Liberal MPs Jody Wilson-Raybould, left, and Jane Philpott have both resigned from the federal government cabinet recently.Chris Wattie/Reuters
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
..................................................................................................................................
Unintended consequences
Re Philpott Steps Down From Cabinet Over Handling Of SNC (March 5):
My request to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott: On behalf of all the Canadians who voted for Liberal policies in our last election, please go into a room with the cabinet, other Liberal MPs and a mediator, and work things out. Then all the really important issues we voted for can be addressed ASAP – environmental destruction and climate change, health care, the dire shortage of care for those with dementia, homelessness, gun control and, finally, ensuring that Indigenous people can live with dignity.
If you need an incentive, Mr. Trudeau and Liberals, in your mediation room you can tape up a big picture of a grinning Andrew Scheer, the Conservative leader. If you need more incentive, look to Ontario, where the man I laughed at when he ran for leadership of the Conservative Party is now Premier.
Margaret Booth, Toronto
................................................
Am I alone in thinking Ms. Wilson-Raybould, Dr. Philpott and fellow Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes are letting down those Canadians who voted for a Liberal government in order to further social justice goals?
And are they not also undermining gender progress by showing more loyalty to each other than they do to a government that is delivering, against the heavy odds of a Trump administration, a hostile China, and court obstruction of national energy goals?
Nicholas Tracy, Port Maitland, N.S.
................................................
I don’t get it. There is nothing wrong with any government trying to find solutions to save companies in difficulties. In this case, employees have been purged already from SNC-Lavalin for their alleged wrongdoing so there’s no need to keep punishing the remaining employees and shareholders. Now because of the cabinet resignations of these MPs of high morals (highly misplaced morals, I’d argue), Mr. Trudeau may well lose the next election. So if Mr. Scheer gets to power, say goodbye to reconciliation, fighting climate change, the positive empowerment of women and open immigration.
Who loses in the end? I think it’s all of us.
Francois Lafleche, Vanier, Ont.
Nothing to see here
After reading countless articles in your paper about how serious the SNC-Lavalin scandal is, it was gratifying to see someone finally get it right (Look Away. There’s No Scandal Here, March 4).
Barbara Yaffe nailed it when she stated that it is being blown way out of proportion. One of The Globe and Mail’s other columns suggested Canada may be worse than the United States because of this scandal. Really?
Will Draper, Halifax
................................................
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after taking into consideration all angles and options, has the final call. While I admire former attorney-general Jody Wilson-Raybould’s principled stand on the issue, she should have done the correct thing from the outset: resign when she felt the pressure was incorrect or unjustified.
She made an error hanging on to a cabinet post and then resigning when the road got rough. While Mr. Trudeau and the Prime Minister’s Office may have bungled the way the situation played out, the Prime Minister did what he had to do – make a call. Should he resign? No. Should he be admonished for sloppy handling of the situation? Perhaps. Should we examine the idea of splitting the justice minister and attorney-general positions? Yes.
I am amused by Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and deputy leader Lisa Raitt getting their respective knickers in a knot over the issue. For all of the hand-wringing and finger-pointing, there is no scandal. End of story.
James Chauvin, Gatineau, Que.
................................................
Ms. Yaffe’s article was a welcome counterpoint to the poll of 750 Canadians (Most Canadians Think SNC Criminal Case Should Go To Trial, Poll Shows, March 4).
We have no idea how the director of public prosecutions (DPP) arrived at the original decision to prosecute SNC-Lavalin rather than to follow the deferred prosecution route. So how can anyone make an informed decision in answer to the poll?
I am curious to understand why The Globe has not dug into why the courts have recently dismissed cases against former SNC executives because of unreasonable Crown prosecution delays, “an example of the culture of complacency” presided over by the DPP, according to one judge. Why decide to prosecute the company when you allow the fired executives who made the bad decisions to go free?
David Powell, Toronto
Trouble with China
Isn’t it ironic that Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou from China claims her charter rights are being violated in Canada, yet her country has no such rights (Huawei CEO Sues Canada, Alleging Police, CBSA Violated Her Rights, March 3). She has access to lawyers, is out on bail and has all her rights, while the two Canadians held in China have no access to lawyers, have no rights, are in jail and possibly have been tortured. Perhaps the Chinese ambassador to Canada might wish to comment on this irony. Perhaps Prime Minister Justin Trudeau might ask that question of China and its ambassador.
Roger Emsley, Delta, B.C.
................................................
Now China has raised the ante and has accused Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor of stealing state secrets (China Claims Kovrig, Spavor Cases Linked, March 5).
The government of Canada’s naiveté with respect to the extradition of Ms. Wanzhou to the United States has put us in this position. We can never successfully fight the tactics of the government of China. Whatever it takes, including intense discussions with the United States, we need a prisoner exchange.
Irv Salit, Toronto
Rave reviews
As a long-time Shaw Festival theatregoer, I welcome artistic director Tim Carroll’s vision and new insights (Will Shaw Festival’s Success Calm Calls For Carroll’s Ouster? March 4). He is refreshing. I also welcome a respite from George Bernard Shaw plays themselves, although I admit the festival exists because of Mr. Shaw and his lifespan. Because the festival coffers are healthy once more, perhaps we can assume that a new generation is happy with the new playbills. Let us wait and see what else Mr. Carroll has up his sleeve.
Gail Crawford, Mississauga
Lindsay’s legacy
Re Terrible Ted Was Brutal, But Gracious (March 5): In the early 1960s, I recall reading an article in the Hockey News titled Truculent Ted Lindsay. Indeed, he was truculent. However, every single NHL player since his time owes him a sincere debt of gratitude for his selfless instigation and creation of the National Hockey League Players’ Union.
Jeffrey Manly, Toronto