values

Friday September 1, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday September 1, 2017

Andrew Scheer unveils full shadow cabinet leaving Kellie Leitch off front bench

May 30, 2017

Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer unveiled his full shadow cabinet Wednesday notably leaving fellow leadership candidate Kellie Leitch off his party’s front bench while promoting others to key critic posts in the House of Commons.  

May 19, 2017

Pierre Poilievre, an MP from the Ottawa area, was given the Finance critic role ahead of Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, who finished second in the Conservative race. Bernier, who announced publicly months ago that he wanted the finance role, has been given a senior critic role on the Innovation, Science and Economic Development file as CBC reported Tuesday. 

Leitch’s leadership campaign, which saw her finish sixth in the race, drew criticism and accusations of intolerance for vowing to strengthen the vetting process for new immigrants. The former cabinet minister also pledged to screen all new immigrants for “Canadian values,” drawing widespread criticism, including from some of her fellow leadership candidates.

February 7, 2017

Brad Trost, the Saskatchewan MP who finished fourth in the leadership campaign, was also left off the shadow cabinet list. Trost did not serve as a minister under prime minister Stephen Harper and campaigned on social conservative values that opposed the “gay lifestyle” and abortion.

Another leadership candidate, Deepak Obhrai, was also left out of Scheer’s shadow cabinet. Obhrai served as the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs in the Harper government. (Source: CBC News) 

 

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Monday February 7, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday February 7, 2017

Kellie Leitch’s immigration policy could damage Conservative Party: Peter MacKay

Peter MacKay, one of the people who helped create the modern Conservative Party, says positions on immigration from one leadership candidate may damage the party’s brand.

MacKay was asked what he thought about Kellie Leitch’s policy to screen immigrants for what she terms “Canadian values.”

 The question of what are Canadian values is far from clear, MacKay said.

September 7, 2016

“When you drill down into that type of discussion the first question that comes to mind is, who makes that decision? And what is that bar going to be? And how possibly could somebody coming from a country that has no understanding of what it means to be a Canadian meet that criteria?”

The former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party helped unite the party with the Canadian Alliance to become the Conservative Party. He decided not to run for the leadership last September and has rarely weighed in on the race since announcing that decision.

He says he’s concerned for the long-term health of the party.

“As somebody who has invested a lot of time and effort into building this party and putting us in contention and somebody who cares deeply for the country, you need competitive parties. You need, in my estimation, a Conservative party that is vying for government,” he explained.

“I do worry about certain positions that have been staked out. Having been through a leadership contest, I know that the rhetoric sometimes gets heated, but it does pose the risk of causing brand damage for the Conservative Party,” MacKay added. (CBC News) 

 

Tuesday January 31, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 31, 2017

Quebec City mosque shooting: Alexandre Bissonnette identified as alleged gunman

Quebec provincial police now say that only one of the two men detained Sunday night in connection with the mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec City that killed six people is considered a suspect.

Surete du Quebec said in a statement just after noon Monday the second person is considered a witness, but they did not offer any names. Media reports identified the “witness” as Mohamed Belkhadir. Earlier reports said the man’s name was Mohamed Khadir or El Khadir.

Reports from Quebec media, including La Presse, TVA, and Radio Canada, say that Alexandre Bissonnette is the lone person suspected in the shooting.

The horrific attacks occurred inside the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec in Quebec City’s Ste-Foy neighbourhood just before 8 p.m. ET, when a masked gunman entered the building and opened fire, according to witnesses and police.

The victims were identified as men who ranged in age from 35 to 60. Five people remain in hospital, with two of those in critical condition and the three others stable. At least 14 others suffered minor injuries and were released, according to the University of Quebec Hospital Centre spokeswoman Genevieve Dupuis.

Thirty-nine people escaped the mosque shooting without injuries.  (Source: Global News) 



 

Thursday January 19, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday January 19, 2017

Kevin O’Leary makes late entry into Conservative leadership race

It’s finally official: Kevin O’Leary is running to become leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

January 15, 2016

After months of flirting with the idea, he picked the morning after the party’s French-language debate and used a video on his Facebook page to declare his candidacy.

“You know why? I listened to you,” he said in the video posted Wednesday, thanking the “40,000” Canadians he said went to his website and encouraged him to run.

“I’m reaching 1.2 million Canadians a week now on social media,” he said in an interview with CBC News Network’s Suhana Meharchand.

‘Kevin O’Leary has a long record of saying whatever ridiculous thing comes to his mind.’- Lisa Raitt, Conservative leadership candidate

October 25, 2016

“I don’t have a money problem. I don’t have a name recognition problem. I want to do what’s right for the party: sell tens of thousands of memberships and then let them decide … who should carry the torch to Ottawa to perform the exorcism we need in this country in 2019 to rid the country of Justin Trudeau,” he said about Canada’s Liberal prime minister.

“What I’m talking about is beyond Trudeau. His entire caucus is incompetent,” he said, adding that even after last week’s cabinet shuffle, “it’s not working.”

Those wishing to vote for the next Conservative leader on May 27 must purchase a party membership before March 28.

O’Leary, 62, joins the contest months after it started. Three of the 13 other candidates made their candidacies official last spring, and will have been organizing for more than a year by the time the vote is held.

O’Leary’s campaign must catch up in the space of a few months. But his various television programs in Canada and the U.S. have already made him a household name. (Source: CBC News) 

 

Tuesday October 6, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday October 6, 2015 Muslim women sound off on 'stupid' niqab debate Many prominent Muslim women in Canada say they have heard enough of the niqab debate and are ready for federal leaders to shift their sights toward issues, they say, matter. The Canadian Council of Muslim Women held an event Sunday in Toronto to hand out awards and discuss concerns in their communities. There was also an opportunity for debate between political parties on where they stand on issues affecting Muslim women in Canada. But the debate continued to focus on wedge issues rather than major themes affecting all Canadians. That did not sit well with some Muslim women, who say the topic is "just a way to gain votes" ahead of the Oct. 19 election. "Right now, the federal government is talking about women and [the] niqab, which is not an issue, even for Muslims," said Zarqa Nawaz, the creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie. "We're in a recession, what is the plan to go forward? Those are the things I want to talk about. Not about women in [the] niqab and why she can't sing the national anthem with her face covered. That's just stupid." Maryam Dadabyoy, community relations officer for the National Council on Canadian Muslims, appeared annoyed with the niqab conversation. She says the federal government should be inclusive of all Canadians. "It's an issue that won't go away and it's not even that important," Dadabyoy said. "We need to see a government that just makes us feel more a part of the community and not being ostracized," she continued. "Not very many women do wear [the] niqab, but it's being thrown in everyone's face." (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/muslim-women-sound-off-on-stupid-niqab-debate-1.3256417 Canada, citizenship, niqab, Islam, bigotry, #elxn42, #elxn2015, election, conservative, Islamophobia, stereotype, values, Canadian

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 6, 2015

Muslim women sound off on ‘stupid’ niqab debate

Many prominent Muslim women in Canada say they have heard enough of the niqab debate and are ready for federal leaders to shift their sights toward issues, they say, matter.

The Canadian Council of Muslim Women held an event Sunday in Toronto to hand out awards and discuss concerns in their communities. There was also an opportunity for debate between political parties on where they stand on issues affecting Muslim women in Canada.

Friday March 13, 2015But the debate continued to focus on wedge issues rather than major themes affecting all Canadians. That did not sit well with some Muslim women, who say the topic is “just a way to gain votes” ahead of the Oct. 19 election.

“Right now, the federal government is talking about women and [the] niqab, which is not an issue, even for Muslims,” said Zarqa Nawaz, the creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie.

“We’re in a recession, what is the plan to go forward? Those are the things I want to talk about. Not about women in [the] niqab and why she can’t sing the national anthem with her face covered. That’s just stupid.”

Maryam Dadabyoy, community relations officer for the National Council on Canadian Muslims, appeared annoyed with the niqab conversation. She says the federal government should be inclusive of all Canadians.
“It’s an issue that won’t go away and it’s not even that important,” Dadabyoy said.

“We need to see a government that just makes us feel more a part of the community and not being ostracized,” she continued. “Not very many women do wear [the] niqab, but it’s being thrown in everyone’s face.” (Source: CBC News)

Today’s cartoon from the Hamilton Spectator. #BBR

Posted by Engaged Democracy on Tuesday, October 6, 2015