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June 6: tick-tock
When the House is sitting, the week after a Monday statutory holiday (such as Victoria Day) is a "constituency week." MPs are in their ridings meeting with the people and attending community events (House Of Commons Incident Could Delay Assisted-Death Law – May 20).
If the Liberal government had had the foresight to anticipate the eminently predictable delays in getting the assisted dying bill passed, it could have sought unanimous consent of the House of Commons (not a sure thing, but worth a try) to postpone constituency week until after the June 6 deadline imposed by the Supreme Court.
If the government had succeeded in its request, it could have bought four additional days of House (and Senate) sitting time before June 6. Constituency week could have been in mid-June, before people head off on summer holidays.
What were the Liberals thinking, taking a week away from Ottawa a mere two weeks before the court-imposed deadline?
Linda Pim, Inglewood, Ont.
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Justin Trudeau's behaviour in the House, reminiscent of Rob Ford, was an unfortunate reaction in the midst of a passionate and frustrating debate on Bill C-14. He has apologized and may even have gained some personal insight from the incident.
Now, can we all turn our eyes away from the sideshow and refocus our attention on the conversation at hand, that of physician-assisted dying? A lot of Canadians are counting on it.
Mary Ellen Aronoff, Toronto
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A national problem
The Consumers Council of Canada is a regular intervenor at the Ontario Energy Board on behalf of retail consumers. We work among the diverse group of interests that appear before the board, and in our view The Globe and Mail's editorial assertion that Ontario is "North America's leader in overpriced power" is hyperbole (Less Central Heating, More Central Planning – May 18).
This exaggeration may confuse a typical retail consumer's understanding of what they pay for electricity in Ontario, relative to other jurisdictions. Independent evidence that is readily available shows that Ontario consumers pay middle-of-the-pack electricity rates in North America.
Nonetheless, consumers need to know that many costs or decisions that contribute to current rates are not open to be reviewed by intervenors through the OEB, or by any other means. This is not just an Ontario problem. It's a national one.
Retail consumer intervenors at the OEB deserve and need better than cost-per-hearing funding to play their role. A national commitment is needed to strengthen consumer groups' institutional role in all decision-making processes about energy, national and provincial.
Effective consumer representation is not a "cost" or an "aggravation," it's a right, too often denied.
Aubrey LeBlanc, president, Consumers Council of Canada
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Label GMO salmon
Re Salmon First Genetically Altered Animal Approved For Sale In Canada (May 20): As someone who eats fish but not meat, I am angry that Health Canada will allow the sale of genetically modified salmon without any labelling to identify it as such.
Perhaps those fish hatcheries that are not bringing genetically modified salmon to market will label their salmon appropriately: They would definitely get my business.
Does Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay's announcement that he has directed his parliamentary committee to examine regulations around genetically modified animals offer a glimmer of hope?
The timing feels like more than just coincidence.
Nigel Brachi, Edmonton
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There is only one reason to balk at labelling genetically modified food – it's because many of us have no interest in eating AquAdvantage's Frankenfish, or any other company's franken-anything-else, for that matter.
As a consumer, I should have the right to make the choice on GMO food and the government should protect that right for me through labelling laws, not give in to industry.
Katherine O'Neill, Victoria
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Cash for politicians
Re A Blatant Cash Grab (May 19): Why is The Globe and Mail's editorial board so opposed to Ontario's proposed "taxpayer subsidy" of political parties, i.e. direct government payments to political parties based on the votes received by those parties?
The government already subsidizes political parties by partly funding political donations through income tax credits that favour affluent and influential voters and their ideological preferences.
Publicly disclosed, results-based allocations of government funding to parties is surely more transparent, fair, objective and cost-efficient than the existing opaque, arbitrary and unaccountable model.
Harry Sutherland, North Vancouver
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Elbows and optics
By politicizing an incident that resulted from something completely unintentional as gender-based violence, the spectacle involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau is absurd, and yet another abuse of the F-word, giving actual feminists a bad name – one which they fight hard to dispel.
In the name of feminism, raising this as an issue of "violence against women" is not only absurd, but discredits the testimonials of the thousands of women who have in fact been victims of assault and have fought to get their voices heard. The NDP should be ashamed of themselves.
Huneid Vakharia, Toronto
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The optics of berating someone who speaks out upon feeling victimized are deeply concerning, and do little to advance the dialogue on gender-based violence and gender equality.
What we need is an environment that empowers all individuals to stand their ground, not a fear-based culture that dangles the threat of public flogging in the face of anyone who feels they have been violated.
Regardless of how minor this particular infraction may appear to outsiders, or how partisan in nature they decide to paint MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau's intent, what matters is that this MP felt that her rights were infringed upon. To truly advance the dialogue on gender-based violence and equality, this needs to be enough.
Rebecca Wagner, Toronto
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The ridiculous outrage expressed by the Conservatives and NDP is laughable and shameful. Ruth-Ellen Brosseau gave an Oscar-winning performance after being accidentally bumped. Sadly, Ms. Brosseau then went over the top claiming to be too distraught to stay and missing the vote.
I think the House of Commons needs to implement a milk and cookies program – followed by an afternoon nap.
Renee Leahy, Uxbridge, Ont.