Public safety

Friday June 23, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 23, 2023

Marco Mendicino’s Political Future Hangs in the Balance

Liberal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino faces an uncertain summer as doubts emerge regarding his ability to retain his position in a cabinet shuffle. With the start of the Parliamentary recess, Mendicino confronts numerous public safety challenges that may jeopardize his tenure.

April 27, 2023

At a recent dinner, jesting comments about his potential removal from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet spurred Mendicino to mock-charge the stage, defending his honor and signaling his determination to remain in his role. However, subsequent controversies, such as the mishandled transfer of murderer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison, have only intensified the scrutiny on Mendicino. The fact that he was uninformed about the transfer further weakened his standing.

The Bernardo debacle is the latest in a series of political setbacks for Mendicino. His proposed sweeping gun ban had to be rescinded, his justifications for using the Emergencies Act were questioned, and he faced criticism for the government’s handling of foreign interference. As the former immigration minister, he also dealt with the complexities of managing border closures during the pandemic and organizing evacuations from Afghanistan.

News: Justin Trudeau is preparing a summer cabinet shuffle — and all eyes are on Mendicino  

October 26, 2021

These challenges have raised doubts about Mendicino’s future, with Trudeau yet to express confidence in his continuance. Although Mendicino became the MP for Eglinton-Lawrence without Trudeau’s explicit endorsement, his victory over Conservative Finance Minister Joe Oliver in 2015 demonstrated his political staying power.

Mendicino’s reputation as a capable communicator within Trudeau’s inner circle has suffered recently. Attempting to evade reporters’ questions and failing to address the Bernardo transfer have raised concerns about his transparency and accountability.

Despite his strengths, including humility and tenacity in rectifying mistakes, Mendicino faces an uphill battle. The controversies surrounding the gun bill and the Bernardo incident have provided ammunition to those advocating for his departure. Conservative critics question his ability to ensure public safety when trust in his words wavers.

As rumors of a cabinet shuffle circulate, Mendicino’s fate rests in Trudeau’s hands. Supporters highlight his intelligence, amiability, loyalty, and unwavering dedication to his work as reasons for his potential survival. Only time will reveal whether Mendicino will emerge victorious and “live to fight another day.” (AI) | Also published in the Toronto Star.

 

Saturday February 10, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 10, 2018

Should Hamilton homeowners be allowed to point cameras at the street?

The city will look at making it legal for homeowners to point security cameras at the street as a way to aid police investigations.

February 17, 2014

But the province’s former privacy commissioner, Ann Cavoukian, is urging council to think twice.

Councillors endorsed a motion from Coun. Sam Merulla Wednesday to study changing a city bylaw that bans residential security cameras from pointing anywhere other than the homeowner’s own property.

Merulla argued home security footage is an increasingly crucial investigative tool, pointing to footage that helped police track down the people who murdered Ancaster’s Tim Bosma.

“You can already walk down the street holding a video camera without breaking the law. But you can’t point a security camera at the street? That doesn’t make sense to me,” he said.

January 17, 2001

He also argued the existing bylaw is tough to enforce, given a homeowner can refuse access to a bylaw officer seeking to examine camera footage.

But Cavoukian, now a privacy expert-in-residence at Ryerson University, said Hamilton’s bylaw was hailed as a “progressive” measure when it was passed in 2010. (The rule was one of many included in the city’s “fortifications” bylaw enacted in response to gang clubhouse concerns.)

“You would be going from a wonderful bylaw that protects your citizens’ fundamental right to privacy … to allowing practically everything (in neighbourhoods) to be recorded,” she said. “Why would you do that?”

It’s unclear how many Ontario cities actually ban private homeowner cameras from pointing at public spaces. London has a bylaw with similar provisions. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) 

 

SaveSave

Friday October 10, 2014

Friday October 10, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 10, 2014

Has Ottawa been too slow to take on radicalized Canadians?

Canada is sending fighter jets to take part in air strikes against Islamic State fighters abroad. That we know.

But closer to home, the Conservative government isn’t saying much about its promised comprehensive plan to deal with jihadist recruits who are either planning to go to, or are returning from, overseas conflicts.

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney appeared before a Commons committee on Wednesday, flanked by the heads of the RCMP and CSIS, to discuss the government’s efforts to combat homegrown extremism.

What he had to say amounted to a recap of criminal legislation the government has already passed, measures aimed at punishing rather than preventing, the radicalization of Canadians.

It’s one thing for Liberal leader Justin Trudeau to ramble on about the “root causes” of terrorism, as he did with the CBC’s Peter Mansbridge after the Boston Marathon bombing, but no Conservative wants to be heard saying the same.

Instead, Blaney ran through a set of now well-worn numbers.

Ye olde scary costumes gag from 2001

Among them, Canadian authorities are aware of at least 130 Canadians suspected of taking part in terrorism-related activities in places such as Syria, Iraq and Somalia. About 80 have returned to Canada.

“I can confirm for Canadians that, as we speak, the RCMP is investigating these individuals and will seek to put them behind bars where they belong,” Blaney solemnly informed the public safety committee.

But who these individuals are — what they have done, how they became radicalized — on those matters, Blaney offered little.

Instead, he repeated the pledge made last week by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that additional measures are coming soon.

“Preventing violent extremism is an essential element of our response, and that is why some of the important work is being done in this regard as we speak.” (Source: CBC News)

 

Thursday April 30, 2009

April 30, 2009

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 30, 2009

WHO Warns of Imminent World-Wide Pandemic

The United Nations public-health agency raised its global pandemic alert level to phase 5 from phase 4 Wednesday, indicating the A/H1N1 virus has caused outbreaks in at least two countries in one region. “All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparation plans” and be on “high alert” for outbreaks, said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan issues a statement on the decision to raise the influenza pandemic alert to phase 5 and urging everyone to take the alert seriously. Video courtesy of Fox News. Mexican President Felipe Calderon said in a televised address that only essential businesses such as supermarkets, hospitals and pharmacies should stay open, and only critical government workers such as police and soldiers would be on duty from Friday through Tuesday. School had already been canceled nationwide.

The steps are aimed at stopping further spread of the virus, blamed for 168 deaths in Mexico and one in the U.S., even though the WHO has suggested nations should focus on minimizing its effects, not containing its spread.

Dr. Chan said the decision to raise the alert level was made after the agency established that sustained person-to-person transmission was occurring in the U.S., in addition to Mexico. The outbreak at a private school in the New York City borough of Queens caught the attention of WHO officials, because students who had traveled to Mexico returned to campus and infected others. (Source: Wall Street Journal) 

 

Monday, October 2, 2006

October 2, 2006

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday, October 2, 2006

Eisenberger accused of poaching Di Ianni’s ideas

We all know that election campaigns can bring out an unsavoury opportunism even in the most principled of politicians.

But you can say this about the self-serving low that mayoral candidate Fred Eisenberger seemed to hit the other day: He now has nowhere to go but up for the balance of his campaign.

A week ago, after Mayor Larry Di Ianni identified public safety as the No. 1 issue in his re-election bid, Eisenberger dismissed it as a George Bush-style scare tactic.

“It’s a Bush-like attempt to strike some fear mongering into residents,” Eisenberger was quoted as saying in the Stoney Creek News.

But then this Wednesday, Eisenberger called, on short notice, a media conference in the forecourt of City Hall to announce his own scheme to “improve public safety,” one that was startlingly similar to Di Ianni’s draft plan for hiring more police and installing more surveillance cameras downtown.

Mario Joannette, Di Ianni’s chief of staff who is managing the mayor’s campaign while on unpaid leave, makes no bones about what he believes happened.

He maintains Di Ianni’s draft was leaked to Eisenberger, who blatantly lifted the idea and rushed to get his announcement out to the media ahead of his rival. (Hamilton Spectator)