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In the court of public opinion
The often-fawning praise that has greeted Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin's retirement is, in certain instances, deserved. Yet when it comes to the Supreme Court's accessibility to the Canadian people, former governor-general Adrienne Clarkson has it exactly backward (Chief Justice McLachlin Made The Supreme Court Accessible To The People – Dec. 15).
In 2009, after a scholar sent a survey to former law clerks at the Supreme Court, the court's Executive Legal Officer e-mailed those clerks to reiterate the court's demands for confidentiality with respect to "information about cases" and the "internal processes of each justice's chambers." This letter was sadly indicative of the McLachlin Court, which tenaciously guarded its affairs and privileged secrecy over accessibility, even with decades-old information.
Clerks have since been silent, and knowledge about the court has been duly impoverished.
Message control over public accountability? It's enough to make Stephen Harper jealous.
Dave Snow, assistant professor, Political Science, University of Guelph
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The Supreme Court, with Beverley McLachlin at its head, was the rock that sheltered Canadians from the turbulent excesses of the Harper years. I am surprised by the depth of my own feelings as she retires – a mixture of gratitude and respect and loss.
In the court of public opinion, she has few equals when it comes to admiration for our public figures.
Melissa Bouchard, Fredericton
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As Chief Justice, Beverley McLachlin succeeded on many fronts. As the country's top judge, she was a role model to women in the legal profession, which is still male-dominated. Along with making the Supreme Court more accessible, she preserved the integrity and impartiality of the court against the traps laid by politicians. She was a leading voice for native issues of significance, and the fight for native development and culture.
Justice McLachlin was a pragmatic influence, and wise to recognize that change is incremental, and that the legal system must be in step with societal changes in values and social norms to be relevant and enduring. A constitution can't be a stone for the ages, it must be a "living tree," alive and breathing.
Not least, she made the Supreme Court's reputation more secure internationally and the envy of many countries.
Elie Mikhael Nasrallah, Ottawa
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Caution: tax reform
Finance Minister Bill Morneau should listen to the Senate and scrap his shadowy tax plan (Morneau Gives More Ground On Tax Changes For Small Business, Dec. 14). Business owners dealing with Revenue Canada representatives should be advised to brace for impromptu lessons on why families would ever employ family members.
At this rate, Mr. Morneau is destined to make the police practice of "carding" look benign.
Robert Marcucci, Toronto
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CFL's paltry value
Re The Argos Aren't Worth Much, But There's Still A Logic To MLSE's Football Play (Dec. 15): As a lifelong CFL fan, here's my take on why the fan base and prestige of the CFL has been eroded – hence, its paltry market value.
The boomers fell in love with the CFL in the '50s and '60s, and established a strong fan base at a time when its talent could match the NFL's. (Yes, fans' choices were more limited then – no baseball and basketball franchises – but there were also many fewer Canadians, so the relative fan bases spread over more franchises should be about equal.)
The real difference is this.
In the CFL's early days, top prospects came to Canada because it was possible to own a business and play football, where this was not possible in the NFL. As a result, players who opened a business and prospered remained in Canada after their playing days were over. In the meantime, the CFL held these players out as being important in their communities, just as the NFL does so well today. Fans fell in love with the personalities, as well as with the uniforms. Owners recruited players from the U.S., and they were proud to play here. Today, it is seen as "better than riding the pines" in the NFL. And the CFL fails miserably in marketing its elite players, unlike almost every other major sports franchise.
Neil McLaughlin, Burlington, Ont.
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For, by women
Re Le Salon – A Bank For Women – Opens: Your Moment in Time recalling Dec. 12, 1966, presented La Salon, an innovative branch of the Bank of Montreal that was open from 1966 to 1974, and was intended exclusively for women.
From my career with the credit union system, I recall when Ottawa Women's Credit Union (OWCU) opened in 1980. It was decidedly different from the BMO experiment. La Salon was limited to women with at least $2,000 in assets while OWCU accepted any woman who could afford the minimal purchase price of a membership share. La Salon had a male manager, while all positions – manager, staff, directors – at OWCU were women. La Salon had high-end décor; the credit union invested in low-cost services for women (in a time when most women had to have a man co-sign a loan).
OWCU was the only financial institution in North America which was operated by women with women as the institution's focus. As women began to be treated as equals in the financial-services industry, it merged into another credit union after 23 years service.
John Ellis, Toronto
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Mike's influence
Re Pearson Is Back In The Good Books. What About Canada? (Dec. 11): Another reason it is worth remembering former prime minister Lester B. Pearson is for his utter humanity. In an age of staggering self-regard and towering egos, Mike Pearson's humility, charm and self-deprecating wit would be a welcome breeze in today's world.
"I can change a light bulb correctly five times out of six," he once quipped about his prowess around the house. "Mr. Pearson never affected an imperial style as prime minister," said his long-time secretary Mary Macdonald.
The Globe and Mail put it well in an editorial at the time of his death 45 years ago this month: "There was also about him throughout his life an air of simple human decency and kindness, and an unpretentious manner that made him one of the best-liked political personalities of his time."
J.D.M. Stewart, Toronto
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Just wondering …
Re House-Ice Advantage: Your front-page picture on Friday showed politicians playing hockey on the Canada 150 rink.
It was widely publicized that hockey sticks would not be allowed on that rink. Yet another example of one set of rules for the politicians, and another for the people?
Murray Falk, Calgary