One reader writes that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, seen here on May 3, 2020, should just 'ban all guns, and put more money behind enforcement and the halt of illegal gun imports' since 'anybody who likes guns is likely not going to vote' for him.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Keep your Opinions sharp and informed. Get the Opinion newsletter. Sign up today.
Where do we go from here?
Re Liberals Walk Back Promise To Buy Back ‘All’ Assault Weapons (May 1): Anybody who likes guns is likely not going to vote for Justin Trudeau anyway. He should do what everybody else wants: Ban all guns, and put more money behind enforcement and the halt of illegal gun imports.
Luke Mastin Toronto
We are in favour of forcing all Canadian owners of handguns and other still-legal weapons to keep them in lockable facilities at gun clubs. Guns would not be allowed elsewhere and would only be discharged on club grounds.
As for rifles and shotguns owned by licensed and responsible hunters and farmers, they should be allowed to be kept at home, but only under lock and key in safes. We personally would have no problem legally registering them with the federal government, as long as it can be done without costing taxpayers billion of dollars.
My wife and I enjoy eating meat I acquire with a legal gun and hunting licence. While I do not relish the act of killing deer or elk during a hunt, I have no choice if we want to eat what we perceive to be healthy, humanely killed red meat. And what about First Nations that practise a traditional hunt? A knee-jerk reaction to gun control in Canada seems neither fair nor smart.
David and Toni Bird North Saanich, B.C.
Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus criticizes the government for using “immediate emotion” to ban assault weapons. For me, Nathalie Provost’s survival of the 1989 École Polytechnique shooting stirs up immediate emotion.
Doug Hacking Sarnia, Ont.
Next up
Re Former Deputy Tiff Macklem Appointed As Next Bank of Canada Governor (May 2): Congratulations to Tiff Macklem, who I’m sure will make a fine Bank of Canada governor. However, so would have senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins. At first glance, it seems the glass ceiling remains firmly in place.
Peter Hambly Hanover, Ont.
Who’s to blame?
Re Emergency Medical Stockpile Was Ill-prepared For Outbreak (May 1): It beggars belief that no one seems prepared to call out the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada for the country’s shocking lack of preparedness as COVID-19 began its global path of destruction and death. A pandemic has been predicted by many scientists for decades. Not if, but when. Theresa Tam should be held accountable.
Nancy Marley-Clarke Calgary
Dig your own hole
Re Federal Deficit Could Exceed $252.1-billion This Year, PBO Says (May 1): Justin Trudeau says that now is not the time to consider how the $250-billion-plus budget deficit will be addressed. I would remind Mr. Trudeau that a smart person digging a deep hole brings equipment along to ensure he can climb out afterward.
Why should Canadians feel comfortable climbing in with him when he hasn’t considered how we will climb out together?
Randy Gillis Calgary
Medical priorities
Re Backlog Of Surgeries Swells In Ontario (April 29): A high number of backlogged elective surgeries are for joint replacements, and an overwhelming majority of these surgeries are for arthritis. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, there were already challenges meeting the benchmark for surgeries across the country. Living for months or years with limited mobility and chronic pain are devastating for individuals and may lead to additional health challenges, adding costs to the health care system.
We should start thinking how to resource and prioritize solutions to address both COVID-19-impacted surgeries and pre-existing backlog, so that many more Canadians can start to get back the mobility they deserve.
Kelly Gorman Director of public policy and government affairs, Arthritis Society; Toronto
Life’s a…
Re What Is My Province Or Territory’s Coronavirus Lockdown Like, And When Will It Be Lifted? A Guide (Online, April 1): I wanted to believe there were well-considered deliberations behind closed doors to divine the economic cost of life, in order to properly allocate resources for public health and well-being. While I am pretty sure calculations are taking place, they seem much simpler than I had ever conceived.
It looks like the value of a life in our society is not measured in dollars – it’s the cost in lost votes at the next election.
Darrell Horn Winnipeg
Greater relief
Re Small Businesses Say New Rent Relief Guidelines Still Not Enough (April 30): I’m tired. May 1 has come and gone and my commercial rent has come due. I’ve spent the past six weeks advocating at every level of government for more commercial rent relief. I don’t want to see long-standing businesses like mine disappear.
The ball is now in the hands of the provinces. Here, Doug Ford has an opportunity to show that Ontario is open for business by improving the federal relief program to levels seen in other Group of Seven countries. Small businesses fail regularly, but usually solid ones like mine take time to replace. Employees who have lost stable jobs will be on the hunt and put in precarious situations – but it all can be avoided.
Business owners aren’t asking for a handout, we’re asking for consideration after years of paying taxes. I want to remind the government that a majority of Canadians own or are employed by small businesses. We need more help to survive now, so we can thrive later.
Aaron Binder Chief experience officer, Go Tours Canada; Toronto
Can’t we do it?
Re We Can Do It? (Letters, May 1): A letter writer asks if we are ready to make sacrifices to fight climate change. That would depend on how we define “standards of living and pleasures in life,” which, to a great extent in the affluent world, are chimera dreamt up by the greedy and fuelled by advertising.
Myrette Paul-Chowdhury Toronto
Grievances
Re Shaw Lays Off About 100 Service Technicians (Report on Business, May 1): As one of the employees affected by Shaw’s sudden purge of unionized technicians, I would like to explain something. Digital equipment by its nature should be working in spec for best results. A garden hose with holes still functions, but poorly.
Incorrectly configured digital equipment contributes to pixelating picture, weak WiFi and an inferior experience. Customers may now be paying full price for second-rate service – a 25-per-cent failure rate seems okay with Shaw. It’s likely that corporate bonuses won’t suffer, bills won’t go down and this taxpayer is now redundant.
Oh, did I mention it’s kind of hard to find a job these days?
James Molesworth New Westminster, B.C.
Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep letters to fewer than 150 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com