restraint

Thursday November 3, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday November 3, 2022

Freeland to release mini-budget today as economists warn a recession is coming

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will table her fall economic statement today — a roadmap of what’s to come from the federal government as the economy stands on the brink of a recession.

July 9, 2020

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced some heat when he told reporters during the 2021 election campaign that he doesn’t pay much attention to monetary policy and the Bank of Canada’s mandate to keep inflation at manageable levels.

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t think about monetary policy. You’ll understand, I think about families,” Trudeau said at a Vancouver campaign stop.

But now, with inflation at levels not seen in decades, monetary policy is something virtually everyone in government is seized with as the central bank hikes rates to push down sky-high prices.

Under Canada’s system, monetary policy (interest rates) is set by the Bank of Canada, while fiscal policy (spending) is up to the elected government.

Ontario Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski said that with interest rates so high, “times are changing.”

“I think there’s more of an opportunity to be frugal,” he said. “Any debt we incur is going to grow.”

MP Rachel Bendayan, the associate minister of finance, said the government has been “extremely fiscally responsible” and is “planning on continuing on that track.”

May 13, 2022

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has made it clear what he wants: no new spending unless there are cuts elsewhere.

Anything else would be “pouring inflationary fuel on the fire,” Poiliere said in question period Wednesday.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he wants Freeland to address what he calls corporate greed and reform the employment insurance (EI) program.

Freeland has signalled already the government is expecting tough times ahead.

The era of cheap cash is over — rising rates will make it more difficult for businesses to borrow money, which could lead to downsizing and job losses.

The sizeable jump in the Bank of Canada’s policy interest rate — it’s gone from just 0.25 per cent in January to 3.75 per cent today — has also forced the government to rethink how much it will spend.

The cost to service the federal debt is relatively low right now, but it’s poised to increase in the short and medium term.

April 8, 2022

There are early signals suggesting that Ottawa’s fiscal health in the short term could be much better than predicted, thanks to higher oil prices and the growth in personal and corporate taxes in this era of high inflation.

According to figures released last week through the Public Accounts of Canada, the government’s fiscal ledger, the budget deficit for the 2021-22 fiscal year came in at $90.2 billion — substantially less than the $113.8-billion deficit Freeland projected in her April budget.

In an economic and fiscal outlook published last month, the PBO forecast a budget deficit of $25.8 billion — about 0.9 per cent of GDP — for the 2022-23 fiscal year if the government pursues “status quo policy” — meaning no major new spending on programs. That is significantly smaller than the April budget’s forecast of $52.8 billion. (CBC) 

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

Saturday April 6, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 6, 2019

Balancing Ontario’s budget about to get painful — literally

Some are suggesting the Ford government is playing a little bait and switch with recent announcements.

April 9, 2019

As in, look over here: we’re dumping the licence plate slogan Yours to Discover for something else — maybe even Open for Business. How outrageous is that? (Based on the social media reaction, the answer is: very.)

And, look, look, we’re scrapping the provincial Trillium logo because it looks like three men in a hot tub. Crazy eh?

These would be the bait parts, intended to obscure the much bigger and altogether not humorous changes, like controversial education reforms that will reduce teacher-student interaction and eventually eliminate about 3,500 teaching positions.

Or this one: the province is studying changes to OHIP that would, among other things, drastically reduce the amount of pain-control medication available to chronic pain sufferers. And funding to remove certain types of polyps found during colonoscopies may be eliminated. Diabetes management, echocardiograms and tonsillectomies are also being examined.

Animated!

And, get this, the government may defund the practice of allowing general anesthetic for people undergoing colonoscopy testing.

The potential OHIP changes, which were revealed in an exclusive story by CityNews Toronto, are part of an effort to cut $460 million from the OHIP budget. A group of doctors and government officials are examining best practices to see where medical tests are overused or unnecessary.

Having a hard look at OHIP services makes sense. Health care, overall, is the top budget item for the province ($60 billion last year), with education not far behind. It makes sense to audit what we’re doing and paying for. But going from there to legislating more uncomfortable colonoscopies is a big leap.

With the government’s first budget coming next week, we should prepare ourselves for more news like this. Even though Doug Ford denied that getting Ontario’s books in order would be a painful process, anyone with common sense knew that wasn’t realistic.

It’s all about money. Those education reforms, which the province says will make kids more resilient? How convenient that they also save a few hundred million. Same with reducing OHIP-funded services.

But keep an eye on those OHIP changes. They may also be Ford opening the door to more private health care. Want more anesthetic with that colonoscopy? We can do that for a small fee. Need more pain management drugs? Sign right here.

What about the hidden costs of cuts like these? How many Ontarians who should get colonoscopies won’t? How many pain medication patients will turn to opiates, legal or illegal? How many people with diabetes will get sicker sooner in the absence of ongoing diabetes management programs? If the government cuts psychotherapy funding to 24 hours a year — another proposal — what will happen to patients?

We know the answer. People will get sicker, faster and more seriously. They will require more expensive, intensive intervention from the health and/or social services system. Sadly, the government is probably not studying that aspect of its budget plan. (Source: Hamilton Spectator Editorial)  

 

Wednesday November 11, 2015

 

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday November 11, 2015 Some have been forgotten On Remembrance Day, Canadians will remember those who fell in service to their country. Their names are etched on war graves, on memorial walls and in family scrapbooks. Every name of the war dead is accounted for. In the case of the two world wars, it doesnÕt matter where or how they died. If they served in uniform, they are remembered officially. An investigation by the Globe and Mail, however, has discovered gaps in the recent record. Some names are missing from the Afghan conflict. Military psychiatrist Dr. Greg Passey calls them "the unknown fallen," or, as the Globe says, "the unremembered." They include 59 veterans of the Afghanistan war who committed suicide. ThatÕs more than one-third of the 158 soldiers killed in the 13-year war. They are war dead, victims of wounds to their minds, yet their names are not engraved on the Afghan Memorial Vigil because they werenÕt killed by gunfire, or blown up by a roadside bomb. The high number of suicides and soldiers with mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder should have been a bugle call for emergency repairs to a system that has failed to help the walking wounded. Some 14,000 serving members are still receiving benefits for mental-health issues. Veterans have long been fighting a losing battle for improved addictions treatment and other mental-health services, as well as better benefits and programs to help them transition out of the military. The former Harper government talked a good game about wanting to ensure veterans and serving soldiers were looked after, but deeds never quite matched their lofty words. Former senator and general Romeo Dallaire has frequently complained about "penny-pinching" by Veterans Affairs. He has called on the government to introduce a social covenant similar to one in Britain, where "a duty of care" to soldiers and veterans is recognized in law. Prime Minister Justin Tru

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday November 11, 2015

 

Some have been forgotten

On Remembrance Day, Canadians will remember those who fell in service to their country. Their names are etched on war graves, on memorial walls and in family scrapbooks.

Every name of the war dead is accounted for. In the case of the two world wars, it doesn’t matter where or how they died. If they served in uniform, they are remembered officially.

An investigation by the Globe and Mail, however, has discovered gaps in the recent record. Some names are missing from the Afghan conflict. Military psychiatrist Dr. Greg Passey calls them “the unknown fallen,” or, as the Globe says, “the unremembered.”

They include 59 veterans of the Afghanistan war who committed suicide. That’s more than one-third of the 158 soldiers killed in the 13-year war. They are war dead, victims of wounds to their minds, yet their names are not engraved on the Afghan Memorial Vigil because they weren’t killed by gunfire, or blown up by a roadside bomb.

The high number of suicides and soldiers with mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder should have been a bugle call for emergency repairs to a system that has failed to help the walking wounded. Some 14,000 serving members are still receiving benefits for mental-health issues.

Friday December 5, 2014Veterans have long been fighting a losing battle for improved addictions treatment and other mental-health services, as well as better benefits and programs to help them transition out of the military.

The former Harper government talked a good game about wanting to ensure veterans and serving soldiers were looked after, but deeds never quite matched their lofty words.

Former senator and general Romeo Dallaire has frequently complained about “penny-pinching” by Veterans Affairs. He has called on the government to introduce a social covenant similar to one in Britain, where “a duty of care” to soldiers and veterans is recognized in law.

Friday November 21, 2014Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to spend an extra $100 million on family support, as well as re-establishing lifelong pensions for disabled veterans, which had disappeared in 2006. He has also promised to improve other benefits and to make it easier for injured veterans to move to civilian from military life.

These are grounds for optimism, assuming the Liberals follow through. (Continued: Winnipeg Free Press)

Commentary: Saturday November 14, 2015, Hamilton Spectator, Paul Berton, Editor-in-Chief

BERTON: Was Remembrance Day cartoon a cheap shot or needed comment?

A Remembrance Day cartoon drew criticism and compliments

We had more complaints than usual about an editorial cartoon that appeared in the newspaper on Remembrance Day this week.

Cheap political shot, cried one letter writer. Extremely offensive, said another. Sick political joke, said a third. Some thought it disrespectful to veterans.

On the other hand, Hamilton Spectator editorial cartoonist Graeme MacKay also received many accolades.

On Twitter and Facebook, the social media sites, he says he received more positive feedback than he has for any other cartoon this year.

Nailed it, said one on Twitter. TRUE, wrote another. “This was one of our longest and hard won battles,” said a third on Facebook.

The cartoon depicted two veterans at a cenotaph listing the many wars in which Canada had fought — First World War, 1914-1918, etc. — and added another: Harper Government, 2006-2015.

It is, of course, a cheap political shot, as are so many editorial cartoons. And many feel such humour on Remembrance Day is inappropriate.

And to be fair, the former Conservative government spent more on veterans than previous governments.

But it is also true the Harper government had a notoriously difficult relationship with veterans’ advocates and others, and that it was criticized roundly for lack of action on this particular file.

And without action and real change, all those words and remembering on Remembrance Day seem hollow.

In 2014, for example, it was reported that Veterans Affairs Canada returned $1.13 billion in unspent funds to the federal treasury between 2011 and 2013.

In other words, the government did not spend what it had itself decided was necessary. There’s nothing wrong with being budget conscious and trying to save the taxpayers’ money, but given the controversies surrounding the former minister, Julian Fantino, it did not seem right to many Canadians.

Fantino had a strained relationship — at best — with veterans’ groups.

In 2013, the veterans’ ombudsman said cuts to pensions and benefits would put some vets near the poverty line. Also that year, the department said it would close eight local offices serving veterans.

In January 2014, after arriving late for a meeting to talk about the closures, Fantino got into an argument with one of the veterans. It was one of several public missteps that some said made him seem inept, rude and insensitive.

Meanwhile, his department was under fire for shortcomings in delivering help and benefits to veterans — and for $4 million spent to advertise the government’s position.

In January 2015, he was finally removed from the post following much criticism.

Would MacKay have done the cartoon if the Liberals had been in power? Of course he would. An examination of all his cartoons would reveal he is equally critical of all parties, and won’t change.

Should we be making political statements on Remembrance Day? Shouldn’t we just silently mark the sacrifices made? Shouldn’t we leave the criticism for another day?

They are good questions, but these are serious issues. Many would say if we can’t talk about these things on Remembrance Day, when can we?

The cartoon wasn’t meant to disrespect veterans but to remind us we cannot forget them beyond Remembrance Day.

Paul Berton is editor-in-chief of The Hamilton Spectator and thespec.com. You can reach him at 905-526-3482 or pberton@thespec.com .

 

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Remember the veterans who’ve battled their own governments to get proper recognition

Posted by The Hamilton Spectator on Wednesday, November 11, 2015

 

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Tuesday, April 15, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Flaherty’s state funeral to be held at Toronto’s St. James cathedral

Jim Flaherty’s state funeral is being held at Toronto’s St. James Cathedral on Wednesday.

Canadian Heritage is inviting Canadians to pay their respects to the former finance minister who died suddenly in his Ottawa condo last week.

Visitation will take place at the Abilities Centre at 55 Gordon Street in Whitby, Ont., on Tuesday from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Flaherty’s funeral will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at St. James cathedral at 65 Church Street in downtown Toronto.

Canadian Heritage says Flaherty’s family appreciates all the expressions of support and condolences and asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Abilities Centre.

Flaherty died of a heart attack late last week, less than a month following his retirement after serving as Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s finance minister since 2006.

He’ll become the latest in a tradition of Canadian state funerals that began in 1868 with Thomas D’Arcy McGee, an Irish-born nationalist who became an MP and was assassinated on the streets of Ottawa after a late-night House of Commons debate.

Jack Layton, the late NDP leader who was opposition leader when he died in August 2011, was also given a state funeral.

Friday, April 11, 2014It is an honour normally reserved for current and former governors general, prime ministers and sitting members of cabinet — although a state funeral may be offered to any eminent Canadian at the discretion of the prime minister.

McGee, Layton, and now Flaherty, are the only three Canadians accorded a state funeral since Confederation beyond the prescribed list, according to a list provided by Canadian Heritage. Lincoln Alexander, former lieutenant-governor of Ontario and Canada’s first black MP, received a rare provincial state funeral in 2012. (Source: CBC News)

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Posted as the cartoon of the day on Wednesday, April 16, 2014, and Yahoo News Canada.Jim Flaherty

Friday, April 11, 2014

Friday, April 11, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, April 11, 2014

CBC to cut 657 jobs, will no longer compete for professional sports rights

Funding shortfalls and revenue losses have forced CBC/Radio-Canada to cut $130 million from its budget this year, a move that will eliminate 657 jobs over the next two years and take the network out of competing for the rights to broadcast professional sports, the public broadcaster says.

“Very tough and controversial choices needed to be made and were made,” CBC president and CEO Hubert T. Lacroix said at a townhall meeting with staff Thursday.

Lacroix said CBC could no longer compete against private broadcasters that have specialty sports channels and multiple media platforms. The result will mean “substantially reducing” the size of the sports department and covering fewer sporting events, including amateur sports. And the CBC will only consider broadcasting events that allow the network to break even, he said.

But the CBC will still compete for sporting events of national significance, like the Olympics.

Among the cuts, English Services will slash $82 million from its budget and eliminate 334 full-time jobs.

Lacroix said the broadcaster looked for solutions to shield Canadian programming in prime time and its commitment to the regions and digital from cuts.

“We were not able to protect these priorities as much as we would have liked to. And Canadians will now notice,” he said.

In news, the network will cut $13.3 million from its budget, resulting in 115 job losses.

Radio will also reduce some of its live music performances and some local musical performance shows will be cancelled or consolidated into regional shows.

Losing the rights to broadcast Hockey Night in Canada to Rogers was a significant loss, but only one of the factors leading to Thursday’s announced changes.

CBC has been coping with a loss of $115 million in federal government funding over three years that was announced in the 2012 federal budget. (Source: CBC News)

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Republished in iPolitics, Regina Leader Post, Thunder Bay Chronicle, The Gull Lake Advance (Saskatchewan)