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Saturday November 18, 2016

November 18, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday November 18, 2016

PC candidate Sam Oosterhoff, 19, wins Niagara West-Glanbrook

A 19-year-old Smithville man has made Ontario history by winning the Niagara West-Glanbrook byelection.

Progressive Conservative candidate Sam Oosterhoff has become the youngest person elected to the Ontario legislature.

His victory was hailed Thursday night by PC Leader Patrick Brown, who attended Oosterhoff’s election night party at the Casablanca Inn, a hotel just off the Queen Elizabeth Way in Grimsby.

Oosterhoff, who brought controversy to the contest because of his social conservative views, thanked his supporters just before 10 p.m. The mood was buoyant at the well-attended party, which brought out Milton MP Lisa Raitt, a federal Conservative leadership candidate.

The riding became vacant because of the departure of former PC leader Tim Hudak. It was always said to be a safe conservative seat, but Oosterhoff’s opposition to abortion and questioning the new sex-ed curriculum was thought to raise some doubt.

In the end, it didn’t matter. With 130 of 236 polls reporting just after 10 p.m., the first-year-political science student at Brock University had about 52 per cent of vote.

The New Democrat candidate and former Hamilton police officer Mike Thomas of Binbrook was in second with about 26 per cent of the vote. Oosterhoff had more than 4,300 votes than Thomas. Liberal candidate and Hamilton lawyer Vicky Ringuette, also of Binbrook, was in third with about 15 per cent of the vote. She trailed Oosterhoff by more than 6,000 votes.

Oosterhoff said people were angry about their hydro bills and industrial wind turbines but Ringuette said she wasn’t hearing complaints from voters about electricity rates.

The Liberals held on to Ottawa-Vanier with lawyer Nathalie Des Rosiers. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Saturday October 8, 2016

October 7, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – 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.”

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.”

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.”

In response to Trost’s latest volley, Scheer simply said “no comment.”

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)

Saturday February 27, 2016

February 26, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 27, 2016

No mixed martial arts or boxing, please, we’re Hamilton

(By Andrew Dreschel) For a city that claims to be open for business and eager to generate revenue, Hamilton sure has a funny way of showing it.

Get a load of this story.

Boxing promoter Tyler Buxton figured he had a perfect fight card lined up at the city-owned Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena.

After preliminary bouts between local pros, the main event would feature Hamilton’s own Kevin Higson defending his Canadian super welterweight championship in front of a hometown crowd.

But then the word came from city staff — no combat sports allowed at city-run facilities.

Why, you ask?

We’ll get to that. For now let’s just say banning combat sports is not a council-approved policy. It’s strictly a staff decision.

Buxton, president of United Boxing Promotions, was stunned by the refusal. How could this be? Boxing is a legal and licensed sport, overseen by the Ontario Athletics Commission, which sets rigid safety, medical and liability insurance standards.

Buxton has run boxing events in city-owned community facilities in Ajax and Belleville, and regularly stages fights at the Hershey Centre, privately managed but owned by the City of Mississauga.

“This is the first time I’ve ever had any issues,” he says

Maybe the first for him, but he’s not alone.

Garnet Ace, president of Global Warriors, tried to run a mixed martial arts (MMA) event at the Mountain Arena.

The Ancaster resident says city staff was initially very receptive to renting to him until he got a phone call several weeks later.

“Somebody at City Hall basically said, ‘No, we don’t want it. It’s against our policies.'”

Ace says he pressed but didn’t receive a more detailed explanation. Instead, he moved the event to Burlington’s city-owned Central Arena last May, which was attended by about 2,500 fans.

Both promoters say they want to grow events in Hamilton. Ideally, Ace would like to do four at the Mountain Arena this year alone.

FirstOntario Centre and Hamilton Place are too costly to rent. Private convention facilities too small. With a seating capacity of 3,000 or more, the Mountain Arena is the ideal venue.

The problem is, city staff keep turning thumbs down. It’s not clear who’s making the call or how far up the ladder it goes. Recreation director Jack Brown bounced inquiries to communication staff. (Continued: Hamilton Spectator)

Thursday December 3, 2015

December 2, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday December 3, 2015

Rona Ambrose reaches out to former Tory prime ministers for advice on leadership race

Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose has been seeking advice from former Tory prime ministers, who told her the party should be making sure Progressive Conservatives feel welcome.

$By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday November 4, 2015 Eight hopefuls seek Tory interim leadership: Analysis Down, but not out. Two weeks after Stephen Harper lost his majority government, eight Conservative MPs have jumped into the fray to become interim leader and take on Justin TrudeauÕs new Liberal government. ThatÕs interim, as in temporary. ItÕs not the big job of stepping into HarperÕs dance shoes, reshaping the party and swinging it into the next election. No oneÕs announced interest in that yet. Interim leader gets the immediate, but critical job of leading a Conservative parliamentary caucus of 99 MPs Ñ 33 of them rookies Ñ and 47 senators through the next year or two until a new leader is chosen. Eight Tories want that job. The interim leader will be the lead foot soldier in holding the Liberals to account in Parliament, boosting morale in a caucus thrust into Opposition without the all the resources of government, and stabilizing a party once fractured along east-west, progressive-reform and French-English lines Ñ one that could find itself divided again once the leadership contest kicks off in earnest. Four women and four men, including two people who want to share the job, have thrown their hats into the ring. They are: Diane Finley, Rob Nicholson, Candice Bergen, Erin OÕToole, Mike Lake, Rona Ambrose, plus Michelle Rempel and Denis Lebel, who announced on the weekend they are running as a package deal. None are household names. Some have a bit of profile in media or political circles, but most Canadians would be hard-pressed to identify any of them on the street. Among the eight are a couple of women Ñ Ambrose and Rempel Ñ and possibly one man Ñ OÕToole Ñ who observers believe were interested in the bigger long-term job. A failed interim bid doesnÕt exclude them from that. Only an interim leader is barred, under Conservative party rules, from competing for the top job. Of the contenders to win caucus sup$

Wednesday November 4, 2015

In the past few weeks, Ambrose has spoken to Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark and Kim Campbell, and to former Reform Party leader Preston Manning. All agreed that the party shouldn’t rush a leadership race, she said in an interview.

The party’s governing body is on the verge of forming a leadership committee, and making initial decisions about the time frame for the race. An internal consensus has emerged that the vote not happen for some time – 18 months from now or longer, Ambrose said.

“It’s been a decade of the Conservative Party of Canada but we have a long legacy of conservatism in our conservative movement, and we’re moving forward for the first time in a decade into a leadership race,” she said.

“We want to get it right, and I’ve sought their advice on how to make sure we do that. The consensus was very clear, that we should take our time…”

She said Mulroney and Clark in particular emphasized that the party should signal that it is open to all types of conservatives – a direct reference to Progressive Conservatives who might have felt alienated in recent years.

Former leader Stephen Harper had a mercurial relationship with Mulroney, and little contact with Clark, who had opposed the merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties.

” 1/8 The advice 3/8 was, ‘Make sure that you open up the welcome, or open up your arms to those who may have felt that they weren’t part of the party in the past, or felt they were on the sidelines, but feel that they’re conservative and want to be a part of the party and want to be back in the middle of things,”‘ said Ambrose.

Ambrose added that she and Campbell spoke at length about the experience of being a woman at the helm of the party. She chatted with Mulroney about relations with caucus members. Mulroney was well known for remembering and marking important moments in the lives of his MPs and friends. (CTV News)

Tuesday September 15, 2015

September 14, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday September 15, 2015

Patrick Brown is headed for his biggest face-off away from the rink.

When MPPs return from their summer break Monday, the hockey-playing politico takes a seat in the legislature across from Premier Kathleen Wynne for the first time since being elected Progressive Conservative leader May 9.

Brown’s performance will be carefully scrutinized and the more experienced Wynne will get a flurry of questions on the $9 billion sell-off of Hydro One, her Ontario Retirement Pension Plan and the economy.

With the issues spilling over to the Oct. 19 federal campaign trail, rival party leaders are as eager to score points as Wynne is to stand her ground, with polls suggesting the Hydro One sale is not as popular as she would like.

“We will very clearly point out how we should take a different approach,” Brown said, dubbing the hydro deal a “fire sale” and the pension premiums that employees and employers would have to pay a “job killer.”

He also pledged to set a different tone by not being “blindly partisan.”

New Democrats said Hydro One, in which Wynne plans to sell a 60 per cent stake to raise money for transit and debt reduction, is their “big push” because they fear it will lead to higher electricity prices.

“Hydro bills are through the roof,” said NDP House Leader Gilles Bisson.

In an interview Friday in Quebec City, where she was attending a joint cabinet meeting with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, Wynne said she is will not “back down” on Hydro One.

She defended eventual proceeds from the sale as crucial to improving public transit and reducing gridlock that is costing the economy billions in lost productivity.

“The building of infrastructure is a high priority for us…and so I am going to be talking to the people of Ontario through the legislature about the work that we’re doing on that front,” said Wynne.

While the government plans to sell off 60 per cent of Hydro One – recently the subject of scathing attacks from ombudsman André Marin over billing snafus — Wynne said the province will retain control because no single shareholder will be able to own more than 10 per cent.

She expressed surprised that Brown will serve as his own education critic, ‎suggesting the new sex-education curriculum will remain a hot topic in the house.

“I was interested in that,” the premier said, adding she will continue to highlight Brown’s social conservative voting record as an MP under Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, where he opposed same-sex marriage and abortion — stances he has since changed. (Source: Toronto Star)