Sam Bankman-Fried, who founded and led FTX until a liquidity crunch forced the cryptocurrency exchange to declare bankruptcy, is escorted out of the Magistrate Court building, last month he was arrested after being criminally charged by U.S. prosecutors, in Nassau, Bahamas Dec. 13.DANTE CARRER/Reuters
Royal words
Re Rule Them All (Letters, Dec. 15): I am reminded of how insightful Queen Elizabeth was when in April, 1982, she wrote: “The genius of Canadian federalism … lies in your consistent ability to overcome differences through reason and compromise.”
Words to remember.
R. Bruce Stock London, Ont.
Democracy now
Re Germany’s Conspiracy-fuelled Coup Plot Shouldn’t Be Laughed Off (Dec. 14): Columnist Andrew Coyne connects the dots between far-right conspiracies in Germany, the United States and Canada. But a question remains: How can our threatened democratic institutions be protected?
Implausible conspiracy theories and unconstitutional power grabs are less likely if a citizenry has strong historical and political awareness. Most Germans know their country has erred in the past and don’t want a recurrence. It’s no coincidence that the German coup was snuffed out before it posed a real threat.
Sadly, many Americans lack this understanding. Many studies indicate that Canadian historical and civic awareness is also weak, even as recent events show that democracy and Canada’s nationhood can be fragile experiments.
Canadian media and educators should note that this is an existential crisis. They have a vital role to play.
Norm Beach Toronto
Waiting game
Re Too Many Bureaucratic Hurdles And Too Few Residency Spots: Why Canada Is Losing Foreign Physicians To Other Countries (Dec. 14): If a fully qualified specialist applies from a country with approved training programs (most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand), it should be done between January and April for a “letter of eligibility,” in order to sit exams from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Arrive after April (say, May of 2022) and the wait is eight months before making an application for 2023 to sit exams in April, 2024. That is, if a letter of eligibility is received before August, 2023. If not, then the wait is until 2025 to sit exams, all the while working in an approved Canadian hospital under “supervision” from a Canadian colleague and renewing a monthly provincial licence.
Why do we think foreign physicians don’t stay?
Paul Cary MD Cambridge, Ont.
Academic physicians at teaching hospitals rely on the efforts of doctors in training to allow them to meet other obligations in teaching and research. However, we are funded for a grossly inadequate number of trainees.
Increases in postgraduate training positions would not only impact future doctor numbers, it would alleviate the incredible workload our current trainees endure, improve the academic productivity of faculty and benefit direct patient care.
Barry Goldlist professor of medicine, University of Toronto
Buyer’s remorse
Re How Big-name Investors, Pension Funds, Bought Into A Crypto Craze (Report on Business, Dec. 14): So one of the Shark Tank “sharks” had lunch a couple of times, and listened to Sam Bankman-Fried and his fellow smoothies drop names such as Tom Brady. And that seems to be the extent of his due diligence on FTX?
Some shark.
Alan Rosenberg Toronto
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan gave FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried $95-million?
I’ll call them right now with their next great deal: their milk cow for my magic beans.
Mike Firth Toronto
Climate costs
Re Quebec’s Carbon Price Is Ottawa’s Problem (Dec. 9): Quebec’s price on carbon pollution absolutely should rise, but not for the reasons that columnist Gary Mason describes. It should rise because many Quebeckers want climate action and are increasingly aware of the weakness in our carbon pricing system.
Earlier this year, a coalition of Quebec environmental groups called for a more ambitious price on pollution. During the last provincial election, a group I volunteer with pressed the parties for their ideas on how to strengthen the system.
Quebec voters already welcome climate action. That’s a good reason to reform carbon pricing, regardless of what premiers across Canada have to say.
James Murphy Montreal
Re Oil Sands Coalition To Start Exploratory Drilling For Carbon-capture Project (Report on Business, Dec. 13): How much will this project cost? That would tell us the estimate of benefits to the oil companies at a 50-per-cent federal tax incentive.
And how long will it take to be in operation? That would tell us if it can help at all in achieving Canada’s 2030 emission-reduction targets.
Evelyn Gigantes Ottawa
Too far?
Re Inside View (Letters, Dec. 15): As a University of Toronto student and faculty member (now retired), I saw some cringeworthy antisemitism.
But for a letter-writer to accuse the university president of allegedly being “remarkably silent” on antisemitism, and especially to insinuate complicity, should be unconscionable. The letter-writer seems to be confounding silence with inaction.
Reiner Jaakson Oakville, Ont.
Modern art
Re Inside The Upheaval At Canada’s National Gallery (Dec. 9): In June, 2019, I visited the National Gallery of Canada to see the touring Gauguin blockbuster. I was with a Samoan artist from Aotearoa, or New Zealand.
As we went through the exhibition, I was embarrassed to realize that there was virtually no acknowledgment of colonialism or more problematic aspects of Gauguin’s life and work (specifically the sexual exploitation and infection of Indigenous Tahitian girls, the subjects of so many famous portraits). Given the Canadian context, it was a missed opportunity for critical dialogue.
Sasha Suda arrived at the NGC as this exhibition opened, and realized she had to address such failures. Progress has been made since 2019, but meaningful change is hard. Disrupting the status quo and reimagining a decolonized institution is serious work being undertaken by a growing number of museum professionals.
We expect the NGC to lead these conversations, not throw the squeaky wheels off the wagon.
Michelle Gewurtz PhD; supervisor, arts and culture, Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives Toronto
In name
Re Finding Power In My Maiden Name (First Person, Dec. 14): Life is much simpler in Quebec. Everybody, including married women, goes by their “maiden name.”
It stays a person’s official name all their life. It never changes no matter how many times they marry or divorce.
It does not prevent someone from using their husband’s last name socially.
Vesna Blazina Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que.
Many years ago my cousin, a Nunn, married a Lander.
They both changed their name to Nulander. Problem solved.
Shirley Jeffrey Stratford, Ont.
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