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Shame, blame
In a court of law, Jian Ghomeshi was found not guilty of all charges against him. In the court of public opinion, he was rendered not innocent and was shamed (Jian Ghomeshi Acquitted; Judge Says Complainants Dishonest – online, March 24).
He was acquitted and, for that, the rule of law has won. His reputation and career are in ruins and will never be regained. For that, justice has won. You do the crime, you do the time. You act in shame, you get the blame.
Ken DeLuca, Arnprior, Ont.
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Justice William Horkins's verdict is fair. If the credibility of a witness is not pivotal to the final judgment, then we might as well dispense with the pesky trial system and proceed directly to sentencing. It is the complainants, rather than the court system, who have done a disservice to women.
Yes, women might now be less likely to come forward when they have been sexually assaulted, but not because of the treatment they will receive at trial.
It would not be unreasonable for them to wonder whether their credibility will be suspect and more open to challenge now that failings in "the reliability of sincerity of these complainants" has been laid bare. These complainants have significantly set back the cause of women seeking justice for sexual assault and, as such, should shoulder the blame for any repercussions.
Elizabeth Hay, Ottawa
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What woman would ever want to come forward after seeing the spectacle that passed for justice in the Ghomeshi trial? Could even a Mother Teresa survive that amphitheatre? Who was on trial?
Sarah Adams, Calgary
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Budget: promise/pay
Jeffrey Simpson asks the wrong question when he wonders where the money for future Old Age Security funding will come from (How Promises Kept Become Future Problems – March 24). The more important question is: Where will the money go?
The answer to that is: into the Canadian economy. Most will spend it right here, locally. Goods and services will be purchased, with people paid to provide those. Taxes will be applied to the purchases, and taken from the downstream wages and salaries, not to mention that OAS payments are also taxed.
I don't see how OAS payments are terribly different from building a bridge or concert hall or playing field. The nation is its people. The world respects Canada for its people and how we treat each other.
Brian Williams, Belleville, Ont.
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Jeffrey Simpson hit the nail on the head on two issues that will bite future governments: Old Age Security and immigration.
I just attended a 95th birthday party and most of the people in the room were in their mid-80s or early 90s. People are living longer, so starting OAS at 67 instead of 65 made sense.
Bringing immigrants' parents here – shifting from economic immigrants to family reunification immigrants – and fast tracking OAS benefits are kind gestures to be sure, and they will shore up votes for the Liberals. But they will also be costly to the country.
Peter Kaufmann, Winnipeg
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No to Bombardier
Re C Series Needs New Pilots In The C Suites (March 24): In 2009, when the Canadian government bailed out the auto sector, the financial markets were in paralysis; even good business plans could not secure private sector funding. Not so today. The C Series aircraft has failed to attract investors simply because not very many customers want to buy one. Taxpayers should not be made to pay for Bombardier's stunning failure at market analysis.
Jeff Fairless, Kanata, Ont.
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Destructive influence
Konrad Yakabuski writes of "Iran's far more destructive influence in the Middle East." More destructive than Saudi Arabia that is (Canada Polishes Its Good-Guy Badge – March 21).
I am puzzled. In Brussels (and many other places), it is Saudi Arabia that has financed the madrassas, schools where extremist preachers have turned many young people toward extreme organizations like IS.
It is Saudi Arabia that is the source of the largest contingent of fighters in IS. Most of the men who made 9/11 happen were from Saudi Arabia.
It is Iran, on the other hand, that has supplied the most effective fighters against IS. It is Iran that once offered help fighting al-Qaeda extremists in Afghanistan.
Yes, since the 1953, CIA-organized overthrow of the democratically elected parliamentary government of Iran, and the subsequent imposition of the tyrannical regime of the shah, the U.S. has lost the positive image it once enjoyed in Iran. Anti-U.S. rabble-rousing is common in Iran.
But to demonize the country because it resents the way it was treated is a little odd, to say the least, and to say that it constitutes the most "destructive influence" in the region is way off the mark.
Bill Piket, White Rock, B.C.
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A is for attendance
Re For Chronic Truants, It's A Trip To The … Justice System (March 21): While your article dealt with secondary students' attendance, regular attendance at the elementary level is also an issue of concern. In my experience as a classroom teacher in a kindergarten to Grade 6 school, it is a rare day if all students are present, but even more rare for all students in the class to remain at school for the whole instructional day.
It's become common practice for many students to consistently arrive late, leave and return for a period of time during the school day, or be picked up anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes before dismissal, to attend dance, sports and music lessons. Of equal concern is the time that some students miss because of family vacations, and dance/sports competitions. This is not even factoring in any absence due to illness or scheduled appointments.
Lisa Ilowski, Stratford, Ont.
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Housing, corrected
Re The Last Thing Canada's Economy Needs Now Is A Government-Imposed Housing Correction (March 22): So we are to have faith that the housing speculation bubble in Toronto and Vancouver will float the Canadian economy? The under-45 crowd, whose creations, sweat and innovations drive the real economy in Vancouver, don't. They have been leading a net out-migration.
Peel away house-flipping, principal-residence scams, "investor" immigrant scams and multiple-entry visa scams. Pay for real estate in money with a verifiable paper trail (not bags of cash), tax real estate deals as, for example, Hong Kong, London and New York do, apply residency requirements and taxes as in they do in Sydney and Singapore, tax housing capital gains as in the U.S.
If a few of these measures were adopted, the housing "free market," a.k.a. spec balloon, would deflate back to Earth.
The younger cohort might then stick around to pay for boomer pensions and health care, fend off climate change, etc.
Dave Putt, Vancouver