This file photo taken on September 13, 2019 shows pro-democracy activists holding up LED lit letters which read "Free HK" while forming a human chain on Lion Rock in Hong Kong.ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images
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Take a chance, Mr. Chan
Re Former Ontario Minister Pins Hong Kong Protests On ‘Outside’ Forces (Sept.16): As a former MPP and cabinet minister, why doesn’t Michael Chan support Hong Kong protesters fighting for their freedoms? Instead, he aligns his opinion with a Chinese government that opposes democratic values like those we cherish in Canada.
If Mr. Chan has to ask, “Why are these young people so radical, so passionate [and] committed to do these things and why so many people?” then he doesn’t seem to understand history and the human desire for freedom. It has been the young and the oppressed, in large numbers, that have overcome tyranny in so many countries.
What is taking place in Hong Kong should be an inspiration to all of China and its people – and to Mr. Chan.
David Bell Toronto
RCMP: The reviews are in
Re RCMP Official’s Arrest Sparks Broad Review (Sept. 16): Despite the RCMP receiving over 1,000 pages of documents from the Russian corruption authority Bill Browder in 2017, it has yet to even open a formal investigation. One might have reasonably expected that a few years would be ample time to open a file, investigate and conclude if these very serious allegations merited the attention of Canada’s national police force.
In contrast, The Globe and Mail reported that the RCMP quickly moved to interview politicians involved in this year’s SNC-Lavalin controversy. Well, that’s reassuring. We can all sleep well at night.
Perhaps the RCMP could turn their investigative resources away from politically appealing low-hanging fruit and focus on more important matters: international money laundering, major white collar crimes, issues of national security, missing Indigenous women – there is a lot to be done.
Connie Craddock Toronto
Our allies must be concerned with how we conduct our intelligence operations. How effectively are we screening and monitoring personnel with access to such highly sensitive information? Why did it take five years to arrest naval intelligence officer Jeffrey Delisle (who was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison for selling secrets to Russia) and four years now to charge Cameron Ortis?
This country should be strengthening its security apparatus, not weakening it, particularly in light of our current relations with China and Russia.
J.G. Gilmour Calgary
Meanwhile, on the campaign trail
Re Scheer Accuses Trudeau Of Relenting On Trade (Sept. 16): Taking a page from U.S. President Donald Trump’s NAFTA playbook, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer seems to believe that the USMCA is the worst free-trade deal ever.
He also seems to be under the impression that the United States and Mexico are prepared to renegotiate the trilateral pact. Why would they do that? Certainly not because Canada asked. And if they both say no – which they will – will Mr. Scheer disavow the USMCA and walk away from it? Is he saying that he won’t ratify the deal in its current form?
If that is Mr. Scheer’s position and that of the Conservative Party, he should say so clearly and unequivocally.
Professor Peter McKenna Department of Political Science, University of Prince Edward Island; Charlottetown
Re The Three Es (Letters, Sept. 16): Senator Rosa Galvez’s letter asks, “How can we judge whether our charismatic leaders’ policies will actually be effective?” For most of the electorate, there should actually be a different question: After so many false promises on the campaign trail, how can we judge whether our charismatic leaders’ policies will actually be implemented?
Rob Graham Claremont, Ont.
A matter of life or death
Re Let’s Not Forget About Living With Dignity (Sept. 16): Now that I’m officially into my 80th decade, I feel I am on solid ground in commenting on assisted dying laws. The legislation sounds reasonable on its surface, but the language is wrought with ambiguity.
What is “reasonable” is certainly problematic in much the same way as “suffering” is, both being subjective in nature. To create societal endorsement for any given policy, legislators should proceed with caution, lest they appear to encourage – rather than support – those who continue to suffer and wish to end their lives.
On any given day, anyone whose health suffers needs to be assured they still live in a society that cares enough to find viable alternatives that enhance their lived experiences.
Joan McNamee Kamloops, B.C.
Gerontologist and medical ethicist Tom Koch makes valid points about societal responsibility for providing the physical, emotional and social supports needed for individuals facing chronic, intolerable pain and diverse restrictions on their lifestyles. However, he seems to miss a critical point: namely, a person’s right to determine when enough is enough.
Despite advances in pain management, many of us don’t want to live dosed up with drugs and their attendant side effects. Nor do we want others to determine when restrictions are beyond our personal acceptability limits.
The assisted-dying judgement in Quebec is a start. It is time for federal politicians to honour what should be all Canadians’ rights to make their own choice about when to die with dignity.
Mary Valentich Calgary
Religious symbols: whose rights?
Re Fight Over Quebec’s Secularism Law Is Bigger Than Ever (Sept. 14): NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Quebec’s Bill 21 religious symbols ban is “sad and it’s hurtful.” Further, McGill University Professor Daniel Weinstock says restricting religious symbols does “enormous symbolic harm” to affected individuals. How so? How about the harm religious symbols inflict on the public?
For example, as a paying customer at a restaurant, I don’t want to be served by someone wearing a religious symbol – it too often seems to come with a holier-than-thou attitude. In a secular society, everyone should be free to wear religious symbols as they wish at home and on the street, but not on the job or in the House of Commons; there’s a dress code.
If politicians are looking for votes, they should take off their turbans and crucifix necklaces, please.
Helen Sinfield Hansen Guelph, Ont.
Re Strengthening Human Rights (Letters, Sept. 14): A letter-writer lauds Quebec’s courts for "recognizing the right of an individual in determining when and how a person wants to die.” Let’s hope those same courts will now affirm the right of individuals to choose how they want to dress.
Michael D. Arkin Toronto
Brexit under fire
Re Johnson To Meet Top EU Officials Amid Signs Of Progress On Irish Backstop (Sept. 16): In referring to Boris Johnson’s Brexit referendum campaign, former British prime minister David Cameron wrote: “The conclusion I am left with is that he risked an outcome he didn’t believe in because it would help his political career." I came to the same conclusion about Mr. Cameron when he called for the referendum in the first place.
Marty Cutler Toronto
Re Wooden Pallets Emerge As Symbol Of Brexit Fears (Sept. 16): So Britain will have a surplus of wooden pallets once it leaves the European Union? That will be a very handy solution to the fuel shortages anticipated with an EU departure.
Trish Crowe Kingston
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