Green Party Leader Elizabeth May speaks in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill after the tabling of the federal budget on Nov. 4.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
On budget
Re “Canadians’ lack of appetite for an election means smooth sailing for Carney’s first budget” (Nov. 18): Just before the budget vote, I heard the Green Party Leader explain why she will support the Liberals, although I am pretty sure I heard her last week assure us she’d be against them.
Not that she is the exception, as other party leaders also jumped through hoops to explain their budget stances. A little honesty would be refreshing: The Conservatives are unlikely to want the government to fall because of the Carney-Poilievre gap; the NDP likely don’t want to face another election with an interim leader, and all parties are probably leery of the cost to themselves and the country.
More importantly, most of the electorate doesn’t want another election. I suspect forthrightness would eventually be rewarded by voters after the shock wears off.
Paul Madden Westmount, Que.
Political cartoonists across Canada must be devastated. While we are spared a holiday season general election, those caricatures of Pierre Poilievre as the Grinch who stole Christmas will go back in the drawer until next time.
Farley Helfant Toronto
Here and there
Re “Ottawa pushing Anglo American to redomicile to Canada as it considers Teck deal” (Nov .18): The location of a merged entity’s head office should matter not.
If the geology is prospective and the permitting and tax regime welcoming, then money will be spent. A Canadian head office has not prevented other companies from having assets in many jurisdictions.
I find this merger is a better opportunity than a standalone Teck Resources. Is Mark Carney promoting a more business-like attitude for government or not?
Stephen Gross Toronto
It has given me no joy or satisfaction to vote with my minute Teck Resources shareholding against the merger with Anglo American.
It would mean the loss of another Canadian mining company, and past proffered guarantees of preserved Canadian identity with Falconbridge and Inco have been shown to be worthless.
I hope our politicians will support me in this.
Ian Guthrie Ottawa
Future funding
Re “Canada’s research and scientific spending is declining relative to other nations, report says” (Report on Business, Nov. 18): The excellent report by the Council of Canadian Academies has clearly outlined the problems. Solutions are more difficult.
We can learn from the experience of others. For example, the venerable New York-based Ford Foundation had used highly goal-oriented research to generate knowledge, inform policy and drive systems-level social change. Following its own review, the foundation found that goal-oriented funding stifled long-term thinking, discouraged innovation, inhibited responsiveness and trust and reinforced existing structures at the expense of novel ventures.
In response to the council’s report, it appears the federal government is moving forward with a restructuring of the three main research granting councils under the mandate of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and a proposed new agency. To address our problems, we require a new paradigm for effective partnerships, long-term commitments, appropriate funding and continuous evaluations.
Not the usual territory of Canadian governments or industry.
Arthur Leader Emeritus professor, faculty of medicine, University of Ottawa
At a cost
Re “Alberta plans to allow doctors to deliver public and private services” (Nov. 18): Nowhere in this report do I see a proposal to tax private care.
Revenues could help fund the public system. A criticism of the private-public model is that the private system creams off wealthy patients and provides limited or niche services.
When something goes wrong or becomes too costly for private insurers, these patients would be dumped at hospitals for the public system to pick up the pieces. In this light, the Alberta proposal would be a subsidy to private clients.
Any private system should pay a hefty premium to meet added public costs while offering a disincentive to go private. Jump the queue? Pay the tax.
Ron Beram Gabriola, B.C.
The United Conservative Party’s protestations notwithstanding, parallel systems would spell the end of public health care in Alberta.
This would stretch the public system even more because doctors splitting their time would see fewer public patients. The UCP cannot set this up and then claim nobody will be without a primary care physician.
If this government wants to end public health care in Alberta, it should have the decency and courage to say so.
Jade Schiff Ottawa
Hard place
Re “This land is…” (Letters, Nov. 18): So B.C. property owners, affected by the Cowichan decision, should “calm down,” tolerate “economic uncertainty for the sake of justice” and get out from under a “shroud of ignorance.”
I suspect some “settler” property owners have similar family histories of having their property dispossessed, language and religion banned and relatives “disappeared” and starved (Stalin did all that to my family). And even if they don’t, property rights are themselves a matter of justice and not just a minor hiccup on the way to reconciliation.
Of course, I will quickly forgive the condescension of letter-writers if they offer to trade their Ontario homes for affected B.C. properties.
Rudy Buller Toronto
Don’t bet on it
Re “Our governments are willfully blind to the financial fentanyl that is online gambling” (Report on Business, Nov. 17): Other countries and jurisdictions experimenting with expanding online gambling have experienced rapid increases in social harms, bankruptcies, family breakups and suicides.
It seems the Ford government chose to look past this evidence in search of the next revenue dollar. Now we are experiencing the all-too-predictable results, the costs of which I have no doubt will exceed any revenues received.
Neville Taylor Toronto
I understand there’s a lot of money in selling fentanyl to addicts. Why not cash in on that while they’re at it?
Craig Walker Kingston
Vibe shift
Re “Driving a stick shift is a holiday treat, even in Italy” (First Person, Nov. 5) and “DIY” (Letters, Nov. 12): I’ve always preferred driving a car with a manual transmission, as well as rack and pinion steering.
In recent years, I’ve wondered if fewer people would be on their phones while driving if they also had to shift gears and handle cornering without power steering.
Beverly Fox Victoria
I can’t drive a stick shift. Neither can I start a fire by rubbing two sticks together.
Stuart Kerman Mississauga
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