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At odds with China. And not
Last year, Canada's trade deficit with China exceeded $45-billion. Now, China is threatening to cut our exports by over $2-billion, the value of the annual export of Canadian canola to China, in order to get more concessions from Canada.
Is that how friendly trade partners act? The Prime Minister is right to insist that the canola threat be removed. In fact, China should double up on purchasing Canadian agricultural products and potash to show willingness to see our trade relations working for both countries, not just for China. This is Justin Trudeau's opportunity to demonstrate Canadian grit and determination, and to be guided first and foremost by Canadian national interests.
John Bruk, North Saanich, B.C.
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China supports despotic leaders and sells them weapons. So do we. China undermines indigenous rights and degrades the environment for the enrichment of the few. So do we.
If not as enthusiastic about these issues as the Chinese government, our governments certainly share more values than they'd like to admit.
Travis Cutler, Vancouver
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Decline is bigger than Trump
Re The Fix Is In (editorial, Aug. 26): Referring to Donald Trump's insistence that his loss in November would be proof that the election had been somehow "rigged," you write that such "outrageous claims … are inflicting long-term damage on American democracy." Given the unsavoury nature of both candidates in this election, I should think a strong case could be made for the claim that American democracy is already in serious decline and that Mr. Trump's legacy will merely hasten the process.
Charles Sager, Ottawa
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Battle of values: bikini, burkini
Thanks to Sheema Khan for her take on the burkini debate (The Personal Politics Of Wearing A Burkini – Aug. 25). Videos abound of burly French gendarmes in bullet-proof vests patrolling the Riviera beaches, determined to force Muslim women to show some skin or pay a fine. How pathetic is that?
Bernard Lahey, Montreal
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Re Fashion Police (editorial, Aug. 25): Catholic nuns strolling on a beach represent a culture based on the Judeo/Christian ethic that reveres life and freedom. Women wearing a burka or even a burkini represent the oppression and suppression of women. These clothes are the symbol of the ethic that underpins Sharia law, which is an ethic that is not tolerant of all people. We know this because there is no tolerance for the other in Muslim countries. Women are not allowed to wear bikinis there.
If we are going to maintain an open, tolerant country, doesn't it behoove all of us to demand that those coming to live in a democracy take on the culture? Not wear symbols of suppression and submission? If women continue to wear such garments while living in the West, doesn't that speak of a failure to acculturate immigrants into the ethic of freedom?
Diane Weber Bederman, multifaith chaplain, Caledon, Ont.
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I believe that any fair-minded individual would accept that there is nothing wrong with the burkini. If a woman chooses to cover herself, she is to be valued as much as a woman who chooses to wear a bikini. Liberation is not found in forcing or stripping a woman's right to her self-expression. Liberation is found in freedom of choice, and a woman's empowerment is found in her choice.
Critics on the right argue that Muslim countries do not allow women to wear revealing clothing, so Muslim women should not wear the burkini here. The bigotry is two-fold: that Muslim women are seen as foreigners, and that the attire is a sign of oppression. Would France also dictate the banishment of wet suits, as the notion of "French values" seems to be very vague?
I wholeheartedly believe many secular countries uphold more Islamic values in their constitutions than so-called Muslim countries; it is through pluralism and inclusion that nations flourish.
Shakil Mirza, Mississauga
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At sea on the Queen Mary 2
Re Grande Dame (Travel, Aug. 20): One of our favourite occupations being shovelling money into the ocean, my wife and I have crossed the Atlantic on Queen Mary 2 on several occasions, not to mention going around the world by sea four times, once on Cunard's Queen Victoria and twice on freighters. We look forward to seeing the QM 2's refurbishment.
References in the article to war brides reminded me of the historical area on QM 2 when we sailed in her – an area with art work, photographs and accounts of the voyaging of "QM 1" in the Second World War. The Queen Mary made numerous crossings from the United States to Britain, transporting troops for the build-up toward D Day, well before war brides needed a ride. The record number of troops carried in one crossing was 16,600, "hot bunking" with three soldiers sharing a bunk, eight hours each. Churchill estimated that those crossings by the Queen Mary and other former passenger ships shortened the war by 18 months.
An RCAF navigator friend told me he crossed on the Queen Mary, going from Britain to Halifax to train new recruits. The time for the crossing was limited, as a full division was arriving on a certain day and hour, no accommodation for them being available. My friend walked the deck each morning with the chief engineer and asked what speed the ship was doing to get to Halifax in time. He told me the reply was 40 knots, which would translate to about 46 miles per hour!
Colin Proudman, Toronto