Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he departs from Hudson Yards, in New York, on Sept. 24, 2019.The Associated Press
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A gift from mother
Re British Supreme Court Rules PM Boris Johnson’s Decision To Suspend Parliament Was Illegal (Online, Sept. 24): The decision of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom should have implications for Canada.
It should be cited as precedent the next time a prime minister tries to shut down Parliament, be it to avoid defeat, scrutiny or embarrassment.
If the Boris Johnson case had come up earlier, there stands a good chance that Stephen Harper would have been turned back by our courts in 2008 and 2010, when he asked the governor-general to prorogue Parliament despite protests.
The new reality for our parliamentary system appears to be that prorogation is not simply a Crown prerogative – it is subject to judicial review.
Tom Urbaniak Professor of political science, Cape Breton University; Sydney, N.S.
Masters of disaster?
Re Thunberg Condemns World Leaders At UN (Sept. 24): Kudos to Greta Thunberg for standing up on behalf of the younger generation at the United Nations and condemning world leaders for the environmental disaster facing the planet.
She is not seeking an intergenerational apology, but pointing to the role of present and past generations in leaving behind a world in dire straits through unending greed and wasteful consumption. This tragedy, if not checked, should be regarded as a crime against humanity by depriving future generations of sustainable peace and prosperity.
Ms. Thunberg is holding each one of us to account for our actions. It is not too late to respond to her call.
Bill Bhaneja Ottawa
Greta Thunberg shocked the world with her emotional accusation: “How dare you … you have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.” Her message was that we (everyone older than her) have been complicit in destroying the environment and setting the present course to global destruction. Hold on, young lady.
Ms. Thunberg should use her energy to look around. In her short life, the world has been getting better, not worse: Life expectancy, health equality, literacy and economic standards have all been increasing; more people have access to clean water, education and medical services; social justice, gender equality and freedom of speech have improved in most countries; finally, science has made important steps toward emissions reduction by reducing the cost of wind and solar power, and other advances are a few years away. The adults have not exactly been sitting on their butts.
Ms. Thunberg should use her enthusiasm to encourage, rather than condemn, the efforts that her elders are making.
Norman Paterson Collingwood, Ont.
Picture of health
Re Attorney-General’s Office Says Meng Wanzhou’s Lawyers Are Fishing For Information (Sept. 24): The picture on the front page of The Globe and Mail – of the well-fed, well-dressed, smiling Meng Wanzhou, strolling alongside a manicured garden under a blue sky – is a visual reminder that we should be grateful to live in a democracy where one is presumed innocent until proved guilty, rather than the other way around, as in a totalitarian dictatorship.
Frank Foulkes Toronto
The truth of the matter
Re By Keeping Jeffrey Epstein’s Money, Harvard Has Failed Its Students (Opinion, Sept. 21): An elegant and classy solution for Harvard University would be to put Jeffrey Epstein’s donation money into a trust for sexually abused women. Out of bad comes good.
Then, and only then, should Harvard be able to stand in its prestigious role, and behind its motto of “Veritas,” with pride and honesty.
Joe-ann Barisa Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
Is it too late now to say sorry?
Re ‘I’m Sorry’ Doesn’t Change Trudeau’s Past (Opinion, Sept. 21): It’s hard for me to fathom that professor Mark Kingwell believes “who you are today is who you were yesterday,” considering he is both a teacher and a writer of op-eds, two pursuits that mean to inform and influence others. We are surrounded by potential agents of change: books, lived experience, therapy, religious conversion, discussions with friends. People do indeed change as they interact with the world around them.
This does not mean that the past is erased. Often, remembering and deploring the past strengthens and supports present and future change. Mr. Kingwell lastly quotes Aristotle: “What you do is who you are.” I believe Justin Trudeau has done much to show his lack of racism, his care for others and his good intentions.
Dvora Levinson Toronto
Professor Mark Kingwell indicates that, according to Aristotle, Justin Trudeau should be judged forever as a racist after wearing brownface at a party 18 years ago.
Aristotle argued that habits, not isolated actions, reveal inward character. Furthermore, the idea of character as some fixed essence has generally been overwhelmed by philosophical argument and empirical evidence in the 2 1/2 millenniums since Aristotle. The idea that character is unchangeable is simply bad and dangerous.
Nicholas Hudson Professor of English, University of British Columbia; Vancouver
Yes, all of us have likely done things to be ashamed of in the past. But we’re not all running for re-election to Canada’s highest office.
Professor Mark Kingwell ably shows that Justin Trudeau’s lapses are ethical matters. The latest examples of his behaviour have reinforced, in my mind, a historical pattern of impulsiveness and immaturity that do not befit the Prime Minister’s Office. Mr. Trudeau should no longer expect to receive a free pass from the electorate for his actions.
George Lancaster Toronto
Professor Mark Kingwell may provide good advice for ethical living. He does, however, seem to utilize a superficial reading of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). The “casual disregard shown for black people” in Mark Twain’s story is significant background.
Huck’s derogatory vocabulary derives from his impoverished upbringing and lack of education. He eventually opts to violate the culture and the law of the time and just “go to hell” by arranging Jim’s escape from slavery. His decision comes after his reflection that Jim is a protective, loving man, undoubtedly the individual who has cared the most for Huck.
So Huck Finn, who uses racist language out of ignorance born of destitution, takes positive steps to benefit a slave because of that slave’s humanity. Perhaps Justin Trudeau, who donned a racist costume out of ignorance born of privilege, can continue to take positive steps to benefit racialized Canadians because of his recognition of their humanity.
Ernest Tucker Toronto
Transatlantic tidings
As a British first-time visitor to Canada, I grinned and sighed, from a Tim Hortons in Edmonton, at the editorial cartoon riffing off the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation, after the demise of Thomas Cook (Sept. 24). As the author of a book on that year, I can add that the British have an unbounded capacity to fool themselves; a catastrophe is usually hailed as a victory.
Canadians may grumble about the election, about politicians choosing style over substance. But be thankful Canada has nothing worse than a prime minister who once wore dark makeup.
Mark Rowe Staffordshire, England
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