Politics of disease
Re Ottawa To Cut Powers Of Nation's Top Doctor (Nov. 28): Take away control of the staff. Take away control of the budget. And leave the public health officer with control of – well, of what exactly?
If this is such a good move, why bury it in an omnibus bill? Of course, that's exactly where you'd bury it if you wanted to control the public-health agenda without rousing the critics.
If you wanted to, oh, say, use ideology instead of sound medical practices to govern how you approach travel restrictions for Ebola areas? If you wanted to politicize disease response?
Moira O'Neill, St. John's
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To hear that some bureaucrat will now control the Public Health Agency's budget and staff is worrisome, as it means the chief public health officer, a well-regarded physician, will have less control – especially if a politically oriented emergency arises. And it will.
Graham Watt, Sackville, N.B.
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Refugees' health
Our government has clearly refused to comply with an order in a case in which the court found that the government's denial of health benefits to refugees was a violation of our Charter of Rights (Ottawa's Treatment Of Refugees Is Shocking – Nov. 7).
This defiance is in the face of the court refusing the government's request to stay the order. Moreover, the government has publicly stated that it is obeying the court order, in spite of the clear facts to the contrary.
In my practice of law, I've represented trade union leaders who have gone to jail as a result of defying court orders. Perhaps it's time for a citizen's arrest of Immigration Minister Chris Alexander or indeed the PM, who likely authorized this defiance.
It's time this government learned that the rule of law means the law applies equally to all. It is not enough to wax eloquently on Remembrance Day that we should honour our fallen soldiers who fought valiantly and died to protect the rule of law. We truly honour them by complying with the rule of law and not defying it!
Contempt of a court order is an insult to their memory.
Paul Cavalluzzo, Toronto
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Oil-buyers' market
Re Canadian Producers Sheltered From Oil's Plunge (Report on Business, Nov. 11): Why did the loonie decline against the U.S. dollar in the first place, and what would cause it to recover? Markets clearly believe the Canadian economy will be affected by low commodity prices and the inevitable reduction in foreign investment needed to grow production.
Canadian dollar-denominated revenues are only half the equation for crude producers. The oil-sands industry is also a big importer, so not all costs are in loonies.
Heating oil, propane and gasoline are also selling for less, even as Eastern refiners return to traditional suppliers.
In a buyers' market, the highest-cost producer always loses.
Michael Edwards, Rothesay, N.B.
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It's about money
I'm willing to commend Olympic kayaker Adam van Koeverden for his dedication to early morning workouts on a lonely river, but his worldview is profoundly naive (You're Wrong, Kelly: It Is About Being Clean – Sports, Nov. 8).
The men he criticizes (Alex Rodriguez and Lance Armstrong, not Globe columnist Cathal Kelly) worked as hard as he does. The difference is that they were faced with multimillion-dollar decisions under pressure from very wealthy and powerful men – an otherworldly scenario of money and influence impossible to comprehend from the seat of a kayak.
Moreover, while Mr. van Koeverden's righteous viewpoint on performance enhancing drugs may sound reasonable to the "feel good" crowd, it's a little nonsensical coming from a man competing in the Olympics, which are no stranger to drug scandals.
For the modern athlete, playing clean when the stakes are just winning and losing is the easy part. The bigger question is, "What would you do for $250-million?" More to the point, "What would you if everyone else seemed to think that taking a little helper was fine?"
It's also important to remember that the hammer fell on A-Rod, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and the others only after an upswing in baseball's popularity allowed the owners to land their brand new, publicly funded stadiums.
Integrity wasn't the issue; as always, money was.
John P. Foden, Toronto
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Garlic horrors
When did garlic become the darling of every chef in North America (A Question Of Taste – Life & Arts, Nov. 12)? Its smell pervades every restaurant, every bus, train, plane and automobile. It seems as though every recipe calls for garlic.
Foods containing it should be marked with a bulb for easy reference, not convey its presence in the small print section.
And restaurants should put a garlic bud beside every dish containing the globular horror – à la the Chinese, with the red chili peppers that dot their menus.
Such a practical people, the Chinese. Here's hoping!
Sheila Barnum, Kingston
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First remembered
Re Canada's First Remembrance Day (Nov. 11): Lawrence Martin is correct. There were military commemorations for Canadian soldiers prior to 1919. However, the original impetus was not the South African War.
Following the American Civil War, patriotic Americans began repairing and decorating the graves of fallen soldiers once each year. Several states gave this practice formal recognition by marking one day in May, which eventually became the American Memorial Day.
Canadian veterans of the Fenian Raids (1866-1871) brought the practice to Canada. They made June 2, the anniversary of the Battle of Ridgeway (1866), their day of commemoration. Veterans groups in Winnipeg and Toronto lobbied the federal government to give the day formal recognition, which was granted in 1898.
Many local branches of the Royal Canadian Legion still observe Decoration Day today, marking the graves of all Canadian soldiers who served in conflicts dating back to the Red River and North-West Rebellions.
Russell Johnston, associate professor, popular culture and Michael Ripmeester, professor, geography; Brock University
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Frozen. In time
While I wish all newcomers to Canada a fond, fair and fun first winter, they may be forgiven if they find this harshest of seasons interminable (Teaching Immigrants To Endure – Even Embrace – Canadian Winters, Nov. 12).
After all, it can get so cold here that time itself freezes, or seems to.
Charlie Sager, Ottawa
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Canadian author Alberto Manguel, who was born in Argentina, pretty much captured winter in the Great White North: "Not until I came to Canada did I realize that snow was a four-letter word."
Anne Nguyen, Vancouver