Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep letters to fewer than 150 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com
.................................................................................................................................................
'Amendiphobia'
Election-law expert Michael Pal recommends that the federal government refer to the Supreme Court the question of whether electoral reform, and particularly any variation of proportional representation, can be implemented unilaterally by Parliament (Why The Top Court Must Weigh In On Electoral Reform – Jan. 15).
I agree that the constitutionality of unilateral action on proportional representation is an open question, but I doubt the government will accept his advice.
Continued uncertainty on the constitutional question relative to unilateral federal action on PR can only assist the government in leading the country calmly to-ward a ranked ballot (Justin Trudeau's preference), with its lower risk of a constitutional challenge. A court reference runs the unnecessary hazard for the government of the court allowing the unilateral, federal adoption of PR.
Governments continue to use Canadians' irrational fear of constitutional amendment ("amendiphobia") to persuade them to accept suboptimal solutions to important issues, like Senate or electoral reform.
Ironically, having succeeded in gaining control of our own Constitution (a relief, I'm sure, to our former colonial masters), we are now terrified at the very hint of amending it.
Well, we're all grown up now. Our Constitution isn't holy writ. It's not inscribed on stone tablets. Lightning won't strike if we amend it. A stable constitution is a virtue. A static one is a vice.
Amendiphobia, like all phobias, is irrational.
Paul Lowry, Delta, B.C.
.........
$1-million. Yawn
Re Trading Barbs In The Oil Patch (Jan. 15): The stories about Kevin O'Leary versus Alberta Premier Rachel Notley remind me of the time-frozen villain in Austin Powers: one meeeeellion dollars!
Could someone who thinks one million dollars is a substantial investment in much of anything these days really be seriously considered a national leadership candidate?
Wayne Nickoli, London, Ont.
.........
Spend. With caution
It's often argued that, given Canada's relatively low debt to GDP ratio and current low interest rates, it makes sense for the federal government to go further in the red in order to stimulate our anemic economy (Pump Up The Deficit, Economists Urge – Jan. 15).
That may well be a sound prescription, but some caution is surely warranted. We should not base decisions only on our federal debt. Provincial debt is worryingly high; less serious, but not negligible, is municipal debt. One way or another, every Canadian taxpayer is indebted at a higher level than the federal debt alone would suggest. And interest rates will eventually go up, affecting the cost of debt servicing.
We've heard a lot about deficit spending as an "investment." Any project financed this way should be closely scrutinized. It's not easy to tell what's an investment, versus an expenditure. There should be criteria to judge projects in terms of their potential returns if they are to be funded as investments, making allowance for the fact that some investments will not be successful.
There is a limit to how much any national government can do to soften the impact of global financial turmoil. The temptation to do something for the sake of appearing to do something should be resisted. The capacity of governments to do something immediately that turns out to be wrong in the long run should never be underestimated.
Tony Manera, Ottawa
.........
An emptier stage
Gifted actor Alan Rickman is remembered for his roles in a number of well-known films, but sparse mention has been given to his impressive role in Snow Cake, an official selection at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival (Actor Alan Rickman Dies At 69 – Jan. 15).
Wawa is the setting of this uplifting film, with scenes from other northern communities and locations in Ontario. Mr. Rickman's role of being involved in a complex, compassionate friendship with neighbours in a small town (played by Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss) is outstanding, and the extraordinary sensitivity he shows for the problems of others, not seen in his high-spirited and humorous roles, is heartwarming.
In the words of the poster for Snow Cake: Life happens when you least expect it – and least expected was the sad announcement of Mr. Rickman's passing.
Ellen Watson, Aurora, Ont.
.........
Who we are/aren't
The main criticism of the Saudi arms deal is the Kingdom's human rights abuses. It's a fair observation. However, aren't the deal's opponents being hypocritical raising the issue, while at the same time talking on their cellphones, wearing designer clothing, enjoy electronic gadgets – all available in Canada at affordable prices because they're made at low cost in countries with human rights abuses equal to or greater than Saudi Arabia's?
We can't pick and choose when it's convenient or politically safe to criticize rights abuses.
John R. Manning, Nanaimo, B.C.
.........
Justin Trudeau's promise that Liberals would "hold Canada to the highest standards that Canadians expect" means he has no choice but to follow export-control rules that place restrictions on shipments to countries with a "persistent record of serious violations of the human rights of their citizens" and thus stop the sale of armed combat vehicles to Saudi Arabia.
Canadians value the reputation of peacemaker over the Harper legacy of "arms dealer."
Tony Reddin, Bonshaw, PEI
.........
Sunny in Halifax
Generally speaking, Nova Scotia's politeness is like Canada's – but on steroids. Justin Trudeau made "sunny ways" a catchphrase, a national synonym for niceness.
My top "sunny" moments of niceness were bestowed on me by my fellow Haligonians. By way of contrast, I have a sister who lives in Boston, the town that Americans themselves joke about for its aggression and rudeness. Thus, I feel particularly grateful for a year of kind/sunny moments from:
The shopper who tracked me out of the Superstore last week to give me back the $60 I left behind in the grocery change-dispenser;
The walker in Point Pleasant Park who found my TD Visa on the trail and immediately brought it to the nearest TD bank, which called me just as I realized it was gone;
The bus driver who stopped his bus in rush-hour traffic on Barrington Street to pick up my scarf, which I had dropped as I was running to catch his bus. As I got on, he presented me with my favourite fuchsia pink, silk neckwear. The riders laughed and clapped.
The fellow Barrington Street pedestrian who picked up my driver's licence, which I had also lost running to catch the same bus. It arrived in the mail two weeks later with a signed note, hoping that the licence had found its way back to me.
Lisa Teryl, Halifax