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Thursday March 9, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday March 9, 2023

Ottawa says special rapporteur on election interference will be named within weeks

As the Trudeau government promises to appoint a special rapporteur within weeks to investigate claims that China meddled in Canada’s last two elections, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is casting doubt on the independence of the new role.

February 25, 2023

On Monday night, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will name an “eminent” and independent person as a special rapporteur on election interference. He said the special rapporteur “will have a wide mandate and make expert recommendations on combating interference and strengthening our democracy.”

The next day, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the government wants to appoint the special rapporteur in a very short period of time.

“We’re talking about weeks, not months,” he said.

Trudeau said he’s open to consulting with the opposition parties on choosing someone for the role. Poilievre said he was skeptical.

“He could pick someone independent but he won’t,” Poilievre told reporters Tuesday morning.

“He’ll pick another Liberal establishment insider, a real Ottawa insider with some grey hair who looks like a reasonable fellow, but we all know that it will be someone tied to him, tied to the Liberals.”

March 2, 2023

The Conservatives have largely dismissed a recent report highlighting foreign interference observations during the 2021 election. The report was written by Morris Rosenberg, who was appointed to the role by the public service. 

The veteran former public servant also worked as the head of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Poilievre’s party has said that fact makes him not credible.

“[Trudeau is] going to appoint a special rapporteur that will be appointed by him who will come out and say, ‘Oh, everything is fine, let’s move on,'” said Poilievre.

“He wants closed and controlled and we want an open and independent inquiry to make sure it never happens again.”

‘Special rapporteur’ is term often used in the context of the United Nations. Special rapporteurs are are often appointed to conduct fact-finding missions or investigate allegations of human rights violations.

April 24, 2009

During a separate news conference, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said the special rapporteur should be appointed by Parliament, not the prime minister.

NDP House Leader Peter Julian told CBC’s Power & Politics that Monday’s announcement was a baby step and the special rapporteur needs to be “impeccable.”

“It cannot be somebody who is considered partisan and cannot be somebody who is not considered independent from the Liberal government,” he said.

Trudeau said Tuesday he will consider names floated by his political opponents.

“We will of course be open to suggestions that the various parties put forward for names for this independent special rapporteur,” he said during a news conference in Kingston, Ont. (CBC) 

From sketch to finish in 30 seconds, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

 

Tuesday March 29, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 29, 2022

Pope meets Canada Indigenous groups seeking apology for abuse of children

June 3, 2021

Pope Francis has heard first-hand the horrors of abuse committed at church-run residential schools in Canada, as Indigenous delegations pressed him for an apology.

Indigenous survivors are visiting the Vatican this week for meetings with the pope about the scandal that has rocked the Catholic church.

More than 1,300 unmarked graves have been discovered since last May at church-run schools attended by Canada’s Indigenous children as part of a government policy of forced assimilation.

“The pope listened … (he) heard just three of the many stories we have to share,” Cassidy Caron, president of the Métis National Council, told journalists in front of St Peter’s Square. “While the time for acknowledgment, apology and atonement is long overdue, it is never too late to do the right thing.”

Saturday March 26, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday March 26, 2022

Neo-colonialism and the Covid response

February 4, 2022

Approximately 35 per cent of the world’s population has not received at least one dose, while more than 42 per cent of the world’s population has not been fully vaccinated. One can easily observe the inequitable distribution of vaccines between the Global North and the Global South.

In a globalised world, the Covid19 pandemic tested human immunity and the relevance of global international health regulations to fight it at the individual and global levels, respectively. The pandemic has demonstrated how unprepared we were, as warned by public health experts, and it should be a wake-up call to not let it happen again.

The pandemic has also exposed that control and power do not necessitate invasion or military control over poor and less developed countries. In the modern world, power and control exist in different forms, unlike in the old history of colonialism.

One can observe significant distinctions regarding the emergence of global health in the 1990s and early 2000s, which has become a tool for influencing country-led decisions (primarily rich countries) in favour of aid-giving countries – a sort of soft power political control. These relationships built on reliance, subjection and Shylock-like indebtedness are problematic in their intent and consequence.

Wednesday December 8, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 8, 2021

Justin Bieber performs in Saudi Arabia despite calls for boycott over human rights

August 10, 2018

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber performed to a packed crowd in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, singing some of his most popular hits. The Sunday night concert took place even as human rights campaigners and activists called on Bieber to cancel his performance to protest the kingdom’s arrests and crackdown on critics.

Bieber’s model wife, Hailey Baldwin Bieber, posted a supportive video on Instagram of him on stage, with the words: “Go Baby.” Other videos on social media showed Bieber on stage solo, wearing a co-ordinated red outfit. Pop and R&B singer Jason Derulo performed before Bieber with backup female dancers in sweatpants and baggy tops.

August 8, 2018

Only a few years ago, this would have been an unthinkable scene in Saudi Arabia, where ultraconservative norms prevailed. Concerts were banned and unmarried men and women were segregated in public spaces. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is behind the sweeping changes as he works to modernize society, attract foreign investment and create jobs for youth.

Human Rights Watch and others, however, have called on celebrities to boycott the kingdom, saying such events are aimed at diverting attention and deflecting scrutiny from Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

August 2, 2017

Bieber was the biggest name performer to take the stage as part of Saudi Arabia’s Grand Prix, which saw Lewis Hamilton win ahead of the last race of the Formula One season.

Bieber has not commented on the public pressure surrounding his performance and calls for him to cancel the show. Weeks before his show in Saudi Arabia, the fiancee of slain Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi joined a chorus of voices urging him not to perform at the kingdom’s F1 race.

In an open letter published by The Washington Post, Hatice Cengiz had urged the megastar to cancel his performance to “send a powerful message to the world that your name and talent will not be used to restore the reputation of a regime that kills its critics.” She noted that the decision to host the F1 race and invite a star like Bieber “comes directly” from the crown prince.

November 13, 2012

Bieber’s concert in Saudi Arabia comes shortly before he opens a world tour next year. The tour is being promoted by Live Nation, the company that owns Ticketmaster. Saudi Arabia’s state-owned sovereign wealth fund — steered by Prince Mohammed — is among the largest institutional holders in Live Nation, with a stake worth some $1.4 billion US. (CBC) 

Meanwhile, Tim Hortons has teamed up with pop superstar Justin Bieber to launch three new Timbit flavours — called Timbiebs — along with co-branded merchandise. (Global) 

 

Wednesday December 1, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 1, 2021

Why Doug Ford is pushing Ontario’s cities to speed up housing construction

December 11, 2018

Premier Doug Ford and his government want Ontario municipalities to approve new home construction projects more quickly, claiming that delays in approvals are driving up the cost of housing.

Building more homes faster is the central topic of the housing summit that Ford will hold next month with the mayors of Ontario’s 29 biggest cities and the chairs of urban regional municipalities. 

In recent weeks, Ford has repeatedly cited the pace of municipal construction approvals as a barrier to making housing more affordable.   

May 13, 2010

The price of buying a home is soaring pretty much everywhere in Ontario, not just the Toronto and Ottawa areas. What’s far from clear is how much delays in municipal permit approvals contribute to those skyrocketing home prices.  

“We’ve got to start cutting the permit times down big time and start getting houses built as quickly as possible,” Ford said during a news conference in Orillia in response to a question about unscrupulous landlords. 

The province will soon start “scoring” cities and towns on how quickly it takes to issue permits, Ford said.

“Believe it or not, folks, sometimes when [developers] apply for a permit, it can take four to six years. Where in North America does it take four to six years?”. 

Ford said the vast majority of cities in Ontario are slow to approve projects. “It’s just like going on a carousel, they loop you around, loop you around, and guess who’s paying? The people are paying, the developer’s not paying.”

December 10, 2020

Ford’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark, is also blaming municipal bottlenecks for pushing up the price of homes.

“We know that there are delays, particularly at the municipal level, caused by duplication and red tape that are obstructing new homes from being built, which is shutting out Ontarians and their families from realizing their dream of home ownership,” Clark said to a virtual meeting of the Empire Club of Canada on Thursday.  

“It takes too long to get shovels in the ground as part of the development process,” Clark said during the question and answer session following his speech.

The Ford government has focused on boosting the supply of new homes as its fundamental solution to housing affordability. To achieve that goal, the government is trying to pave the way for new construction to happen more quickly. (CBC)