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
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The boss, the bossed
Re The Old Bossist Approach Is Finally Going Out Of Style (May 31): While I admire Lawrence Martin's optimism, I can't say I share it when it comes to the Conservative Party – at least not yet.
If Stephen Harper led a "democracy of one," it was because the many MPs of his party made it possible. It's these same MPs, including snitch-line fan Kellie Leitch, who are now urging the party to be inclusive and respectful. It's enough to make me consider that throat-clearing Bob Rae manoeuvre (Rae Finds Trudeau's Praise For Stephen Harper Hard To Swallow – online, May 29).
Jeneen Huang, Vancouver
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I supported Stephen Harper because he got at least four big things right:
1) He did not interfere in provincial jurisdiction, so we enjoyed 10 years of federal-provincial peace and a severe decline of the Quebec separatists' influence;
2) He increased the productivity of the civil service by trimming it and controlling the deficit;
3) He worked hard on free trade agreements;
4) His support of Israel was based on principle, not expediency.
Unfortunately, he lost favour due to his insularity, but history will likely favour his achievements over his personal style.
Shaul Ezer, Vancouver
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Despite all his great schemes to remake Canada, Stephen Harper's greatest legacy could be the elimination of the penny. Generations of Canadians can now walk the streets free from a purse or pocket full of copper. Perhaps Mr. Harper will learn that, in the grand scheme of things, small changes have the greatest impact.
Les Bowser, Omemee, Ont.
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Death wishes
May I quote from your excellent article, Second Ruling Challenges Right-To-Die Bill (May 31)? "The passing of the [June 6] deadline means only that, as with abortion, there will be no criminal law on assisted death. The matter will be between patients and their doctors, and regulated by provincial medical bodies, which have all drafted a framework for how the process should work."
Good – no criminal law on doctor assisted death – that's the way it should be.
J.R. Kenny, Calgary
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Re How Mental Illness Complicates Medically Assisted Dying (May 30): It is difficult, if not impossible, to find a more important, scholarly, yet easily comprehensible, contribution to this debate than the article by K. Sonu Gaind, president of the Canadian Psychiatric Association. I hope the legislators read it.
Romain Pitt, Toronto
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Thank you to Dr. K. Sonu Gaind for the most comprehensive and understandable rationale for exercising caution with legislation to allow medically assisted dying. As a policy maker, I appreciate the clarity of thought in his column and hope it will be appreciated by all Canadians as we embark on a profound change in our approach to this sensitive issue.
Terry Lake, Minister of Health, British Columbia
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Conservatively …
By criticizing the Conservative Party for taking a decade to support gay marriage, your editorial demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of conservative philosophy (Re One Step Forward – May 31). Conservatism, by its very nature, is resistant to change and stands as the political spectrum's bulwark against the febrile excesses of progressivism.
By adopting a resolution supporting a fundamental societal change only after considered debate and sober introspection, the Conservative Party held true to one of the main principles that underlie the movement.
Edmund Burke would be proud.
Matt Watson, Orillia, Ont.
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Since ending their official opposition to gay marriage at this past weekend's party convention, Conservatives have been quick to pat themselves on the back. Even if we excuse their severe tardiness, it's important to recognize a distinction between their official stance and that of their rivals.
Yes, they've to agreed to halt their opposition, but as a party they don't yet support gay marriage. A similar distinction can be drawn between those who prefer the decriminalization of marijuana as opposed to its legalization.
Waving a white flag after 11 years of a regressive and losing battle is a nice first step, but perhaps they should be held to a higher standard than indifference.
Isaac Harris, Montreal
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Ratings drop tells it
Re Peak Hockey? Game Changes For Canadian Broadcasters (Re-port on Business, May 28): It was most interesting to read that, according to a Rogers spokesperson, the loss of viewership for Rogers hockey broadcasts was due to "team performance and bandwagon jumping."
Are neither the broadcaster nor the NHL complicit in ratings losses? Once upon at time, it was the game of hockey that determined the broadcast. Now, we have the opposite. A game of three 20-minute periods regularly takes three-plus hours, with TV timeouts interrupting the flow of an otherwise fast game, no matter who is playing. It is difficult to turn on a game and not be greeted by an ad.
Add to this a schedule that now contests the Stanley Cup well into June, where April or May used to host the finale, and it is no wonder people are tuning out.
And there's the broadcast itself. While Rogers promised innovation to the "tired" CBC broadcasts, there is little evidence of that, and often attempts at analysis or replays are displaced by cutaways to ads. George Stroumboulopoulose with a stick in his hands, on a contrived hockey rink "set," does not constitute innovation.
George Smith, Ottawa
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A matter of image
Re Robert Stanfield Misses The Catch Of His Life (Moment In Time, May 30, 1974): "It's trite to say a single image lost him the election. But it didn't help," writes Susan Krashinsky. "And that fumble presaged the growing influence of political image crafting."
Yes, it did, and with the knowing complicity of every newspaper that chose to put the picture of the Progressive Conservative leader on the front page instead of something newsworthy. When the media choose to emphasize the shallow and immaterial, we end up with prime ministers who are cute and have good hair.
Paul C. Bennett, Richmond Hill, Ont.
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It was good to see the Moment in Time with the famous photo of Robert Stanfield fumbling the football during the federal election in 1974.
You report that, before the fumble, he had thrown "perfect spirals and frequently caught that football." It would have been even better to have asked why The Globe put this unrepresentative photo on the front page.
I think Mr. Stanfield knew why the picture got wide play across Canada. He was asked once by a Halifax reporter how he felt he had been treated by the media. Well, he said, I think if I jumped off this wharf and walked across the harbour on the water, the headline you fellows would write would be: Stanfield Can't Swim.
Hamar Foster, Victoria