613-623-5005

2009

Re “ Chrétien lawyer questions Gomery's impartiality” :  So Judge Gomery  has called the sponsorship program  a managerial catastrophe. What’s the big deal?  He has taken judicial notice, that is, accepted this as obvious. Messers  Chrétien and  Pelletier  should do the same.  January 11, 2005

Rex Murphy is looking for a Canadian compromise in the same sex debate. I suggest the following: Parliament could define ‘marriage’ as proposed, "lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others." but reserve the phrase ” holy matrimony’ exclusively to those whose vows are sanctioned by some religious ceremony. Those who see marriage as essentially a contract will have their rights protected.  Those interested in God’s blessing will have their rites protected. January 22, 2005

Your editorial chastises Paul Martin for only raising taxes ten years ago when dealing with the CPP. Instead you say, G.W. Bush is perhaps trying to fix the problem by restricting benefits.  If you keep people off pensions for a time, it is the same as denying service for tax paid. Raise taxes or restrict benefits; it looks like  two sides of the same coin to me. When he was Finance Minister, Paul Martin made budget choices that led to higher CPP contributions and lower EI contributions.  Presumably, that reflected the government’s understanding of Canadian priorities. What President Bush seems to be offering Americans is less ( social ) security.  I doubt that’s what the American public wants.     February 5, 2005

I agree with letter writer Noel Lyon; let’s scrap the league but keep the cup.  An all Canadian Hockey League with perhaps 12 cities and a quota of 80% Canadian players would vie for the silver chalice. But let’s make it a complete break.  Maybe we could persuade our Governor General to lend her name to the prize: the Clarkson Cup.  February 21, 2005

Does the ten per cent corporate tax cut ( in 5 years ) and elimination of the corporate surtax by 2008  apply to the insurance industry?  Are we giving tax breaks to an industry which this week reported record profits after two years of record rate increases in consumers? Did they not report a 20.6 % return on equity, 4.2 billion ( after tax ) dollars. And Ralph Goodale wants to give them a break to make them competitive?  Give me a break!    February 24, 2005     

Your editorial of February 24, 2005 , “ The Prime Minister opens the floodgates”  faults Paul Martin for fashioning a budget which reflects demands from all quarters. You end the piece saying “ That’s not leadership.”  Right! That’s democracy in a minority government world, a situation for which we, the people, voted. Is that not a fair reflection of the people’s will, i.e. representative democracy?  February 24, 2005

Outgoing US Ambassador, Paul Cellucci  is surprised that Canada would give up its sovereignty by not joining in the U.S. missile defence plan.  But the Americans were not offering Canada a veto over ‘ the button’, just the right to endorse the program and ‘be in the room’ when they push ‘the button’.  Does that mean Cellucci and the Bush administration define sovereignty as  having the right to agree with the U.S. ?  No wonder the U.S. president is so proud of invading Iraq to make that nation sovereign. February 26, 2005

For more than a year the political pundits told us of the war between the Martin and Chretien camps in the federal Liberal Party.  Now the Conservatives and the Bloc refer to the corrupt Liberals as if it were one homogeneous entity.  But it seems to me only one branch of the Liberal Party is at fault in the Sponsorship scandal. From my perspective, the reformist Martin Liberals are still doing battle with the ancient regime, discredited Chretien Liberals.  To me, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.  I support the Liberal/NDP position and await the report of Justice Gomery.  May 2, 2005

Two letters under the heading “ Still friends, right?”  give me pause.  Robert MacNeil cautions fellow Canadians to not “ bite the hand that feeds us” .  Sounds like advice to a pet dog. But that was less offensive than the letter from  Sherwood Baker of Michigan who, it seems, would rather kick his dog when it doesn’t obey.  In tune with his president, Mr. Baker clearly believes if you don’t go along with what America wants, you are the enemy.  May 10, 2005

At last the Prime Minister has done the right thing, called for an early vote of confidence on the record of his government, that is, the proposed budget. Let the Canadian people intelligently  judge this government on its plans to govern. Let us not go to the polls with visceral venom and spurred  on by the scandalous accusations coming from the, as yet unresolved, Gomery inquiry. I think Stephen Harper is being hypocritical over what he calls the Liberal’s  lack of respect for Parliament. He and his separatist allies should await the budget to show respect for the Canadian people.  May 11, 2005

Letter writer John McCaffery thinks an idealistic view of animals held by animal rights advocates stems from Walt Disney’s romantic and anthropomorphic portrayal of animals.  I see.  East coast sealers don’t kill seal pups.  Mickey Mouse kills seal pups.  May 16, 2005

I think Ms Stronach could have remained in the Conservative Party despite differences over policy and strategy But the way Stephen Harper and some others in his party behaved over the past week was probably too much for a lady of such class.  Ms Stronach  may have felt she had more in common with the fiscally conservative but socially progressive Paul Martin than she did with the boorish, bully boys in the Conservative Party.  I don’t doubt the “cancer card” mud slinging was too much for her.  It was too much for me.   May 17, 2005

Letter writer Michael Cote is under the impression that Canadians vote for parties not representatives. He’s wrong.  The people of Newmarket and area  voted for Belinda Stronach not the Conservative Party.  Some may have been motivated by party affiliation, others by personality, still others on candidate positions on a variety of issues.  Different people vote for different reasons. Technically in Canada ( unlike the U.S. ), we vote for the person and in fact, not long ago Party affiliation was not allowed to be shown on the ballot.  May 18, 2005

Open Letter to the Globe: To Belida Stronach;

In politics, if you doing something wrong some people will be upset.  When you do the right thing they’ll nail you every time. I found the sexist and vulgar comments from Bob Runciman and Tony Abbott and the vilification of you by Stephen Harper  say more about them than you.  I am disgusted with their accusation that your move was motivated by personal ambition, that it was crass opportunism.  On the contrary:  to join the government when the Liberal party is at an historic low in popularity is in no way taking advantage of opportunity, rather it is an honourable move toward correcting the problem of accountability, integrity and national unity at a crisis point in our history.

Do not expect thanks for this daring and sincere move.  It is easier to believe base motives in politicians  rather than higher ones;  men of integrity like Ed Broadbent and Joe Clark seem to be a dying breed.  I am sure the boorish behaviour over the last ten days in Parliament  was too much for you.  As a recent cancer survivor, I was personally affronted by Harper’s comments re Liberal voting strategy.

I hope you can hold true to your aspirations re cleaning up after the Gomery Inquiry brings down its recommendations.  Many Canadians now believe that their elected representatives are all “on the take”;  as a local town councillor in Arnprior , Ontario , I know that most elected representatives of the people ( especially at the municipal level ) are “ on the give” , that it is truly public service.

So I say “thank you”  for your service, for your difficult but honourable decision, and for your aspirations on behalf of good, moderate government and the unity of Canada . May 18, 2005

Letter writer Michael J. Ashby fears the defection of Belinda Stronach will mean the loss of a moderating influence on the Conservative Party of Canada and condemn us to continued one-party rule.  That’s one way of looking at it.  Another view might be that the MP from Newmarket was a moderate, reasonable looking  front  that masked the ultra-right wing reality that the Reform/Alliance/ Conservative Party truly is.   If Canadians choose the Liberal Party once again, it won’t be because we favour the cynical Liberals more, but rather that we, like Ms Stronach, can stomach the Regressive Conservatives even less.    May 20, 2005

So Donald Trump and The Apprentice show have morphed into an haute cuisine version ( Hell’s Kitchen ) with a celebrated chef  throwing the (cook) book at his hirelings.  I imagine him yelling at his all-too-inferior sous chef, “ You’re fried! “  May 25, 2005

Some letter writers object to the Globe and Mail portraying  fundamentalist “Christian” candidates  as infiltrating the federal Conservative Party.  They call it discrimination because the newspaper would not decry  Muslim candidates infiltrating a political party. The way I see it:  ultra-right wing, fanatical, so-called Christians are to Christianity as Al-Qaeda is to Islam.  May 28, 2005

Only someone as biased and right-wing as Gerry Nichols, VP of the National Citizen’s Coalition, could think Rick Mercer is the Liberal Party court jester.  For years, on 22 Minutes, Mecer roasted Chretien, Martin and the entire Liberal cabinet over scandals and faux pas; he routinely held their feet to the fire of political issues foreign and domestic.   Is he jabbing and jibing from the left?  From the  National Citizen Coalition perspective, everyone is from the left.  June 24, 2005

Ken Jensen should re-read Mr. Stanford’s letter. What Jim Stanford said was  “ Well, actually, the sun doesn't rise: The Earth rotates around it. “  So, did Mr. Stanford confuse rotate with revolve?  Perhaps.  Or maybe  he does  know the earth rotates on its axis ( giving us night and day )  and, while it does so, revolves around the sun and over the year tilts toward and away from the sun ( giving the hemispheres their seasons ). Maybe he knows that.   In any event,  I assume an economist with the Canadian Auto Workers union would know the political difference between rotation ( voting  Conservative or Liberal every four years or so )  and revolution ( voting NDP ).  July 6, 2005

Some letter writers seem to be saying that Karla Homolka is being unfairly treated by the courts, news media and  the community in general.  That was is happening is vengeance not justice.  Perhaps.  But does that make it unfair ?   “Justice” is a lady and “Vengeance” is a bitch. But maybe we need the bitch calling the shots right now because the ‘lady’ was so absent when Karla made her deal and  we turned Lady Justice into a whore.    Maybe two wrongs do make a right when maintaining the ‘integrity’  of an unfair, unjust deal merely compounds the original error.  July 6, 2005

Did I get this right?   The  Conservative Party admits Gurmant Grewal received cheques for campaign expenses, did not deposit them in the riding association, did not report them to Elections Canada and have not given the donors receipts. 

This is the same MP who demanded security deposits from would-be immigrants? This is the same MP who secured his and his wife’s citizenship on the basis of investing in a Canadian business that turned out to be a mere paper transaction?   This is the same MP who approached Liberal party officials to see if he could strike a deal that would see him cross the floor in exchange for a cabinet post for himself and a senate seat for his wife?   This is the same MP whom Stephan Harper says is being smeared by the Liberal Party? Stephan Harper is doing his party no good by jumping to the defence of MP Gurmant Grewal. July 13, 2005

I have been leery of ‘mind crimes’ in Canada for 20 years, ever since the Keigstra and Zundel controversies arose.  Professor Newman’s editorial rightly differentiates between morally repugnant acts and crimes.  Where is the line drawn between the state punishing voiced opinion and the state controlling opinion?  I fear the freedoms fought for 60 years ago may be lost without a fight.  Freedom of speech, of religion, of association: they are all vulnerable.   There are times when the state must act.But surely there must be hateful acts that have resulted from speech or publication before the state can declare that speech a crime.  July 14, 2005

If the ‘head’ of the Marijuana Party of Canada is extradited to the U.S. for his postings on the internet, will Globe and Mail columnists be next?  Are their  words, some of which may be deemed treasonous or promoting terrorism, liable to prosecution under the Patriot Act?  Their  articles cross the border through cyberspace.  Better watch yourself, Rex.  July 31, 2005

I am amazed at the number of people insisting Mme Jean and M. Lafond should reveal how they voted in the 1995 Quebec Referendum. The secret ballot is a  foundation stone of democracy. But even more disturbing is the notion that the choice of the Quebec people to redefine their relationship to the federal state is, to use Ralph Klein’s words, “anti-Canadian”.  That is insulting to all the people of   Quebec not just those who voted ‘yes”.

  The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Separation was legitimate given a clear question and a clear majority. Is the court anti-Canadian?   Prime Minister Brian Mulroney  tried to redefine the Federal-Provincial relationship twice, once at Meech Lake and again at Charlottown.  Does that make him anti-Canadian?  August 13, 2005

Not much of a smear  Re Quotes From '93 Book Suggest Jean, Lafond Supported Sovereignty (Aug. 16):This is the best the Pequistes can come up with to smear Michaelle Jean?  That she joined in a toast saying let there be ‘ no more dominated people’?  That she understands that Quebec ’s struggle for independence is ‘ on hold’?  Or is she tainted by her husband’s  saying he would be at all St Jean Baptiste Day parades and, in the event of an Independent Quebec, he would applaud?  As would any proud Quebequois.  One can see oneself as Canadian and Quebequois  at the same time just as one may exhibit Western Pride and still be a loyal Canadian.   August 16, 2005

Letter to Globe Columnist, Margaret Wente:

Of Mr. Rubin you wrote,  “ His real offence was to have offended a particularly strident interest group that is ever on the lookout for bias.”   Do you really want to portray CAIR -CAN  as ‘strident’?  Remember,  ‘Black Power’ offended many and at one time feminists were labelled ‘strident’ because they were forceful and demanding.  I have been told you have to get in someone’s face and risk being offensive when no one sees things from your point of view.  Maybe the Muslims in a predominantly Christian / secular country like Canada feel they too must draw our attention to their reality and correct our preconceptions / prejudices.

What CSIS agent Harris calls ‘scare mongering ‘ ( reports of RCMP /CSIS intimidation of the Muslin community ) I would call raising the alarm. True, it might be a false alarm, but with ‘no-charge’ detainment and secret evidence and star chamber  immigration proceedings, I think they have reason to be alarmed.

Was I offended by Mr. Rubin’s remark? No. But then, I am as ignorant and therefore insensitive as the next person to the culture and people in question. World history taught in the high schools of the 1950s meant European history.  Mind you, today they don’t teach history at all.  It’s more like a cultural travelogue. I will say this:  your article was more probing and did more to spark my interest in Islam than the CIBC’s  mea culpa.  August 27, 2005

Letter writer Vince Porter says the CBC deserted mainstream Canada and pays the price.  Is it mainstream or mediocrity or simply the lowest common denominator that CBC has left behind?  While Global and CTV ape American broadcasting,  CBC  takes the bolder road, excellence. To borrow  and slightly alter a quote from H.L. Menken: “ No one ever got low ratings by underestimating the good taste and intelligence of the American public. “   August 30, 2005

Where have I heard this before: the economy would fare better with reductions in personal income and corporate taxes rather than with reductions in the GST?   Ultra-conservatives have always favoured increasing regressive taxes to allow cuts to progressive ones.  It’s like the argument that to best motivate productivity, the rich should be given more money ( corporate tax breaks )  and the poor should be given less ( keeping wages low ). Seems self-serving to me. September 10, 2005

So Tory Senator Marjory LeBreton would prefer the CBC to be silent during an election campaign.  Because  those most interested in Canada tend to watch / listen to the CBC and not vote conservative.  She would rather have the electorate influenced by private concerns and an American viewpoint.  This says a lot about the Conservative party.  September 11, 2005

Peter Newman shows us a Brian Mulroney looking in a mirror and seeing greatness. Compare that to Pierre Trudeau, who looked at Canada and saw greatness.  September 13, 2005

I believe Adrienne Clarkson was treated shabbily and not properly defended by the Liberal government.  But if she should  publicly express her true feelings about it, my opinion of her will suffer.  She should follow the Queen’s lead and remain above it all. September 23, 2005

Today we mourn the loss of Rosa Parks who sparked the civil rights movement in the United States fifty years ago.  She was an ordinary person doing something extraordinary.   She said ‘no’ to injustice and cultural tyranny which was made legal by an uncaring government willing to use ‘law’ to beat down people.  Today I pay tribute to her courage.I also thank the teachers and labour movement in British Columbia for their courage in fighting a similar foe.  October 25, 2005

Letter writer DRANIE SOLDEN, thinks we should have nothing to do with Iran because of statements about how Israel should be wiped off the map. I agree that the Iranian president’s statement is unacceptable. Even if you take the words to mean eliminate the state of  Israel as a political entity ( rather than wipe out the people ), it is still unacceptable.  But I remember when General Westmorland said the U.S. should bomb the Vietnamese into the Stone Age. It was more than slogans; they damn near tried.  We still have relations, quite close ones, with the Americans.  October 30, 2005

I must disagree with letter write James R. McCarney  who applauds Stephen Harper’s promise to reduce the GST.  Mr. McCarney claims that, unlike Liberal tax cut plans,  this move will help all Canadians, not just the middle class. Not so. The GST is not charged on rent, food, taxes, insurance and children’s clothing.  The working poor, those on Social assistance, and any family with an annual income less than $25,000 would hardly benefit from GST reductions as almost all their income goes into the essentials which are not GST taxable.  But the loss of tax revenue will likely deprive them of services they desperately need.

After announcing the conservative GST plan this week, Stephen Harper told reporters “ all taxes are bad”.   I hope that was taken out of context.  Taxes are not bad, they are how Canadians meet our collective needs.  If Harper sees only private solutions to collective needs,  he has no right to serve as head of government .. He obviously does not believe in government.  December 3, 2005