vulnerability

Thursday January 30, 2025

Canada enters the next federal election without addressing key recommendations to prevent foreign interference, leaving democracy at risk.

January 30, 2025

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday January 30, 2025, and The Toronto Star

The Foreign Interference Inquiry – A Missed Opportunity for Action

The final report on foreign interference in Canada reveals serious threats from various nations, yet it's the economic pressures from Trump's policies that unexpectedly drive Canada's political focus.

January 28, 2025

As Canadians approach another federal election, concerns about foreign interference still hang over us, yet we lack clear answers. Despite the efforts put into the foreign interference inquiry and Justice Marie-Josée Hogue’s extensive report, we’re left asking the same questions since the 2021 election: What did the government know about foreign interference? When did they know it? And what actions were taken?

This inquiry, meant to protect our democracy, seems to have missed the mark in providing the answers and actions Canadians need. The report highlights some worrying attempts to influence politics, but it also criticizes the government for not taking the issue seriously enough or acting swiftly.

News: Five takeaways from the foreign-interference inquiry

Despite ongoing revelations about foreign interference in Canada's elections, political leaders and the media remain largely passive and inactive, leading to a perception of complicity and neglect.

August 2, 2024

The recommendations—such as changing laws and improving how we handle misinformation—are good on paper but seem unlikely to be put into action before the election. With Parliament on hold until March and the ruling party caught up in a leadership race, there’s little momentum for making these changes.

The opposition parties, while outspoken, haven’t pushed hard enough to make these reforms happen quickly. This leaves us vulnerable to further interference as we head into the election.

June 13, 2023

Rather than sparking real change, the inquiry risks becoming just another exercise in going through the motions. The lack of straightforward answers and immediate actions from this report disappoints Canadians who expect real protection against foreign meddling in elections.

Without clear steps forward, we might face the next election with the same weaknesses as before. It’s crucial for both the government and opposition to make Justice Hogue’s recommendations a priority. Only then can we start to restore faith in our democratic processes and ensure foreign interference is dealt with effectively. Until that happens, Canadians are left shortchanged by an inquiry that promised more than it has delivered.

In my latest editorial drawing, I illustrate the frustratingly slow political response to foreign interference in Canada, a concern that has persisted for years. A prime example is the inquiry led by former Governor General David Johnston, who was tasked with addressing this issue but ultimately saw his reputation sullied when his efforts were dismissed. That seems like dog ages ago, doesn’t it?

In the drawing, a race unfolds between a snail, embodying Justice Hogue, who hands over a report titled “Recommendations,” and a turtle resembling Trudeau, who dismissively says, “Great, I’ll pass it to my successor.” Meanwhile, a hare, representing Pierre Poilievre, races ahead exclaiming, “Time for a carbon tax election!” This scene highlights the government’s aloofness and the opposition’s feigned outrage, while critical questions about foreign interference remain unanswered. The finish line, ominously marked “FINISH of Prorogation,” leads into a threatening mouth and forked tongue labelled “2025 Election” underscoring the risks of inaction as we approach the next federal campaign for Canadians’ votes.

Please enjoy the January 30, 2025 making-of animated editorial cartoon below.  Posts come out every Saturday as I summarize the week that was in my editorial cartoons. What you’re reading now is regarded as a “note”, which is used to help compose my weekly posts and showcase the animated versions of my daily editorial cartoons. If you like my editorial cartoons and animations, please subscribe to my Substack newsletter, if you haven’t already. A lot of work goes into these cartoons and commentary — Best of all, it’s free!

– The Graeme Gallery

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