Prime Minister Mark Carney in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.Ryan Carter / UAE Presidential C/Reuters
Speak up
Re “Backbench MPs are expected to use their brains or their mouths, but not both” (Nov. 15): Between Liberal Nathaniel Erskine-Smith’s open critique of cabinet policy, Chris D’Entremont’s floor-crossing to join the governing Liberals and Matt Jeneroux’s principled resignation from the Conservative party, I for one find it reassuring that some vestige of the Westminster system survives in Canada.
Party leaders hate it, but we should have something better than party tribalism. Dare I hope for real open debate in the Commons, and that our leader will someday again be selected by caucus, instead of by a mob, to be “first among equals” in their cabinet.
Nicholas Tracy Fredericton
Principled dissent is the act of expressing disagreement based on ethical or moral grounds rather than personal gain or hostility. It means speaking up when one believes something is headed in the wrong direction, even if doing so is unpopular or risky.
So if an MP is hesitant to vote contrary to their party’s position, what should they do? This dilemma underscores the tension between loyalty to party leadership and loyalty to constituents.
Ranked ballots would help resolve this tension. It would give MPs a clearer understanding of their constituents’ preferences, and electors would feel their voices are heard, even if their first choice did not prevail. Future parliaments would likely enact legislation more reflective of the electorate’s mood, and debates would be less partisan.
This reform would strengthen our democracy and empower MPs to exercise principled dissent when necessary, without fear of betraying either their party or constituents.
G. Rapley Bunting Toronto
Where to start?
Re “Canada needs to step up. We need Candu nuclear technology” (Report on Business, Nov. 19): Pity the Prime Minister.
When he calls for nation-building projects, he is lobbied in the public domain for every high-cost project, all promising lots of jobs, that has been essentially unviable to date: a tunnel under Ontario’s Highway 401, a pipeline across B.C. mountains, now new nuclear reactors.
Good thing the Prime Minister is an economist, but now he is also a politician. It will be hard to reconcile the two.
Charles Feaver Winnipeg
System override
Re “Alberta is about to test private-public health care. Canada will be watching” (Nov. 21): Are we as Canadians so fixed in our opinions that we refuse to look elsewhere for solutions?
Many European health care systems have at least some element of private money involved, anywhere from Scandinavian-style co-pay to the separate public and private systems in Britain. Interestingly, by most measures, these systems rank better than our single-payer system.
Do we really need to navel-gaze and insist that our system, and only our system, is functioning well when it clearly is not? Time to think outside the uniquely Canadian box.
Dave Barker Whitby, Ont.
Re “Public-Private” (Editorial Cartoon, Nov. 20): An incredibly clever cartoon that carries a sad and not-so-subtle message.
Medicine’s symbol is the Rod of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. It has only one serpent twined around a staff. By presenting a second “private” intertwining serpent, the cartoon invokes Caduceus, the staff of Hermes often used to represent commerce.
M. Ian Bowmer St. John’s
Re “Downsides” (Letters, Sept. 20): “They also continue to pay taxes for the public system, even if they don’t use it.”
I have no family members in school, but I know the value of supporting public resources to educate the population. I’ve also worked in the U.S. health care system, so I have witnessed the value of health care to society as a whole.
Miles Tompkins Antigonish, N.S.
What a mess.
The solution? The federal government should be responsible for health care in Canada: one system across the board, streamlined approaches and no more double-digit health care executives. Full stop.
R. R. Innes Brampton, Ont.
Next generation
Re “Creating a Youth Climate Corps could be Carney’s FDR moment” (Opinion, Nov. 15): This invitation to Mark Carney sparkles with optimism in a moment resembling the tough times of the Dirty Thirties.
The Earth is being pounded by concurrent destructive forces: political, economic, meteorological. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal enacted initiatives that today’s extreme right would call socialism, even communism. In the end, as described, they turned a huge profit in caring for the environment, and at the same time took bold steps to build infrastructure, the crown of which was the Hoover Dam.
We have a generation’s enormous energy at our fingertips. We have the rivers, mountains and endless territory that would potentially open with the recruitment of our young people by visionary leadership. Canada’s hidden talent begs to be discovered.
Mr. Carney has to be the right man. He has a global perspective, unlike most politicians. There are few leaders with his sophistication.
Thanks for this eureka moment.
Hugh McKechnie Sudbury
Dirty work
Re “With a roving trailer of tools, toys and tires, this program introduces kids to skilled trades” (Nov. 15): After decades of too many people denigrating career paths that did not include university degrees – paths that could result in dirty hands and clothes, as well as decent paycheques – it’s good to see more people realizing the great and necessary value of skilled trades.
One education professor I worked with once said something I can’t forget, along these lines: Of course we need university-educated professionals. We also need lots of people who do work, who may not be replaced by robots for many, many years to come. When you’ve plugged your sink on Christmas Day because you weren’t smart enough to realize you shouldn’t pour grease down it, you’ll appreciate the skilled trade of plumbing more than you can imagine.
Mary Stanik Tucson, Ariz.
Young at heart
Re “In two towns on either side of the country, Canadians have found the secrets to longevity” (Nov. 19): Too often, aging is framed as a winding down. In my experience, it’s the opposite. Healthy aging comes from staying active, curious, engaged and deeply involved in the fascinating world around us.
I continue to work passionately, serve on three boards and remain engaged with leaders across North America. These activities keep me learning, contributing and energized, as well as mentoring the next generation.
People often ask when I plan to retire. My answer is always the same: “When the good Lord retires me!”
Aging well isn’t about stepping aside, it’s about learning with purpose. When Canadians stay connected, committed and mentally engaged, our communities and industries benefit and flourish from a wealth of lived experiences and perspective.
Martin Wilkins Calgary
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