politics

Saturday August 4, 2001

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday August 4, 2001 Our marijuana laws still in the dark ages Off-duty, journalists love the summer as much as anyone. But when he or she is back in harness, your average ink-stained wretch will tell you summer is not what it's cracked up to be, at least not in the newsrooms of the nation. We call this the silly season, when the same things that make it great make it tough to deliver a steady diet of compelling, important news. An unfortunate by-product of the silly season is that some stories take on a life of their own, their real importance blown out of proportion by the lack of competition. Take, for example, the extensive coverage this week about new federal regulations around the medicinal use of marijuana. According to much of the coverage and commentary about Allan Rock's announcement and photo-op tour of theÊcountry's first government-approved pot garden, this is a big deal. For the first time, Canadians who can demonstrate that they need to smoke marijuana to ease and control chronic pain and discomfort can grow and toke their medicine legally, provided they have a licence from Health Canada and approval from their doctor. In reality, this is a modest step, at best. Critics point out that the policy is severely restrictive in that applicants must have a life expectancy of a year or less, or be in severe pain from AIDS, cancer or some other serious medical condition. Doctors or medical specialists must support the application, and the process is alarmingly slow. To date, fewer than 300 people have been approved, with anotherÊ500 applications pending. (Source: Hamilton Spectator Editorial) Canada, marijuana, medical, medicinal, Health, Allan Rock, Jean Chretien, Herb Gray, Rasta, dreadlocks, ambition, politics, Liberal, pot

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday August 4, 2001

Our marijuana laws still in the dark ages

Off-duty, journalists love the summer as much as anyone. But when he or she is back in harness, your average ink-stained wretch will tell you summer is not what it’s cracked up to be, at least not in the newsrooms of the nation. We call this the silly season, when the same things that make it great make it tough to deliver a steady diet of compelling, important news.

An unfortunate by-product of the silly season is that some stories take on a life of their own, their real importance blown out of proportion by the lack of competition. Take, for example, the extensive coverage this week about new federal regulations around the medicinal use of marijuana. According to much of the coverage and commentary about Allan Rock’s announcement and photo-op tour of the country’s first government-approved pot garden, this is a big deal. For the first time, Canadians who can demonstrate that they need to smoke marijuana to ease and control chronic pain and discomfort can grow and toke their medicine legally, provided they have a licence from Health Canada and approval from their doctor.

In reality, this is a modest step, at best. Critics point out that the policy is severely restrictive in that applicants must have a life expectancy of a year or less, or be in severe pain from AIDS, cancer or some other serious medical condition. Doctors or medical specialists must support the application, and the process is alarmingly slow. To date, fewer than 300 people have been approved, with another 500 applications pending. (Source: Hamilton Spectator Editorial)

 

Saturday September 11, 1999

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday September 11, 1999

Cybil’s Moonlighting

Oh, give us a break! Has “Slick Willie” Clinton lowered the bar this far?

OK, we thought, so Warren Beatty is thinking about running for president of the United States. We’ll cross that know-your-limitations bridge when we come to it. But now, we see Cybill Shepherd is “seriously considering” taking a shot at the Oval Office. The actress is thinking about running on a main platform of ensuring abortion access.

What next? Jerry Lewis for the Supreme Court? Madonna for Foreign Affairs? Jack “You can’t handle the truth” Nicholson for CIA Director? Cher for … oh, forget it. No offence, people, but you’re actors. Not rocket scientists. Not lawyers (although goodness knows we don’t need more of them in elected office). Not business leaders.

You know how to emote. How to memorize lines and pretend to be someone you’re not. Yeah, yeah. We know about Ronnie Reagan and Sonny Bono and whatsizname who played Gopher on The Love Boat. But at least they had the decency to start a little lower on the political ladder than President, Commander-in-Chief and Defender of the American Way.  (Hamilton Spectator Editorial, D14, 9/11/1999)

 

Thursday March 11, 1999

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday March 11, 1999

Glen Clark’s political demise is imminent

Thanks to the reluctant support of his caucus, it seems like British Columbia Premier Glen Clark has a brief reprieve from early retirement. No matter. There’s no graceful exit for the besieged NDP leader and his party. Popular support stands at about 17 per cent. The government is nearly out of money and needs to recall the legislature to present a budget. B.C.’s economy is on the skids. The diminutive, feisty premier is toast.For political reasons, Clark and his dwindling band of supporters decided the premier shouldn’t step aside right now. Politically, they may be right. To date, there is no hard evidence that Clark was involved in anything serious enough to require his resignation. Quitting now would only lead to widespread speculation that he is guilty of more serious sins than having shady neighbour Dimitrios Pilarinos build a porch on the premier’s house and cottage. Strategically, it’s better for the government that Clark stay on for a respectable period of time, then resign as quietly as possible.

Of course, that’s a common sensical sort of outcome, and common sense isn’t abundant in British Columbia provincial politics. Remember Socred Premier Bill Vander Zalm, who fell from grace in 1988 amidst allegations of corruption? Then there was NDP Premier Mike Harcourt, who fell on his sword in 1996 because of his government’s apparently inappropriate use of gambling proceeds. As far back as anyone cares to remember, B.C. politics have been wild and wooly.

Even so, the brief Glen Clark mandate will go down as one of the wildest, at least in recent memory. Clark was barely elected when the first tempest struck over promises his government made about balancing the budget. Instead, the books showed a burgeoning deficit. Things went downhill from there.

Clark, of course, has a justification for his government’s woes. It’s a common refrain from politicians acting in desperation: The media are to blame. (Source: Hamilton Spectator Editorial)