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Divided on reform
Re Trudeau Abandons Electoral Reform Pledge (Feb. 2): Perhaps Justin Trudeau made his promise to reform the electoral system in good faith and would have kept it, had the Liberals been given a minority mandate. But having received a majority by the unfair first-past-the-post system, I think he found the power too addictive. This only demonstrates why a form of proportional representation suitable to Canada is so desperately needed.
Nancie Erhard, Windsor, Ont.
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During the last federal election, I stepped away from my party and voted instead for Justin Trudeau's Liberals because I believed his promise to bring about electoral reform. If he abandons this promise, I will never again cast a Liberal vote. That's a promise I'll keep.
Marlene DeGenova, Toronto
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Democracy is also threatened if we insist that every campaign "promise" be enacted as law. That would circumvent Parliament.
Grassroots policies and electoral platforms, as expressions of a party's values and priorities, should be evaluated by every voter. But we should not expect them all to become law.
Some are ill-advised from the outset, others fade under parliamentary scrutiny and the nation's capacity to implement them, others do not stand up to the wise counsel of our civil service. I do not want to be governed by backroom decisions that are simply endorsed by the majority caucus in Parliament.
David Fisher, Calgary
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I was one of the 103 people selected for the Ontario Citizens Assembly in 2006. Tasked with finding a better system than first-past-the-post, we came up with mixed member proportional, a solid and efficient system.
Then reality set in. We discovered just how non-committed the provincial government was to any change. All talk, no action.
This time, electoral reform was a campaign promise by Justin Trudeau. Now he has basically killed any idea of changing how we vote. His refusal to follow through on this essential and necessary campaign promise has moved him into "just another politician," in good company with so many before him.
To say I am disappointed would be putting it mildly.
The PM did not promise to ask Canadians, he promised that electoral reform would happen before the next election. Therefore, Mr. Trudeau has no excuse for denying Canadians the right to a fair and democratic election, instead of an antiquated, unbalanced result.
He needs to withdraw his decision to shelve electoral reform and sign on to the change, effective immediately.
Al Joseph, Toronto
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I went to a community meeting hosted by our member of Parliament, Bill Blair, to discuss electoral reform. I wanted to change the present system.
After listening to some very well-informed audience members, I left realizing that electoral reform could have some dire consequences. Yes, there were those who spoke in favour, however, other speakers, many of them immigrants, warned of the danger of having a multitude of smaller political parties, some of which could be extreme in their views and the fear that those parties could hold the balance of power and trade votes for implementing policies that the majority of Canadians would be against.
Mr. Blair did not put forth his own beliefs, he made it clear he was there to listen. If all across Canada other community meetings produced the same misgivings among the participants, I can certainly understand why the Prime Minister halted the move toward electoral reform.
Catherine Flanagan, Toronto
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Our Prime Minister made a big mistake. But it wasn't in leaving the voting system unchanged, given there was little public support for it. It was in promising to change it. He should have – if he had been wiser – promised to review it. One hopes he can learn from this.
Randall Dutka, Oakville, Ont.
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First, we had The Donald with alternative facts; now, we have The Justin with alternative truth about electoral reform. At least our guy has better-looking hair.
Richard Dean, Nelson, B.C.
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Values, tested
Re Canadian Values Test Could Apply To White Supremacists : Leitch (Feb. 1): I suggest that every Canadian be screened for Canadian Values, a Canadian Inquisition. Kellie Leitch could be screened first.
Ann-Louise Beaumont, Campbell River, B.C.
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Re Given Quebec's Past, How Do We Allay The Fears Of Muslims ? (Feb. 2): I agree with the views expressed by Shachi Kurl, however, I point out that prejudice and bigotry against religious minorities in parts of Quebec society, including government, existed even further back in history.
To quote The Globe and Mail of Dec. 19, 1946: "The persecution of the religious sect known as Jehovah's Witnesses, now going on in Quebec Province with enthusiastic official and judicial sanction, has taken a turn which suggests that the Inquisition has returned to French Canada."
This refers to the actions of Maurice Duplessis, the then-premier of Quebec, against a Montreal restaurant owner. Sadly, it seems these ugly elements still exist decades later in our society.
When will we learn? Perhaps as we recoil from what is happening south of us, learning will begin.
Clive Girvan, Kingston
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Brought to book
Re Why I Cancelled My U.S. Book Events After Trump's Order (Feb. 1): Good for Linwood Barclay. He has a lot more guts than I have – not by boycotting the United States, but by making his action public. I only wish boycotts always impacted on the right people. And hey, if Meryl Streep can speak out, why not writers? Surely somebody might get through to Donald Trump.
His hairdresser, maybe?
Maureen Jennings (author, the Murdoch Mysteries), Toronto
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Gift of giving
Re Financial Constraints Force Merger Of Two Largest Cancer Charities (Feb. 2): Perhaps if the various charities would stop handing out so many needless "gifts" to donors like me, we might resume actually "giving" more. I have stopped donating to many charities because of this practice of sending out unrequested thank-you items.
If Canadians actually need such useless "gifts" as a bribe to donate, then Canada isn't the country I thought it was.
Bruce Hutchison, Ottawa
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Orcs, however …
While I usually applaud Globe and Mail cartoonist Brian Gable's keen wit, I beg to differ with his depiction of what is apparently Gandalf the Grey as the wizard leading President Donald Trump's Department of Alternative Facts (editorial cartoon, Feb. 2). A far more fitting choice would be Sauron, the Dark Lord.
And hobbits?
I doubt Mr. Trump would let them into the country.
Gareth Lind, Guelph, Ont.