Former truck driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu walks into the Kerry Vickar Centre for his sentencing in Melfort, Sask., on March 22, 2019.Kayle Neis/The Canadian Press
Keep your Opinions sharp and informed. Get the Opinion newsletter. Sign up today.
Pay it forward
Re Liberals’ Lack Of Economic Concern Will Catch Up With Them (Dec. 16): It is good news that the Liberal government is compensating First Nations children to the tune of $40-billion. At last. This is an occasion for rejoicing.
It should not be an occasion for regretting that this money will not be used to pay down the deficit. For me, a deficit in dollars is preferable to a deficit in justice.
Donna Sinclair North Bay, Ont.
This government thinks social priorities trump economic concerns. Social and economic concerns should be seen as one and the same. We pay for social policies with the results of economic policies.
Geoff Lee Thunder Bay
Now we know
Re ‘Everyone Should Know’ (Dec. 11): RCMP officer Dave Friesen’s principled approach to his duty should be taught in school. He should be on bills and stamps. One lone officer among hundreds, if not thousands, who knew or should have known what was going on in residential schools.
My heart broke for the children, and it broke again on reading how multiple layers of bureaucrats, lawyers, police officers, teachers, priests and doctors failed them. One wonders who we are failing today, and how? (I have a good idea.)
Who is out there trying to bring justice, but is being ignored, stalled or muzzled?
Catherine Deluz Victoria
Put a number on it
Re Is It Time To Make ‘Natural Capital’ An Asset Class? (Report on Business, Dec. 11): What if it were possible to put a dollar value on such assets?
Take, for example, the Fraser River estuary. There is a value to that ecosystem. If a dollar value is put on wildlife – such as fish, crabs, birds and orcas, and the wetlands that support them – it would surely be in the billions.
When a commercial entity suggests an infrastructure development, such as a new container terminal, be built on these wetlands – suggesting a return on investment in terms of jobs, trade et cetera – it would be possible to demonstrate a bad investment when compared with the natural value that would be denigrated or destroyed.
With climate change upon us, we should look at natural assets in monetary terms, thus preventing an infrastructure development that should, in reality, be a money loser.
Roger Emsley Delta, B.C.
The work being done in British Columbia on natural infrastructure has been brought into sharp focus since the terrible flooding of recent weeks. The conservation of near-urban nature, which includes forests, wetlands and farm fields, is critical as it provides high returns by benefitting large populations.
In southern Ontario, the world’s largest Greenbelt protects more than two million acres of natural and agricultural lands and sustains connectivity to ensure nature thrives. By our analysis, its natural assets provide $3.2-billion annually in ecosystem services. With the regional population expected to rise to 15 million by 2051, Greenbelt benefits will only become more critical in the years to come.
Continuing to protect the Greenbelt and ecological connectivity is vital to the region’s future, and leading municipalities and conservation authorities are eager to partner with higher levels of government to value and enhance the benefits nature provides to communities.
Shelley Petrie Program director, Greenbelt Foundation; Toronto
A second chance
Re The Driver In The Humboldt Broncos Bus Crash Should Not Be Deported (Opinion, Dec. 11): Jaskirat Sidhu accepted responsibility and didn’t mount a defence. He received the longest sentence in Canadian history for dangerous driving causing death. Drunk drivers who contest charges receive less.
Mr. Sidhu was also a new driver with inadequate training and the intersection was poorly designed. He ran a stop sign, but for me the accident was a shared responsibility.
Taking nothing away from the suffering of those on the bus and all those who love them, and as the daughter of a mother who was killed when a large truck driven by a poorly trained young driver drove into her car, I believe Mr. Sidhu deserves a second chance as a future Canadian citizen.
Helen Vanwel Vancouver
Only the affected families have the moral right to comment, but I hope that the compassion reflected in this column – along with the systemic factors that Jaskirat Sidhu is not willing to blame – will at least be considered in arriving at a decision on his deportation.
Michael Wills Toronto
Hopes dashed
Re At-risk Afghans Say Ottawa Offered ‘False Hope’ Of Escape (Dec. 11): I think it is safe to say that many Canadian voters view unfulfilled political promises as naturally occurring features of our political landscape. We know that politically motivated promises are not the same as “real” promises.
This one feels different. Canada’s commitment to accept thousands of Afghans would have been heard in Afghanistan as a tangible offer of life-changing help. As one of the world’s most vulnerable populations, Afghans can be expected to seek hope from wherever it may come and, in this instance, would have had every reason to put their faith in Canada’s sincerity.
The government’s failed promise to Afghans is heartbreaking and shameful.
Donald Hall Ottawa
Historical norms
Re Despite Its Flaws, Democracy In America Is Stronger Than It Looks (Opinion, Dec. 11): Columnist Konrad Yakabuski revives the comforting idea that liberal democracy is the natural and inevitable end point of history. This 1980s metaphysical rerun should be cancelled.
If its basic foundations – education, scientific literacy, a free press – are allowed to erode, democracy cannot magically reassert itself. Instead, things would likely return to the historical norm: political factions, propaganda, tyranny and war.
Glenn Parsons Toronto
Next chapter
Re The Women Who Are Breaking The Silence Around Menopause (Opinion, Dec. 11): When I was experiencing what is euphemistically called “the change,” a friend told me about the three stages of women: “maiden, mother and crone.” So when my doctor informed me I was officially post-menopausal, I shocked him by gleefully stating that I planned to celebrate this momentous occasion with a “croning ceremony.”
I invited eight women to dinner, asking each to bring a reading. They ranged from the now hilarious expectations placed on women in the 1950s to A Woman of Valour, the Hebrew hymn from the Book of Proverbs, and a personal account of leaving Norway for Canada. These were copied onto grey paper, placed in grey folders and sent to each woman as a memento.
Menopause is a beginning, not an end. Women deserve to celebrate their wisdom and life experiences.
Lina Zatzman Oshawa, Ont.
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