Don Cherry in Toronto in March, 2014 .Chris Young/The Canadian Press
It’s mutual
Re “War is back, but ‘MAD’ will save us from the worst of it” (March 19): This laudable intention to reassure us that our visceral desire to avoid annihilation has so far restrained nuclear powers, and hopefully will continue to, overlooks one nuclear-tipped fly in the world’s ointment: miscalculation.
The bone-chilling examples of nuclear “close calls” given by Robert McNamara in the sobering, still-relevant 2003 documentary The Fog of War are but one cautionary reminder of what could have gone irreparably wrong then, and could very well now and in the future. To dismiss or underestimate the consequences of miscalculation would be naive and nearsighted.
Like not swimming in a shark-infested ocean, the only real way of surviving annihilation by nuclear weapons is their elimination. Aspirational, perhaps, but essential.
Robert Ryan Waterloo, Ont.
This kind of double standard drives non-Western countries crazy.
Mutually assured destruction is assumed to have kept the peace between superpowers for decades. But when it comes to other countries such as Iran, the leadership is somehow not rational enough to follow the logic of deterrence.
To the extent that non-Western countries want nuclear weapons, it is precisely because, as we are witnessing, aggressors continue to attack them at will.
Ian Spears Associate professor, department of political science, University of Guelph
Slippery slope
Re “Canada reports first annual population decline on record” (March 19): It looks as though “50 million by 2050” could turn into “40 million by 2040.” Does anybody else care about this?
David Yolles Hamilton
Minority report
Re “Floor-crossings are part of a Canadian tradition – and fair play in our politics” (March 16): Majority governments also made significant changes to the country.
U.S. free-trade agreements begun during a Mulroney majority and were renegotiated by Liberal majority governments. It is true, though, that many lasting developments in Canadian history were implemented during minority governments.
We elect minority governments about one-third of the time. The important achievements cited all occurred during Liberal minorities. This could be seen as partisan but is probably an accurate reflection of Liberal minorities, compared to Conservative ones, occurring about twice as often and staying in power longer.
The Liberals have historically been able to obtain NDP support. The inability of Conservatives to obtain support is best illustrated by the ill-fated Clark government.
The Conservatives seem reluctant to position themselves to achieve their objectives during a minority term. Pierre Poilievre has moved the party further to the right, lessening chances of a majority and almost eliminating chances of support from another party.
David Steele Saskatoon
Order up
Re “Don Cherry doesn’t fit the Order of Canada profile. But we shouldn’t ignore his legacy” (March 19): You do members of the Order of Canada an injustice by referring to membership as “a participation medal for a certain type of prominent Canadian – the kind who satisfies the palette of oyster-shucking Laurentian elites.”
At my own recent induction ceremony, I was privileged to sit with the Indigenous musician and artist Tom Wilson. Several other inductees were activists from Black and Indigenous communities.
As for me, I dedicated my professional life to international human rights and comparative genocide studies. I am not a prominent Canadian, and I have never shucked an oyster in my life. I am a child immigrant to Canada, the daughter of a refugee from Nazi Germany.
I have never felt so privileged to be Canadian as the day I sat beside Mr. Wilson and later beside Mary Simon herself for our group photograph.
Rhoda Howard-Hassmann CM, O.Ont; Hamilton
The Order of Canada doesn’t work the way some would want it to. As a former member of the advisory council that awards it, I can state categorically that there was not an iota of such public pressure brought to bear on committee decisions.
Both chairs of the council in my day, Antonio Lamer and Beverley McLachlin, were assiduous in refraining from any such discussion. We pored through voluminous references for those recommended and thereby determined who should be awarded the honour.
The current public interest in a former sports commentator would require a similar process.
Ian Newbould Member, Order of Canada advisory council (1999-2001); Toronto
I was amused at the puzzlement over Quebeckers still being offended by boorish remarks Don Cherry made about “French guys,” as “that was more than 20 years ago, but evidently Quebeckers have not forgotten.”
It’s not for nothing that the motto on Quebec licence plates reads “Je me souviens.”
James McCall Toronto
Checking in
Re “Patients should be monitored for maternal complications over longer period, study suggests” (March 16): As a mom to almost six-month-old twins, this study comes as I am still thinking about how my early postpartum period could have been better and what can be done to address this.
With a twin pregnancy, I wasn’t allowed to be followed by a midwife because I was considered high risk. My obstetrician was fabulous, but this left me with only the standard six-week follow-up, an internist following my blood pressure and a public health nurse I kept playing telephone tag with.
Fortunately I am a nurse practitioner, but I am still a first-time mom with a complicated and somewhat traumatic early journey with my babies. I would have loved having a midwife postpartum to check on us on how breastfeeding or pumping was going.
Better, publicly funded support should be implemented for all new families, especially as governments try to figure out how to address falling fertility rates.
Natalie Tremblay Toronto
Family time
Re “How I found joy in caregiving for my mother” (First Person, March 16): What a delight to read this on my mother’s 92nd birthday.
I left a 24-year career in real estate to become her full-time caregiver after my father passed away in 2022. I didn’t want her to be lonely and isolated, but I also wanted to pay her back for her duty and sacrifice in raising me and my four older siblings.
Caregiving goes beyond responsibilities at home. We attend church and social functions together; I bring her to the hairdresser and to have her nails done. We also travel: Next month, I am taking her up north to her favourite lakeside resort.
Every morning, the first thing I do is check on her. The smile that appears on her face when she sees me is the biggest reward I could ask for.
I have no doubt that my caregiving plays a critical role in sustaining my mother’s health and longevity.
James Phillips Toronto
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