Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre speaks during a campaign rally on March 31, in Ottawa.Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail
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History repeating
Re British Plan To Send Asylum Seekers To Rwanda Sparks Outrage From Human-rights Groups (April 15): Has Britain learned nothing? Does it still consider Africa a dumping ground for its unwanted?
In the 1950s, the British government dispatched tens of thousands of children to “Fairbridge Farms” in Zimbabwe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They travelled on the heels of the infamous Dr. Barnardo’s Homes scheme.
As a young girl in a British boarding school, I was encouraged to put coins into a papier-mâché cottage to support Dr. Barnardo’s children.
As an adult, I am honoured to have a friend who was a Fairbridge “graduate.” As a human being, I am horrified at Boris Johnson’s appalling scheme.
Anne Moon Victoria
United colours
Re A Conservative Race With More Shades Of Blue (Editorial, April 15): I am worried about the Liberal government’s propensity to talk sunny ways and yet do little about the endless rain. We are in fiscal, environmental, security and social trouble; it’s embarrassingly red.
And yet, it scares me that Pierre Poilievre seems like a guy who would like to sit on one end of a long table and pound his fists. It’s a dark, blue thought.
What to do? If the roof of our House of Commons were more green, if its windows showed some orange flags, perhaps the leaders of all parties would respect it more.
Let’s vote to have more colour. And fire all the whips – we want all voices to be heard.
Brian Emes Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
Bring it home
Re Manchin Calls For Closer Energy Relationship (April 13): “More than half of the oil the U.S. imports comes from Canada.” But how much foreign oil does Canada import, and what parts of the country are doing the importing? If we are an oil-producing nation, why are we importing oil at all?
If we are moving toward sustainable energy sources, it will not happen overnight. Canada should have a comprehensive energy plan that sees oil-importing provinces wean off foreign oil and replace it with Canadian product in the short term. In the long term, we should develop alternative energy infrastructure to ensure the economic viability of energy-producing provinces.
Canada should have a homogeneous national energy platform that is win-win for all Canadians.
Robert Lesperance Vancouver
Clean up
Re Shining A Light On Dirty Cash In Canada (Editorial, April 14): I patiently wait for some solution to the money laundering problem. As The Globe and Mail’s editorial states, our government does not appear to want one.
Is it incapable of handling the problem? Other countries have been able to develop solutions. The people benefitting from our lax system have no shortage of cash, and cash is a well-known enticement to have people see things another way.
New laws would be a vote generator for the party that terminates this practice. It is “dirty,” yet it is currently acceptable in Canada. This is definitely not the Canadian way.
Douglas Stuart Burlington, Ont.
At the time
Re The Indian Act Is Introduced (Moment in Time, April 12): As discussed in Parliament, and covered in The Globe at the time, the Indian Act provided for the consolidation of a multitude of existing acts, federal responsibility for the welfare of band members on reserve and gradual voluntary enfranchisement.
Indian Councils highly approved the changes and were actively consulted, with many of their suggestions incorporated. For example, a band member could request a council’s approval for enfranchisement, which meant, in return for land title, the individual was no longer a member nor entitled to financial annuities.
At that moment in time, the act was welcomed for its approach to managing the welfare of Indigenous people. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but was much better than the deplorable situation that existed in the United States.
Unfortunately, subsequent governments have failed to enable First Nations, Inuit and Métis to achieve their rightful and equal place in Canada.
John Morgan Ottawa
Brand new car?
Re Drive My Car (Letters, April 15): Unlike a letter-writer whose son drives a 14-year-old truck because of economic necessity, I drive a 13-year-old Honda CR-V out of thrift.
I drive about 10,000 kilometres a year, almost exclusively on out-of-city trips (I use transit in the city). I’m the old guy in the right-hand lane doing 95 km/h and consuming less than 8 L/100 km.
I would love to save the environment and purchase an electric vehicle. But there is a large footprint to produce the car and its battery filled with toxic stuff. The minerals needed come mainly from foreign countries with lax environmental standards. What happens to the battery when it is no longer efficient at charging in not all that many years?
So my quandary is: For how many years could I still operate my current car before the net additional carbon footprint would exceed that from the production of a new EV?
Bruce Peckover Toronto
Keep it simple
Re Can A NanoScope Help Diagnose My Knee Pain Faster Than An MRI? (April 12): While specialists doing surgical planning often rely on advanced imaging such as CT or MRI scans, the vast majority of those accessing my primary care clinic do not – and are often surprised by this.
A good history, physical exam and, occasionally, an inexpensive, accessible X-ray or ultrasound quite often secures the diagnosis. This expedites care, saves precious tax dollars and frees up access to those few individuals where imaging will affect management.
Benjamin Reitzel MD, CCFP Hamilton
Blown wide open
Re Greenhouse Gas Emissions Dropped 9 Per Cent In First Year Of Pandemic, Report Shows (April 15): A year ago, I was still naive about climate change.
The pandemic proved governments can act swiftly when human health is at stake. Because they weren’t doing anything serious about climate change, I assumed the problem must not be so bad.
In the midst of last summer’s wildfires, I finally read into climate science, thinking this would comfort me. It did not. In fact, I had the worst anxiety attack of my life.
It turns out this dire information was new to me but not to the powers that be. I cannot wrap my head around why they aren’t taking it seriously.
It feels important to know what we are up against. But with the rage and despair that comes from witnessing not just inaction but sabotage, I can’t help but wonder if I would have been better off staying naive.
Madeleine Koch Nanaimo, B.C.
Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep letters to fewer than 150 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com