Houses and farmland that fall within the boundaries of a Cowichan Nation Aboriginal title claim, in Richmond, B.C.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
By the numbers
Re “Just the one” (Letters, Nov. 17): To all the letter-writers who feel betrayed when MPs cross the floor, and to those who think they vote for the colour of their MP’s desk rather than their constituency’s representative: I hope their next letters are to their MPs expressing support for a move to proportional representation.
This move would finally allow voters to choose their preferred party rather than specific candidates, as many obviously do. MPs would not be able to change parties without upsetting the representative balance.
Craig Drebit Calgary
Made in Canada
Re “Saab CEO confirms talks with Ottawa, Bombardier for Gripen fighter jet production” (Nov. 14): Let’s buy the Swedish Gripen jet to replace our aging CF-18s.
If manufactured in Canada, they would provide many skilled jobs and a technological step toward building an even better next version in co-operation with Sweden.
The Canada-U.S. relationship has changed drastically since Donald Trump took office. Why should Canada honour a contract, first proposed in 2010, that would compromise our sovereignty with a country whose leader does not honour it?
If there is no escape clause in the F-35 contract, let’s turn Mr. Trump’s favourite tactic back on him: Tell him to “sue us.”
Mike Priaro Calgary
Best practice
Re “Ottawa’s blind spot on applied research makes productivity an afterthought” (Report on Business, Nov. 12): For decades, Canadian governments have funded research in universities and then left the development of products to business and venture capitalists. But businesses and venture capitalists are often too impatient to fund innovative products in developing markets.
Governments in other countries undertake large efforts in areas such as industry, defence or space exploration that incubate businesses for many years. We need more people in the applied research and engineering fields at the table when deciding how to move Canada forward.
More specifically, people with more ambition in the area of product development.
Rob Grant Toronto
Re “U of T hires three top U.S. scholars, announces $24-million recruitment plan” (Nov. 12): About 25 years ago, I was recruited to help another country accelerate its research efforts.
This major program attracted many foreign experts by offering attractive salaries and large five-year research grants. I soon realized most of my fellow imports regarded their appointments as temporary postings.
They filled their groups with people from their homelands and brought students with them. At least one was making regular transatlantic trips to keep his laboratory running back home.
Even those who intended to move permanently reported difficulty integrating with their departments. Many returned home at the end of five years and took their knowledge, and some of their colleagues, with them.
Canada should put its effort into retaining top young talent who grew up here. Many are lured away by higher salaries, lower taxes and big-name employers in larger economies.
If they get established in other countries, it is hard to get them back.
Dave Parnas Ottawa
This land is…
Re “A land-claims nightmare is emerging in B.C.” (Nov. 14): Can everyone please calm down?
What has been a “nightmare” and “big, ugly mess” is the relocation, dispossession and poverty endured by Indigenous peoples in Canada. Are we settlers so in thrall to our relative power and wealth that we cannot tolerate any economic uncertainty for the sake of justice?
The Supreme Court of British Columbia affirmed what we know to be true in general: Non-Indigenous people are living on Indigenous land, much of which was acquired without proper recognition of Aboriginal rights and title.
Going forward, simple changes can be made to correct these wrongs: Property owners in the tiny bit of Richmond, B.C., that should belong to the Cowichan Tribes might pay property tax to them instead and give them first right of purchase.
While these things are being worked out, we should wish the Cowichan Tribes well and learn their history. It’s the least we can do.
Anya Hageman Author, Economic Aspects of the Indigenous Experience in Canada; department of economics, Queen’s University; Kingston, Ont.
If B.C. homeowners are “livid” and “furious” about a court decision that “put their most important asset in jeopardy,” then I hope they can imagine the feelings of Indigenous peoples who, through treaty violations and outright land theft in the name of the Crown, lost territories that had been their home for millennia.
Dogged and unrelenting efforts by Indigenous leaders are beginning to rectify these grievous wrongs. If homeowners in Richmond, B.C., and other places are taken by surprise, it speaks only to a shroud of ignorance that has distorted Canadians’ understanding of our history.
Rather than indignation over a “big, ugly mess,” better to explore how Canadians can approach the righting of historic wrongs with trust and optimism, and finally build the homeland we all deserve.
Kathryn Fournier Ottawa
Money back
Re “Canadian artists to get slice of resale money for their work through copyright change” (Nov. 12): Ask 50 artists making $20,000 to $30,000 a year where an owner of their work can resell it, and at a profit. You will likely discover few among them can identify such a resale market.
Although we confess little knowledge of the resale market for Indigenous art, it is the general resale market for fine art where our family has been active for some 75 years.
Where is the money in artist resale rights? The main beneficiaries are the most financially successful artists, their estates and, of course, the collection agency.
We so often read of resales of high-priced art, but it is not a given that all owners make a profit. If they do, they pay capital gains tax.
If government is of the opinion that resale rights are due, we suggest they be paid by the Canada Revenue Agency from capital gains tax already collected.
Alan Klinkhoff Alan Klinkhoff Gallery; Montreal
Bravo to the federal government for recognizing that visual artists deserve some reward when their works are resold for many times their original prices.
As CARFAC national executive director April Britski points out, senior artists particularly will benefit after having sold earlier works for pittances, just because they needed money at the time. In a sector where median incomes are a fraction of the national average, any unexpected windfalls are welcome.
Now if only Ottawa would take the next step and bring back income averaging, so that artists and other gig workers aren’t penalized at tax time for one windfall amidst years of financial struggle.
Scott Walker Executive director, Canadian Artists Network; Toronto
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