March 4: Indigenous progress put in peril? Plus other letters to the editor

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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

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Indigenous file in peril?

The new Indigenous child welfare legislation tabled by the current government is a good reminder of what is potentially at stake as the various facts and opinions surrounding the SNC-Lavalin matter are revealed (Ottawa Tables Indigenous Child-Welfare Bill, March 1).

I support the steps that have been taken toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples so far, and I would like to see that progress continue after the next election. I truly hope it is not too late for a genuine reconciliation between former attorney-general Jody Wilson-Raybould, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party.

Suzzanne Fisher, Calgary

Let them eat cake

Your editorial refers to Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s oft-repeated claim that his is a government “for the people” (Doug Ford Keeps A Liberal Tradition Alive, March 1).

While you’ve avoided using the word “hypocrisy” in regard to his $1,250-a-person fundraising dinner, I would suggest that the large majority of “the people” simply can’t afford to spend that much money for the pleasure of consuming rubber chicken in the same room as the Premier.

If I had the money, I would buy a table and give the tickets to a group of homeless people, as I firmly believe they would have a thing or two to tell Mr. Ford which he needs to hear, if they had the chance. I suspect that the Tories in the room would be very sure to make the homeless folks feel entirely unwelcome. But then, they’re used to that.

Steve Soloman, Toronto

Toronto’s Taxes

Re Toronto Property Taxes Are Too Low, Report Says (March 1):

The report claims that the City of Toronto could afford to raise its property taxes by as much as 20 per cent.

It’s true that the city’s property tax burden is less than in other Ontario municipalities such as Orangeville, Oshawa and Brampton. However, in suggesting that taxes are too low, the study is misleading because it fails to account for the burden of significantly higher housing costs for owners and renters within the city. Monthly costs in the outlying areas for equivalent housing are much lower, thus compensating for the higher property tax burden. Toronto residents already struggle with housing affordability. To claim that they have the capacity to afford a big increase in property taxes is irresponsible.

Nino Oliva, Toronto

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The story hits the nail on the head. Toronto Mayor John Tory’s desire to keep his promise and please his base is akin what U.S. President Donald Trump does. The problem is that Toronto is perpetually deferring projects for lack of funds while constantly overspending budgets on other projects in part because of rising costs due to the same deferrals. The Toronto Transit Commission is a case in point.

If you compare the taxes paid on houses currently being sold to the prices, they are out of whack.

Joel Rubinovich, Toronto

Teacher biases

Re Teachers Free To Use Own Judgment For Sex Ed, Ontario Court Rules (March 1):

I don’t doubt the judges involved in coming to this conclusion had their hearts in the right spot, making an effort to be diplomatic and attempt to respect everyone. However, their decision means students will be at the mercies of their teachers to receive the education they deserve.

If they wind up having a teacher who’s homophobic, that teacher can use their professional judgment to avoid saying anything about people who aren’t straight and cis-gender. Any student fortunate enough to have a teacher who is LGBTQ or simply allied with anyone queer will hear that there are people who are drawn toward members of the same sex and/or whose gender identity is different than their sex. How appropriate is this in modern times?

Amy Soule, Hamilton

Politics, not culture

Re Norman Trial Exposes The Continuing Culture Clash In Canada’s Military (Opinion, Feb. 23):

Former naval officer Ken Hansen writes about “naval culture” and the conflicts of unification of Canada’s armed forces. I was a defence writer for more than 20 years in Toronto, and the Ottawa Press Gallery. I was also a reserve naval officer during that period, and I wish I had a dollar for every hour I spent with my back to the bar defending unification against my fellow officers. Few then realized that unification was actually aimed at Canadianizing the forces.

Before the 1960s, our forces’ officers corps, particularly the navy, did advanced training with British forces. Our uniforms, customs, and the way non-commissioned ranks were treated often followed the British model, which resulted in severe discontent in non-commissioned ranks, and the fact that many Quebeckers wanted nothing to do with a military so branded with British, not Canadian, traditions.

Unification, including new uniforms, would make our Armed Forces uniquely Canadian. This is why prime minister Lester Pearson backed unification – visibly making the Armed Forces, like the Maple Leaf flag, totally Canadian. Once nationalism had been established in the Canadian forces, it was fine to allow them back into separate uniforms.

It was a clash of politics and functionalism that got Vice-Admiral Mark Norman in trouble, not a culture clash.

Peter Ward, Ottawa

If sick, please stay home

Letter writer Michal Anthony inadvertently confirmed the wisdom of the changes to teacher sick benefits (ABC’s Of Absenteeism, Feb. 28).

He claimed, probably rightly, that before the changes teachers deliberately banked their sick days by staying home only when quite seriously ill or in hospital, but attended whenever they had a cold or minor flu, thus spreading their infection to other faculty and students. Now teachers are staying home when they are sick. Let us hope that more people learn from this wisdom and avoid spreading their colds irresponsibly in the workplace and on public transit.

Lyle Clarke, Whitby, Ont.

PMs and their sports

Re PM Treads Time-Honoured Path With TSN Everyman Shtick (Feb. 27):

It is true that many prime ministers have associated themselves with sports for a long time in order to appear as one of us ordinary folk. From Robert Borden’s obsession with golf and John Diefenbaker’s with fishing, to the current Prime Minister’s boxing exploits, there is a rich history there. But one of my favourite sports anecdotes involves Brian Mulroney, on the occasion when someone asked a close friend what the PM’s favourite outdoor sports were. “He likes to talk on the telephone,” came the reply.

J.D.M. Stewart, Toronto