Readers discuss the continued funding of the CBC, campus antisemitism, improving life for First Nations, plus more
Re: CBC, Radio-Canada to eliminate 800 jobs and some programming amid ‘budget pressures’ — Tara Deschamps, Dec. 4; and Liberals voice support for CBC after announcing layoffs, Tait won’t rule out bonuses — Nojoud Al Mallees, Dec. 5
So the CBC, which gets $1.2 billion annually from the government, still can’t make ends meet and has to lay off 600 employees? Just before Christmas?
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It would be better to let this thing die because it obviously isn’t worth keeping. Why are taxpayers subsidizing a huge, money-losing corporation that has become nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Liberal party? It’s not free press, it’s propaganda for the Liberals.
Bill Stemp, Calgary
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has stated that the Liberal government strongly supports the CBC. This isn’t surprising since the CBC strongly supports the Liberal government.
Lyman MacInnis, Toronto
Re: University campuses an unsurprising maelstrom in response to Israel-Hamas war — Howard Levitt, Dec. 1
Howard Levitt’s comments highlight the sorry state of affairs on certain university campuses. Campus codes of conduct typically call for students to behave in ways that are non-threatening and to support an atmosphere of civility and respect for the diverse university community. Presumably these are also the bare minimum requirements for professors and staff. That an Osgoode Law professor reposts antisemitic bile and can be so callous and wilfully blind to the legitimate fears of Jewish students begs the question, why is he still teaching? To the York faculty and staff who were legitimately suspended after being criminally charged, and to their supporters, read your own code of conduct!
The rot in academia can only be rooted out by adhering to such codes and actually using the remedies therein to sanction all those who wilfully ignore them.
Audrey Diamant, Thornhill, Ont.
Re: Dreams collide for Trudeau as First Nations bet big on oil and gas — John Ivison, Dec. 4
While there are about 640 Aboriginal bands across Canada, only 140 are members of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition.
Select Aboriginal participation in major fossil energy projects through public-guaranteed loans will do nothing to alleviate the poverty, substance abuse, murder and suicide on small, remote First Nations hamlets.
As columnist John Ivison pointed out, the root cause of these social issues is the Indian Act and Indigenous reserves.
Unfortunately it serves the interests of the federal bureaucracy and their political minions to perpetuate the oppression of the Indian Act.
D.B. Wilson, Port Moody, B.C.
Re: Physicians college embraces social justice lunacy — Conrad Black, Dec. 2; and ‘Anti-racist’ doctors would put social justice above medical expertise — Michael Higgins, Nov. 27
We would like to clarify that the work to evolve the CanMEDS Framework, which is the competency framework for physician training, is a joint effort of four partner organizations — the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Collège des médecins du Québec, the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. It is not, as Michael Higgins writes, “a working group under the auspices of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.”
Both Mr. Higgins and Conrad Black’s pieces also reference this work as a proposed addition to CanMEDS. This is incorrect. The CanMEDS Framework is revised regularly, and the partner organizations have embarked on a multi-year endeavour to evolve the framework. The reference documents that have been shared do not represent the policy positions of the partner organizations, but rather summaries of opinions gathered to date as discussion papers shared to solicit input.
The national consultation process to date has been extensive and will continue to be central to the development of the framework over the course of the next three years. Opinions have been sought from Canadian and international experts in their field to guide future framework revisions. While the varied perspectives offered do not necessarily represent the collective opinions of, or decisions made by, the CanMEDS partner organizations, they reflect contributions by our membership and community that will be explored and analyzed through further reflection and discussion.
Glen Bandiera, Executive Director, Standards and Assessment, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Re: Trudeau tries to loot charitable sector to fund his high-spending government — Diane Francis, Nov. 27; and Canadians should be willing to donate to all worthy causes, registered or not — Letters to the editor , Patrick Cowan, Dec. 3.
Letter writer Patrick Cowan says charities divert resources from those in need, but I am not inclined to believe this is true, nor do I believe that there is a significant monetary barrier to starting a charity. A law firm specializing in this can create an incorporated charity for about $5,000 to $7,000 and four months’ time. Furthermore, if registering a charity seems unrealistic, there are registered charities that can accept donations for your cause and divert the money to its intended recipient for a fee.
A more convincing case for diverting resources away from those in need is the steep tax breaks given for political donations in Canada that far exceed those for charities that (in many cases) actually serve those in need. The first $400 donated to a political party receives a 75 per cent tax credit ($300) while the first $200 donation to charity garners a 15 per cent tax credit ($30) before rising to a paltry 29 per cent, still 11 per cent lower than the 50 per cent tax credit received for political donations of between $400 and $750. This arrangement is simply backwards and Canadians should feel ashamed.
Robert Weiland, Dartmouth, N.S.
Re: Canadian Jews should not be leaving just yet — Jonathan L. Milevsky, Nov. 9
Jews have lived in Canada for more than 260 years. As a community they have been law-abiding, productive citizens who became a part of Canadian society, contributing in every sphere well beyond their small numbers.
Over the past few years and especially since the Oct. 7 pogrom by Hamas in Israel, Jews have been subjected to vilification, threats and attacks that raise questions regarding changes in Canadian society that make it inhospitable and possibly dangerous for their families.
For the most part, Jews have so far had to fight alone. The relative silence from public officials and university administrators, and the lack of enforcement of hate laws and laws dealing with offences against public order appear to give licence for more open antisemitism and the marginalization of the Jewish community.
Some of us as Jews fear that we don’t have a secure future here, a future of opportunity, equality and peace for our children and grandchildren. We ask, where are the voices of those Canadians who, we had hoped, would speak up when they see their Jewish neighbours subjected to abuse and intimidation? Would Canada see as lamentable the loss of its Jewish community and its cherished character of a tolerant, peaceful and lawful society?
Steve Samuel, Toronto
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