A Canadian flag flies on top of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 19.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
In motion
Re “Commons approves Bloc motion on seniors benefits over Liberal government’s objections” (Oct. 3): Yves-François Blanchet’s threat to topple the government, if his 10-per-cent increase to Old Age Security is not adopted, feels like nothing short of political grandstanding. This from a man and party whose primary interest is secession from Canada. Although being a senior who would benefit, I find the approach and threat reprehensible.
I am sick and tired of all the politicians, especially various premiers and party leaders, who put their interests and egos before the country. Yes, it’s time for Justin Trudeau to exit the stage. Yet despite his foibles and missteps, he at least speaks of Canada as a whole.
Mr. Blanchet, Pierre Poilievre’s inane slogans and Jagmeet Singh’s delusions of grandeur convey a sentiment of “the hell with Canada.” Look at the problems worldwide and tell me Canada is “broken.”
Sadly, these politicians are effectively eliciting from me a choice of “none of the above.”
Peter Belliveau Moncton
It seems that the Conservatives, normally considered the party for fiscal responsibility, are quite prepared to sacrifice principles and support the Bloc Québécois’s bill to give more money to seniors like me, whether they need it or not.
Rather than raising the Guaranteed Income Supplement or lowering the clawback thresholds substantially on Old Age Security, this bill spends billions more dollars that the federal government doesn’t have. Seems like a classic situation of “steal from the poor and give to the rich,” and future generations be damned.
Dave Barker Whitby, Ont.
RSVP
Re “Federal cabinet minister says she was disinvited from visit at Planned Parenthood Ottawa over views on Israel” (Oct. 2): As the daughter of the man who did as much as anyone to promote women’s reproductive rights in Canada, I am shocked by Planned Parenthood Ottawa disinviting a cabinet minister, who is Jewish, a Zionist and holds dual Canadian and Israeli citizenship, because of her views on Israel
Why is it suddenly okay to disinvite people from events on the basis of their political beliefs? What does being a Zionist have to do with reproductive rights?
My father was a proud Jew, as am I. He would have been just as appalled as I am.
Goldie Morgentaler Toronto
Adds up
Re “Burning up” (Letters, Oct. 3): A letter-writer opines that oil and gas companies shouldn’t be expected to invest capital in climate-change mitigation, as such ventures lie “outside their realm of expertise.” Apparently, accepting responsibility for cleaning up oil and gas extraction sites also lies beyond the industry’s realm of expertise (”Alberta oil sands companies won’t be forced to pay more to cleanup fund, documents show” – Report on Business, Oct. 3).
The Alberta Environment Minister appears to be complicit in this assessment of remediation expertise. Her press secretary notes that oil sands companies are covering their liabilities “mostly through collateral, not cash and bonds.”
So what happens to the value of the cleanup pot if all this collateral becomes stranded assets sooner than expected? We’re talking about liabilities approaching $60-billion.
Taxpayer to the rescue, again?
Chris Gates Cobourg, Ont.
Pet peeve
Re “Veterinary medicine is in crisis, and your pandemic pets are only one reason why” (Opinion, Sept. 28): The profession should modify its licensing requirements to better respond to the demand for greater competence in the various, distinct fields that now constitute veterinary practice: community, pet animal, equine, food animal, wildlife, public health and ecosystem health.
On average, it takes eight years of costly education to obtain a doctor of veterinary medicine. Graduates are expected to be qualified in any of the fields of practice; breadth of training is given priority over depth in one field. Consequently, many graduates seek additional training to enhance their self-confidence and earning potential, often motivated by enormous debt load.
There appears to be no compelling reason why licensing bodies could not adopt a more flexible policy of designated licensing, and allow students to tailor their undergraduate program for the field they wish to enter. Such an efficient system could reasonably be expected to reduce costs for universities, students and clients.
N. Ole Nielsen CM; former dean, Western College of Veterinary Medicine and Ontario Veterinary College Spruce Grove, Alta.
Foot the bill
Re “Public money should not fund Ottawa Senators’ fancy new stadium” (Report on Business, Oct. 2): Any organization which can afford to pay several employees several millions of dollars a year can afford to pay for its own accommodation.
Ian Guthrie Ottawa
A bit hairy
Re “Tim Walz’s weak debate performance leaves the Trump-Vance ticket looking less scary” (Oct. 3): The close to 70 per cent of U.S. Republicans who still believe that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, according to various polls, includes J.D. Vance, who apparently is “focused on the future.”
Perhaps he should have a chat with his boss. Despite the discernible decline of Donald Trump’s cognitive acuity, he recently said that “we lost by a whisker.” Some would say that’s a weird way to describe more than seven million votes.
The dramatic swing in polling since Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination has turned the election from what appeared to be a slam dunk for the Republicans into a real horse race. If that blue wave continues to grow, it is conceivable that Mr. Trump’s voting deficit could resemble a vastly different style of facial hair this November: Abraham Lincoln’s beard.
Jeffrey Peckitt Oakville, Ont.
Come From Away, away
Re “Come From Away returns triumphant to Toronto’s Royal Alexandra – a story of resilience, now a symbol of resilience” (Oct. 1): Last May, I attended a performance of Come From Away in Boston with my husband, my son and his fiancée, all of us already huge fans.
Maybe the American actors hadn’t quite nailed the Gander accents, and some Canadian references didn’t quite resonate with the audience. But the band was worthy of any kitchen party, and Tim Hortons was roundly acknowledged.
We felt something different, too. We were surrounded by Americans, some of whom had lived through that terrible day. They were connected to the recipients, not the providers, of Gander’s kindness.
When the passengers stand in disbelief watching the news reports for the first time, a noticeable stillness fell over the theatre, and not the just the silence of a polite audience. Something much deeper.
How differently we respond to art, depending on our lived experience. Sitting among that audience in Boston, I saw the show with new eyes.
Jean Mills Guelph, Ont.
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