Sir John A. Day?
I notice that Canadian Catholics have sent thousands of postcards to the federal government asking that April 2 be recognized as Pope John Paul II Day and that this proposal has received first reading in the House of Commons. I think this would be more appropriate in his home country of Poland, where he was such an inspiration to his people, but it does raise an idea for a new Canadian holiday.
In the U.S., the government honours George Washington's birthday on Presidents' Day (the third Monday in February). Washington, of course, was instrumental in bringing his nation together.
In Canada, shamefully, although Sir John A. Macdonald has been recognized by leaders of all political stripes as being almost single-handedly responsible for bringing together our country, Parliament has yet to name a national holiday after him. What are we waiting for?
John Ainslie, Niagara Falls, Ont.
Hark! Glory after all
Letter writer Christiana Fizet (Hark! No Glory Here – Dec. 27) was truly blessed to listen to a priest on Christmas Eve who had the moral courage to go beyond the usual piety encompassed by angels, shepherds and wise men to deal with our species' most important crisis at which we and our temporal governments are abjectly failing: stewardship of our planet.
Robert Bruce Sims, Ottawa
What, we worry?
So the doom-and-gloom folks think we should be worried about North Korea and its evil intentions. Okay, how many countries has North Korea invaded since the 1953 armistice? Zero.
And how many countries has the U.S. invaded in the same period? Let's see: There's Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bosnia, Libya, Somalia, Panama, Grenada, Cuba, Nicaragua – well, I suppose you get the point.
Pat Patterson, Wolfville, N.S.
The joy of reading
Your editorial lamenting the decline in children's literacy (Honey, I Shrunk The Books – Dec. 27) hit the nail on the head in terms of parental responsibility in promoting reading. My parents read me stories before bed and subscribed to your newspaper. They encouraged me to develop my own literary skills, initially by financing my love of comic books and later by giving me my own Globe subscription.
An entire generation is ill-prepared for both the volume and complexity of their assigned texts at school. And it will only get worse for their children.
C. Dietrich Friesen, Vancouver
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My family had little money for books, so I relied solely on the Toronto Public Library for my childhood reading. It's now even more imperative to keep the libraries fully operational.
When my kids were growing up, we did "radical" things that made the neighbours stare – like sit under a tree on our front lawn, read storybooks and eat ice cream. Later, we spent many hours of "reading joy," where I read entire novels and non-fiction books aloud to them.
Now in university, my children are finding reading a burden because of the density of text thrust on them by heavy coursework. Will the joy of reading return? Perhaps when their own kids sit at their feet to hear the voice of mom or dad again.
Diane Sullivan, Toronto
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What about the systematic reduction and elimination of school libraries and school librarians? Teacher-librarians can turn books into magic – they know how to find the right book for each child and provide support for teachers and parents in the process.
We can wring our hands all we want over the decline of reading, but the collective responsibility lies with us and the choices of our school boards.
Val Waldman, Toronto
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Is this a case of "Do as I say, not as I do"? On one hand, we have an editorial espousing the importance of children reading. On the other, we have a book section in which children's book reviews are practically non-existent.
If The Globe and Mail feels so strongly about children needing stories to grow, perhaps it could make a difference by covering children's literature and publishing children's book reviews on a regular basis.
Senta Ross, Kitchener, Ont.
First, housing
"Housing first" has been shown to end homelessness in many research studies – and Canada's At Home project is the latest proof (At Home Pilot Project Belies Harper's Hard-Line Reputation – Dec. 27). But for "housing first" to work, there first has to be housing.
Canada is the only major country without a national housing plan - and this year's spending estimates record a $1.9-billion cut in federal affordable housing investments. In July, the federal, provincial and territorial governments announced the latest in a series of short-term housing deals, with funding set to expire in 2014.
For the health of Canada, we need a long-term national plan.
Michael Shapcott, director, housing and innovation, Wellesley Institute, Toronto
Eminent model?
In your editorial The Very Model Of A Modern G-G (Dec. 26), you say Governor-General David Johnston "has expressed an admiration for Vincent Massey, one of his eminent predecessors." According to Irving Abella and Harold Troper in their 1982 book None Is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe 1933-1948, Massey, as high commissioner to London between 1935 and 1946, was part of an "unholy triumvirate" – Immigration Branch, cabinet and External Affairs – that tried to do everything possible to keep Canada's doors closed to Jews. An eminent predecessor, indeed.
Samuel Berger, Wawa, Ont.
Warning signs
Sign at the entrance of the Knox Cemetery in Baddeck, N.S.: "Enter at your own risk."
Frank Herbert, Oakville, Ont.
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As a child, driving to the old Malton airport with my father, he always noted the sign "Beware Low Flying Aircraft" and wondered what he was supposed to do about it.
Jenny Formanek, Mississauga, Ont.
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A sign on a farm near Waterloo, Ont.: "Free-Running Eggs and Chickens."
Maria Brzozowski, Waterloo
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On a menu at a Gravenhurst restaurant, on the way to Algonquin Park: "Start with our Portage du Jour."
Ted Lute, Gravenhurst, Ont.
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On a hospital door in Ottawa: "Keep door closed at all times."
William Bezanson, Ottawa
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On a London building is an "English Heritage" plaque that looks suspiciously like the real thing: "Jacob von Hogflume/ 1864-1909/ Inventor of time travel/ lived here in 2063."
Trevor S. Raymond, Georgetown, Ont.
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On a chalkboard outside a sporting goods store in York, England: "Now is the discount of our winter tents."
James P.B. Kelly, Unionville, Ont.