Letters to the editor: Japan's police chief resigns over force's failure while in Canada, RCMP boss says sorry

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National differences or a question of integrity?

Re: ‘I want to apologize for the RCMP,’ Commissioner Lucki tells N.S. shooting probe, Aug. 25

Japan’s national police chief, Itaru Nakamura, took personal responsibility for the fatal shooting of former prime minister Shinzo Abe last month, and announced his resignation. Meanwhile, it is over two years since the mass shooting of 22 individuals by one gunman in Nova Scotia, and all RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki will do is offer an apology for the RCMP’s failure then. Is this an indication of the difference between the national character of Japan and Canada, or the integrity of these two individuals — or perhaps both?

Eli Honig, Toronto

‘Bilingualism is passé’ in Canada

Re: The end of bilingualism in Canada, André Pratte, Aug. 27

André Pratte may be right. Bilingualism is passé. Bilingualism was good for the 1970s and perhaps the next quarter century when it held Canada together. Now, we need multilingualism whereby, using modern technology, people speaking any of the world’s prominent languages can be served by our public institutions. We need politicians who see beyond identity politics and cultural nationalism. More than ever, and more than anywhere else, we need them in Quebec.

Patrick Cowan, Toronto

Daycare problem one of family income, not prices

Re: Child care is getting cheaper, but it’s not the inflation buster Ottawa says it is, Bianca Bharti, Aug. 19

Is cheaper child care the answer to inflation? This is a trick question, since the government cannot make childcare cheaper by any kind of action at its disposal. All the government can do, via subsidies or other methods, is to shift the costs of daycare from the users of such services to other people.

For example, the tax deductibility of daycare expenses gives a tax reduction benefit to users of daycare that other taxpayers have to make up. Government expenditures to create more daycare spaces, or otherwise subsidize daycare expenses, makes life cheaper for daycare users but more expensive for non-user taxpayers who have to foot the bill. This is hardly an answer to inflation.

Of course, as usual, the government chooses to confuse price and income issues. The prices offered at daycare centres is not the problem unless such entities have monopoly power, which they do not. The problem is that some people’s incomes are too low to afford proper daycare. The solution lies in identifying such people and giving them vouchers that can be used to buy daycare services.

Alex MacMillan, Kingston, Ont.

Real warships needed for Arctic

Re: Trudeau and NATO chief highlight Russian threats to the Arctic, Aug. 26

NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Russia is expanding its presence in the Arctic and that has to be a concern for Canada and all NATO countries. Indeed, Canada must start getting serious about investing in defence if NATO countries are to be protected by possible incursions from Russia and others.

Canada does not meet its commitment to NATO to spend two per cent of GDP on defence, and is not even close to it. As for the Arctic, the navy will have six Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships in a few years. These ships are not even classified as warships by the navy and are not equipped with naval weapon systems. The ships are fitted with what is referred to as a constabulary gun. It is a secondary armament fitted on capital ships to counter attacks from fast boats or from shore. There are also the 12 Maritime Coastal Defence vessels that are built to commercial standards and do not carry naval armament, and cannot navigate through ice. When will there be serious investments in building real warships for the navy?

Roger Cyr, retired Naval Commander, Victoria, B.C.

Putting more seniors at risk in Quebec

Re: Quebec allowing four people per room in care homes, against coroner’s recommendations, Aug. 22

Quebec’s decision to allow long-term care facilities to put up to four residents per room will put people at risk to more than illness.

Long-term care facilities in Quebec have a tragic history of fires with high fatalities due to a lack of fire-suppression sprinklers at that time.

By allowing four residents per room the authorities have greatly increased the evacuation effort for emergency responders. This decision will result in more deaths.

D.B. Wilson, Port Moody, B.C.

‘Turning our backs on our ally’s request is a disgrace’

Re: Yes, Trudeau, there is a case for exporting LNG to Europe, Rex Murphy, Aug. 26; and ‘Huge opportunity’: East Coast hydrogen industry gets shot in arm from German energy giants, Aug. 24

The leader of Germany comes to Canada trying to get more natural gas — needed now, not in 10 years. Our prime minister makes the claim that there isn’t much of a business case. Isn’t this a decision best made by the actual businesses involved? And to follow up with a promise of hydrogen energy — a classic bait and switch if there ever was one.

To turn our backs on our ally’s request for help in eliminating its need for Russian energy is a disgrace.

Colin Lockhart, Florenceville-Bristol, N.B.

Over the past two decades, Germany has built an energy supply line overly based on interruptible wind and solar energy and unreliable Russian natural gas. Now it seeks to supplement its energy supply with early-stage green hydrogen from Canada, a country with little production and export infrastructure and based on an agreement that is so full of holes that it could be printed on Swiss cheese. This former powerhouse nation is living proof of the problems that arise when one replaces things that work with things that feel good.

John P.A. Budreski, Vancouver

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