An eligible voter holds a voter information card after it arrived in the mail in Carleton Place, Ont., on April 11.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Wise words
Re “How Meighen and King survived Pierre Poilievre’s seatless dilemma” (Opinion, May 10): I think most Canadians would agree with William Lyon Mackenzie King that “the art of government is largely one of seeking to reconcile rather than to exaggerate differences.”
This approach to politics would greater reflect the desire of Canadian voters for a co-operative, productive and effective Parliament.
Dorothy Watts Vancouver
Political power
Re “Canada has the form of democracy, but not the substance” (Opinion, May 10): Columnist Andrew Coyne writes that electoral winners “will often be the choice of fewer than one-third of the voters, leaving the majority unrepresented.”
As a Conservative voter in a riding where my party has never won, the winning MP (nearly always a Liberal) would not demand a party loyalty test before responding to my concerns. Like all MPs, mine represents everybody in our riding, whether they voted for him or not.
Yes, he will support policies I don’t. But then, my own party of choice also does that.
All electoral systems have flaws. Our system has fewer of them.
Claire Hoy Toronto
There is one more democratic deficit I would add: the constitutional roles of the governor-general and lieutenant-governors. This is not my judgment, but that of late senator Eugene Forsey, one of Canada’s greatest constitutional experts.
I came upon his work in confronting the arbitrary action of then-Ontario premier Mike Harris in 1995, when he announced the abolishing of Metropolitan Toronto’s six municipal governments. The lieutenant-governor had the constitutional power to send the bill back for thorough study and wide consultation, but she didn’t believe it was proper to do that.
Mr. Forsey said the governor-general’s ceremonial role was a new “convention” that belies their real one. The Crown can refuse requests to prorogue Parliament or call early elections, which are perceived as unnecessary.
Thus, the Crown is essential to preventing the misuse of power in Canada, where prime ministers and premiers with majorities can act in dictatorial and arbitrary fashion.
Joell Ann Vanderwagen Oshawa, Ont.
At the centre
Re “A defeated NDP limps back to Ottawa, confronted with an identity crisis and hopeful to rebuild” (May 10): Some suggest the NDP must choose to be “pragmatic” over “pushing for principle” in order to win votes and ultimately government.
We are informed that the BC NDP only won provincial power in 2017 once the party got its act together and promised balanced budgets. While there are New Democrats who want the party to move closer to the centre of the political spectrum, historically there is little correlation between the NDP running centrist campaigns and achieving electoral success.
When the federal NDP ran a “pragmatic” campaign in 2015, fronted by ex-Liberal Tom Mulcair and committed to balanced budgets, the party was outflanked to the left by Justin Trudeau, costing the party its best chance at forming government in a generation.
David Blocker London, Ont.
How much?
Re “The inequities of equalization must be ended” (Editorial, May 10): While Quebec’s hydroelectricity pricing may be artificially low, what would be an appropriate market price?
Even with current pricing, Hydro-Québec generates returns for the province, as measured with traditional financial metrics (return on capital employed, net profit margin), above those of comparable Crown corporations. Quebec’s “cut-rate” electricity prices reflect primarily the province’s incredibly low production costs, rather than any equalization politicking.
In any case, raising the cost of Quebec’s electricity would counterproductively cripple the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries such as primary aluminum production – the very industries that boost the province‘s fiscal capacity and reduce the need for equalization.
Jonathan McElhatton Montreal
Double digits
Re “Carney’s housing fix needs a dividend for millennials and Gen Z” (Report on Business, May 10): In 1990, I had a 14.5-per-cent mortgage on my home. I bought a business and that mortgage was 16.5 per cent.
Wish I had an advocate for a government bailout.
Mark Walker Central Elgin, Ont.
Chaos theory
Re “We must fight back against the rise of ‘algorithmic supremacists’ ” (Opinion, May 10): Contributor David Weitzner observes that most of the artificial intelligence CEOs from Silicon Valley are algorithmic supremacists.
They believe AI will soon produce algorithms that perfectly predict the outcome of elections and other human endeavours. Mr. Weitzner rejects this, arguing that human thought is more complex.
There is also a major finding of contemporary brain research: the brains of complex organisms, from insects to humans, can produce chaotic behaviour that is unpredictable to a predator or other adversary. In a chaotic brain, if there is not perfect information about all the parameters, prediction is impossible after a very short time; insects employ chaotic flight to avoid predators, while humans employ chaos to confuse adversaries.
Thus, algorithmic supremacists are ignorant of the fact that algorithms can never predict the outcome of a very close election, or even the escape flight path of an insect.
Hugh Wilson, Professor Emeritus, spatial and computational vision, York University; Toronto
Family first
Re “Canada must reimagine intergenerational life” (Opinion, May 10): Not long after my father-in-law passed, my mother-in-law began struggling mentally and physically. We discussed the pros and cons at length and felt moved to combine our homes.
We ensured she led a full life, and protected her privacy and dignity while servicing all her medical and daily needs. As her world blossomed, ours grew much smaller.
Dementia set in slowly at first, then ramped up and safety became an issue. Our children were troopers, joining in her care, however their teen years were negatively impacted. Our family privacy was lost.
At 15 years together, her health suddenly became dire. After a week in hospital, she was transferred to hospice. She peacefully passed with us at her side.
Till the day she passed, we served her with respect, care and love. By then, my husband’s health had deteriorated to a life-threatening stage.
Intergenerational living is character-building, yet not for everyone.
Marianna Kingsmill Hamilton
Right stuff
Re “This Mother’s Day, don’t avoid talking to your kids about the hard stuff” (Opinion, May 10): As the parent of a school-age daughter, I am reminded that physical safety is a topic I am not even prepared to broach, as I fearfully watch the minefield awaiting us. Each day that goes by, she is being shaped by culture, friends and, inevitably, social media.
Why not make it a tradition to take a break together and spend five minutes on a lesson that will protect her forever?
Deitra Sawh Toronto
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