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Our duty to care
Re Ottawa Owes Veterans No 'Duty Of Care' Lawyers Argue (June 16): Why should our injured soldiers be entitled to less than they would have received through workers' compensation? They accept the risk of death. We should accept the risk they might be injured and care for them when it happens. I expected so much better of a Liberal government than this shameful parsimony at the expense of our vets.
Jennifer Simpson, Winnipeg
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With a nod to the National Defence Act's provision for officers: Every government that behaves in a scandalous manner unbecoming a government is guilty of an offence and on conviction shall suffer dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty's service. If this behaviour toward our vets isn't a scandal, I don't know what is. Dismissal with disgrace for the Veterans Affairs Minister seems about right to me.
Francis Murphy, St. John's
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Grounded by politics
Re Search For New Jet Becomes A Flight Of Fancy (June 16): When it comes to military procurement, Canada has much to learn from Australia. After joining the F-35 development program in 2002, Australia fully committed to it in 2006 but without actually ordering the aircraft to replace its aging F-18 fleet. When it became apparent delivery of the F-35 would be seriously delayed, in 2007 Australia ordered 24 F-18 Super Hornets to fill a looming combat capability gap; these jets have since arrived and are in service.
Australia subsequently ordered 72 F-35s, without, incidentally, a competition: a first batch of 14 in 2009 and a further 58 in 2014. They are expected to begin entering service in 2018.
Thomas Frisch, Ottawa
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The procurement process for replacing the CF-18 aircraft has been a political debacle. What ever happened to the group created in 2012 by the Conservative government called the National Fighter Procurement Secretariat? It was supposed to report its findings concerning its review of various bids from aircraft companies?
Isn't such a review body more reasonable than a group of biased ministers who, for the most part, know little about the needs of the RCAF or military aircraft?
As Jeffrey Simpson suggested, from a timing perspective it would seem to make sense to wait until the results of the defence policy review launched by this government are delivered, and use the findings to help determine what type of fighter aircraft is needed to meet the identified requirements of the RCAF.
J.G. Gilmour, Calgary
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Right to passage
Re Senate Passes Bill C-14 (June 16): Senator Serge Joyal, in proposing to remove the end-of-life requirement from Bill C-14, spoke of minority rights. He is correct. Even the Americans, by whom Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould was inspired when she was looking around for ways to "tighten up" the Supreme Court's recommendation, have seen that the terminal-illness criterion protects a majority (cancer victims) at the expense of a minority (victims of degenerative diseases such as ALS, MS and Huntington's).
A whole new group, Final Exit Network, sprang up to serve the excluded sufferers. Let us hope that Canada can learn from our neighbour's mistakes, instead of repeating them.
Ruth von Fuchs, president, Right to Die Society of Canada
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Re On C-14, It's Carter V. The Charter (editorial, June 15): Your attempt to frighten readers into accepting your views on Bill C-14 would make Donald Trump proud. You should be ashamed for using your editorial bully pulpit in such manner. No matter what form Bill C-14 takes in the end, it will not allow "the state to kill its citizens." It will simply allow those who are suffering intolerably with no hope of remedy to have medical assistance to end their lives. Barring any further restrictive amendments to the bill, the state will have no role in delivering that assistance.
Theron Kramer, Kitchener, Ont.
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Could one possibly want to live if one cannot walk or talk, or God forbid, drools? Yes, thank you very much, but will the disabled now feel guilty if they choose to live? Slippery slope? This is free fall. We need to think long and hard before trashing all the rules (A Lesson From The Past: Go Slow On Assisted Dying – June 13).
Michele J. Evans, MD, Winnipeg
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It is entirely appropriate that the Senate amend legislation it believes to be inappropriately drafted by the House of Commons. This is commonly thought of as sober second thought.
To suggest that the legislation should not reflect the Carter decision is to put many Canadians in the same position they were in prior to Carter, and is a disgrace. The obstacles of geography and the money required to bring a case before the courts will again cause untold suffering to those people with illnesses such as spinal stenosis, ALS and MS, which may not lead to reasonably foreseeable death. For those able to pursue such a case, it will likely end up back in the Supreme Court, with the same result as in Carter.
To suggest that the legislation will "allow the state to kill its citizens" is pure sensationalism. The draft legislation, like the Carter decision itself, posits instigation by the person – not the state.
Penelope B. M. Hedges, Vancouver
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Bilingual future
Re French Immersion Could Do With A Dose Of Reality; The Follies Of French Immersion (June 4): Incorrectly labelling French immersion (FI) as elitist and divisive does little to draw attention to the real issue of access. Immersion registration has increased by 17 per cent in recent years. Many boards are experiencing growing pains that can be alleviated by engaging in long-term planning.
There are numerous initiatives to improve French second-language teacher recruitment and retention, both on the provincial and national level. Immersion has proven its worth and is the most effective way to teach French as a second language to students at all levels of learning. When supported by the appropriate resources, immersion is a beneficial, inclusive program, open to all pupils.
Let us celebrate the benefits and support for FI, review outdated educational policies and enrolment processes and focus on educating young Canadians by prioritizing access to FI programs to help guarantee a bilingual future for our country.
Lesley Doell, president, Canadian Association of Immersion Teachers
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Canada too
Re Can The Political Centre Hold? (June 16): We should be careful with assertions that Canada is a glaring exception to right-wing demagoguery. Canada has had its share of government denial about climate change, mistrust of environmental science and scientists, damage to environmental monitoring, labs, data records and census data.
The 2015 federal election demonstrated demagoguery and nativism, with reference to old-stock Canadians, hysteria over a woman wearing a niqab, and threats to install barbaric cultural practices snitch lines.
Reiner Jaakson, Oakville, Ont.