Turnaround moment
Every Canadian who died in Afghanistan would have died in vain if we had cut and run in 2011. We must see this through. This wasn't Harper's Turnaround Moment (front page, Nov. 12). It was Stephen Harper's come-to-his-senses moment.
Jordan Cameron, Winnipeg
.........
Stephen Harper has the temerity to lament that "Down deep, my preference would be, would have been, to see a complete end to the military mission." If he cannot hold firm on his deep-down beliefs, what about his fair-to-middling beliefs? Mr. Harper has been committed to prolonging Canada's involvement in this unwinnable conflict for years. Why is beyond me.
Bill Engleson, Denman Island, B.C.
.........
It's nonsense that the Afghan army and police, with the help of our trainers, will get better and better at resisting the Taliban. Clearly, the emperor is stark naked and NATO has lost the war. It's time for the alliance, including Canada, to start negotiating the withdrawal of all NATO forces, and the installation of a transitional government in Kabul that includes the Taliban.
Scott Burbidge, Port Williams, N.S.
.........
All I want for Xmas
As elusive copies of Johanna Skibsrud's The Sentimentalists threaten to become the Cabbage Patch dolls of this year's Christmas shopping frenzy, the real mystery remains: Why aren't more people up in arms about the "poor judgment" shown by U.K. Giller judge Ali Smith in connecting Ms. Skibsrud with her own literary agent to arrange British publication of the book before the awards were decided (Giller Founder Calls For More Copies Of Winning Book - Review, Nov. 12)?
Nancy Dorrance, Kingston, Ont.
.........
While Gaspereau's decisions are determined by its particular priorities, most smaller publishers work constantly at increasing audiences for our writers. When four of our small company's titles were recently nominated for library prizes in Canada, we printed and shipped nearly 20,000 copies immediately, responding to rush orders. Our efforts to serve the marketplace, both with print and e-books, are more typical of a smaller publisher than what is implied in your article (Supply And Demand - Review, Nov. 11). I applaud the jury for choosing a shortlist from publishing houses of differing sizes. I hope next year's jury won't shy away from doing the same.
Margie Wolfe, publisher, Second Story Press; president, Association of Canadian Publishers
.........
Congratulations to Gaspereau Press for not pandering to our culture's infantile demands for instant gratification. If a book is worth reading today, it's worth reading next week, next year, next decade. Meanwhile, read the other Giller finalists, arrive at your own informed decisions.
Lor Pelton, Cornwall, Ont.
.........
Blu-Ray meds?
The College of Family Physicians of Canada strongly advocates the use of electronic medical records in family practices (Paper Jam Blocking Patient-Care Reforms - Nov. 12). EMRs are integral to the delivery of high-quality care, improve timely access, enhance patient safety and can facilitate effective collaborative care. Many family physicians, however, are reluctant to spend significant time, money and human resources on developing EMRs in the absence of either a single standard for the technology or, as yet, clear leadership from governments and their agencies. It's like being asked to invest heavily in HD DVD only to see Blu-Ray become the technology of choice.
Robert Boulay, president, College of Family Physicians of Canada
.........
Atomic clock ticking
The Harper government's incompetence on the nuclear file is appalling, combining bad-mouthing AECL with their intention to sell it (Plan To Sell AECL Threatens To Sideline Industry's Future - Nov. 10). One simple statement gets to the problem's root: "AECL hasn't sold a reactor since the 1990s." Mr. Harper's worldview apparently requires a business solution to what is clearly a non-business problem. How can you have a business with zero sales over more than a decade?
Brian J. Lowry, Fredericton
.........
The CANDU reactor system has features others don't, including the use of natural uranium for fuel, and the capability to use alternative fuels such as thorium and recovered uranium from other reactors. That makes it an ideal reactor for emerging industrial nations with smaller electrical grids, as well as industrial powerhouses seeking to extend energy resources.
It's no coincidence CANDU fulfills these diverse roles: It was created by dynamic people working for dynamic organizations under dynamic governments, pulling together to lift Canada from industrial follower to leader. The dynamic people still exist, as does the need for CANDU. In today's global quest for sustainable energy supply, the right product for the times happened to be invented 50 years ago in Canada.
Adriaan Buijs, president, Canadian Nuclear Society
.........
A, B, See cash
The Toronto District School Board has millions of dollars in discovered artworks (AGO In Talks To Rescue Schools' Fine Art - Nov. 12). I say cash in so our school can afford another SmartBoard - or how about buying readers so my children won't have to bring home flimsy photocopied versions any more. There'll be plenty left over for a field trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario to learn all about the Group of Seven.
Susan Poaps, Toronto
.........
Find its own way
A university education, despite the great advantages it brings to individual aboriginals, creates a leadership paradox in on-reserve communities (UVic Shows There's A Better Aboriginal Way - Nov. 11). Talented, educated aboriginal students tend, after graduation, to remain "off-reserve" in cities where they can find fulfilling employment and bright futures. Few return to life on the reserves. Given the conditions there, why should we expect them to?
The unintended consequence of higher educational programs for aboriginal students is that they strip from these desperate communities their most promising future leaders. They leave behind fast growing, leaderless communities of poorly educated, unemployed - and essentially unemployable - young people increasingly vulnerable to violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and aboriginal-based criminal organizations.
The University of Victoria deserves high praise for its innovative aboriginal program, but many keys will be necessary to open the door to "aboriginal independence." We must find these keys and, together with young aboriginal leaders, use them in a co-ordinated manner if we are to help the aboriginal community find its own way to a better future.
Douglas Bland, author, Uprising, the study of a future First Nations insurgency in Canada
.........
How much?!
I have never felt ill at the cinema (Can A Movie Make You Sick? - Life, Nov. 11), except when told how much I had to fork over for drinks and popcorn.
Giselle Déziel, Cornwall, PEI