthem.
“As a First Nations person, as a colonized person, it’s a step backwards when we talk about reconciliation,” he said.
Mamakwa, a Kingfisher Lake band member, said he would prefer instead to see some type of acknowledgment to First Nations people in Ontario.
British Monarchy Merch
“I see the revival of God Save the Queen in this house as a step backwards, a shift from modern reconciliation to a past that celebrated the colonialism, that sought the destruction of cultures, languages and communities,” he told the legislature before question period.
“For me, singing God Save the Queen is a celebration of a hurtful and violent colonial past. I cannot be part of it.”
Government house leader Paul Calandra said singing the anthem is a show of respect for the Queen of Canada, who has served for 68 years.
“I believe that Her Majesty … was the first person to show reconciliation to the First Nations,” he said. “Many of our past monarchs didn’t do that. But Her Majesty, over 68 years, has had and continues to have a very special relationship with our First Nations.”
Calandra noted that the NDP didn’t flag it as an issue during debate over the rule changes, though the Liberal and Green members raised it with him in private. (CBC)
The inking process using the app ProQuest on an iPad
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday January 22, 2020
Prince Harry and Meghan’s arrival could mean ‘new grounds’ for Canada’s privacy laws
January 13, 2020
British paparazzi may soon come face-to-face with Canada’s privacy laws as the arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan has already prompted a warning to the U.K press to back off or face legal action.
But it’s unclear what legal recourse the royal couple will have to keep news photographers away from their family.
David Fraser, a Halifax-based privacy lawyer, says, when it comes to privacy claims in Canada, he hasn’t found any related to celebrities and paparazzi.
The lawsuits here that relate to invasions of privacy, most recently, deal with large-scale business data breaches, or hidden cameras, he said.
May 19, 2018
“So this is relatively new grounds that we’re looking at, maybe because we don’t have the same sort of paparazzi culture or the same sort of celebrity culture in Canada. But so far, a claim like this has not been made or at least hasn’t gone to a published decision,” he said.
“It’s not something that’s really been tested a whole lot in Canada. We don’t have a paparazzi culture.”
Buckingham Palace announced Saturday that the prince and his wife will give up public funding and try to become financially independent. The couple is expected to spend most of their time in Canada while maintaining a home in England near Windsor Castle in an attempt to build a more peaceful life.
December 4, 2012
Video from Sky News showed Harry landing at Victoria’s airport late Monday. The prince, Meghan and their eight-month-old son Archie were reportedly staying at a mansion on the island.
Lawyers for the couple sent a letter to British new outlets, accusing photographers of “harassment,” and claiming that paparazzi have permanently camped outside their Vancouver Island residence, attempting to photograph them at home using long-range lenses.
They also allege that pictures of Meghan — on a hike with Archie and her two dogs, trailed by her security detail, on Vancouver Island on Monday — were taken by photographers hiding in the bushes.
“There are serious safety concerns about how the paparazzi are driving and the risk to life they pose,” the letter read.
When it comes to privacy issues in Canada, there are a few ways Canadians can take action, says Iain MacKinnon, a Toronto-based lawyer. (Continued: Toronto Star)
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday January 13, 2020
Princes William and Harry issue statement amid U.K. Royal Family rift
Queen Elizabeth is set to hold face-to-face talks Monday with Prince Harry for the first time since he and his wife, Meghan, unveiled their controversial plan to walk away from royal roles — holding a dramatic family summit meant to chart a future course for the couple.
May 19, 2018
The meeting reflects the Queen’s desire to contain the fallout from Harry and Meghan’s decision to “step back” as senior royals, work to become financially independent, and split their time between Britain and North America. The couple, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made the announcement Wednesday without telling the Queen or other senior royals first.
Before the extraordinary session, Princes William and Harry took the equally unusual step of issuing a statement challenging the accuracy of a newspaper report that there was a severe strain on the relationship between the brothers.
“For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful,” the statement said.
August 23, 2012
The meeting at the monarch’s private Sandringham estate in eastern England will include William as well as the brothers’ father, Prince Charles. It comes after days of intense news coverage in which supporters of the Royal Family’s feuding factions used the British media to paint conflicting pictures of who was to blame for the rift.
William is expected to travel to Sandringham from London and Harry from his home in Windsor, west of the British capital. Charles has flown back from the Gulf nation of Oman, where he attended a condolence ceremony Sunday following the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
Meghan, who is in Canada with the couple’s baby son Archie, is likely to join the meeting by phone.
British Monarchy Merch
Buckingham Palace said “a range of possibilities” would be discussed, but the Queen was determined to resolve the situation within “days, not weeks.” The goal was to agree on next steps at Monday’s gathering, which follows days of talks among royal courtiers and officials from the U.K. and Canada. Buckingham Palace stressed, however, that “any decision will take time to be implemented.”
One of the more fraught questions that needs to be worked out is precisely what it means for a royal to be financially independent and what activities can be undertaken to make money. Other royals who have ventured into the world of commerce have found it complicated.
Prince Andrew, for example, has faced heated questions about his relationship with the late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew, the Queen’s second son, has relinquished royal duties and patronages after being accused by a woman who says she was an Epstein trafficking victim who slept with the prince.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also face questions on paying for taxpayer-funded security. Home Secretary Priti Patel refused to comment, but said safety was a priority. (CBC)
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday September 27, 2016
No five: Prince George refuses greeting from Canada’s Justin Trudeau
Justin Trudeau’s charm has finally met its match in the form of good old-fashioned British reserve.
The Canadian prime minister was shut down while trying to greet Britain’s Prince George on the runway when the royal family arrived for their tour of British Columbia.
Prince William and Kate’s children begin ‘lifetime of friendship’ with Canada
December 4, 2012
Landing in Canada on Saturday on a week-long official visit with parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the prince simply shook his head when Trudeau squatted down to the toddler’s level to offer a high-five variation, the low-five.
Trudeau then switched his palm for a high-five and subsequently offerTuesday September 27, 2016ed a handshake, both of which were seemingly rebuffed, creating an awkward moment at the airport in the western province.
Canadians felt the princely snub acutely, accustomed as they are to seeing their young premier win over millions of fans around the world and attain social media star status.
February 24, 2007
The prince has a history of unconventional meetings with heads of state. While he shook hands with Barack Obama on his visit to England in April, the prince received the US president in his pajamas. Obama later joked that the prince’s attire was “a slap in the face” and a clear breach of protocol.
The prince and his year-old sister, Princess Charlotte, are in Canada for the first time but it is the second trip for their parents, who visited in 2011.
On Sunday, the duke and duchess were to visit the Immigration Services Society of British Columbia to meet staff and volunteers who help recent migrants to the area. The couple also is scheduled to meet young leaders of various industries in Canada and some of Vancouver’s first responders.
November 25, 2015
Before leaving Canada on 1 October, the couple is expected to have more than more than 30 engagements, including with aboriginal Canadian communities.
William is second in line to succeed his grandmother Queen Elizabeth, who has been Canada’s head of state since she ascended to Britain’s throne in 1952. (Source: The Guardian)
Coffee spewed out both my nostrils this morning after seeing Graeme MacKay’s morning cartoon. That has to be one of the best I’ve seen this year. The whole encounter with our PM at the airport shows that a three year old has more sense than the Canadian voting public. We all know that children can sense when something is not to be trusted.
Tony Fidanza, Hamilton
Royals would never be so insulting
I found MacKay’s cartoon, about Prince George’s hesitation to high five Justin Trudeau, to be inappropriate. Let’s look at it from the child’s perspective. After a 10-hour flight, it was midnight, British time, when the family arrived in B.C. Prince George was likely woken up, dressed and taken out onto the tarmac. The situation was overwhelming to a small child and the prime minister was a stranger. High five gestures are not used often in Britain. George acted like a three year old, because he IS a three year old.
The editorial cartoon has George saying to Justin, “Grow up and bow to your future king, you bloody selfie-aggrandizing peasant? And get a haircut, you’re a walking disaster.” Even an adult member of the Royal Family would never use rude or critical words, or suggest that Trudeau was beneath them. To suggest that they, or their three year old son would show such disrespect toward commoners, is offensive.
Molly Shannon, Hamilton
Cartoon was Inappropriate
Shame on the cartoonist and The Record for publishing the so-called political cartoon in the Sept. 28 edition. He put nasty words into the mouth of Prince George, an innocent little boy. Obviously, they forget the joy that a child brings to the world. All in an effort to belittle a politician. If the cartoonist can’t find anything else, I guess he grasps at the smallest things to try to make his opinion known.
Sylvia Lusted., Waterloo
Don’t back off satirizing our celebrities
I have been following some of the social media outcry over this cartoon that pokes fun both at the Royals and Justin Trudeau. I am forced to conclude too many of your readers are humourless souls who don’t have a clue about irony and satire. Please don’t let them bully you into making the characters in our cult of celebrity into sacred cows. If anything, more fun needs to be poked more often.
Janice Henshaw, Hamilton
Stop harassing Trudeau and Royals
I have been subscribing to Hamilton Spectator for the last 80 years. I am shocked by this cartoon. If you think this is humorous, then I think you are a sick group of people. In the last few months you have been making jokes about Trudeau that are in poor taste. But now you are also including our Royal visitors to Canada. What is going to come next … these cartoons are lowbrow, not clever and definitely not amusing. I hope this harassment of both Prime Minister Trudeau and the Royal Family has come to an end.
William Bell, Burlington
This cartoon was featured during a panel of English speaking cartoonists at Le festival 1001Visages, VAl-David, Quebec on October 9, 2016. L-R: Me, Sue Dewar, Christian Vachon, Tim Leatherbarrow, and Wes Tyrell. A great venue that will host the convention of the Association of Canadian Cartoonists in 2018.
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday June 11, 2016
Britain expresses ‘profound gratitude’ for Queen Elizabeth as 90th birthday celebrations kick off
Britain celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday and her service to the country Friday with solemn pomp, pageantry and prayer at St. Paul’s Cathedral ahead of a weekend of festivities.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, set the tone by reminding Britain of the queen’s long life and dedicated service. In essence, he said the nation was lucky because Elizabeth only became queen by chance.
“We look back on Your Majesty’s 90 years in the life of our nation with deep wonder and profound gratitude,” he said. “Through war and hardship, through turmoil and change, we have been fearfully and wonderfully sustained.”
Gov. Gen. David Johnston is among thousands of people gathered in London for the celebrations.
He and 14 other governors general had lunch with the Queen following the service St. Paul’s Cathedral.
He says one of the topics discussed was the usefulness of having apolitical heads of state.
Johnston says the strength of a constitutional monarchy lies in the stability and serenity it brings, allowing countries to avoid extremes.
The celebration has been a lengthy affair, starting with her real birthday in April. The monarch’s official birthday is traditionally celebrated in June when Britain’s weather can be more favourable. (Source: Toronto Star)
