Ontario Premier Doug Ford, left, is joining Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe in a carbon tax fight with Ottawa.Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press
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Carbon tax calamity
Ontario Premier Doug Ford plans to join Saskatchewan in spending millions of taxpayer dollars to fight a lost cause (Ontario Premier Courts Allies In Carbon Fight With Ottawa, July 19).
Their constitutional challenge against the federal government’s carbon backstop doesn’t have a chance, according to the Manitoba government, which wisely looked into the matter.
Mr. Ford’s action is an expensive appeal to his party’s base. It’s worth noting that approximately 60 per cent of Ontarian voters in the last election chose parties that support carbon pricing, so Mr. Ford’s so-called mandate to kill it is on shaky ground.
Oddly, these Conservative governments’ positions run counter to conservative thinking. According to conservative economists and business leaders, the most effective, transparent, accountable and cost-effective method to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is for governments to place a rising fee on carbon to spur the market to develop clean energy innovations that create jobs.
Returning the carbon fee to households will further stimulate the economy. So in fighting the inevitable, the two provinces are wasting not only tax dollars but also a great opportunity to design a mechanism that puts money in the pockets of their citizens.
Cherry McNamara, Toronto
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Mr. Ford’s decision to join Saskatchewan’s legal challenge to the federal carbon tax is pointless political posturing, as federal jurisdiction in this area is clear. But wasting public funds on an unwinnable court battle is just the beginning of the boondoggle.
When Mr. Ford abruptly cancelled Ontario’s carbon pricing program, he obliterated billions of dollars in assets held by companies who had purchased credits on the open market. Environment Minister Rod Phillips is already musing about “compensation,” hoping to avoid lawsuits, so Ontario will likely pay a steep price for electing a candidate who never gave Ontarians a costed platform.
But that’s just the money. If Mr. Ford and other politicians oblivious to global warming continue to balk at paying to mitigate it, there will be more heatwaves like the one that just killed more than 90 people in Quebec, and more devastating fires, floods and storms.
Norm Beach, Toronto
Guarantee jobs
Annie Lowrey’s inclusive basic income strategy would be enhanced by the analysis of Sadie Alexander’s work (Smart Money: Why The World Should Embrace Universal Basic Income, July 14).
Born in 1898, she was the first U.S. African-American economist. This brilliant and accomplished woman believed the United States had a moral and constitutional obligation to provide a full-employment economy.
Nina Banks, an associate professor of economics at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, has provided considerable research on Ms. Alexander, who said, “The right to work is not a black nor a white problem but a human problem. ... All our national and world problems stem from unemployment.”
In addition to solving the poverty problem, full employment provides people the dignity of being able to provide for themselves and their loved ones. To those ends, several U.S. senators, including Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, and Kirsten Gillibrand, are proposing a job guarantee.
Joseph Polito, Toronto
Latimer 25 years on
The Latimers were witnessing the slow, tortured death of their daughter, and finally Robert Latimer could bear it no longer (Pardoning Robert Latimer Is Not Justified, July 17). His decision to end Tracy’s life may not have been a wise one – it was, of course, illegal – and he could have simply waited for her natural death to occur, an event that was probably not far off. But his decision was compassionate and merciful.
This was recognized by both judge and jury. After hearing all the evidence, they supported a token one-year sentence. Instead, Mr. Latimer was entangled in legal proceedings and incarceration for 17 years, and is on parole for life (unless granted a pardon).
That is surely punishment enough for an act of human kindness. Even the Supreme Court of Canada, in rejecting Mr. Latimer’s appeal on technical grounds, took the unusual step of suggesting that he seek remedy through a pardon.
A pardon would not make up for the shameful treatment Mr. Latimer has endured, nor for the many years he has lost. But it is something we can do for this decent man.
Gary Bauslaugh, author of Robert Latimer: A Story of Justice and Mercy, Victoria
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Tracy lived with cerebral palsy. Her father’s case is a chance for us to examine progress in cerebral palsy (CP) care in the 25 years since her death.
We know that pain is a critically important factor impacting quality of life. Studies and practical experience show that many children with CP have moderate to severe pain that restricts daily activities. Other related conditions such as dystonia and hip dislocation further amplify CP-related pain.
At the same time, we’ve made great advancements in CP pain management. There are new methods to identify children in pain so management can start earlier. Technological advancements and the development of specialized treatments have rewritten the CP playbook.
Never have so many minds been committed to finding ways to actively manage pain in individuals with CP.
Darcy Fehlings, senior clinician scientist, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto
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It was the medical system that failed Tracy, and it was the resultant suffering that drove her father to do the only thing that he thought would relieve her pain. As a specialist in pediatric orthopedics, I have seen dozens of disabled children like Tracy ignored and deprived of surgical services unfairly.
Tracy’s dislocated hips should have had a surgery that would have alleviated the pain she suffered. Why was thus not done? It was the lack of access to specialized care for orthopedics in Canada that resulted in this whole mess, yet this rarely gets mentioned.
This was 20 years ago, but little has changed as more than 100 Canadian orthopedic surgeons remain unemployed or underemployed because provincial governments deny operating room time and orthopedic beds. Waiting lists for orthopedic surgery remain inordinately long in Canada.
Paul Moroz, Honolulu
The devil you know
There are two main reasons why U.S. President Donald Trump will not be impeached (America Has No Choice But To Impeach Its President, July 18).
The first is that he has been doing the bidding of the right-wing Republicans, especially for the Supreme Court selection. The second reason is that those in the line of succession may arguably be even worse than he is (Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, Orrin Hatch). Now that is excellent protection.
Irv Salit, Toronto