unity – mackaycartoons

Saturday August 8, 2015

August 7, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday August 8, 2015

Thomas Mulcair’s Clarity problem

At about the midpoint of last night’s debate, during an otherwise necessary chat about the state of democratic institutions, things veered into a constitutional abstraction of the sort that has obsessed this country’s political class for a half century. It lasted about five minutes and was prompted by Justin Trudeau, who looks younger than his 43 years but, at that moment at least, could have passed for pater Pierre Elliott circa 1968, shaking his fists at the evil Quebec separatists in our midst.

“One of the things that really frustrates a lot of people is when they see politicians pander, when they say one thing in one part of the country and a different thing in another part of the country. One of the things that unfortunately Mr. Mulcair has been doing quite regularly is talking in French about his desire to repeal the Clarity Act, to make it easier for those who want to break up this country to actually do so. And in doing so, he is actually disagreeing with the Supreme Court judgment that said one vote is not enough to break up the country.”

The Clarity Act was wrought by Jean Chrétien’s government in 2000 to try and address the question born in 1995’s Quebec referendum, which the No side won by all of 54,288 votes: would it have been enough to separate the country had the Yes side won by as many (or fewer) votes? The Supreme Court’s answer was no: a province would need a “clear majority.” Except no one defined what, exactly, constituted this clear majority. The resulting lack of clarity has obsessed Canada’s political class and legions of its journalists ever since.

Three things usually happen whenever this issue is brought up in a federal campaign. First, chest puffed, each leader will say what good Canadians they are. Then the others will say how irrelevant it is to talk about separatism, because Quebec’s sovereignty movement is stuck somewhere between cryogenic sleep and outright death. Finally, they do exactly that—talk about an apparently irrelevant issue. For over 50 years, it’s been our political quicksand: impossible to avoid, and even harder to escape. (Continued: MacLean’s)

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

December 10, 2013 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Prime ministers on a plane: Harper, predecessors together for Mandela tribute

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his predecessors — Jean Chrétien, Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell — sat in close quarters as they winged their way to South Africa for Nelson Mandela’s funeral.

ABOARD ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE 001—Even after his death, Nelson Mandela has done what no one else seemingly could — bring Canada’s past-and-present political leadership together, in one space, for a single cause — if only for a few hours.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and three of his predecessors — Jean Chrétien, Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell — sat in close quarters as they winged their way to South Africa late Sunday in the elaborate front cabin of a government Airbus.

But not just any aircraft. The leaders were headed to pay their respects to Mandela comfortably seated in what Chrétien once non-affectionately dubbed the “Taj Mahal,” a reference to the front stateroom with which the plane was retrofitted when Mulroney bought a fleet of the jetliners during his time in office.

Now, however, the animosity of the past was gone, at least on the surface.

“I’m not a grumpy politician anymore,” Mulroney said with a smile as he spoke of the significance of being in such close proximity with his former rivals.

“I’m a statesman now,” he laughed.

As he took one of his trademark strolls to the back of the plane, Chrétien openly lamented that he never used this particular aircraft during his three terms in office, expressly because of the fleecing he gave Mulroney to paint him as a free spending politician with a taste for Gucci style.

Chrétien also expressed his disappointment that Canada doesn’t put its former prime ministers to work for the country’s betterment and to promote international relations after they leave office.

“It’s not our tradition,” Chrétien told the three reporters accompanying the prime ministers, former governors general, premiers and other dignitaries on the journey to Johannesburg.

“And it’s too bad,” he said.

It was a less-than-subtle point that highlighted the tug-of-war style of Canadian politics as the two former PMs reflected on Mandela’s unique consensus-building abilities.

When Mandela was released from custody after 27 years in prison, many a pundit has noted that he could have launched his country into civil war.

Instead, he chose the path of peace, and eventually saw South Africa’s apartheid regime crumble.

As the Canadian delegation flew over the Atlantic Ocean, just prior to refuelling in Cape Verde, Harper spoke briefly of Canada’s role in ensuring Mandela’s release from prison.

“It really tells you about the long and leading history of Canada from the days of Mr. (John) Diefenbaker on, and the struggle that defined Nelson Mandela’s life — the struggle against apartheid and the transition of South Africa to a modern, non-racial state,” Harper said, flanked by Chrétien to his right and Mulroney and Campbell sitting across from him at the stateroom’s wood grain table.

“It’s something we should all be very proud of and I’m greatly honoured to be joined by Mr. Mulroney, Mrs. Campbell and Mr. Chrétien as well as Mr. (Joe) Clark who will join us when we reach South Africa.” (Source: The Toronto Star)

Wednesday September 5, 2012

September 5, 2012 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Wednesday September 5, 2012

Harper must walk political tightrope in PQ’s Quebec

Blamed by some in his own party for adopting policies that helped reawaken the Quebec independence movement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper now finds himself walking a political tightrope as he prepares to face the demands of a fresh Parti Quebecois government.

“He’s in charge and he’s got to figure it out. So we’re in for great fun and games,” said veteran Quebec Conservative organizer Peter White. “But it isn’t the end of Canada.”

For months, White has argued that Harper and his small team of Quebec MPs were angering a large majority in the province by adopting unpopular policies and decisions in areas such as language, law and order, and the environment.

But despite the fact there are only five Quebec Tory MPs in Ottawa, White has also said Harper could tackle the problem by raising his public profile in Quebec and explaining his policies more.

“Quebecers came very close to saying ‘Yes’ last time (in the 1995 referendum on sovereignty) and things were not nearly as bad then as they are today in terms of the emotion of the thing,” White said Tuesday. (Source: Postmedia)