Readers discuss 'the mess that is our parliamentary system,' Danielle Smith's transgender policies, the ouster of Selina Robinson, and more
Re: Government-shackled interference inquiry unlikely to get answers — Ryan Alford, Feb. 3
The mess that is the foreign influence commission is, in many ways, a microcosm of the mess that is our Canadian parliamentary system. Affected parties denied standing, others dropping out because of fear of reprisals, a commissioner who seems to hear nothing of the complaints.
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But why is that to be expected? Our bastardized version of Westminster parliament allows a prime minister to be all but dictator — and even more so when he has a majority or an agreement with another party. He appoints his own advisers, who police his agenda and control access to him. He appoints his cabinet, gives them their marching orders, can fire them at will, and has no obligation to follow their advice. He can safely ignore his backbenchers entirely. He can only be removed by the party — which he can largely control by influencing its executive. He appoints all committee heads, and therefore controls their agendas, and can replace them at any time should they show a hint of independence. He controls the parliamentary agenda, including the use of closure motions. He may, if he chooses, attend question period, but has no obligation to actually answer questions.
In short, in Canada, the prime minister is, for at least the first three years of his mandate, the possessor of almost unlimited short-term power, answerable only to the electorate every four years, and the Supreme Court more rarely. So it should be no surprise that inquiries like the election interference inquiry — its mandate and scope determined by the PM, its head appointed by the PM, its timelines set by the PM — should show the same tendencies.
Tom Curran, Prince Edward County
Re: Stem the diversion ‘catastrophe’ by making safer supply opioids traceable — Adam Zivo, Feb. 7
Despite having the sole power to do so, our federal Liberal/NDP government has yet to make government-dispensed “safer supply” opioids traceable as this would prove significant “diversion” — recipients funding preferred fentanyl by selling their government-issued drugs cheaply to black market dealers who in turn use them to hook youths lighter in the wallet.
Do Canadian voters really want adult addicts safer at the cost of increased addiction among the young and risk to public safety, when all these constituencies would be better served by traceability of government-issued opioids that’s eminently doable? Liberals hiding the flaw in their program instead of fixing it should be turfed ASAP.
Laine Andrews, Toronto
Re: NDP bill would prescribe jail terms for speaking well of fossil fuels — Tristin Hopper, Feb. 7
The federal riding of Timmins—James Bay is a long way from Ottawa. How does MP Charlie Angus commute without fossil fuels?
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Inquiring minds would like to know.
Jack Guthrie, Victoria. B.C.
Re: How to survive in the age of cancel culture — Katherine Brodsky, Jan. 30
Katherine Brodsky’s reporting of how people who silently supported her while she was being ostracized by a small but very vocal online mob, wrote to her saying, “I’m too scared to stand up for you,” reminded me of the silence of so many in Europe during World War Two. There however, the fear was more palpable because any vocal dissent would lead you to a concentration camp. And not only would you be putting your life in jeopardy, but you would also be risking the lives of your parents, your spouse and your children.
Brodsky warns that “when the majority remains silent, a very vocal minority can easily gain control of a group even if it’s views are widely unpopular,” which also in her words, “accounts for many dark moments in history”. Perhaps if in the early days of the Nazi movement, more people had vocally opposed it, the world would not have suffered the terrible consequences of the earlier silence. And now, in a world where the study of history has been relegated to the ash heap, George Santayana’s warning that, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it” is, to say the least, disquieting.
Eli Honig, Toronto
Re: Canada doesn’t matter to the rest of the world — and it’s our own fault — Michel Maisonneuve, Jan. 6; and Canada’s promise to deliver air defence system to Ukraine unfulfilled a year later — Sarah Ritchie, Jan. 10
France will celebrate the 80th anniversary of its liberation from the clutches of Hitler’s Nazi army on June 6, the date an armada carrying Allied troops began the Battle of Normandy, during which almost 5,000 Canadian soldiers died.
Canada was once revered by democratic nations, but today with a depleted military, failing our pledge to NATO, failing to yet make good on a promise to send Ukraine a missile defence system, and now sitting on surplus rockets, slated for disposal, that could be used by Ukraine, one wonders about Canada’s commitment to democracy.
How far we’ve fallen in 80 years, once respected by world leaders and now seen in a far different light due our government’s failures, while many democracies are saying, “actions speak louder than words.”
Peter J. Middlemore Sr., Windsor, Ont.
Re: Three lessons for the federal government from the COVID crisis — Preston Manning, Feb. 2
Hard reality has overtaken any delusions Canadians still had about a socialist health-care system.
The only choices left are back-up private health care in the U.S. or a made-in-Canada private back-up system. The U.S. back-up is in full use right now. Not only is every Canadian who can afford it using it — including all the hypocritical socialist elites — but the B.C. government as well. That one of the most left-leaning provincial governments is now officially sending cancer patients to the U.S. is evidence in plain sight that it’s game over for socialist health care.
Out of a family of four, only one of us has a doctor. It is now routine for specialists to advise of health-care options in the U.S. I have had this advice myself.
Manning thinks that we can still change course. Sorry. We have hit the iceberg. Canadian health care is too busy bailing out water just to keep afloat. It isn’t going anywhere but down. We are running out of money and on a downward slope of financial decline. We have become what Britain was in the seventies.
Health care delayed is health care denied. Government has had long enough to succeed. To paraphrase Bill Clinton: “It’s the system, stupid.” It is past time to remedy this gross injustice and cancel the prohibition on a private health-care option. Give us the same rights as Canadians in Quebec.
Denis Walsh, West Vancouver
Re: NP View: New Brunswick synagogue vandalism an all too familiar attempt to intimidate Jews — Editorial, Feb. 1
As a septuagenarian fourth-generation Canadian, I’m equal parts appalled and alarmed by the apparent hijacking of my country by ignorant, woke hooligans and brainwashed academics and students, along with union stooges joining the parade.
For Canadians who care about such things as truth and reality, it will take a concerted effort to shore up and rebuild this country.
Stephen Cohen, Westmount, Que.
Re: Danielle Smith brings reason in the face of hysterical gender activists — Jamie Sarkonak, Feb. 1
I wish the left wasn’t so intent on ignoring the mental illness aspect of transgenderism. This issue hits close to home for me.
I spent much of my teens and twenties (I am now close to 42) suffering with trans-identity and gender dysphoria. I also suffered with depression and anxiety (and still do), which is common among transgender people, according to studies that have been done.
At 19, I wanted to transition and I went to the gender clinic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto. I went through a battery of forms asking a lot of questions and in the end, I was rejected. It hurt, but I moved on. In retrospect, I am grateful because I avoided making a terrible mistake at such a young age.
As I learned to cope with and control my depression and anxiety, I also did a lot of soul searching and came to the realization that the gender dysphoria I experienced was a symptom of the depression — a desire to be someone else because I was not happy with who I was.
While I do believe there are some people who are genuinely transsexual, I also think what I experienced is much more common among people having gender dysphoric feelings and that with proper care, they can live happy lives without making the painful and expensive mistake of transitioning.
The left’s gender ideology is dangerous and will likely do more harm than good. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s approach to the issue is a rational, thoughtful, common-sense solution, at least until we can get these ideologies out of our institutions and have a more fruitful and frank discussion on these issues as a society.
J.D. Hunter, Vaughan, Ont.
Re: Police chief apologizes to complainant in junior hockey sex assault case — Paola Loriggio, Feb. 5
In apologizing to the complainant in the case of the Canadian hockey players accused of sexual assault, London Police Chief Thai Truong said, among other things, “What we’re looking at is … an investigation where there’s a victim of sexual assault.” Maybe. Maybe not. Isn’t that for a court to decide?
Claire Hoy, Toronto
Re: Selina Robinson’s ouster shows NDP has no place for Jews who don’t submit — Rahim Mohamed, Feb. 6
Selina Robinson was not totally wrong in her assertion, perhaps just using the wrong words. Don’t we all from time to time?
I lived in British Palestine in the 1930s and early 1940s. I well remember our village path to the main road as being two sand tracks; every morning members of the village would walk the tracks with mine detectors before any vehicles could pass by. I have a picture of a camel train (likely 1920s ) on flat, brown, rocky and empty land in what is now the Israeli city of Netanya and I well remember some ditches along main roads as being full of anopheles mosquitoes.
As the Jewish community grew so did development.
So Robinson was not wrong but perhaps slightly exaggerated; certainly no excuse for her departure — she was doing a great job for the province and for Canada.
Bill Gruenthal, Burnaby, B.C.
Growing up, the miracle that was Israel was the transformation of what was scrub land and desert into productive arable land, not the IDF or technology. Selina Robinson’s description made sense. Those who criticized her comments as Islamophobic are revisionists. Premier David Eby should have stood up for her and not caved to his party’s antisemites.
Warren Rumack, Thornhill, Ont.
Re: Trudeau’s socks, Holland’s shoes: A look at Canadian leaders and their quirky styles — Feb. 2
In a business setting, Health Minister Mark Holland would be told by his manager to drop his “clown-uniform” bow tie and red sneakers affectation and to dress the part, to respect his customers and colleagues and project an air of authority and competence.
The fact that Justin Trudeau lets him get away with it demonstrates both Trudeau’s own disdain for the electorate and his inability as a leader.
Alastair Mills-McEwan, Kanata, Ont.
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