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Sex and politics
Re Patrick Brown Steps Down As Ontario PC Leader Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations (Jan. 25): Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown resigns amid sexual impropriety allegations, just months before the election in June. How convenient for Premier Kathleen Wynne. How unfortunate for democracy and the electorate.
Rick Walker, Toronto
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Proud as I am of the brave women who had the courage to tell their stories, I am furious that we are staring at yet another undeserved win by the Liberals in this province. Still, so be it. Women must speak out, no matter the cost to our political comfort.
Sarah Anderson, Toronto
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Two provincial PC leaders, one in Ontario, the other in Nova Scotia, step down amid allegations of sexual misconduct. To anyone who doubts there's a difference between Canada and the U.S., consider this: In Canada, when a male politician is accused of sexual impropriety, he's quickly out of a job. In the United States, he's elected to the highest political office in the land. Amazing.
Ken Cuthbertson, Kingston
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There is the court system, of course, but dramatically "going public" seems to be how these things get done these days.
The risk is that such claims can get weaponized, especially with public figures. Even if the claims are true, when timed just right, they can do real damage to someone.
Just like that, the presumption of innocence is out the window and a job, sometimes a marriage, and certainly reputation are lost, all without the benefit of impartial judges and due process.
The "go public" approach will not help women. We call those who accuse their harassers brave and create hashtags, but there is real risk that men accused of these horrible things will have little choice but to fight, and fight hard, versus settle or apologize or do anything that could provide real resolution for the victims.
We need to provide justice to women, prosecute harassers, and provide due process that punishes when found guilty and not when accused. The problem with saying "we believe her" is that we are really saying, without a trial, "he's guilty."
Peter Smith, Winnipeg
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It is very true: A week in politics is a long time.
Douglas Cornish, Ottawa
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Upping trade's ante
Re On Taxes, We Need To Show We'll Compete (editorial, Jan. 25): You write, "Ottawa needs to demonstrate that it is open to all possibilities, including lower corporate tax rates and less regulation."
Where's the evidence that this leads to investment, rather than more money for shareholders and CEOs when the company is doing well? Or the Sears model when it isn't?
Miriam Clavir, Vancouver
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Your editorial nails this issue. With our largest trading partner upping the ante (lowering corporate taxes, easing regulations), we can only hope our PM gets a tutorial on basic economics and the mobility of investment capital before it's too late for us.
Kevin McKenna, Toronto
It is all very well and good to editorialize that Canada needs to show that it can compete with the United States through the corporate tax rate.
But in your editorial you go on to note that the "U.S. is also cutting environmental regulations and opening more public land to oil and gas development." If Canada were to do likewise in order to "compete," then all we would be doing is helping to facilitate a race to the bottom in terms of environmental and natural resource protection.
Chris Gates, Warkworth, Ont.
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Price of advice
Re Survey Says: Investing Fees Are Opaque As Ever (Report on Business, Jan. 20): The Credo Consulting Inc. survey concluded that "62 per cent of investors still think that they do not pay for the financial advice they receive." This finding runs counter to other credible surveys, such as the Innovative Research Group survey, which you cite and which was commissioned by the B.C. Securities Commission. It concluded that 50 per cent to 79 per cent of investors were aware of fees charged, with more confident investors accounting for the 79-per-cent figure.
The Investment Industry Association of Canada (IIAC)encouraged advisers registered with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) to initiate extensive discussions with clients, both before and after the second phase of the client relationship model initiative known as CRM2 was launched in early 2017.
These discussions were to make investors aware of the new disclosure documents, and to explain differences in the statistics between the standardized format and previous firm-specific reports.
The effectiveness of the CRM2 initiative should be judged, not just in the first six months or first year of implementation, but after a longer interval, once investors become more familiar with the quarterly CRM2 reports, and have discussed fees with their adviser when portfolios turn over and new investments are purchased. While gaps in client understanding of fees persist, the CRM2 initiative is an important step in creating more transparency around investment performance and costs for investors.
Ian Russell, CEO, Investment Industry Association of Canada (IIAC)
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On snail mail's trail
Re: Liberals Opt Against Canada Post Overhaul (Jan. 24): The federal Liberals have paraded many issues over the past year under the banner of "fairness" to all.
My wife and I are seniors. In our 38 years in our home, we have never enjoyed home delivery of mail. Like the other seniors here, we trudge through the snow to retrieve the ever-dwindling letter post.
If anyone gets home delivery, we all should – a great way to more rapidly bankrupt Canada Post. What happened to "fairness" when only those who still have mail delivery get to keep it?
Paul Bruce, Sharon, Ont.
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To save NAFTA …
Re When At The NAFTA Table, Skip The Jell-O (editorial, Jan. 23): As you have stated, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland's NAFTA courtship of U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has come to naught. The excellent rapport of Gerald Butts, the PM's principal secretary, with a senior policy adviser to Donald Trump is gone with the banishment of Steve Bannon.
To save NAFTA, Canada needs to establish a relationship with an agency which has true staying power. As Mr. Trump gets most of the information influencing his decisions from television, perhaps it's time for Ms. Freeland to exert the full force of her personal charm … and begin a courtship with Fox News.
Morley Lertzman, North Vancouver