Letters to the editor: ‘Should Michael Rousseau have given condolences in both official languages? Of course. Should his inability to be bilingual result in his resignation?’ Letters to the editor for March 30

Open this photo in gallery:

Air Canada’s new CEO Michael Rousseau giving a speech at the Montreal Chamber of Commerce in November, 2021.Mario Beauregard/The Canadian Press

Don’t speak

Re “Air Canada’s CEO once again misses the boat on bilingualism” (Opinion, March 28): Give the guy a break. I know how difficult it can be to learn a language different from our native tongue.

This gentleman is struggling to accept the death of two talented young men in his employ. Should he have given condolences in both official languages? Of course.

Should he have struggled to speak in his limited French? That’s difficult to answer because it may have been taken as a sign of disrespect.

Should his inability to be bilingual result in his resignation? I don’t believe so.

Maggie McEwan Hamilton

The fact that Michael Rousseau was sensitive enough to express his condolences to the families should have been enough. It should not have been politicized.

Over the years, I have attended funerals to express my condolences to families whose first language may not be English, but they appreciated my presence, support, prayers and sympathy. Expressing condolences, compassion, love and human kindness are not necessarily limited by a specific language.

As Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations, once said, “We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race.” May the families of the two pilots killed in the crash know and understand the sympathy, support, appreciation and prayers from all Canadians.

Derek Pedersen Reverend, Diocese of St. Catharines; Niagara Falls, Ont.

Oil future?

Re “No, despite Iran oil shock, Canada still doesn’t need more pipelines” (Report on Business, March 23): Canada stands at a pivotal nation-building moment. The fact is, climate risks are huge financial risks. What we lack is bold federal policy.

Recent research published in Canadian Public Policy on Canada’s failure to adopt essential climate-related financial policies is alarming. While Britain, Australia and the European Union have implemented five-plus of eight key policies, Canada has enacted fewer than three. This includes missing economy-wide climate disclosure and clear regulatory mandates.

To protect our economy and future, Canada should act now and align its financial system with global standards.

Cathy Orlando Director, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada; Sudbury

The entanglement between war and climate change has serious implications for human health beyond direct causalities of war. It also drives the spread of infectious disease, food insecurity and exposure to toxic hazards.

If we truly care about human well-being, clarity on our limited progress in the energy transition should expedite our movement toward sustainable energy systems in times of conflict.

However, the same economic and political interests that shape public health and climate action also have considerable stakes in military and oil industries. Steep profit made from weapons, arms and oil sales devalue human lives. It is not surprising that geopolitical instability reinforces reliance on fossil fuels, undermining climate and health priorities.

Canada should lead by example to rehumanize these markets. We should petition our policymakers to prioritize human health and cut fossil fuel and military funding in favour of climate protectionism.

Marisa Leach MPH (c), Vancouver

Legal language

Re “Alberta’s MAID bill is a chance for legal clarity” (Editorial, March 25): Interpreting Alberta’s planned medical assistance in dying bill as having the makings of legal clarity would seem to ignore its underlying operational framework of broadly vague restrictions that are, under the guise of prudent access, employing onerous themes of overt suppression and intimidation.

Including special exclusion zones for MAID facilities, the bill threatens doctors with penalties and prohibits provincial health professionals from referring people to MAID access outside Alberta.

Add in the slippery ambiguities baked into language like “reasonably,” “foreseeable” and “reasonable efforts,” not to mention the magical time constraint of 12 months and the net effects are those of uncertainty, silence and fear.

Edward Carson Toronto

Won’t cut it

Re “Young adults can’t afford homes to raise families, and city governments are at fault” (Report on Business, March 23): In high-demand markets, cutting municipal fees rarely lowers sticker prices for families; it simply allows land sellers to hike asking prices to cover the difference.

We see proof of this every time developers pause construction to wait for a better market. As private businesses, they are incentivized to extract every penny of savings for their own margins not pass them on to buyers.

Even if we flooded the market with new units, young families would still have to outbid real estate investment trusts that benefit from corporate tax exemptions. We are effectively asking a nurse or teacher to compete with low-tax global capital at a Monopoly table.

We need surgical reform: Eliminate REIT tax exemptions, implement a 90-day corporate vacancy tax and redirect that recovered revenue into a national acquisition fund for co-ops and non-profits.

A few tax tweaks and it’s done.

Linda Jeaurond Victoria

In God’s name

Re “Invoking God, even in the middle of a war, is a tradition in American politics” (March 23): As a Christian, invoking God in war seems erroneous, though I am aware it happens.

Some do so to justify their actions or intent. Yet this seems to miss the point of who Jesus was as a peacemaker.

He said “blessed are the peacemakers” and his ultimate call was to love our enemies. Even his crucifixion is an example of a surrender to violence and the power of vulnerability.

I don’t expect God to fix the messes we create. That “God protects us from nothing but is present in everything” brings comfort and calm.

Finally, we should also include and welcome other religions in the rich, diverse tapestry of life and stop treating others as opponents to eradicate.

John Pentland Reverend Hillhurst United Church; Calgary

Stellar view

Re “Mariette Rousseau-Vermette’s Flamboyante” (Made in Canada, March 23): In the eyes of a physicist or an astronomer, Flamboyante must surely evoke the spectrum of the sun or a distant star. The dark vertical lines traversing a background rainbow of continuous colour suggest absorption lines of elements in a stellar atmosphere.

These absorption lines are crucial in mankind’s understanding of the composition of the sun, stars and galaxies. Unexplained dark lines in the solar spectrum led to the discovery of helium in the atmosphere of the sun before the element was discovered on Earth.

I suspect the artist may have been no stranger to the wonders of modern astrophysics.

Peter Gammon St. John’s

Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: [email protected]