Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers remarks in Ottawa on recent developments in Israel on April 13.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Leadership qualities
Re “The curious case of the incurious Prime Minister” (April 12): It doesn’t seem helpful, other than to the Liberal Party, for the Prime Minister to undermine confidence in the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, nor does it shed any light on the problem.
It feels most like an attempt to deflect blame from the government, and this behaviour is a recurring theme. I think Canadians have had enough.
If the government isn’t satisfied with CSIS, who but the government has the authority to do anything about it? So why hasn’t it been done?
Joel Cohen Hamilton
I’m sure the Prime Minister would have been more engaged, and less cynical, had intelligence reports indicated that the Conservative Party was the net beneficiary of covert activities.
Vic Bornell Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
It should not come as a surprise that a prime minister relies on oral briefings for the most part. He is but one man.
This means it is imperative to be surrounded by good, well-informed people. They, in turn, rely on their staff. Sometimes mistakes are made. The operative word should be reliability‚ not blame.
The job of prime minister is often thankless and impossible to do without the right kind of support. But from the moment Justin Trudeau took office, he has been pulled apart by opposition parties that seem incapable of putting Canada first and co-operating from time to time.
Perhaps it is easier to criticize. But let’s give Mr. Trudeau a break.
Walk a mile in his shoes, if one can. Be prepared: It will hurt.
Diana Black Victoria
Re “Justin Trudeau brings That Guy with him to the public inquiry on foreign interference” (April 12): An admirable job of describing Justin Trudeau’s two manifestations: One with the drama-school voice that drives me (and apparently others) crazy, the other, a well-briefed statesman – which, unfortunately, I rarely see.
Valerie Bachynsky Halifax
Home is…
Re “Ontario awarded four cities millions for meeting housing goals after count tallied care beds” (April 10): My parents, collectively, were residents in long-term care for two months short of eight years.
If I had told my mother she was living at home, she would have burst into tears. My father would laugh and then burst into tears.
What will be next, counting prison cells as homes?
Kevin Byrne Sarnia, Ont.
Bad times
Re “Pay CEOs for performance, not failure” (Editorial, April 10): My old business partner used to say that we really earned our money in the bad years, when good management, difficult decisions and hard work meant the survival of our business.
We often had to forgo our dividends, even though we most deserved them when things were tough.
John Seigner Calgary
In spite of
Re “Cuba’s economic collapse is what happens when there is no free trade” (Report on Business, April 8): Cuba has been in the grips of an extensive U.S. embargo since 1958.
Under Donald Trump and during the pandemic, these sanctions have increased significantly, even denying ventilators. Joe Biden promised relief, but has not delivered.
Despite the crippling blockade, Cuba has managed to create free health care and education, including many medical breakthroughs in vaccines, cancer research and maternal care. Yet the United States has labelled the country “a state sponsor of terrorism.” This designation strangles its ability to function in countless ways.
Lift the embargo, cancel the sanctions and designation and let’s see how well Cuba fares. From what I have witnessed over many years, I suspect it would thrive.
This, of course, seems exactly what critics are afraid will happen.
Gwen Chute Belcarra, B.C.
Good food
Re “Schools shouldn’t be places where kids go hungry” (April 9): It will take more than $1-billion over five years to deliver a universal school food program, but this is a big step toward that goal. The federal government is matching funding currently committed by the provinces and territories.
The federal money is important, but the driving force for school food is a broad-based movement of parents, community groups, health care professionals, educators and activists who deliver food programs in communities and schools across Canada.
What is urgently needed is quick agreement between the federal government, provinces, territories and Indigenous leaders to allow the money to flow, and clear the way for existing school food programs to do the work of expansion, innovation and refinement. That and additional future funding from provinces, territories and the federal government will get us the universal program all our children need and deserve.
Debbie Field Co-ordinator, Coalition for Healthy School Food; Montreal
Use case
Re “Doug Ford may not be able to get you a family doctor. But he can bring back paper bags” (Opinion, April 13): “A U.K. study showed that reusable cotton bags have to be used at least 131 times … to equal the environmental impact of a single plastic bag.”
We have a cotton bag we bought in Britain in 2010 that is a shade bigger than a single-use plastic bag. Over 14 years, it’s been used at least once every two weeks, along with many other reusable bags acquired from various vendors.
Yes, we buy plastic bags for our garbage: one 22-litre bag per week that is rarely more than half-filled. It’s not costly or hard to limit one’s impact on the environment.
Dave Sanderson Carleton Place, Ont.
Our losses
This year, Canada has already lost three women who excelled in the sciences.
First, the dean of medicine at Harvard University characterized doctor Connie Eaves as being among the “titans of hematopoietic research” (”Trailblazing cellular biologist Connie Eaves explored the origins of certain cancers” – Obituary, March 27). Then a colleague described doctor Charlotte Froese Fischer as the “first lady of computational atomic structure theory” (Obituary, March 29). Most recently, Canada lost zoologist and professor Anne Innis Dagg, known as “the woman who loves giraffes.”
Each of these women faced roadblocks They were unwelcome in research labs, assigned mundane paperwork and, in Dr. Dagg’s case, never given tenure despite being the pre-eminent researcher in her field. What we should recognize, beyond the loss of these three women of science, is the loss of all the contributions and discoveries of brilliant women who didn’t have the same opportunities: the strong mentors, the right timing, the personal fortitude.
Paul Tortolo Waterloo, Ont.
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