The front lawn of the headquarters of SNC Lavalin is seen on November 6, 2014 in Montreal.Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
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
The blame for SNC’s fall
Re Liberals Block Effort To Probe SNC Affair (Aug. 22): The Conservative and NDP calls for further investigation into the governing party’s efforts to prevent the decline of an iconic Canadian company show why so many Canadians are easily disgusted with politicians. Do opposition members seriously plan to dance on the grave of SNC-Lavalin in their efforts to fell the Trudeau government? That is a party most Canadians want no part of.
Margaret Hutchison, Singhampton, Ont.
Time after time, lawyers and insiders at SNC-Lavalin didn’t take “no” for an answer. They moved from plan to plan, in constant defence of the mothership: suggesting the creation of remediation agreements (something not even on the radar of public servants at the time); drawing into their fold public servants to do their bidding; finally, chartering former Supreme Court justices to polish the chrome.
A brilliant effort. If we had a few million more of these minds at work in Canada, we would have the respect of Donald Trump.
Mike McCrodan, Vancouver
Chill on climate politics
Re Election Ads On Climate Change Won’t Threaten Charity Status, CRA Says (Aug. 21): Maybe we can chill a bit. The seriousness of the People’s Party of Canada is reflected in its tiny polling numbers. Plenty of more credible political participants in the election campaign will debate how our country should address environmental issues. The scientific understanding of how climate works and how it is affected by humans is not political. But the policy responses we must develop absolutely are.
We have limits on third-party spending on elections for the excellent reason that we want to limit the ability of well-financed lobbyists of all persuasions to distort our democratic choices.
Those who are upset by Elections Canada don’t have to marinate in frustration – jump out of the pickle jar! Donate to the Green Party. Challenge your Conservative candidate to buck the party and support carbon pricing. Join the Liberal Party or NDP and press them to bolster their anemic climate policies. Work with your like-minded independent candidate. Oh, and support those pro-environment charities with your money, your time and your voice so they can influence policy the other three years and 11 months of the election cycle.
John Bratty, Vancouver
Re In An Election, Everything Is Political (editorial, Aug. 21): Public discussion about a matter of science must be clearly distinguished from political argument as to what an elected government might do about it. Elections Canada has nothing to say about the science debate. But if the debate carries on to government policy, then it does become a political issue, and Elections Canada may be right to step in.
Garth van der Kamp, Saanichton, B.C.
Saving Quebec heritage
Re A ‘Wave Of Destruction’ Pits Heritage Advocates Against Developers In Quebec (Aug. 22): Les Perreaux’s report is excellent – and horrifying. It could apply equally to many other communities across the country.
Surely we’ve outgrown that mantra, “new is good, old is bad”? Now, as we talk sustainability and green buildings, we should be looking at repurposing every property that developers want to demolish.
The Roman Catholic Church has a lot to answer for in abandoning and then selling the magnificent Saint-Coeur-de-Marie church in Quebec. But even now the building could be adapted: as condominiums, a market, an art gallery, theatre, concert hall, low-income housing … who needs more condo towers?
Nick Russell, Victoria
‘Jihadi Jack’: In or out?
Re Parents Of Accused Terrorist Weigh Move To Canada (Aug. 21): It is concerning to realize that Canadian citizenship could be a back-up plan for alleged terrorists. They are often suspected of very serious global crimes. Canadian Armed Forces personnel have fought (and some have lost their lives) in the fight against terrorism. Allowing Jack Letts into Canada would be an insult to every Canadian.
Ali McClurg, Calgary
Re Canada’s ‘Jihadi Jack’? (letters, Aug. 22): Britain’s revocation of the citizenship of an alleged terrorist is an embarrassment to that nation’s legal history, especially given the historic role of the British in Middle East instability.
Thankfully, Canada hasn’t turned away from its legal responsibilities. Acts of vengeance have no place in an enlightened legal system, no matter how popular they may seem. When the fundamental rights to citizenship depend on elections, we are sliding backward.
Miles Tompkins, Antigonish, N.S.
Politics of Sex Ed
Re: On Sex Ed, Ford Proves He Loves To Backtrack (Aug. 22): The “new” sex-education curriculum in Ontario – and the weak attempts to defend it – show once again our choices in politicians seeking election: those who make promises they have no intention of keeping, those who have no insight into the issues they foghorn about, or both. I am afraid we seem to have both in Ontario at the moment.
What a waste of everyone’s time and money – resources that might have been put to good use.
David Hughes Glass, MD, Owen Sound, Ont.
Diagnosis by data
Re The Digital Revolution Is Coming To Health Care. Are We Ready? (Aug. 21): André Picard is right on the money. Psychologists Paul Meehl and Daniel Kahneman (a Nobel laureate) pointed out many years ago the superiority of algorithms over “experts” in every discipline.
We have enough data to make accurate diagnoses in the majority of medical disorders. The physician’s task is largely to help the patient understand the questions and interpret them correctly, and without bias. From this, appropriate investigations will be made, and more accurate, efficient and affordable health care will ensue.
Frank Smith, MD, Burlington, Ont.
In my family-practice clinic, we use an electronic medical record system that includes secure electronic messaging with patients, online appointment booking, and the ability for us to connect electronically with specialists, labs, hospitals and other health-care institutions.
We recently had a multiday internet outage that affected our entire medical building. We went into scramble mode, using WiFi hotspots from our mobile devices to connect office computers to our system, and forwarding calls from our VoIP system to a receptionist’s personal phone. These efforts let the clinic to stay open and actually provide care to a few patients.
The experience highlights the downside of relying on technology in practising medicine. If there are any dinosaur doctors in our building who still use paper medical records, they probably didn’t notice anything was amiss.
Eric Stutz, MD, Toronto
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