David Johnston, Independent Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference, is pictured on the screens of translators as he presents his first report in Ottawa on May 23.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Middle of it
Re “Canada’s political parties need to rediscover the missing middle ground” (Editorial, May 30): The polarization of Canadian politics is a threat to so many aspects of our country, particularly characteristics that have differentiated us from our southern neighbour.
One additional concern is the way politicians, particularly those on the right, have demonized many respected journalists. Different points of view shouldn’t make people enemies. Creative tension and debate generate better ideas and results.
Scott Allison Collingwood, Ont.
Agenda in Alberta
Re “The country (and Alberta) should brace for what Premier Danielle Smith has in store” (May 31): It is discouraging for me to see that we have selected what appears to be another angry and aggressive person to a co-ordinating position in our democratic country.
Aggressive leaders often appear like anti-democratic tyrants, behaving in ways that exhibit primitive beliefs that progress is brought about by conflict, as opposed to collaborative effort and inclusion.
Democratic leadership that contradicts a basic principle – that progress is only achieved by building upon positives – holds a particular responsibility for the crises-ridden, divided state of our world.
Glenn Boyd Smith Peterborough, Ont.
While the NDP showing in Alberta was remarkable, I am so disturbed to see that distasteful comments by the Premier and some of her United Conservative Party candidates were ignored at the ballot box.
I fear that short-term economic greed wins the day. Sadly, we all likely lose in the end.
John Pentland Calgary
Political theatre
Re “The reviews are in” (Letters, May 30): A letter-writer compares David Johnston’s appointment as special rapporteur to Winston Churchill appointing Lord Beaverbrook as minister of aircraft production during the Second World War.
However if one transposes the present to the past, Lord Beaverbrook would instead have said, “We are making planes. Why do we need to make more? Everything is fine and we can continue on.” How different 1940 would have ended if that was the case, and Lord Beaverbrook had not shaken up the complacent system to produce more Spitfires and Hurricanes.
Marshall Letts Sarnia, Ont.
Re “MPs vote to call on David Johnston to step aside as special rapporteur on foreign interference” (June 1): I find it ludicrous to believe that China has sufficient influence to materially alter the outcome in any election held in this democratic country. What I observe is theatrical partisan politics, aimed at leveraging the growing anti-China sentiment among G7 countries.
The country’s economic prosperity would be better served by working through the issues detracting from trade and foreign investment with China, Canada’s second-largest trading partner.
Alan Gorman Sudbury
The refusal of Pierre Poilievre and Yves-François Blanchet to read classified material reminds me of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and Lady Bracknell’s exchange with a prospective husband for her daughter.
Lady Bracknell: I have always been of the opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing. Which do you know?
Jack: I know nothing, Lady Bracknell.
Lady Bracknell: I am pleased to hear it. I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone.
James Robert Brown London, Ont.
Long time no see
Re “How Canada’s emergency rooms are faring as major staffing shortages persist” (May 26): I recently had to visit a Toronto emergency room and waited 10 hours before I was seen by a physician to assess an eye injury. At one point in the early morning hours, there was only one physician with many patients waiting to be seen.
I have access to excellent primary care, but opted for the ER because I believed its staff would have the required expertise and equipment for assessing my eye injury.
Richard Heystee Toronto
Capped out
Re “How Canada’s oil production rose and emissions fell – and what it means for climate policy” (Editorial, May 27): As I write, three provinces are on fire. Yet we are still cribbing about what to do about climate change and who should pay.
Capping emissions works. It’s how we stopped sulphur emissions that cause acid rain and chemicals that deplete ozone. It’s what keeps our waterways as clean as they are.
Consumption taxes have failed to curtail smoking and drinking, despite decades of trying. Perhaps carbon taxes will help, but I find there are too many loopholes and too much political gaming to rely on such an unproven and often-attacked idea.
Canada, and especially the oil and gas industry, should get more serious about reducing emissions. The one method we know that works is a hard cap, backed by strong regulation and enforcement.
John Bennett Senior policy adviser, Friends of the Earth Canada; Ottawa
Time spent
Re “Montreal’s LRT delays confirm a predictably Canadian pattern” (Opinion, May 27): In the 19th century, Canadians constructed a transcontinental railway in five years.
With today’s technology, management skills and government oversight, we are hard-pressed to build a few miles of functional railway across an urban landscape in double the time.
Rod Taylor Halton Hills, Ont.
Artificial intent
Re “Reducing ‘risk of extinction’ from AI should be on par with pandemics, nuclear war, experts warn” (May 31): Perhaps the biggest problem with ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence is the use of materials that are not sourced. Users cannot evaluate independently the reasoning involved in AI decision-making.
Not naming sources means that authors and publishers of materials, used but not identified, don’t get rewarded. That means that sellers of such AI are unjustly enriched and culture can take a nosedive.
Beyond mercantile considerations, I see a parallel with justice: No one should be convicted of a crime when critical evidence is from unnamed sources.
Randal Marlin Ottawa
If every artificial intelligence had the following incorporated in its basic programming, there wouldn’t be any problems.
These are science-fiction author Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; a robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law; a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second law.
But start now. Otherwise, some renegade AI could take over the world and make slaves of us all.
Claudette Claereboudt Regina
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