Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Sept. 18.Blair Gable/Reuters
History repeating?
Re ”It’s not just Trudeau: The Liberals’ days as the natural governing party are done” (Opinion, Sept. 14): Soothsayers predicting the Liberals’ complete collapse may want to clean their crystal balls. This moment is not so unique.
In 1984, when Pierre Trudeau left office, the Liberals were reduced to 40 seats (just 10 more than the NDP) as the Progressive Conservatives surged to a historic victory. The provincial situation was much worse: Liberal parties west of Ontario did not have a single candidate elected; other provinces had Liberal oppositions. In total, 164 Liberals had been elected (not counting by-elections and floor crossings).
But by 1993, when Jean Chrétien took the federal party to 177 seats, the Liberals had majority governments in five provinces, formed the official opposition in three and had elected members in all but one. Across Canada, 516 Liberals had been elected.
The lesson? Popularity ebbs and flows.
Alarmism is not without its merit, but the Liberals can and likely will win again.
Ian McKenzie Ottawa
Room to grow
Re “Alberta population surge causing raft of political and financial problems for the province” (Sept. 14): In 2022, the United Conservative Party government launched a cross-country ad campaign for Canadians to move to Alberta for jobs, low-cost housing and economic opportunity.
Since then, Danielle Smith has made many public statements that she would like Alberta’s population to grow to 10 million. And guess what? People moved to the province, and now she complains.
This is yet another illustration for me that Ms. Smith has no idea what she is doing and how to govern.
Stephen Crocker Edmonton
The pits
Re “In Alberta, a plan for a gravel pit near a provincial park is raising concerns around groundwater” (Sept. 10): This proposed gravel pit is located close to Highway 1A between Calgary and Canmore.
I’ve driven this highway countless times over past decades and always been amazed that it follows a corridor of vast quantities of gravel. The quantity of gravel in the Bow River Corridor is literally endless by anyone’s calculation.
With so much gravel in this region, why does Alberta need to jeopardize such a valuable and popular site as Big Hill Springs Provincial Park, which attracts 250,000 visitors annually, by approving development of an adjacent gravel pit?
This appears to be just another example of how the province continues to be influenced by big business, at the cost of an unwillingness to preserve natural and historical resources for generations of Albertans to enjoy, unfettered.
Michael Langfeldt Calgary
In person
Re “A Toronto teen is being accused of torturing animals. What role should his parents play?” (Opinion, Sept. 14): As a Riverdale resident, I take issue with columnist Robyn Urback’s characterization of the statement made by the parents of the 16-year-old boy, who was arrested for allegedly abusing animals, as tone-deaf and insensitive.
There was a lot of discussion in the neighbourhood the night of the arrest. Neighbours were deeply concerned and worried about the severity of the alleged crime, and aware of the heightened risk for escalation to even more serious crimes, while also expressing compassion for the family.
Trying to cope with, supervise and help a teenager who can exhibit extremely violent behaviour must be one of the most frightening and emotionally devastating problems that parents can face. Even Ms. Urback acknowledges that such a mental health disorder can be among the hardest problems to treat.
Asking for understanding from neighbours, who may have been quick to label their child a monster, shouldn’t be interpreted as defensive.
Nancy Miller Toronto
Up in smoke
Re “Some people are bothered by Charley Hull’s smoking habit because it endangers the hard-work ethos” (Sports, Sept. 14): Sports stars have long smoked. What they didn’t do is ask league brass if they could smoke in the rink or ask a fan to light them up in the seventh inning.
The hullabaloo around golfer Charley Hull’s smoking isn’t that it tarnishes the image of sports stars. Fans understand many stars can be less than perfect specimens of health, habit and even hard work. The issue is that having a pro light up during a sporting event is so obviously an affectation meant solely to signal something about their off-field brand.
And when starry-eyed officials, fans and seemingly sportswriters lap this up, it doesn’t just expose those still in the thrall of junior-high ideas of cool – it chips away at years of hard-won progress on a health problem that hurts us all.
Marc Peverini Toronto
Meet the letter-writers
Throughout the late spring and summer, The Globe will feature personal insights and missives from some of our most frequent contributors every Sunday in Letters to the Editor. Survey responses were collected as a part of the research behind A Nation’s Paper: The Globe and Mail in the Life of Canada, a collection of history essays from Globe writers past and present, coming this fall from Signal/McClelland & Stewart.
(The following responses were received by The Globe after a call for submissions in May, 2023.)
I like to write, and I’m curious about current affairs and the world around me.
More so-called everyday people are commenting, but there are still those with a title behind their name that are frequently published. That is probably the only reason they are published.
I’m always surprised and honoured when The Globe and Mail publishes a letter of mine.
Douglas Cornish Ottawa
I write letters to The Globe and Mail to rail against hypocrisy, self-righteousness, pomposity, abuse of state power and arrogance; just writing letters is existentially cathartic.
On Nov. 7, 2022, you published a letter from Max Matas, the nephew of longtime letter-writer Manuel Matas, who published nearly 300 letters in The Globe. Max announced his uncle’s death and ended his letter with a Hebrew expression, modified to reference Dr. Matas: “May his memory – and his letters – be a blessing.”
I always had a private competition in my head with Dr. Matas as to who published more letters. He walloped me.
It would require more than 40 published letters per year for the next five years for me to reach his score, when I reach the age of Dr. Matas when he died. That is highly unlikely to happen.
Philip Berger Toronto
I consider The Globe and Mail a major influencer in Canada. That brings with it responsibilities that are not always, from my perspective, handled with the due diligence they deserve and demand, so I try to add my two cents’ worth.
You seem to publish more letters from women and the views expressed are more diverse and dissenting, much to your credit. But again, from my perspective, not quite enough.
I have friends who also subscribe to your paper. It is a common thread amongst them to read the letters end to end, because it helps them with a feel for what is going on in the country.
Never forget that letter-writers have a mere tenth or less of the space to respond to items written by professionals, and it is not easy to express a view in such a small number of lines.
If one succeeds, it’s an accomplishment.
Hal Hartmann North Vancouver
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