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The merits (or not)
Re The Merits Of A Long Election Campaign (editorial, Aug. 3):
We're being asked to vote for a Prime Minister who neglects his duty to nominate senators, justifying it in part because of the $6-million it saves taxpayers. Yet, he calls the longest and most expensive election in our history, thereby eliminating said saving by at least a factor of 10.
Robert Swain, Kingston
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Seriously, let the writ lie where it dropped or pick it back up. Scotch politics until Sept. 1; minor hints acceptable after the Ex opens.
Helen Godfrey, Toronto
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Given the early election call and how most people seem to feel about it, a probable winning platform plank for the opposition parties would be legislation to limit federal campaigns to no more than, say, 44 days.
Hal Finlayson, London, Ont.
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In his decade of power, Stephen Harper has rarely made himself or our ministers available to Canadians or the Canadian press. Yet he and they are suddenly everywhere. Now, I face 11 weeks of scrambling for my mute button.
Robin Hannah, Toronto
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Aside from who wins and whether victory is affected by the length of the campaign, perhaps the most interesting question will be the potential effect on voter turnout. Will the length of the campaign give the parties a greater opportunity to engage the electorate and mobilize support, increasing turnout? Or will the endless speechifying, photo ops and political ads encourage voters to tune out?
Rod Yellon, Winnipeg
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Debating the debates
Monday's editorial says "We don't mean to ignore Elizabeth May, the Leader of the Green Party." But you are ignoring her, aren't you? Worse, the tone is made dismissive by the addition of the obvious, "she won't be the next prime minister."
The news media does our democracy a bad disservice by ignoring Ms. May, preventing her party from making advances and making "she won't be the next prime minister" a perpetually self-fulfilling prophecy.
Why is she not included in the leaders' debates? You say she is a solid politician and a leader, and I agree. She is the leader of a Canadian political party, she has things to say and I want to hear her debate with the other leaders, whether or not I vote Green.
Irwin Walker, Ancaster, Ont.
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I am very disappointed by NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair's decision not to participate in any debate in which Mr. Harper, the Conservative Leader, does not participate. The combined polling of the Liberals and the NDP exceeds 50 per cent, meaning that the majority of the people polled want a new PM. I am one of these, so I have to decide who else to vote for. A debate among Mr. Mulcair, Ms. May and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is exactly what I want.
Charles Coe, Toronto
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Too young, too inexperienced, too intellectually shallow, not ready for the job … for such a supposedly incompetent opponent, it's amazing how truly afraid Mr. Harper and evidently Mr. Mulcair are of Mr. Trudeau. Not even willing to debate with him! Do they know something the rest of us don't?
J.N. Trott, Georgetown, Ont.
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Are they chickening out, or do they just finally get it? Debates are contrived at best, and now that the PM plans to do the old soft-shoe out of there, Mr. Mulcair feels he has no peer in the broadcasts. Ms. May is fuming about the lack of solidarity among the leaders, and Mr. Trudeau sees the whole country cheated with the French debate being denied to all of us outside Quebec.
The debates are a sideshow that the media loves to watch.
We desperately need a return to the "whistle-stop" style of campaign, and this time around, the campaign will be long enough to actually do it!
Hugh McKechnie, Newmarket, Ont.
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Pour favour
Re The Fighter (Aug. 1):
It's not correct to call the Trinity tradition "pouring out." The term is "poor-ing out," derived from the fact that men of the college would chant, "Poor! Poor! Poor!" to describe the conduct of someone they wanted chucked out of the dining hall.
I'm sorry that, as a member of the class of 6T8, I predated Mr. Harper's brief stay at my college and, therefore, was not able to poor him out of Strachan Hall. However, I look forward to joining millions of other Canadians this fall in pooring him out of office.
Robert Martin, Cow Bay, N.S.
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No small thing
As a former small-business owner, I can say that the federal government is doing the right thing by reducing taxes and not imposing compulsory pension plans or higher minimum wage levels. Fancy suggestions for implementing alternative plans, as suggested by Prof. Walid Hejazi (Canadian Economy A Key Election Issue For Small Business Owners – online, Aug. 3), require a lot of paperwork and time that the small-business owner doesn't have.
The biggest drawback for most small-business owners are costs they can't control, such as electricity and compulsory pension plans. More costs, more paperwork.
The New Democrats will exacerbate the problem with their tax schemes, such as $15-a-day daycare.
I hope all the expert economists will get the message: High electricity costs are a huge drawback for large and small manufacturing, as well as many service industries.
Anne Robinson, Toronto
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Rest in pieces
My human tears flowed manly and freely as I read about hitchBOT the robot, who was destroyed by a human while hitchhiking across America (Hitchhiking Robot's U.S. Trek Meets Grisly End – Aug. 3).
My first great love affair with a robot was with the one on the classic TV show Lost In Space, where the robot would warn his young human friend "Danger, Will Robinson, danger." I just wish that robot was there to warn hitchBOT about hitchhiking.
Maybe one day someone will put you back together. Until that day, my little metallic friend … rest in pieces.
Terry Toll, Campbell's Bay, Que.
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I was saddened to learn of the bad end that befell the Canadian robot in Philadelphia. One should remember, however, that its nickname, the "City of Brotherly Love," is an oxymoron. Philadelphia sports fans have famously booed Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Tough crowd.
Geoff Smith, Kingston