U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra speaks during an event at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce in Sept., 2025.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
Friends like these
Re “The comments of the U.S. Ambassador to Canada reveal a shocking ignorance and disdain” (Opinion, Sept. 24): Betrayal, whether between countries or close friends, is difficult to overcome.
The betrayed party often avoids open conflict to prevent further damage while quietly seeking new alliances. Meanwhile, the betraying party fails to even acknowledge what has happened.
Pete Hoekstra and America’s view that it is “bigger and better,” and that others should acquiesce, is not shared by Canadians or much of the world who see the United States as simply larger.
Jean Marc Roberge Kirkland, Que.
Has no one briefed Pete Hoekstra properly? Does he not know about the high value we place on politeness?
My grandmother could have taught him about the superiority of honey to vinegar as an enticement strategy. This man does not seem suited to diplomacy.
Diane Bond Kelowna, B.C.
Balancing act
Re “Turning Charlie Kirk into a saint is a dangerous game” (Opinion, Sept. 25): Gratefully, contributor Michael Higgins continues to see the forest for the trees as a contemporary theologian with a unique clarity of vision about sainthood.
At the same time, he somehow manages to acknowledge the virtues of Charlie Kirk while lamenting the damaging political outcomes his rhetoric will eventually spawn.
Feeding the hungry and giving solace to injustices in the world, and not fuelling the flames that continue to polarize us, is the first big and necessary step. But it requires that we acknowledge our differences and accept our common humanity, minus the wealth and power that continue to be used unwisely to stifle better political outcomes.
Joan McNamee Kamloops, B.C.
Keep it straight
Re “Ottawa’s end run around the Constitution” (Editorial, Sept. 24): I find the federal factum wrongheaded in its approach because it also starts from a presumption that the notwithstanding clause can be invoked preemptively, rather than directly challenging the constitutionality of such actions.
While the limits and restrictions of the clause are clearly prescribed, it is in the nature of its application where it remains silent, hence requiring clarity. As former justice minister David Lametti suggested, the clause was meant to be the last word on a bill following a declared violation by the courts, instead of provinces front-loading the clause in legislation before it ever faces a legal challenge.
Had Ottawa intervened with the view to only challenge this preemptive usage, it could have avoided the now regrettable impression that it has also joined the provinces in attempting to circumvent the amending formula and, by extension, the intended spirit of the Constitution.
Angelo Mele Newmarket, Ont.
Work together
Re “OB/GYN shortage in B.C. threatens collapse in local maternity care” (Sept. 25): While Canada is not experiencing a U.S.-style deluge of legislation and proclamations to restrict and even ban basic reproductive health care, this article demonstrates how dire care can become here without deliberate, evidence-based efforts to address access issues.
One solution would be to expand scope of practice. By working in new dimensions and capacities, every health professional can support and relieve pressure from each other. If registered nurses could insert IUDs, the burden on OB/GYNs for that task falls. (In British Columbia, demand and wait times for IUDs has skyrocketed since the 2023 launch of an excellent program to universalize access to contraception.)
Midwives could provide procedural abortions, pharmacists could insert Nexplanon, an arm contraceptive implant, and nurse practitioners could provide NICU care. Furthermore, expanding scope can increase job satisfaction and fight burnout, a critical issue to address amid the health care workforce crisis across the country.
Martha Paynter RN; associate professor, faculty of nursing, University of New Brunswick Fredericton
Canadian welcome
Re “Asylum seekers living in government-funded hotels told to check out by next week” (Sept. 24): Ottawa seems to have shown admirable generosity toward migrants, but the story is about threats to this practice based on the desire to reduce costs.
Former Amnesty International Canada secretary general Alex Neve’s timely new book Universal: Renewing Human Rights in a Fractured World warns us against eroding universal rights by appealing to supposedly necessary cost reductions. Uppermost in our considerations should be the plight of the vulnerable, migrants in this case.
Canadians should insist that no departure from respect for their rights be allowed to happen.
Randal Marlin Ottawa
Re “Lacking ‘Canadian experience’ encouraged me to forge my own employment path” (First Person, Sept. 23): It saddens me to see that, in this day and age, immigrants to our country are still being asked about having “Canadian experience” during job interviews.
I heard that same question many times over in the early 1970s, after immigrating to Canada from Poland with a degree in graphic arts and a number of years of practical hands-on experience in the printing industry.
One way to facilitate newcomers’ settlement, and for Canada to benefit from their input into our economy, would be to prohibit employer questions about a candidate’s “Canadian experience.”
It would benefit both sides to replace such questions with inquiries about simply “job experience” and broader conversations about their suitability for the position.
Robert Lubinski Uxbridge, Ont.
Room with a view
Re “NCC head hopeful of action on dealing with 24 Sussex Dr.” (Sept. 24): 24 Sussex is a magnificent property overlooking two provinces, one of this country’s great rivers and land that has significance for all three of Canada’s founding peoples. Unfortunately, it’s currently occupied by an abandoned building in a state of embarrassing disrepair.
The opportunity exists to replace the existing structure with a new official residence incorporating architecture and materials that reflect the optimism, intelligence and confidence of a forward-looking country. What are we waiting for?
John McLeod Toronto
Changing times
Re “Why are autism rates rising? It’s not Tylenol” (Opinion, Sept. 24): I believe there are social reasons which lie behind the autism diagnosis creep.
The world is a more complex place than it was even 50 years ago. When a large part of the population lived in rural or village communities, there were more jobs that could, with dignity, be undertaken by those with a variety of mental abilities.
In my village, if someone could not work on the fishing boats, they could cut bait, help with housework or feed the chickens. They also had extended families who expected to provide support for less capable siblings.
Our digital world has erected barriers to the less advantaged. At a speech given to the University of New Brunswick community on the new economy by then-finance minister Bill Morneau, a brave woman received a round of applause when she remarked that he should remember that “not all people are born equal.”
Nicholas Tracy Fredericton
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