Friday May 09, 2008
COLUMNISTS 
A consensus has finally emerged: The end is nigh
With the Democratic universe finally unfolding as it should, the party's leadership can exhale at last.All sides now agree that the race for the presidential nomination will be decided by early June at the latest. Even Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman agrees.
EDITORIALS
A minefield to navigate with care
In theory, carbon taxes can play a useful role in encouraging consumers to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. People do change their behaviour in response to prices. In practice, the federal Liberals are taking political and economic risks by considering the imposition of new taxes on the carbon in all fuels. The extra revenues would be used to fund personal and corporate income-tax cuts, so the Liberals can depict these measures as a simple reshuffling of the tax system. But carbon taxes require careful calibration to make sure that they don't sideswipe domestic producers and low-income consumers. It is particularly difficult to ensure that they don't make cheap imports from the carbon-spewing developing world even more attractive when compared with the prices of Canadian products, both our exports and those we use ourselves.
Unmixed findings
Until recently, Tony Clement simply ignored the reams of research on Insite, Vancouver's supervised injection facility for intravenous drug users. Now, seemingly laying the groundwork for the site to be shut down when its exemption from the Criminal Code expires on June 30, the Health Minister has taken to cherry-picking certain studies and misrepresenting them.
Vive le Canada uni
On the beaches of Normandy yesterday, Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, strongly evoked the memory of Charles de Gaulle in marking the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, yet he tacitly disowned one facet of the Gaullist legacy - favourably to Canada.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
An ambassador's remarks
Alan Baker, Israel's ambassador to Canada, asked if Muslim Canadians may ''try to push Canadians to adopt their own values and principles.'' Muslim Canadians are not a monolith, they hold a variety of values and principles when it comes to Israel and the Mideast. Muslim Canadians share ''Canadian values and principles'' and are an integral part of the Canadian collective, just as is every other Canadian, each with his or her own religious, ethnic and national background. To suggest otherwise verges on racism and exclusion.
Responsibility to protect? Yes
The humanitarian disaster in Myanmar is a prime example of how the concept of ''responsibility to protect'' (R2P) should be applied (Should The UN Invoke The ''Responsibility To Protect'? - May 8).
Public purse; partisan purposes
The Harper government seems to be using public money for partisan purposes in launching an ad campaign in community newspapers to sell immigration changes that haven't yet been passed by Parliament ($1.1-Million Ad Campaign Sells Reforms Not Yet Passed - May 8). It may be time for Parliament to put a mechanism in place to screen proposed government advertising and prevent the use of public money to advance partisan interests. Partisan government advertising is a misuse of public funds to advance a political party's interests. Ontario passed an act requiring its Auditor-General to screen government advertising to ensure it is free of partisan content. The A-G's office makes public its findings.
An ambassador's remarks
During the 2006 Liberal Party leadership race, I was the national policy director for Gerard Kennedy. I also happen to be Jewish. Omar Alghabra was one of Mr. Kennedy's earliest and strongest supporters. I came to know Mr. Alghabra as a progressive, thoughtful and articulate member of Parliament. While we didn't always agree on all policy issues - regardless of whether it was the economy, the environment or the Mideast - his opinions were thoughtful and, in every sense of the word, moderate. Canada needs more politicians like Mr. Alghabra.
This girlfriend is our business
Did Stephen Harper's history-reading include Gerda Munsinger's name (Bernier's Ex-Girlfriend Nobody's Business, PM Says - online, May 8)? Entering into a relationship with a woman who has had a relationship with bikers, including being married to one, raises a question of judgment - and the capacity to form judgments, which is fairly important in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
An ambassador's remarks
Israel's ambassador in Ottawa appears to accuse unnamed demonstrators of ''trying to prevent somebody [in this case, Ehud Barak] from speaking'' in Montreal in 2004 and notes that this ''violates Canadian values.''
Film lives, long live film
Film does not deserve the cruel, callous, so-called ''death'' it is getting (The Photo Is Dead. Long Live The Photo - Review, May 3). It commands respect as the medium of choice for many photographers worldwide, both past and present.
Tim's conduct a Timbit much
In a matter of days, Tim Hortons reports a management reorganization costing $3.8-million (Tim Hortons Profit Rises; Reorganizes Management - Report on Business - May 1); then it fires a single mom with four kids for giving away a Timbit to a toddler, receives a giant PR black eye and rehires her (Tim Hortons Rehires Fired Woman - online, May 8).
PM 'doing rather well'
Lawrence Martin's rather hostile column about Stephen Harper (Political Minds Mired In That Old-Time Religion - May 8) says more about him than the PM. I think Mr. Harper is doing rather well. He has established some stability in the country and has represented us well abroad.
Tim's conduct a Timbit much
When I take my dogs through the drive thru, I am always asked if they would like a Timbit and I am never charged for it - day old or not.
Then there's the 'scumpies'
Socially Conscious Upwardly Mobile Persons (scuppies) want to drive around in their SUVs and then feel good about themselves because they use phosphate-free detergent or recycled garbage bags (Meet The Scuppie: Hippie, Yuppie, Rich And Righteous - Report on Business, May 7). This doesn't really impress me. Perhaps the acronym should include all of the initials - SCUMpie.
Tim's conduct a Timbit much
There's a crumb of comfort for the fired, then rehired employee: She can rest assured she won't be fired again any time soon, whether for cause or not. In fact, she's got them by the Timbits.
Tim's conduct a Timbit much
I am double-double disgusted.
