The other
Re “Whitewashing Russian soldiers is an insult to the Ukrainian victims of their invasion” (Opinion, Sept. 11): I was struck by a counterpoint in one of your opinion columns. Lidiia Karpenko argues that Russians at War is propaganda, that we do not need to be shown that Russian soldiers are humans, not robots. I have not seen this film. (And now there will be no opportunity.)
But I have read widely about it. I believe it exemplifies Barack Obama’s comment, quoted by another Globe columnist, Gary Mason: “We don’t trust each other … because we don’t take the time to know each other.” By all accounts, those soldiers (and their families) are victims of war, and specifically Vladimir Putin’s egomania. It’s important for everyone to know who they are.
Richard Harris Hamilton
War criminals
Re “Top scholars urge Canada to release war criminals report” (Sept. 11): Having filed an Access to Information Act request with the Department of Justice, I am hoping Canadians will finally learn how Soviet war criminals and collaborators managed to sneak into Canada after the Second World War, often pretending to be victims of the Third Reich. Several crowed on about how they served in the ranks of notorious secret police formations such as the NKVD, SMERSH and KGB. When we find out why Ottawa turned a blind eye to these murderers in our midst, I hope this newspaper will report on how they came to be here, yet escaped punishment. Neither justice nor journalism should be selective.
Lubomyr Luciuk, professor, Royal Military College of Canada; Kingston
Something to chew on
Re “For Alberta’s wild horses, decade-long debate over agriculture and ecology is a matter of life or death” (Sept. 11): So the Alberta government “has to manage the wild horse population to prevent damage to its pasture land – it says horses’ grazing habits contribute to ecological decline.”
Maybe they should take another look at abandoned oil wells and tailing ponds. Oops. They’ve tried that before, but that just angers big-money oil companies. We can’t have that, and, of course, nothing can be done.
At least in Canada we still have a fair democracy, so we can cull some politicians.
Doug Hacking Sarnia, Ont.
Blue skies
Re “Pilots’ expectations are economically illiterate” (Report on Business, Sept. 11): While I have no skin in the game with the Air Canada pilots, I am a retired airline pilot and have followed the Air Canada saga for years.
I agree that the Air Canada pilot association has tried to leverage the “we are paid half of what our American brothers get” argument too much and for the reasons the author has pointed out.
The history of the relationship between management and the pilots shows that the pilots gave up a lot during the early 2000s, when Air Canada was in dire straits financially. Defined retirement benefits were changed to defined contributions. Working conditions have been slow to catch up to previous conditions.
Airbus is now experimenting with single-pilot airliners. If the best available new hires don’t feel it best to join the airline, do we want the ones that do being the only pilot up front?
Chris McCabe Blue Mountains, Ont.
Don’t touch
Re “Political interference in central banks can crush economies” (Report on Business, Sept. 11): The article by Katharine Lake Berz should be required reading for anyone thinking of voting for Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in the next federal election. Poilievre’s promise to fire the Governor of the Bank of Canada, should he become prime minister, is the product of a financially illiterate mind that knows nothing about responsible leadership.
You think inflation in Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been bad? Just take a look at Turkey, where inflation was running at 52 per cent per annum in August, thanks to Turkey’s President putting pressure on that country’s central-bank governors (of which there have been six since 2019) to lower interest rates. Turkey’s economy has tanked as a result.
God help us all if Mr. Poilievre becomes prime minister and follows through with his promise to fire our central-bank governor as a way to keep Bank of Canada interest rates low.
Peter Love Toronto
The other class
Re “The Tories aim to put the blue in blue collar” (Editorial, Sept. 11): Your timely call for more robust measures from Pierre Poilievre to support the working class is good news for all of us. As a former Steelworkers union member who earned their foundry scars working as a hotbed hooker at Stelco in Hamilton, I was glad to have a job that let me pay taxes. It is time for politicians of all stripes to stop bemoaning the price of civilization and help more of us contribute to the cause rather than standing in a growing unemployment line.
Tom Baker Burlington, Ont.
Still burning
Re “Blinded by the glare from 2023′s wildfires” (Editorial, Sept. 10): Thank you for bringing attention to the way people are ignoring climate change.
Last summer, my neighbours in Toronto could see, smell and feel the effects of wildfire smoke, and everyone was talking about climate change.
However, as you pointed out, this conversation stopped, even though this year’s wildfire season was “one of the worst on record.” Torontonians only started talking about climate change again when the city got hit with torrential downpours and extensive flooding.
Roberta Tevlin Toronto
Pay, not charity
Re “Quebec introduces bill to rein in excessive tipping amid cost-of-living concerns” (Sept. 13): There is no rationale for tipping – and that is probably why it is primarily a North American custom. Servers and others who receive/demand tips do not work for customers, they work for their employers. Employers should pay a decent wage, and servers’ incomes should not be determined by how “charitable” a customer feels on a particular day or whether the chef properly cooks the meal.
Richard Austin Toronto
A keeper
Re “Field of Dreams showcased James Earl Jones at his perfected best” (Sports, Sept. 11): I am a diligent reader of Cathal Kelly’s columns. His essay on James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams is outstanding. Mr. Kelly connects Mr. Jones’s wonderful portrayal of the character Terrence Mann to a model of masculine empathy and resilience: “Never lose that childlike ability to become something else.” This column is a keeper and will be taped into my notebook.
Martin Birt Uxbridge, Ont.
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