Hamilton philanthropists Charles and Margaret Juravinski at their home on Tuesday, May 28, 2019.Tijana Martin/The Globe and Mail
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Modest, generous, humble
Re Philanthropist Couple Make Historic Donation (May 29): With the way they have lived their lives, and now with their legacy donation of more than $100-million for health research, Margaret and Charles Juravinski have shown us all how to be good people.
The couple has lived for nearly half a century in the same middle-class home. And they have given repeatedly to improve health care. Many years ago, when they made a large donation for what is now Hamilton’s Juravinski Cancer Centre, they at first refused to have their name on the building, agreeing only after being told it might encourage others to give as well. Modesty, generosity and humility. That is their example and their legacy.
Thank you to both of them. They have made me even prouder to be a Hamiltonian.
Carol Town, Hamilton
A beautiful dream
Re Ousted Liberal MPs Are Sincere – But Naive (May 29): If I may strike pen to page for a brief defence of political science as an academic discipline, it is clear that Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott, both intelligent and expert in their own professional fields, are clearly beyond “naive” regarding politics. Gary Mason has been generous.
I am struck, time and again, at how otherwise intelligent and professional people fail to grasp the basics of how politics works, and why institutional pathologies are not exceptions but rather the rule in human endeavours. Political scientists are actually pretty good at identifying these problems, and also at thinking about solutions.
If what the two former cabinet ministers proposed on Monday had occurred in a freshman political-science class, I would have asked them, “Well, can you find a single, modern, democratic political system that is not based on political parties? If not, which is indeed the case, why might that be so?”
“Ah,” they would retort, “but we dream of a better future. We are idealists.”
It must, indeed, be a beautiful dream.
Mark A. Wolfgram, Ottawa
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Kudos to Gary Mason on his article on the two ousted Liberals. This is the most accurate assessment of the situation the two women have placed themselves in. The Westminster political structure is a party system, independents just don’t fit. Had the two collectively joined the Greens or NDP, they would have a chance of being elected and could have made that party more relevant.
Now, in the remote chance either or both get elected, they will have no political influence at all. Those days are behind them.
Randy Clark, Sherwood Park, Alta.
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While events may have carried Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott along, it seems clear that running as an independent is their best option at present. They may not be able to do much to change the mechanisms of party politics or the behaviour of the party in power, however, I’m glad they feel bound to try. Some fights need to be fought, regardless of the odds. That’s not being naive, just optimistic and principled.
Peter D. Hambly, Hanover, Ont.
Death and dementia
Re Montreal Man Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Killing Ailing Wife (May 29): It is beyond cruel that a medical aid in dying request made for a woman in the late stages of Alzheimer’s was denied, and that her obviously loving partner felt compelled to end her suffering. Anyone who has watched a loved one deteriorate brain cell by brain cell knows how agonizing that vigil is. It is exactly why Bill C-14 needs to be amended to allow advance requests for medical assistance in dying.
Kerrie Hale, Calgary
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The sentence that Michel Cadotte received was shockingly inadequate. The fact he was only convicted of manslaughter, not murder, is also most disturbing.
The penalty for the deliberate taking of a life must always be severe in our society. There cannot be different standards for different people, and there especially cannot be less harsh sentences for those who kill people who are most vulnerable. More than 747,000 Canadians are living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
This sentence must be appealed. We must send a strong message that people with dementia or disabilities are not less valuable than others in our society.
Lynn Carlile, Ottawa
Beer, collateral damage
Re Ontario’s Beer Store Showdown Puts Ottawa At Risk Under NAFTA (May 29): For reasons that only he knows, Premier Doug Ford is intent on ending the near chokehold the big-brewery-owned Beer Store chain has on beer sales in Ontario, no matter how much it might cost taxpayers.
Aside from the many millions of compensatory dollars the breweries will be awarded in court after the province trashes its 10-year agreement with them, and the penalties Canada will incur for violating NAFTA provisions, I fear other costly collateral damage.
I take beer cans and bottles, as well as wine and liquor bottles to the Beer Store for recycling. When I do that, I recover the deposit I paid on the containers when I bought them. What will happen if the big breweries get in a snit and refuse to accept bottles or cans that aren’t their own, or if – Heaven forbid – they close their retail outlets and lay off hundreds of employees? Where will consumers return their empties? Who will be responsible for recycling them? The LCBO stores aren’t set up to do so, nor are the corner stores that will be selling beer when Mr. Ford gets his way.
I fear blue boxes will soon be overflowing with discarded beer, liquor and wine containers. So, too, will parks, streets, and the shoulders of our highways.
I also wonder how all those diligent people who walk the streets with their wobbly shopping carts will pass the days if the empties recycling business goes bust?
Ken Cuthbertson, Kingston
It’s a police matter
Re Toronto Doctor Allegedly Sexually Abused Patients (May 27): The job of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario is to supervise the professional conduct of its members and ensure the standard of medical and surgical care is met.
The CPSO also has the responsibility to investigate allegations of professional misconduct. Sexual abuse is not professional misconduct, it is a crime. The CPSO does not have the training or expertise to handle alleged sexual abuse. Criminal allegations must be handled by the police.
Ashok Sajnani, MD, Toronto
Cut. In Alberta
Re Alberta Tables Bill To Cut Corporate Taxes By One-Third (May 29): To paraphrase a former Ontario farm boy, John Kenneth Galbraith, who went on to be an economic adviser to U.S. presidents, arguing in favour of trickle-down economics is akin to arguing that the best way to feed sparrows is to feed horses good oats.
Craig Sims, Kingston