Undemocratic reform
Re Slow It Down, Mr. Poilievre (editorials, March 10-14): Persuading Stephen Harper and his Minister for (Un)democratic Reform to withdraw the Fair Elections Act in order to consult with other parties and Elections Canada on agreed, non-partisan legislation has the same likelihood of success as getting Vladimir Putin to withdraw his backing for the illegitimate and non-representative vote held in Crimea.
Democracy is, unfortunately, the victim in both cases.
Richard Cooper, Ottawa
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In his letter to the editor, the eponymous Democratic Reform Minister Pierre Poilievre conflates the matter of election spending limits with the entirely separate question of what proportion of election spending ought properly to be reimbursed out of tax revenues (And The 'Fair' Bit? – letters, March 14).
He frames the discussion as though the only way forward is to make it open season on fundraising activities. This is disingenuous. He is the one holding the pen – if he thinks that a smaller proportion (or none at all) of the cost of contacting potential donors should be refundable, then he should have drafted the Fair Elections Act accordingly.
Or he could choose to set a shining example for all parties by recommending that the Conservatives not claim reimbursement for these costs.
If conserving tax dollars were really the overriding concern, we could just let the party in power run the elections themselves and pay all the associated costs out of their own pocket but that would hardly guarantee a democratic outcome. (What do you know? That's actually perilously close to another one of the bill's provisions …)
Let's not forget that last year, the government tried to sell a $90,000 payment to Senator Mike Duffy as a noble act aimed at saving taxpayers money. Canadians didn't buy that story either.
Susan Cantlie, Toronto
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Encouraging voting by all those eligible to vote is a mistake.
Yes, I'd like to see all Canadians sufficiently interested in Canada and politics to vote. However, if they are not interested enough to obtain the necessary identification for voting, then they probably will not vote responsibly.
Voting should involve investigating the parties, the candidates and their platforms, then, based on facts, coming to a reasonable and logical decision. Voting based on prejudice, hearsay, the latest trends or your brother-in-law's opinion is not helping Canada.
All those who consider voting to be a privilege and a serious responsibility should vote. If the rest lose their vote due to irresponsibility or carelessness, then Canada will be better off.
Jonathan Usher, Toronto
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Crippling hydro costs
Re CIBC Economist Blames Carney For High Dollar, Plant Closures (Report on Business, March 14): As a former owner of a small manufacturing business, I am confounded that leading economists would blame the loss of manufacturing on the high dollar. While that is a concern to exporters, I assure you that the high cost of electricity is a real killer for producers.
The high-cost electrical policies of the Ontario Liberal government and its supporters, the NDP, are a huge deterrent to manufacturing. Manufacturing cannot operate without electricity (sometimes huge amounts of it), just as a homeowner cannot have heat or maintain refrigeration without power.
The onerous rate increases in recent years, with no outlook for relief, are truly frightening.
Anne Robinson, Toronto
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Afghanistan in 2014
The West has spent 12 years trying to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan without lasting success (The End – March 13).
Many countries, including England and the U.S., had bloody civil wars on their way to democracy. It appears there will either be oppression or a war when NATO forces leave Afghanistan. Whatever the outcome, it has just been delayed 12 years at enormous cost.
Tony Burt, Vancouver
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Teaching-truths 101
Re Professors Need To Teach More (March 11): Socrates, the great teacher, is known for his method of posing a series of questions, answering them to derive logic, in turn leading to certain truths. Regarding the state of teaching in our universities, let's start with this set of questions:
Why do professors talk about teaching "loads" but not research and publication "loads"?
Why do universities offer the education degrees required for school teachers but ask for no similar formal training for their own professors?
Why are outstanding teaching professors not recognized and rewarded as among the best in all universities?
Why shouldn't students experience outstanding teaching when they pay high admission fees to attend a university that advertises itself as outstanding?
What rights do students have who are herded into large lecture halls and faced with uninspiring teaching? How many student rankings of teaching at universities will it take to change things?
Why do provincial-government higher-education departments continue to dole out taxpayers' money as if the tragedy of poor teaching doesn't exist?
Gerry Kelly, Victoria
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Beyond bossy
The problem is not the word "bossy" but the implication that one form of behaviour is always appropriate for women (Why Beyoncé Is (Gasp) Wrong This Time – Life, March 14).
As a management-skills trainer, I'm often asked about "flexibility" – when to hold your ground and when to compromise. The answer is the same for both men and women: To be an effective leader, choose discussion and compromise as your default. But when the issue makes that unworkable – ethics, law, company values – move to a new program and hold your ground.
Unfortunately, it's easier to adopt one approach (bossiness) all the time. It takes thought and skill to make different choices at different times.
Liz Murphy, Toronto
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Re Ban 'Bossy?' Suck It Up, Girls (March 13): Like all good marketing campaigns, Ban Bossy is direct and provocative – but its larger message is the importance of language, leadership skills and gender equality.
While it's true that young men and women are entering the workplace in equal numbers, recent research tells us that young women are not advancing into leadership ranks in proportion to their male colleagues. Only one-third of millennial women believe they will ever advance to the very top in their organizations.
As a society, we still have a fair way to go to address gender stereotyping but I am pretty sure that telling girls to "suck it up" is not the right way.
Sheena MacAskill, Toronto
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My daughter recently overheard her two children playing "house." She smiled quietly – and with just a hint of smugness – as her four-year-old son was assigned the role of "husband," while her six-year-old daughter assumed the role of "boss."
Anne Rowe, Oakville, Ont.