Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in public hearings for an independent commission probing alleged foreign interference in elections, in Ottawa, on Oct. 16.Blair Gable/Reuters
Party politics
Re “Trudeau came to the foreign-interference inquiry to hurl a grenade at his opponent” (Oct. 17): Well we asked for it and Justin Trudeau hurled it, not so much a grenade but frustrated, wordy, politic allegations.
Katie Telford had said it much better a day earlier: This is a complex issue best handled by party officials involved in candidate selection, and is outside the authority of Elections Canada. I think the government needs a break on this one.
It is also clear to me that Pierre Poilievre doesn’t want to, but he should act more responsibly. He should request a security clearance like the other party leaders. He has some hard work to do.
I now understand why Elizabeth May’s and Jagmeet Singh’s earlier responses were different: They had different problems to solve. I assume they have gone and done the hard work of vetting their candidates.
Our government is a collection of each party’s candidates; we need them to be loyal to this country.
Brian Emes Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
Katie Telford argues that political parties should be exempt from any oversight and regulation when it comes to party nominations, arguing that it is a complex space wherein they all have their own rules. A recent recommendation from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians is exactly the opposite, namely that parties should be subject to oversight.
What should triumph here is what best serves Canada, and that is not to allow political parties to circumvent democratic ideals.
Steve Zan Ottawa
Re “Foreign crises are getting in the way of the inevitable: Trudeau’s departure” (Oct. 17): Columnist Lawrence Martin believes that Justin Trudeau’s presentation at the public inquiry into foreign interference, and the crisis with India, “are unlikely to affect his woefully low standing with the general public.” Perhaps.
It has been said that the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. Mr. Trudeau, in my opinion, gave an intelligent statement to the inquiry, and the crisis with India strikes me as a good reason for sticking with the experienced leader.
Nicholas Tracy Fredericton
On home soil
Re “PMO staff say nobody told them about CSIS request to surveil Liberal powerbroker in 2021″ (Oct. 16): I can understand the Prime Minister’s Office wanting to take the moral high ground and not be involved in the warrant process. (Maybe staff have learned something from what happened to Jody Wilson-Raybould?)
What I don’t understand is why, now that they know about the delay, they are apparently unconcerned about this breakdown in Canada’s response to threats to our national security?
Geoff Stagg Comox, B.C.
Re “This is not a diplomatic spat: it’s state terrorism, and Canada is right to call it out” (Oct. 16): We are indeed living in a dangerous world, as columnist Andrew Coyne reminds us.
I was born halfway through the Second World War. Growing up, I remember with great clarity the optimism Canadians had that, in spite of the horrific suffering our young troops endured fighting for our freedom and the rule of law, we had achieved a new world order. As Canadians we were a united and cohesive people, ready to take our proper place alongside like-minded nations in this new world of peaceful co-existence and mutual respect.
Sadly, that optimism hasn’t lasted. The disgusting alleged behaviour of India has shattered any remaining vestiges some of us might have had that all democracies believe in the rule of law.
As distasteful as it is, we should prepare ourselves for an increasingly hostile world and be ready to defend our values and way of life.
Zina Galway Toronto
Paid performance
Re “TD’s expensive board failed to fix years of rot” (Report on Business, Oct. 16): Reporter David Milstead brings up some good points regarding the tangible impact felt by the board of Toronto-Dominion Bank regarding the money laundering regulatory penalties, including deferred share compensation embedded within the board compensation structure.
Of the Big Six Canadian banks, TD’s common shares are down 5 per cent over the most recent year, lagging the other five by a substantial margin (generally the same story over the last five years). Like all shareholders, board members would feel the impact of that mediocrity.
The question is, how much is enough? The CEO has shown leadership by resigning, presumably many others have been let go as well. Would it not be appropriate for board members to receive zero compensation, along with some immediate turnover, as the bank embarks on its recovery path?
The buck actually stops there, in case anyone has forgotten.
Eric Tripp Corporate director, Toronto
No tip
Re “Quebec reaches a tipping point on consumer prices” (Editorial, Oct. 12): There would be a better way to address the problems with tipping: Eliminate it altogether.
Treat service providers as valued employees and pay them accordingly, thereby eliminating reliance on an income that is variable, uncertain and subject to the expectations and generosity (or lack thereof) of patrons.
The benefits to patrons should be obvious. The listed price is what one would pay (plus taxes). No more uncomfortable process of judging performance, then monetizing same through rusty algebra and worrying about looking cheap. This should extend beyond restaurants to all aspects of our lives where we are faced with an expectation of giving extra.
New Zealand has no tipping for any services, including restaurant servers, taxi drivers, housekeepers and porters. We could learn from them.
Mark Roberts Gananoque, Ont.
Voice of reason
Re “Prominent public intellectual Robert Fulford was a champion of Canadian arts” (Obituary, Oct. 16): One of the more commendable, if now neglected, features of Robert Fulford’s distinguished long-arc career in arts journalism was his willingness to routinely and matter-of-factly bring his critical intellectual sympathies to the works of various gay writers and filmmakers.
Moreover, from his influential editorial perch at Saturday Night magazine in the early 1980s, he used his columns to take the then-unpopular position of advocating for civil liberties for members of the gay community, at the height of the repressive Ontario bathhouse raids and the burgeoning AIDS epidemic.
In this regard, Mr. Fulford can be rightly recalled as a farsighted, courageous, civilized voice during a larger, and hopefully now passing, uncivilized era.
Toby Zanin Toronto
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