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Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney arrives at a news conference in Ottawa on Nov. 26, 2012. He will take over the reins as Governor of the Bank of England next year.CHRIS WATTIE/Reuters

Bank on it

Everyone was unanimous: A Canadian as head of the Bank of England? That could never happen. But happen it did, and those of us who believe the world needs more Canada, in the way of prudent financial oversight, should be delighted. The only better announcement would be if Mark Carney were appointed chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve board. But that could never happen.

Peter Love, Toronto

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I'm disappointed in Stephen Harper's and Jim Flaherty's ability to make a good trade for Mark Carney. To come up empty-handed puts them in the running to be the next Leafs general manager.

Dale W. Darychuk, Port Coquitlam, B.C.

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Ford nation

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's tragic flaw is his "us and them" attitude, which divides the world into cars and bikes, straights and gays, right and left, etc. (Ford Vows To Fight On As City Hall Erupts – Nov. 27).

This attitude considers rules necessary for those who are wrong (them), but mere guidelines if you are essentially good (us). The real tragedy is how this attitude diminishes our city.

Roger Pepler, Toronto

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The punishment far, far exceeds the crime. How ironic that Rob Ford should become a poster boy for why mandatory penalties are a bad thing.

Margaret Hughes, Winnipeg

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For years, I watched then-Etobicoke councillor Rob Ford in action in our shared jurisdiction. Once, we were both speaking at a senior's event. Immediately after the speeches, Mr. Ford handed out business cards to each of the 50 guests. I assumed it was his city-issued councillor's card. I was wrong.

It turned out to be his private business, Deco Labels and Tags. While handing out the cards to the grateful seniors, he would say, "For your printing needs … for your printing needs." How long would a politician last, handing out private business cards while representing public office?

Shafiq Qaadri, MPP, Etobicoke North

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All we ask is that Mayor Ford pay the same attention and respect to the city that Coach Ford pays to football. Coach Ford has studied the rules and obeys them. He recognizes the referee's authority. He attends games and practices. Torontonians deserve at least the same.

Bill Gillies, Oakville, Ont.

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Ford Nation? Read: Ford, Nay, Shun.

Greg Herman, Toronto

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In the red, politically

Discussing the federal by-election results, John Ibbitson employs the standard narrative about splitting the progressive vote to explain the dismal showing by the Liberals, observing that "the Green Party is starting to walk on two feet." If anything, this is an understatement (Will Tories learn lesson from Calgary Centre scare? – Nov. 27).

When you aggregate the ballots cast across the three ridings – Calgary Centre, Durham and Victoria – you find the Liberals ran dead last. They failed to match the total number of votes generated by the Greens, let alone the NDP or the Conservatives. Mr. Ibbitson concludes by drawing lessons from the Calgary Centre result: "In most parts of this country, Reform doesn't work. Wildrose 1.0 doesn't work. Social conservatism doesn't work."

I think the lesson is a lot simpler: In most parts of this country, the Liberals don't work.

Jonathan Skrimshire, Pincher Creek, Alta.

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Gender games

The number of women sitting on each corporate board was an excellent addition to this year's Board Games (Report on Business – Nov. 26). According to global corporate governance ratings agency Governance Metrics International, Canada fell from sixth place in terms of gender diversity among 23 industrialized economies in 2010 to 10th place in 2011 (2012 stats will be published in 2013).

This is hardly surprising, given the success of countries such as Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, the U.K., Finland and Sweden in improving gender diversity at the board level. These countries have increased the percentage of board seats held by women between 2.2 percentage points in the case of the U.K., all the way up to 7.5 percentage points in France in just 24 months. Meanwhile, the percentage of board seats held by women in Canada has increased 0.7 percentage points.

Bravo to The Globe on shining a spotlight on those companies that are leading the way, and on those who need to catch up.

Pamela Jeffery, founder, Canadian Board Diversity Council

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About Botswana

Further to the letter about Botswana's Success (Nov. 27), it might be prudent to add that it has one of the highest HIV-AIDS infection rates in the world – one in four persons between the ages of 15 and 49.

Mary d'Eon, Toronto

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One can't remark on the successes of Botswana without mentioning it's the home of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency – a significant asset in any country.

Patty Benjamin, Calgary

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Iron rusts, so …

The Middle East seems to be firmly wedded to the iron age. We have the iron will of the contenders, the iron fists of the governing authorities and now, even an Iron Dome. Since all associations with iron implicitly decay with age, the contenders would be better served if they tried mutual respect instead.

Doug Deans, Milton, Ont.

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Marine pollution

Re Why We Should All Fret Over The Closing Of Our Marine Pollution Unit (Nov. 26): Readers may infer from reading this article that 55 scientists within the marine-pollution unit will lose their jobs. In fact, we expect that most will continue to be employed doing important research within the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

In lieu of in-house research on pollutants, the department is establishing an advisory group and research fund to work with academia and other independent facilities to prioritize the information we need and source it from outside the department. Our new approach allows us to be more flexible and will develop partnerships outside of government.

David J. Gillis, director, General Ecosystems and Fisheries Management, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

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Scary thought

Re Higher Prices, Less Choice: Let's Reject Cartels (Nov. 26): I would like to thank the C.D. Howe Institute and Barrie McKenna for calling attention to the evils of cartels, such as the dairy farmers. I shudder to think what would happen if the oil companies got hold of such an idea.

Paul Magowan, Beamsville, Ont.

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