Fewer Canadians are confident in 2025 than in 2021 that votes are always counted fairly in this country, research by Environics has found.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
Mirror, mirror
Re “Conservatives increasingly concerned about Canadian democracy, poll suggests” (Nov. 22): With 48 per cent of Conservatives dissatisfied with the state of democracy in Canada, compared to just 11 per cent of Liberals and 29 per cent of New Democrats, my suggestion is that they give serious consideration to finding themselves someone to lead their party away from the democratic abyss they imagine.
Instead of supporting a party leader who endlessly repeats political mantras and avoids answering reporters’ questions, they should find themselves someone who better engages with the Canadian public and other parties. For good measure, they deserve a leader who understands that the essence of democracy is compromise, not stonewalling and opposing anything uttered by opposing politicians.
If Conservatives are concerned about the erosion of our democracy, they should simply look in the mirror to see the reason for it.
Howard Brunt North Saanich, B.C.
Home base
Re “Sweden offers Canada a chance to revive its near-dead defence aerospace industry” (Report on Business, Nov. 22): Canada’s commitment to increase defence spending speaks to a nation stepping up to stand should-to-shoulder with our allies. The procurement of submarines and next generation fighter capabilities are two costly “must-have” examples.
Yet much of the public spend will line the pockets of shareholders in international blue-chip companies. Historical calamities in Canadian defence procurement, such as previous submarine purchases, have resulted in a lack of capability and left Canada exposed. The root cause is undoubtedly our ability to be an expert customer and procure not only capability, but capacity to manufacture and maintain domestic capability.
We should ask more of these lucrative arrangements to secure value for not only the people who defend Canada, but also the Canadian taxpayer. We should invest in the industrial engine room for a sovereign capability for years to come.
A call to arms for a chronically underfunded and underappreciated sector of the Canadian economy.
Adam Clare Vancouver
Canada should adopt a fighter jet which best meets the need for one that is cost-efficient, works well in our northern climate and falls within our control for easy maintenance and software.
I appreciate that some military officials favour the F-35 and believe while the U.S. administration is antagonistic to Canada, close co-operation with the U.S. military is possible. I think that trust is misplaced.
There is concern over a mixed fleet, but many of our allies have such arrangements. The air force currently operates more than 20 varieties of aircraft, so objections to adding Gripens to this fleet seem puzzling.
The Saab proposal to manufacture them in Canada sounds like a win-win that would allow us to rebuild our aeronautical capability. The F-35 does have better stealth capabilities, so buying the number already committed to may have merit.
Beyond that, I think the Gripen better suits Canada’s overall interests.
Carey Johannesson Victoria
Watch out
Re “Navy weighs expanding ship training to patrol maritime Canada-U.S. border” (Nov. 24): We seem to have reached a new low in our “Central Canada runs the country” mandate with this pitch to invest into the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River because “70 per cent of the Canadian population is between the Quebec City-Windsor corridor, but there’s no navy presence on the water there.”
My goodness, one would assume there’s no navy in that corridor because that’s not the water we need to patrol. Has the navy brass not thought of ramping up its patrol for the real threats coming from the vast Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans?
For now, our Windsor friends will have to rely on local concerned citizens to be on the lookout for Russian nuclear submarines, likely to be first spotted going through the Welland Canal. I wonder what’s next, a wildfire command centre in Toronto?
Ward Jones Richmond Hill, Ont.
Historical lens
Re “Did China target Pierre Trudeau with foreign interference? A new book explores the evidence” (Nov. 20): As a student of Paul Lin at McGill University in the early 1970s and an ongoing scholar of China, I find this portrayal of him as an “agent and spy” of Communist China lacking historical context.
China back then was impoverished and isolated after a century of exploitation by Western powers, as well as terrible mistakes by Mao Zedong and the party. Mr. Lin used his connections to help Canada engage China academically and commercially, recognizing the importance of understanding Chinese history and culture.
Pierre Trudeau and others foresaw China’s potential and leveraged Mr. Lin’s ties to moderate Chinese leaders such as Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping, facilitating diplomatic recognition. This was enlightened diplomacy, not interference. Such exchanges helped China modernize and benefited both nations.
I believe the focus on security and spying distorts Mr. Lin’s legacy, unfairly tarnishing his vital role in fostering Canadian-Chinese relations at a critical juncture.
Paul Brennan Ottawa
While awaiting a full reading of the book, this excerpt contains new information from RCMP and CIA files. But we find it misleading in two areas.
The motives of Paul Lin were well understood by senior policy makers in Ottawa. He was certainly consulted but was not a backchannel, an intermediary nor a “secret emissary” before, during or after negotiations. We believe it is dangerously wrong to infer that his interjections, or those of other Chinese agents, had any impact on Canadian decision-making around recognition.
Negotiations were complicated and concessions were made on both sides. Pierre Trudeau’s push reflected a widely shared geopolitical calculation to help end China’s isolation and advance Canadian interests.
Chinese influence and interference, like those of other foreign actors, deserve attention. But responding to them effectively depends upon appreciating how a string of Liberal and Conservative governments have taken into account a balance of Canadian strategic interests.
Paul Evans Professor emeritus, University of British Columbia; Vancouver
B. Michael Frolic Professor emeritus, York University; Toronto
Show off
Re “Could I pull off a reverse art heist at the Louvre? I was determined to try” (First Person, Nov. 20): The essay-writer’s escapade brings back memories of Tom Green’s 1990s stunt, whereby he carried out a reverse art heist at the National Gallery of Canada and successfully exhibited his original work Tiger Zebra.
It even became part of the official tour for a group of students. Of course, Mr. Green took the performance one step further and modified his artwork with a marker after one observer told him “it’s just got stripes.” He added some trees and a moon before being ejected from the gallery.
David Bryce Ottawa
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