Readers discuss court decision on truckers' convoy; extending euthanasia; revamping Green Gables; and more in Letters to the editor
Re: Court rules Liberals’ use of Emergencies Act was unjustified, unreasonable — Christopher Nardi, Jan. 23; and Violating the Charter with the Emergencies Act came from a broken system — Chris Selley, Jan. 24
Chris Selley’s unhappiness with Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley’s judgment is plain to see. But why shouldn’t those who were most affected by the prospect of job loss (“get the vaccine or else”) have protested? Didn’t Prime Minister Justin Trudeau use the situation to further assert his power? He felt humiliated by the protest and needed to demonstrate his control of others, as he has done so many times in the past.
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This was not a local protest, and Canada paid a heavy price as a result. We lost our reputation internationally. Our democracy has been damaged. Short-term, emotional thinking took the place of wisdom and restraint.
Barbara Okun, Scarborough, Ont.
Assuming his decision stands as it makes its way through appeals to the Supreme Court, Justice Richard Mosley makes a powerful argument in support of civil liberties. I fully understand Justice Mosley’s candid acknowledgement at the outset of his hearing that he was “leaning” towards the view that the government’s decision was “reasonable.” His early view was, no doubt, influenced by the decision of Commissioner Paul Rouleau that the government’s actions were justified. Significantly, Commissioner Rouleau acknowledged that “reasonable and informed” people could form a different conclusion.
In criminal cases, convictions are subject to evidence of action “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Surely use of the Emergencies Act should need to meet this standard. Mosley’s decision should stand.
Robert Teskey, Ottawa
Re: We’ve already gone too far on MAID. Parliament can still stop us going further — John Ivison, Jan. 23
I came to Canada as an immigrant in 2001 after reading articles saying Canada was one of the greatest places to live.
However as MAID is increasingly becoming an option here — even for people suffering from mental illness and possibly for those younger than 18 — I find it disturbing that instead of reaching out and helping the vulnerable, we seem to be failing them.
There are so many factors around mental illness, including loneliness and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — especially in a country with brutal winters at times. Why don’t we promote resources that can alleviate these issues instead of penalizing the people who fall into this vulnerable sector of society? I think we can do better than that.
Maria Santiago, St. Thomas, Ont.
There is something fundamentally wrong with Canada when, on the one hand, it will not execute sociopathic criminals like Paul Bernardo, but on the other hand is prepared to corrupt the medical profession by turning doctors into executioners because the state is unable or unwilling to deliver timely and required health-care and hospice services to its citizens.
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Gordon S. Clarry, Rogers, Ark.
Re: FIRST READING: The Parks Canada plan to retool Anne of Green Gables to include ‘diverse’ voices — Tristin Hopper, Jan. 23
The innocence and likeable quaintness of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s stories probably no longer exists today; Prince Edward Island is much different today than it was in her time.
My great-grandfather was Lucy Maud’s father, and I feel that her stories should be left as is, as a testament to what life used to be. Millions of visitors come to P.E.I. in search of Anne and her environment. Whether or not they find it is probably in the eye of the beholder, and whether or not it proves to be a reality or simply an ideal is unimportant.
Without Montgomery’s legacy P.E.I. would probably not be known internationally, and although there are many other attractions on the Island, L.M. Montgomery is, and always will be, a vital and inescapable part of the Island’s makeup. If Lucy Maud wrote the same stories today, of course the characters might be different and would most likely reflect the Island of today.
Douglas Cornish, Ottawa
What is this predilection to rewrite history that has taken over governments? What happened to the adage that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it?”
It is pure folly to apply today’s standards to the past. As we read history, we acknowledge past mistakes and prejudices, resulting in advancement of society going forward. If we paint a false picture of past events, we lose that learning opportunity. To Kill a Mockingbird put a face on racism, with no revision required. Anne of Green Gables, adored by cultures around the world, painted a realistic view of that time and place. No revision required. Some try to rewrite the Holocaust, where lack of historical perspective has birthed an antisemitic firestorm. No revision required.
Perhaps Parks Canada should spend more time and money educating and enlightening the public on how far we have come, how far we need to go and less time on revisionism.
Maureen Arnaud, Bath, Ont.
Re: Get Ottawa’s consulting under control? Good luck with that — Neil MacAskill, Jan. 24
The consulting strategies revealed in Neil MacAskill’s op-ed came as no surprise to me. As a young engineer I was part of a consulting team engaged by the federal government in 1988. Our team struggled to provide professional and meaningful advice but in the end it became obvious that in order to get paid we had to tell the government what it wanted to hear. I found that after that experience I lost any stomach for further government consulting work.
The strategies and experiences outlined by MacAskill are by no means new. The Russian author Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) penned, “wherever there is a trough, there you will find pigs.” Does that quote remind anyone of the ArriveCAN app?
Barry Imhoff, St. John’s, N.L.
Re: Trudeau defends free Jamaica vacation as MPs vote for ethics commissioner to testify — Catherine Lévesque, Jan. 17
In 2012, then Conservative MP Bev Oda was vilified for ordering a $16 glass of orange juice from the Savoy Hotel in London, England, while performing her duties for the Harper government. The mainstream media tore into Oda, as if she was a felon, ultimately leading her to retire from politics.
Conversely, Justin Trudeau recently returned from a luxury vacation worth $84,000 at a Jamaican resort owned by a friend. And of course, there is also the matter of him staying in a $6,000-a-night luxury hotel in London during the Queen’s funeral, and the PMO refusing to disclose such to Canadians.
What justification is there for such inequitable double standards?
John Harley Whitlock, Brantford, Ont.
Re: Bureaucrats will rue the day they tried to shut me up — Jordan Peterson, Jan. 17
Dr. Peterson’s worldwide reputation as a psychologist and his national reputation in his fight against the woke-inspired nonsense spouted by the College of Psychologists of Ontario mark him as a man to be reckoned with. He makes an emotional plea for Canadians to take up verbal arms against the woke forces that threaten to bury all the political and intellectual gains that the West has, since the beginning of the Enlightenment, championed for humanity’s sake.
Churchill himself would likely be proud of Dr. Peterson’s defence of freedom of speech. Churchill reminded us of his warnings about the rise of the Fascists in the 1930s. Now, the Fascists are on the left, inspired by none other than Karl Marx. To paraphrase Marx, we in the West have nothing to lose but our freedoms.
Most unfortunately, Canadians cannot look to their government for any aid in this war, because our supposed leader is, again in Communist terminology, nothing but a “useful idiot.”
Whether he is aware of it or not, Peterson has emerged as the general that anti-woke forces in the West have been looking for. Support him! Finally, remember that all it takes for evil to flourish, “is for good people to do nothing.”
Allan E. Jones, Ottawa
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