Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks during a news conference in Calgary on Oct. 13.Todd Korol/The Canadian Press
Follow the leader
Re “National unity is fraying under Trudeau’s watch” (Oct. 23): A prime minister’s brain should be full of big issues of long-term importance to the whole country.
I find little evidence that this Prime Minister acts on anything more than short-term procedures; big ones, maybe, but often with pyrrhic victories. I see him fighting not for the whole country, but against one political boss at a time.
Does his party offer a better one?
Peter van der Jagt Ottawa
It seems to me that provincial alienation is fostered more by certain premiers who are using issues such as health care‚ energy and education as red flags to stir up populist sentiments and further their political ambitions.
Seldom mentioned in the array of complaints from Alberta is the federally funded $30-billion-plus pipeline to the West Coast. And it seems quite a reach to blame Justin Trudeau and the Liberals for Quebec’s self-imposed decision to stoke French-English tensions when, again, the objective appears to be political advantage.
True, the provinces have authority over defined, though often contested, areas based on the Constitution. But without strong federal input, along with the urging of all people across Canada, we will likely be subjected to a patchwork of rights, laws and privileges based on the whims of certain short-sighted and opportunistic provincial leaders.
John Verweel Toronto
Justin Trudeau uses five words that should never be said by a prime minster: “I have instructed my cabinet.”
Jim Herder Aurora, Ont.
Log in
Re “Alberta’s early consultations on provincial pension proposal criticized by CPP Investment Board” (Oct. 18): I recently took the Alberta government’s voluntary pension survey.
Imagine my surprise when, after completing the survey on my iPad, I was still able to log into the survey on my iPhone and computer. Self-selected samples are problematic enough, but the lack of controls on the number of times this survey can be completed is astonishing.
Is this amateur hour, or was this a deliberate attempt to gin up survey results?
Tom Johnston Lethbridge, Alta.
Put out
Re “The One, Sam Mizrahi and Jenny Coco’s luxury condo project in Toronto, put into receivership with $1.6-billion in debt” (Report on Business, Oct. 20): It is unfortunate that The One luxury condo has been placed into receivership.
I knew this project was destined to fail from the start. It seems the developers thought they could teach the real estate industry some lessons on trying to build a megastructure with lots of debt and leverage.
Did anyone notice that two major lenders are China-East Resources Import & Export Co. and KEB Hana Bank from South Korea? No major Canadian or American banks would touch this deal when their memorandum hit the streets in 2015. There is no good news in this story for me, except that foreign lenders are probably going to lose more than $1-billion (before legal fees) and not our Canadian banks.
Unfortunately, those who purchased suites are likely going to see little or nothing. The lawyers who drafted the presale agreements should be called before the Law Society of Ontario.
Mark Borkowski Toronto
French for who?
Re “How French immersion inadvertently created class and cultural divides at schools across Canada” (Oct. 23): Recent data from the 2021 census paints a different picture.
Among all school-aged children in Canada outside Quebec who have participated in an immersion program:
- 13 per cent were first-generation Canadians, which is comparable to the percentage (14 per cent) of all school-aged children.
- 34 per cent were second-generation Canadians, which is higher than the percentage (30 per cent) of all school-aged children.
- 37 per cent were from a visible minority group, which is higher than the percentage (34 per cent) of all school-aged children.
- 19 per cent had a non-official language mother tongue, which is the same as the percentage of all school-aged children.
All Canadians should have the opportunity to become bilingual, and immersion programs are key in achieving this. Let’s not give governments excuses to do nothing by saying that French immersion is failing when, in fact, it’s succeeding.
Raymond Théberge Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada; Gatineau, Que.
As advocates of universal access to quality programs, Canadian Parents for French agrees that supply needs to catch up with demand to ensure all students have access to French immersion.
However, learning Canada’s official languages should not be at the detriment of speaking other languages. Learning French and other languages are not mutually exclusive. Research demonstrates that learners can add another language at no cost to their first-language competence, because languages are interdependent.
The 2021 census states that children enrolled in French immersion were more likely to be second-generation Canadians and part of a visible minority group. Instead of describing supply-and-demand issues as divisive and elitist, let’s make a call to governments across the country to ensure equitable access and delivery of these programs.
Among other benefits, learning French contributes to Canadian society while acknowledging our history and culture; as such, everyone in Canada should have this opportunity.
Derrek Bentley National president, Canadian Parents for French; Winnipeg
It is hard to balance choice and privilege with concerns about equity.
One child’s benefit shouldn’t be at the expense of another child’s access to same. That said, much has been done to open up access to French immersion programs and ensure that any child or family wishing to enroll has that opportunity.
Dispelling myths about language learning and learning in general has been an important component in keeping students in French, who might otherwise be “encouraged” to move to the English stream. So has highlighting research about how well English language learners can perform in acquiring French as an additional language.
Many of these principles of access and opportunity also apply to learning languages other than French. Our focus should be on increasing, not limiting, access.
Wendy Carr Retired educator; director, Canadian Parents for French; Vancouver
French only
Re “Those dangerous students from away” (Oct. 21): I, as a francophone from Quebec, never had a chance to deposit my children at a francophone university in Toronto.
Pierre Grégoire Saint-Lambert, Que.
Time was, separatist provincial governments tried to take Quebec out of Canada.
With the plan to make out-of-province Canadian students pay nearly double the current tuition, this Coalition Avenir Québec government has flipped the script: Take Canada out of Quebec.
Daniel Miller Sherbrooke, Que.
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