race

Thursday August 3, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday August 3, 2017

Jagmeet Singh leads NDP leadership fundraising as race heats up

Jagmeet Singh was last to enter the federal NDP leadership race, but he’s first in fundraising.

March 1, 2017

Financial reports filed with Elections Canada for the second quarter of 2017 indicate that the Ontario MPP has pulled in $353,944 since joining the race to replace Tom Mulcair in mid-May.

Northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus raised $123,574 between April 1 and June 30.

During the same period, Manitoba MP Niki Ashton raised $70,124, while Quebec MP Guy Caron raised $46,970.

British Columbia MP Peter Julian, who dropped out of the race in early July, raised $28,673.

In an email blast to supporters, Singh’s campaign boasted that he raised more than $350,000 in just 47 days — 30 days less than it took Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to raise the same amount during the 2013 Liberal leadership race and 77 days less than it took Andrew Scheer during the recent Conservative contest.

“In just 47 days we built a truly nationwide operation that shows how a Jagmeet-led NDP will take on the Liberals and Conservatives,” the email said.

Voting in the NDP contest begins in September, with results to be announced in October.

In all, the leadership contestants raised $643,285.

That’s on top of the $826,664 raised by the NDP, which continues to trail well behind the two main federal parties in fundraising. (Source: Toronto Star) 

 

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Friday May 19, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday May 19, 2017

What Maxime Bernier’s Canada would look like

The libertarian former cabinet minister is leading the Conservative leadership race, heading into the final stretch.

April 27, 2017

Maxime Bernier has a dramatically different idea about how Canada should work.

Bernier would get the federal government out of health care, transferring the full responsibility to provinces and paving the way for more private delivery.

Bernier would tie Canada’s foreign aid to “morality,” and believes billions of it should be spent instead on tax cut and healing the poor at home.

Bernier would end federal “welfare” for Canadian businesses, and axe popular tax credits for things like kid’s hockey gear and teachers’ classroom supplies in favour of across-the-board tax cuts.

And Bernier wants to do it all in a four-year term, should he become Conservative leader at the end of the month, and should he defeat Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in 2019.

May 28, 2008

In many ways, Bernier’s approach would be a significant break from the Stephen Harper era. Harper took a slow and steady course, favouring incremental change and reassuring moderate Canadians there was no Conservative “hidden agenda.”

Bernier is proposing dramatic change quickly — and his agenda certainly can’t be accused of being hidden.

“They’re conservative ideas, they’re conservative values,” Bernier said this week, discussing his libertarian-leaning platform.

While popular with a good chunk of the Conservative base, there is some concern within the party about how the greater population will receive Bernier’s libertarian policies — and how well he can bring together the Conservative family after a divisive leadership campaign. (Continued: Toronto Star)

 

Tuesday October 25, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday October 25, 2016 Steven Blaney kicks off Conservative leadership campaign with proposed niqab ban Quebec MP Steven Blaney is running for leadership of the Conservative Party, and his first major policy position is a ban on the niqab and a promise to invoke the notwithstanding clause if courts strike down his new measures. The former minister in the cabinet of Stephen Harper said he will introduce legislation that would forbid the Islamic face-covering while voting and taking the oath of citizenship. He also said that the prohibition would extend to people working in the federal public service. "We are a country that is built on immigration, but we have to be sure that those new Canadians we welcome are understanding of how we live. We don't want our country to become like the country they left," Blaney told reporters Monday. "We fully welcome you, but we want you to respect who we are.Ó The measures are necessary, Blaney said, to "ensure the sustainability of our integration model" and to protect women's rights. The proposal revives a controversial debate from the last campaign, when Harper himself suggested the niqab should be banned from the public service. His party enacted policies to prevent women from wearing a niqab while taking the citizenship oath, and promised to create a "barbaric cultural practices" tip line. Those two proposals led some to accuse the party of engaging in identity politics and fuelling anti-Muslim sentiment. Zunera Ishaq, a Muslim woman, went to court to challenge the government's ban, and, in the middle of the campaign, the Federal Court of Appeal cleared the wayÊfor her to wear the head covering. (Source: CBC News)Êhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/steven-blaney-conservative-leadership-niqab-ban-1.3818673 Canada, Conservative, party, niqab, assisted suicide, end of life, conservative, leadership, Kellie Leitch, Steven Blaney, culture, race, religion, stephen ha

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 25, 2016

Steven Blaney kicks off Conservative leadership campaign with proposed niqab ban

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Saturday October 8, 2016 Conservative leadership hopeful Brad Trost questions Andrew Scheer about social conservatism Saskatchewan Member of Parliament and Conservative leader hopeful Brad Trost says his policies make him a true social conservative choice. "I've got about five or six policy platform items that will be of interest to social conservatives," Trost said in Ottawa on Monday. Trost wouldn't go into detail what his policy platform planks will be but would only say "euthanasia, abortion and a couple of other issues," will be included. "These are things I believe. When you see my policy platforms they will demonstrate they are social conservative proposals that are not only popular inside the Conservative party but the general public.Ó First elected in 2004, Trost has been vocal on many issues, including same-sex marriage. Recently, Trost's campaign started running ads with a picture of two fingers side by side, with the message "Marriage is the union of one man, one woman.Ó He's also taking aim at fellow Saskatchewan MP Andrew Scheer, who also recently entered the leadership race. Trost says that comments he's read of late leads him to believe Scheer is not a true social conservative. When Scheer launched his leadership campaign last week, he indicated that abortion and same-sex marriage were issues he considered resolved within the party and he would not re-visit them. "I don't think he's taking a pro-life stand in this campaign," said Trost. "I'm not sure if Mr. Scheer is a social conservative. That's something he's going to have to deal with. One of the social conservative groups referred to his statements the other day as pro-abortion.Ó In response to Trost's latest volley, Scheer simply said "no comment.Ó Trost also sounded off on Harper's time as Prime Minister, saying the he doesn't believe Harper was a social conservative either. (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada

October 8, 2016

Quebec MP Steven Blaney is running for leadership of the Conservative Party, and his first major policy position is a ban on the niqab and a promise to invoke the notwithstanding clause if courts strike down his new measures.

The former minister in the cabinet of Stephen Harper said he will introduce legislation that would forbid the Islamic face-covering while voting and taking the oath of citizenship. He also said that the prohibition would extend to people working in the federal public service.

Friday October 10, 2014

October 10, 2014

“We are a country that is built on immigration, but we have to be sure that those new Canadians we welcome are understanding of how we live. We don’t want our country to become like the country they left,” Blaney told reporters Monday. “We fully welcome you, but we want you to respect who we are.”

The measures are necessary, Blaney said, to “ensure the sustainability of our integration model” and to protect women’s rights.

The proposal revives a controversial debate from the last campaign, when Harper himself suggested the niqab should be banned from the public service.

Friday December 8, 2006 PM: Same-sex issue closed The last major threat to same-sex marriage rights in Canada was soundly defeated in the House of Commons today, with MPs sending the message that they donÕt want to revisit the emotional, divisive debate. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he heard the message and will respect it. ÒWe made a promise to have a free vote on this issue, we kept that promise, and obviously the vote was decisive and obviously weÕll accept the democratic result of the peopleÕs representatives,Ó Harper said. The question put to MPs was whether they wanted to see legislation drafted to reinstate the traditional definition of marriage, while respecting the existing marriages of gays and lesbians. That Conservative motion failed 175-123. In the tense Commons, MPs watched each other carefully to see how the other would vote. Some Liberals cheered as prominent Tories voted to let sleeping dogs lie. Some Conservatives applauded Liberals who did the opposite. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) Canada, same-sex marriage, gay marriage, civil union, marriage, dinosaur

Friday December 8, 2006

Zunera Ishaq, a Muslim woman, went to court to challenge the government’s ban, and, in the middle of the campaign, the Federal Court of Appeal cleared the way for her to wear the head covering. (Source: CBC News)

2016-10-25tearsheet

 

Wednesday October 8, 2014

Wednesday October 8, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 8, 2014

Poll suggests Whitby-Oshawa MPP Christine Elliott leads Ontario PC race

Whitby-Oshawa MPP Christine Elliott is the front-runner in the race to lead the Progressive Conservatives, a new Forum Research poll suggests.

Ms. Elliott and fellow female candidate Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton) are ahead of their three male rivals as the Tories seek a successor to Tim Hudak, who led the party to defeat at the hands of Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals in June.

Ms. Elliott was at 14 per cent, compared to 9 per cent for Ms. MacLeod. MP Patrick Brown, who has said he will not resign his federal seat in Barrie unless he wins the May 9 provincial leadership, was at 5 per cent followed by MPPs Vic Fedeli (Nipissing) and Monte McNaughton (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex) at 4 per cent apiece.

Some 19 per cent said they would prefer a different candidate while 43 per cent were not sure.

“They need a major refresh — they’ve got to have learned that,” Forum president Lorne Bozinoff said, noting the Conservatives “didn’t do that well among women” voters on June 12.

“So it’s not that bad of an idea,” he said, pointing out the Tories’ main opponents are (Ms.) Wynne and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

Using interactive voice response phone calls, Forum surveyed 1,079 people with results considered accurate to within three percentage points 19 times out of 20.

Ms. Elliott, 59, enjoyed an even larger lead among respondents who identified themselves as Conservatives.

Of the 367 Tories polled, 24 per cent supported her and 11 per cent backed Ms. MacLeod, 39, the only candidate yet to officially enter the contest.

Six per cent picked the 36-year-old Mr. Brown, 5 per cent opted for Mr. Fedeli, 58, while 3 per cent selected Mr. McNaughton, 37. Twenty per cent preferred “someone else” and 30 per cent weren’t sure.

Even though that’s a smaller sample, Mr. Bozinoff said “if this were a delegate survey, it might look like this.”

“Some of this guys just don’t have major profile — like Patrick Brown and Monte McNaughton,” the pollster said (Source: Durhamregion.com)

 

Tuesday August 19, 2014

Tuesday August 19, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday August 19, 2014

Obama urges protesters, police to remain peaceful

U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday the Ferguson, Missouri community was “rightly hurting” but urged protesters to remain peaceful in the wake of Michael Brown’s shooting.

At a live news conference at the White House, Obama also announced Attorney General Eric Holder is set to travel to Ferguson on Tuesday to meet with Department of Justice and FBI investigators on the ground.

In the meantime, Obama said both protesters and police should “seek to heal, rather than wound each other.”

Obama also added “there’s no excuse for excessive force by police,” amid the crisis.

Meanwhile, Missouri’s governor ordered the National Guard to a St. Louis suburb convulsed by protests over Brown’s shooting after a night in which police used tear gas to clear protesters off the streets of Ferguson.

There will, however, be no curfew in place on Monday night, Gov. Jay Nixon said on his government’s website. Nixon declared a midnight curfew for Saturday and Sunday nights.

Nixon said the National Guard would help “in restoring peace and order” to Ferguson, where protests over the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer entered their second week. Police said they acted in response to gunfire, looting, vandalism and protesters who hurled Molotov cocktails.

“These violent acts are a disservice to the family of Michael Brown and his memory and to the people of this community who yearn for justice to be served and to feel safe in their own homes,” Nixon said in a statement. (Source: CBC News)