Today's topics: an MP's job description; democracy (un)defined; giving, defined; bagpipe, er, melodies ... and more
That's an MP
The discovery that many MPs cannot define their own jobs is distressing (What's An MP's Job? They Dunno - Dec. 3), especially as doing so is actually quite simple: MPs are supposed to represent the interests of their constituents in Parliament.
Geoff Read, London, Ont.
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Over the years, I've taken part in politics at the riding level and found that individuals offering themselves as MPs lacked insight as to why they wanted to be elected or what their goal was once elected, other than to work to get re-elected. While some members of Parliament have learned on the job and have made great contributions, by and large, MPs present themselves to Canadians, as Alison Loat points out, as confused, conflicted and relentlessly focused on the short term. Their conduct in Question Period, I might add, does little to dispel this impression.
Yes, it is time to consider giving our MPs a proper job description and the training to help them do the job.
Cy Abbass, Thornhill, Ont.
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Not all MPs lack a sense of mission. In the late 1990s, I met with then-MP Jim Peterson in Ottawa after a complaint I had made against his government. The fact he met with me at all was impressive but there was more. He was gracious, a good listener and down to earth. During the half-hour meeting, we discussed the role of an MP and how he handles all the flying and changes in time zones. He said, and I'll never forget, "You just do it." He clearly ignored his own personal comfort and just was there to serve. We kept in touch for a dozen years after. He understood my concerns, did not wipe them away even though they challenged his party. That's an MP.
Beverley Smith, Calgary
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Democracy (un)defined
It is ironic how those who exercise the functions of our democratic system to get themselves elected refuse to make the necessary changes to keep our system just that - democratic (Federal Parties Agree To Scrap Bill To Fix Voting Inequalities - Dec. 3).
Jon Champagne, Thornhill, Ont.
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Although all three national parties are committed to the principle of equal representation for all Canadians - which just happens to be a cornerstone of democracy - they're going to do what politicians are good at: procrastinate. All hat, no cattle. Next steps? Probably that old favourite, a white paper? Or perhaps have the Senate take look at it? Or give it to the Sodium Working Group - they don't seem to be too busy.
Tim Jeffery, Toronto
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Giving, defined
Your article Charities See Alarming Trends As Donors Become Older, Fewer (Dec. 3) tells an alarming story, but it's only half the story. The other half is that government revenue to non-profits has not only decreased as a percentage of GDP over the past decade, but it has also become more contingent and less reliable. There's been a major shift from funding core operations to temporary projects. This is why we can expect services from non-profits to be not only shorter in supply, but also lower in quality.
Sid Frankel, faculty of social work, University of Manitoba
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I don't think Canadians are uncaring; I believe they don't know how much they should be giving. In our Ipsos survey, we learned, in our mission to encourage Canadians to give more, that more than three-quarters of Canadians do not know how much they should be donating and volunteering, and that more religious people are more giving. There is a declining religiosity in the developed world (on a per-capita basis); in turn, we have a declining incidence of Canadians getting taught and reminded to be generous. We found that those who do know how much they should be giving, do indeed give more. Those who were taught to give, also give more. In turn, we have a licence to believe that a campaign to encourage greater philanthropy in Canada should work.
If we can encourage the wealthiest 15 per cent of Canadians to simply match the average donation level in Canada, as a percentage of income (up from 0.5 per cent to 0.72 per cent), this will generate $1-billion more, annually. If we can get all Canadians to increase the national average from 0.72 per cent of income to 1 per cent (well below the U.S. giving rate, 1.5-plus per cent), it would generate $3-billion annually. Surely it is worth investing a few million dollars into a public campaign to gain a $1-billion-plus payback.
John Hallward, Montreal, chairman, GIV3 initiative, www.GIV3.ca
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The mind boggles
The mind boggles at the thought of Stephen Harper responding to a dominatrix. (Pressed On Prostitution Law, PM Jokes About Dominatrix - Dec. 3). I wonder who would come out on top.
Archibald Wilkie Kushner, Greely, Ont.
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ER diagnosis
Dangerously overcrowded ERs take a toll primarily on patients and families, but emergency staff are used to being collateral damage (With Friends Like These - editorial, Dec. 3). The current crisis in Alberta, however, is inflicting wider damage on physician leaders, government staff and politicians. The shame is that it is all unnecessary. If this were happening 10 years ago, you could at least say that no one was sure what the answer to overcrowding was. But in 2010, an increasing number of jurisdictions have made great strides in managing ER flow issues, including the U.K. and, in Canada, Ontario and B.C. It should be unacceptable in Canada to permit systemic overcrowding to continue to inflict damage; there is no longer any credible excuse.
Howard Ovens, director, Emergency Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
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Dogged defence
Greek sheepdogs are neither "mongrels" nor "savage and vicious" (Alpine Villages, Jagged Peaks - The Greece You Rarely See - Travel, Dec. 2). They are large (usually, 88 pounds for the female), magnificent animals of an ancient breed. They work in packs of six to eight dogs to keep wolves, bears, poachers, traffickers and (eventually, hiking tourists) away from the sheep they guard. For an intruder to their area, the most prudent attitude is to stay still: The dogs will not harm a still person and will wait for the shepherd to show up, if ever. Rocks, even bullets, are of little use, especially at night or in the fog, if one or two people are confronted by a pack of these notoriously intractable animals.
I have rescued and proudly own three Greek sheepdogs that were shot in Zagoria by traffickers, one dog with a foreleg blown apart by an AK-47. Please, take my word: Greek sheepdogs are not nasty without good reason, instead they are gentle and benign with no reason at all.
Georgios Ayfantis, consul-general of Greece, Vancouver
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Pay up, or …
In the article about the chanter that has left the country (Chanter's Return To Scotland Creates A Skirl In Canada - Dec. 1), it's claimed that the chanter is the part that allows a bagpipe "to create a melody." Stop right there. You really had me for a moment. A melody? From a bagpipe? Right. Reminds me of a cartoon I saw of a busker on a busy street corner just holding his bagpipes, collection box at his feet. His sign read: "Pay, or I'll play."
Larry Davies, Aurora, Ont.