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Friday February 11, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday February 11, 2022

Trump backers seize on GoFundMe controversy as truckers linger in U.S. headline

July 23, 2020

An outsized American display of financial largesse, political support and right-wing media sympathy for ongoing trucker protests in Canada have observers in both countries accusing some in the U.S. of fanning the flames for their own partisan gain.

For more than a week, viewers of Trump-friendly platforms like Fox News, Newsmax and One America News have been getting something exceedingly rare in the U.S. media landscape: regular doses of Canadian coverage.

And prominent Republican lawmakers like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz spent the weekend seizing on last week’s controversy over the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to keep the story alive.

DeSantis and Cruz both want GoFundMe investigated after it froze roughly $9 million in donations earmarked for the ongoing Ottawa protest, then announced Friday it would issue refunds upon request or distribute the money to charities chosen by the protest organizers.

The company reversed course within hours “due to donor feedback,” promising automatic refunds. But attorneys general in Florida, Texas, West Virginia and Louisiana – Republicans all – nonetheless urged donors to come forward in the name of launching investigations.

For Bruce Heyman, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada under Barack Obama, it all smacks of foreign interference, and he believes Trump is at its centre.

“I do not believe that Americans should fund disruptive activities in Canada. Ever. Full stop,” Heyman said in an interview Monday.

Tuesday October 26, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 26, 2021

Freeland positioning herself to take over as Liberal leader

August 24, 2021

A breathless account of Chrystia Freeland’s heroics in Ukraine published over the weekend must’ve put a smile on the face of our Deputy Prime Minister.

According to the American university professor who wrote the glowing article, she was so darn good at what she did that she had the grudging admiration of the KGB, that couldn’t keep up with her! The stuff of real-life Marvel heroes…

Let’s face it, Chrystia Freeland is positioning herself to take over as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and this type of publicity is tailor-made to help her achieve that ambition.

April 21, 2021

Much like Michael Ignatieff, Chrystia Freeland became almost famous south of the border with her writings and media savvy.

Unlike Ignatieff, she’s actually got some experience in government having ably run key ministries and, most admirably, outfoxed Donald Trump during the renegotiation of NAFTA.

If she succeeds, she’ll be taking over from one of the world’s major media figures, Justin Trudeau. A little bit of profile doesn’t hurt.

November 3, 2015

Trudeau’s inexplicable decision to disappear for a vacation on the very day he’d set aside to commemorate truth and reconciliation was more than just a heartless move. It was so hurtful to his brand that many are wondering if it isn’t also a sign that he’s had the biscuit.

We’ll no doubt have an avalanche of “progressive” promises as Trudeau swears in his new Cabinet and hands out mandate letters to the chosen few. It won’t really matter. Canadians have seen and heard enough.

From purchasing a pipeline, to continuing to subsidize oil and gas companies, to skipping out of town on a new national holiday, to complacency with sexual misconduct in the military, the lecturing and moralizing tone of Trudeau simply doesn’t carry much weight anymore. Key progressive issues such as climate change, reconciliation and women’s rights will need a new champion, one without the credibility issues that Trudeau now drags with him.

July 7, 2021

In fact, it’s Freeland’s presence during the worst of Trudeau, like the sacking of Jody Wilson-Raybould, that risks holding her back. She wasn’t content to just back Trudeau. When Wilson-Raybould resisted PMO interference in the prosecution of SNC Lavalin, Freeland attacked her for not being a team player

Freeland won’t get the top job without an examination of her role as Trudeau’s proxy and without a fight. There will be other contenders. (CTV) 

 

Friday January 24, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday January 24, 2020

Where the Tory leadership race stands now that Ambrose and Charest are out

Rona Ambrose is out and she wasn’t even in. The former Conservative minister ended weeks of speculation about whether she would run for the party’s leadership by saying that she is going to pass and “focus on making a difference through the private sector”.

May 31, 2016

She said she struggled with the decision of whether or not to return to political life but her conclusion came as no surprise. Her friends were always dubious that she would commit. She married her partner, businessman JP Veitch, last summer and people who know her well said she is enjoying the pace of life in the private sector, as well as being back in Alberta.

The announcement will be lamented by Conservatives who saw her as the most likely bet to modernize a party that has been disparaged as out-of-date and narrow-minded. In her written statement, Ambrose tacitly made the case for change. “I know we will choose a strong, compassionate person to lead us, who supports ALL families,” she said.

She joins former Quebec premier Jean Charest on the sidelines.

May 13, 2015

There is general agreement among the dozen or so senior Conservatives I spoke with on Wednesday, that this is shaping into a contest between Peter MacKay and Pierre Poilievre, with Erin O’Toole a wild card in third place but still capable of pulling off a shock.

Charest’s decision certainly upsets any plans Poilievre had of running as the rock-ribbed movement candidate, who would stop the Progressive Conservatives and other socialist apparatchiks from taking over their party.

On the other hand, Charest would have brought in new members who would have been more likely to transfer their support to MacKay, if and when Charest fell off the ballot.

There are growing concerns that this could prove to be a particularly divisive contest, if the two candidates are viewed as proxies – Poilievre for Stephen Harper; MacKay for Brian Mulroney.

But it is an over-simplification to suggest Poilievre will be the hard-right Reform candidate and MacKay the voice of the mushy Red Tory middle. (Continued: National Post) 

 

Saturday April 8, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 8, 2017

Is Trump’s bromance with Putin history?

The bromance between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin may be over before it could really blossom.

April 6, 2017

Blame Syrian President Bashar Assad for coming between them.

The Kremlin, a close ally of the Syrian strongman, condemned the U.S. cruise missile attack on a Syrian airfield early Friday morning as an “act of aggression in violation of international law.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it suspended an agreement with the Pentagon to share communication about U.S. and Russian aircraft conducting separate missions over Syria to avoid mishaps.

Russian aircraft support Assad in his fight against rebels, which include the Islamic State, while a U.S.-led coalition is focused exclusively on defeating Islamic State militants.

December 17, 2016

Russia’s decision in 2015  to enter Syria’s civil war with airstrikes against Assad’s opponents strengthened the dictator’s grip on the country when it looked perilous.

Trump ordered the strike in retaliation for Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons in a rebel-held town Tuesday, but Russia defended Assad, saying the chemicals were released when Syrian planes struck a terrorist lab.

The U.S. strike widens the gulf between Trump and Putin over Assad’s future months after the Russian and American presidents seemed to be coming closer to an agreement to join forces to bring an end to Syria’s six-year-long civil war, defeat the Islamic State in Syria and let Assad stay in power.

After the chemical attack — which killed 86 people, including 27 children — Trump abruptly reversed course, calling for Assad’s ouster, as President Barack Obama had done. That is something Putin has been loath to do since the Syrian leader is one of his few allies in the Middle East. (Source: USA Today) 

 

Friday November 9, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Friday November 9, 2012

Sandra Pupatello to run for Ontario Liberal leadership

Sandra Pupatello enters the Ontario Liberal leadership race 

The two front-runners in the Liberal leadership race are both staking out the political centre, with one saying her “mantra” is jobs and the other pledging to rebuild relations with the province’s teachers.

Sandra Pupatello, a former member of Premier Dalton McGuinty’s cabinet, jumped into the leadership race on Thursday, saying she plans to make the economy central to her campaign.

“I’m about jobs,” Ms. Pupatello said at a news conference in Toronto before heading to her hometown of Windsor for her official launch. “It’s going to be my mantra.”

Ms. Pupatello, 50, and former cabinet colleague Kathleen Wynne, 59, are the two leading contenders to replace Mr. McGuinty, who is stepping down after nine years in office.

Ms. Pupatello enters the race with the support of two cabinet ministers – Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, a long-time friend, and Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Transportation and Municipal Affairs and Housing. Mr. Chiarelli plans to hold an event in Ottawa on Friday for Ms. Pupatello. Also supporting her are Teresa Piruzza, Liberal MPP for Windsor West, the seat Ms. Pupatello held until last year, and former Liberal MPP Pat Hoy.

Ms. Wynne is also attracting caucus support, with Labour Minister Linda Jeffrey, Attorney-General John Gerretsen, and MPPs David Zimmer and Mario Sergio endorsing her.

Ms. Pupatello said that the eight years she spent in cabinet, holding down the economic development and trade portfolio, and education before that, leave her ideally positioned to focus on job creation and to put the province in a strong fiscal position to support health care and education, as well as to have an impact on social problems. (Source: Globe & Mail)