Justice Minister and Attorney-General David Lametti says he won't rule out issing a directive in the SNC-Lavalin case to settle corruption charges against the company out of court.Adrian Wyld/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
..................................................................................................................................
SNC settlement?
Re Lametti Says SNC Settlement Possible (Feb. 11): Indeed it is. It’s also possible that David Lametti will keep his job as Justice Minister. One isn’t supposed to depend on the other.
Louis Desjardins, Belleville, Ont.
................................
David Moscrop hit the bull’s eye in his analysis of the SNC-Lavalin affair, There Goes Canada’s Moral High Ground (Opinion, Feb. 9). I suspect, however, that the likelihood of us seeing his prescription for resolution – “The public must be given every detail of the matter immediately so that we can make up our minds about whether what happened was appropriate” has less than a snowball’s chance on the Aga Khan’s island. Some Liberals may be painfully remembering when Paul Martin’s departure to political purgatory began with his unshakable commitments to the moral high ground and transparency in dealing with the Sponsorship Scandal.
Jeff Wright, Belleville, Ont.
................................
Your reporting about the reasons for Jody Wilson-Raybould’s shuffle from Justice to Veterans Affairs within the Trudeau cabinet may be embarrassing to Justin Trudeau, but even if the allegations are correct, they reflect a perfectly legal exercise of the extensive powers of the Prime Minister of Canada.
It is not unethical in our political system for our cabinet-maker to construct his cabinet as he likes. And it is not illegitimate for the PM to tell or suggest to cabinet members that they undertake any legal course of action. Canadian prime ministers may have done many unethical things over the years, but that is not the same as breaking the law or suggesting or directing that it be broken.
Is the legitimate exercise of prime ministerial power unethical in this case? Decide for yourself.
Derek R. Cook, past president, B.C. Political Studies Association; Kamloops, B.C.
................................
Given that early on there was the opportunity for a remediation agreement, what was the rationale for the public prosecutor refusing to request that SNC-Lavalin negotiate one? This is surely a critical question that goes to the heart of the current furor over who influenced whom and why.
Was there, indeed, any possibly improper influence exerted over that decision? The only way to clear the matter up is to have transparency on why that decision was made, if for no other reason than to allow any potential future transgressor to understand the actual rules of the game.
Neil Westoll, Oakville, Ont.
Nuclear, discussed
Re Can Humans Ever Be Trusted With Nuclear Power? (Opinion, Feb. 9): As a physicist and environmentalist, I have long been concerned about the dangers associated with all aspects of nuclear energy. I enjoyed the discussion between Adam Higginbotham and Gregory Jaczko about the dangers of nuclear power plants.
The ability to build and operate nuclear power plants conveys to a nation the ability to build nuclear weapons. A serious nuclear power plant accident is one form of nuclear disaster. The production and then use of nuclear weapons, using power-plant technology, is quite another kind of disaster. The last thing our poor, troubled world needs is a widespread capacity to build nuclear bombs.
Rob Macdonald, Dingwall, Cape Breton Island
A cascading death
Re My Life As A Mouse Poisoner (First Person, Feb. 8): Mouse poison often doesn’t just kill the mouse. A dying mouse that gets outside is an easy target for a passing bird of prey, such as an owl or hawk, as well as wild and domestic mammals, such as the neighbour’s cat. Callous indifference to the agonizing death of these creatures is, for most people, harder to ignore. Instead of using poison, remove the mouse “welcome mat.” If all else fails, use a humane trap that kills the mouse instantly.
Wendy Vlasic, London, Ont.
Socialism’s embrace
Re By Embracing Socialism, Democrats Will Commit Political Suicide (Feb. 11): Niall Ferguson is doubtless correct that the Democrats risk much in aligning themselves with policies that take seriously the multiple, interconnected, and escalating threats of climate change, environmental degradation, and social unrest fed by poverty and fear.
And no doubt they know this.
Better they risk “political suicide,” however, than persist in timid replication of cynical, worn-out attitudes – such as denying the urgency of climate change, gutting environmental and social protections, feeding discord – which seem downright murderous. Suicidal, come to think of it.
Gaye Taylor, Ottawa
................................
Aside from its pro-capitalist bias and insults, including the use of the old anti-socialist canard, “comrades,” this article has missed the point. Socialism is not about electing socialist governments, it’s about societal change, socially, politically, and economically. Many “socialist” governments, elected or imposed, have indeed failed because of top-down dictatorship and corruption, and/or absolute and unapologetic interference by powerful capitalist interests both inside and outside a country.
We are undeniably moving toward socialism. Not by electing socialists, but through steady progressive legislation favouring working people and saving the planet. Witness the Scandinavian countries, inching their way toward socialism, implementing planet-saving strategies and creating equality and security.
Progression toward socialism is uneven, but undeniable.
Robert Milan, Victoria
................................
Re What Does The U.S. Need? Higher Taxes (Feb. 9): While your editorial correctly states that the U.S. has a “serious tax problem” by the many measures you outline, don’t hold your breath that socialism is even remotely coming to America any time soon.
The 2010 U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling (Citizen United vs. Federal Election Commission) effectively removed any barrier to upper limits on spending by corporate lobbyists. With an even more conservative court because of Donald Trump’s recent appointments, it’s difficult to suggest change is coming any time soon. “Those that have the gold make the rules” will continue.
David Enns, Cornwall, Ont.
A “riot’ and its reach
Re The ‘Riot’ That Changed A Nation (Opinion, Feb. 9): Readers might want to know that one of the more significant aftershocks of the Sir George Williams protests in 1969 was the explosion of Black Power activism in Trinidad. In early 1970, roughly 200 students, incensed by the treatment of fellow students in Montreal, staged a demonstration in downtown Port of Spain that quickly escalated into many thousands joining them in the streets.
This was the beginning of months of peaceful protest that could not be ignored, and that forever changed the way that business was conducted in the island. One of the immediate results was that Canadian banks in Trinidad changed their practice of hiring only light-skinned people.
Elizabeth Topp, Co-director, ’70: Remembering a Revolution; Toronto