Prime Minister Mark Carney in Bardufoss, Norway, on Friday.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Position taken
Re “Carney was finally in the House, but his opponents had already lost interest in the war” (March 11): Mark Carney’s “contradictory” position seems quite sensible: He supports the removal of a dictator and weakening of an authoritarian regime, but laments the other loss of life and the chaos unleashed. He was not consulted or asked to participate, and has no intention of doing so.
What is Pierre Poilievre’s stance?
Nigel Smith Toronto
Which way?
Re “Of the floor crossings so far, Lori Idlout’s defection will leave a mark” (March 12): The Liberals are said to be working to form a majority government, while the defection of Lori Idlout seems to have united the NDP and Conservatives: The opposition parties argue that her floor crossing denies what Canadians decided last spring when they voted not to have a majority government.
But it is not possible by one’s vote to directly elect a majority or minority government, it depends on what all voters do in their electoral districts. Even the best polling will be uncertain, as it cannot predict what will happen when two or more parties are in close competition.
Our electoral system, with a slight shift in preferences, can give a party a big boost or a disappointing result – and produce either a majority or minority.
Peter Woolstencroft Department of political science, University of Waterloo
It feels like Canadian politics has become an ugly display marked by heartlessness and greed.
The NDP was already hurting due to fear-based voting. Mark Carney just kicked the party while it’s down.
This is the party that helped to give us medicare, pharmacare and expanded dental care. No good deed goes unpunished, I guess. And all these things came about under minority governments.
What good thing has a majority Liberal government ever given us? Cannabis legalization. That’s it for me. End of list.
Rather than feeding us propaganda about how they need a majority to govern, the Liberals should acknowledge the value of minority governments. Then they should give us proportional representation so that we can have more of them.
The likely reason they haven’t is because they care more about power than they do about Canada.
Vivian Unger Fredericton
I would point out to Pierre Poilievre and Don Davies that Canadians will decide whether there is a Liberal majority at the ballot box, through the three upcoming by-elections.
Maureen Hulbert Toronto
Tourism dollars
Re “Frequent flyers” (Letters, March 12): A letter-writer thinks that U.S. blockade policies have promoted misery for ordinary Cubans.
I think they are miserable because they live under tyrannical communist governance, so Canadians vacationing in Cuba are complicit in perpetuating the tyranny.
Jiti Khanna Vancouver
Other options
Re “In the MAID debates, the patient’s voice must take precedence” (March 10): “People who want to end their suffering will find a way to do so. The state should not be preventing them from doing so in a humane and dignified manner.” This seems to me a false dichotomy: suicide or medical assistance in dying for those who suffer from mental illness. Both options end in the death of a patient, often one who could recover from their mental illness.
What, then, is the point of suicide prevention? I see a clear third option: care, support and compassion, helping someone who suffers to live well despite their suffering.
The coroner who reviewed the depressed Quebec man’s suicide did not recommend MAID. No, she recommended better mental health support.
It would be a dark day if Canada turns on its suicide prevention efforts and instead provides only death to those with mental illness.
Daniel Zekveld Ottawa
“When Solomonesque arbitration is required, we should always err on the side of patient choice.”
In the Bible, Solomon must determine which of two women is a child’s mother in a custody dispute. But with medical assistance in dying, the decision isn’t to err on the side of patient choice over and against input from the family. In fact, the pleading of the mother spares the life of the child in the story of Solomon.
If we want to reflect on the words and actions of Solomon, perhaps we should dwell on his words in Proverbs 8:36, which reads, “All those who hate me [that is, wisdom] love death.” Rather than supporting the deaths of more people, we ought to favour care and support that help them to live well.
Levi Minderhoud Mission, B.C.
Weight of it
Re “Health experts call on governments to address rising rate of obesity” (March 12): While medical experts can call rising obesity rates anything they want, I believe the main beneficiary of calling it a chronic disease and encouraging the use of drugs to control it is the pharmaceutical industry.
The primary causes of obesity are poor diet and inadequate exercise. So what has happened over the last 50 years to cause rising rates? I suspect the consumption of ultraprocessed foods and an aversion to exercise. The proliferation of fast-food establishments all over Canada can attest to this.
If parents don’t exhibit a love of exercise, their children likely won’t either.
Vivian Vandenhazel Cobourg, Ont.
We live in an obesogenic society.
The main causes I see are, first, a car-dependent society where most destinations are too far to walk and not always safe for biking. The second is the easy availability of high-energy processed foods. Third, we are a sedentary society; there are far more sedentary pastimes than 40 years ago.
I’ve learned to control my weight by walking and biking as much as possible, stopping eating before I feel full, because there is a lag from being full to feeling full, and taking part in more active recreational activities. It works quite well.
Doug Payne London, Ont.
So we have the maker of a weight-loss drug funding a study that says Canada’s rising rate of obesity is having a serious adverse impact on Canada.
Anyone want to weigh in as to whether there might be some conflict of interest here?
Steve Zan Ottawa
Who you gonna call?
Re “Over obsolescence” (Letters, March 12): A letter-writer suggests that if anybody wants something fixed, they should call his wife.
I have a better suggestion: Just call for any wife in the immediate vicinity.
Elizabeth Thompson Oakville, Ont.
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