The Peace Tower of Parliament Hill is shown in Ottawa, on Dec. 13, 2023.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Bad omens
Re “Uyghur Canadians pull out of public inquiry into foreign interference” (Feb. 1): Once again, the Liberal government and its appointees seem to have zero interest in revealing the extent of Chinese interference. Nor do they show interest in protecting those who put themselves at risk by speaking out against actions in this country taken by the Chinese government.
This inquiry now feels so compromised that Canadians will likely never know the extent of this interference, until it starts to impact our daily lives. This seems inevitable, given government inaction in the face of a hostile country and its effective plans of propaganda.
Christopher White Hamilton
Until when?
Re “Ottawa proposes delaying MAID expansion for patients with mental illness until 2027″ (Feb. 2): Postponing legislation to expand medical assistance in dying, in the hope of greater predictability of irremediable mental illness or future (imaginary) cures, would be to postpone it forever.
When people have suffered grievously for years, despite trying all available remedies and therapies and losing all reasonable hope of recovery, denying them the opportunity for MAID seems inhumane. In despair, many may be driven to suicide. What have they to lose?
Surely Canadians deserve better.
Jim Gregory Toronto
Talk the talk
Re “It’s time for hockey parents to have The Talk – and for systemic change, too” (Opinion, Feb. 3): Help may be at hand.
In 2022, London Mayor Sadiq Khan commissioned “Have a word,” a video campaign calling on men to reflect on their attitudes and say something when friends behave inappropriately toward women.
I suggest parents, young men and perhaps the National Hockey League spend a very valuable 90 seconds watching it.
Richard Willingham Toronto
Personal appreciation
Re “Personal support workers are the undervalued heart of the long-term care system” (Jan. 31): Thank you to columnist John Ibbitson for bringing attention to the unsung heroes of long-term care: our wonderful, dedicated, assiduous personal support workers.
I have worked in long-term care for more than 30 years, and each day I watch their emotional and physical toil. They are essential parts of health care teams.
It is not uncommon for PSWs to point out changes in residents that lead to serious medical diagnoses. Recently a PSW brought a breast lump to my attention, and indeed the lump was cancerous.
Day-to-day care of residents with dementia has become increasingly difficult. Physical and verbal aggression toward staff is a frequent challenge, and PSWs are expected to calm and redirect residents – not so easy when they have been punched or had food thrown at them.
Our PSWs deserve to be compensated fairly, or we will be in a dire situation as our population ages.
Ruth Goldman MD Toronto
I had my wife at home for more than a year before she passed away.
Our community care organization told me I was entitled to 15 hours of personal support worker assistance per week, but they could only provide one hour a day at a random time. I hired PSWs through a private agency at a cost of $41 an hour, which I was unable to sustain.
It turned out that the PSWs were paid little more than minimum wage, so I hired four of them off the street at $25 an hour. These PSWs were my lifesavers; they took the weight off my shoulders and made my wife’s final days as anxiety- and pain-free as possible.
I can’t praise their loving dedication enough.
Rex Pattison Clarington, Ont.
Electric dreams
Re “Hertz is selling off a third of its EV rental fleet. Should EV owners be worried?” (Report on Business, Jan. 29): Notwithstanding the current sensitivities of an electric vehicle purchase with respect to premium cost, battery lifespan and uncertain residual value, I have no doubt there is a minority segment of the market well suited for EVs, assuming a buyer has a convenient charging station, minimal exposure to the perils of costly repairs and funds for significant insurance premiums.
However, the majority of consumers should consider that hybrid technology may still provide better value on a cradle-to-grave basis. To think that EVs are the be-all and end-all of greening the driving experience would be a myopic mistake.
Governments should put a full stop to subsidizing the potential for more material mistakes down the road. Perhaps they should also advise today’s bewildered consumers what the annual cost of a fuel-tax surcharge will be, when EVs reach critical mass and lost government revenues must be recovered.
James Battle Stratford, Ont.
By the numbers
Re “Tax relief” (Letters, Jan. 30): A letter-writer believes that a capital gains exemption for homeowners “shifts the tax burden to those not wealthy enough to own a home.”
Wealthy? Most homeowners, especially those who bought their houses many years ago, were likely not wealthy then and, relatively speaking, are not wealthy now. For some, their personal wealth is almost solely in their homes.
As for the capital gains exemption, is not such profit illusory? If one paid $100,000 for a house, one assumedly did so in a market where that was the going price. If now that house sells for $700,000, it sells into a market where the seller, now a buyer (or renter) again, is operating in a $700,000 market.
Unless one downsizes extremely, where’s the actual profit?
Maurice Breslow Leeds and the Thousand Islands, Ont.
Pulpit power
Re “The growing threat of messianic politics” (Jan. 30): A century ago, writer Sinclair Lewis crafted Elmer Gantry, a novel about a preacher.
A silver-tongued orator, physically imposing and utterly immoral, Elmer Gantry was a serial adulterer who cheated, stole and traded favours for religious advancement. His parishioners were drawn to his thundering denunciations of corruption and undesirable immigrants, but he only valued them for their ability to enhance his power.
Some of the more important and clever among them knew his failings, but helped to promote him for their own ends. He always escaped punishment.
By the end of the story, he began believing that he could compel even the U.S. president to carry out his objectives. Elmer Gantry is an indictment of the hypocrisy and dangers inherent in combining American nativism with fundamentalist religion.
We were warned, but did not listen.
Bob Seiler Pickering, Ont.
The only thing that comes to mind after reading this: the words of Mark Twain.
“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”
Steven Brown Toronto
Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com