Vicious circle
Oh, I see. A woman may receive a safe, therapeutic abortion in this country, but our government won't extend this to women in other countries ( Ottawa Refuses To Fund Abortion In G8 Plan - front page, April 27). Absolutely shameful.
Karin Treff, Hamilton, Ont.
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The refusal of the Canadian government to fund abortions in its G8 initiative to improve the health of mothers in poor countries indicates contempt for the women they claim to want to help. When will this government have the courage to do the right thing for women instead of playing politics with their lives?
It's not for us to decide whether a woman should choose to have an abortion. That decision belongs to her. Our role should be to ensure that she has reproductive rights and access to real options for her health and that of her children. We have the means and the opportunity to make a difference; unfortunately, it seems we have neither the will nor the leadership.
Eleanor Moore and Diane Goudie, Toronto
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Once again, the Conservatives are allowing ideology to triumph over common sense. We need an election as soon as possible.
Ken Erickson, Calgary
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To those Canadians who voted Conservative, I ask: "Had enough yet?"
Thor Kuhlmann, Vancouver
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Remind me again, please, what percentage of Canadians accept the concept of choice and what percentage of Canadians voted for this minority government.
Z. Alexandra Plaskin, Victoria
Squaring off
I'd very much like the federal government to explain why it refused entry to British MP George Galloway but admitted American conservative Ann Coulter ( Protesters Square Off Over British MP's Day In Court - April 27).
James Hiller, St. John's
Standing tall
Bravo to House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken, who stood tall in his role as defender of Parliament and, therefore, of all Canadians ( Harper Loses Detainee Battle; MPs Given Two Weeks To Reach Deal - online, April 27). Democracy lives.
Michael Moore, Toronto
Smokescreen?
Yet again, the freedoms of the defenceless and disadvantaged are infringed with the excuse that "it's for their own good" ( When Butting Out Adds 'A Whole Other Level Of Stress' - April 27). One is reminded of Kingsley Amis's comment: "No pleasure is worth giving up for the sake of two more years in a geriatric home."
David Lloyd, Kingston, Ont.
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The lives of people with mental illness and addictions are substantially shorter than the general public, in great part due to tobacco use. Second-hand smoke is a serious concern for our staff, the majority of whom are non-smokers, and for our patients. Many mental health and general health-care facilities have successfully become smoke-free, and we plan to learn from their experience as we make this transition. We believe that people who live with mental illness and addictions deserve the same quality of air and care as those with physical illness.
Catherine Zahn, president and CEO, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto
Rabble Scrabble?
My son and daughter routinely beat me at Scrabble ( What's In A Name? Scrabblers Want To Know - April 27). Their internal processors are faster, but they also benefit from my being unable to gaze at a Scrabble rack without first seeing proper names, then words in a number of foreign languages.
I've long been impressed with how people from Eastern Europe or the Near East have last names that, like my own, resemble bad Scrabble hands. Yet, I can't endorse a game in which proper nouns are accepted as part of the play. Even al-Qaeda, one of those great u-less "q" words, should be declared verba non grata. At the very least, such a game should be called Rabble Scrabble, or perhaps Mishkabibble.
Ron Charach, Toronto
Applause, applause
Your article GM's Fresh New Face And The Ugly Truth (Report on Business, April 24) takes a far too negative perspective on the issue of GM's repaid government loans. Governments still own shares in GM, but the loan portion of the assistance package has been repaid years ahead of schedule. Is this not something to be proud of? Let's not forget that, a year ago, this was a company on the verge of bankruptcy.
Had the company gone bankrupt, the effect on employment and government revenue would have been incalculable. Ghost towns may well have been left in the wake of such a situation. Hundreds of thousands of jobs rely directly on this industry in every corner of Canada. So GM's health is in the interest of taxpayers, and the repayment of billions of dollars ahead of schedule is something to be applauded.
R.C. Gauthier, president and CEO, Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, Markham, Ont.
Carrots and sticks
It is exceedingly ironic that, in your editorial Food That Has A Shorter Commute (April 27), you would give your customary swat to "protectionist subsidies for the dairy industry." Farmers receive no subsidy for the production of dairy products. They operate under a marketing board whereby production is controlled to meet demand, at a fair price that is government controlled. This permits farmers to earn a reasonable and consistent wage for their investment and effort in producing food locally.
If the marketing boards are to be disbanded, then it's appropriate to disallow trade unions and eliminate restrictions on foreign teachers, doctors and lawyers.
Winston Ernst, Peterborough, Ont.
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Big city farmers' markets are delightful and expensive. I wouldn't be eating many local carrots if I shopped exclusively at them. Low-income families could afford none. What frustrates me is the frequent lower price of imported versus local produce in commercial markets. This is what needs to be explained and changed. I'd guess the cause is complex and that a few more farmers' markets would not make a dent in the solution.
Diana Chastain, Toronto
Pulp and paper, indeed
Sorry, Domtar CEO John Williams, but I don't get it ( Hit Print, Please, Paper Maker Says - Report on Business, April 27). If I need a print copy of an e-mail, I print it. If I don't need a print copy, I don't print it. Yet, Mr. Williams believes the "think before you print" message is "just bull" and, as your reporter says, "wants people to feel better about using paper responsibly."
What's responsible about printing documents when there's no need for a print copy? Wake up, Mr. Williams - it's a new world out there, where more and more people recognize that, as citizens of this planet, we're also responsible for its stewardship. Messages such as "think before you print" are only intended to check the blind consumption that's plagued us for so long.
I'll continue to be "printer averse," and I'll use the back of single-sided documents whenever I need to print documents for myself. But now I've found a new way to be responsible: I won't be buying Domtar next time I need paper for my printer.
Nancy McFadden, Calgary
In the pursuit of bliss
Like letter writer Lindsey Kent-Robinson ( With This Ring, I Move In - April 27), I read Brianna Van Der Monk's essay Living Together Isn't For Me (Facts & Arguments, April 26) with interest. Unlike her, I fail to grasp the worth of "traditional values, especially in regard to marriage." What are these values, anyway?
I think the "love of my life" and I have terrific values - such as honour, fidelity and mutual respect - and I've no doubt your correspondent shares my high esteem for them. What I can't understand is how these values are supported by the ideal of the "traditional" marriage. Values such as these are neither traditional nor novel - they're timeless.
Yes, it's true that the other half and I don't have a wedding day to look back on as "the happiest day of our lives" (we also don't have six new blenders sitting in boxes in the basement). So when is that day coming? After 22 years of unwedded bliss, who knows?
Peter Coo, Kitchener, Ont.
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Where in the traditional values manual does it say that a woman can now take a hyphenated last name instead of just her husband's name? Or is she choosing which traditional values she wants to keep and which to throw away? Lindsey Kent-Robinson believes in not living together before marriage but also says she's been married for only four years. If, on her 25th anniversary, her marriage has still lasted without the trial run, then we'll be impressed.
Sandra Jackson, Toronto
In the pursuit of bounty
Letter writer Amy Dickson ( Discouraged [Dead]Coyotes - April 26) takes a stand on the coyote hunt by threatening not to waste her limited tourism dollars in Nova Scotia or Saskatchewan. My advice to her is to go to Saskatchewan anyway. It's beautiful, and the people are wonderful. As for her money - and she can trust me on this - there's nowhere to spend it.
Larry Davies, Toronto
In the pursuit of Regina
My colleague's six-year-old son came home from school last week and proudly told his mother what he'd learned: "I have a penis, and girls live in Regina." Let's keep up the sex education until he gets this straightened out.
Rebecca Dickson, Kaministiquia, Ont.