Tag Archives: letter to the editor

Harm Reduction

health, ,

Following yesterday’s reports of Health Minister Tony Clement’s ignorant comments about safe injection sites like Vancouver’s Insite which “left officials from the [World Health Organization] flummoxed and red-faced,” my father has this useful observation printed in today’s Globe and Mail letters:

DOUGLAS TINDAL

August 7, 2008

Brantford, Ont. — In view of Tony Clement’s embarrassing performance in Mexico, John Baird’s embarrassing performance in Bali and Stephen Harper’s embarrassing performance practically everywhere, I have a modest proposal for harm reduction.

Well put, dad.

Letters to the Editor

economy, trade

The first time I ever wrote a letter to the editor of the Globe and Mail it was published. I think I’m being rightfully punished for that, because they haven’t printed one since. Yesterday’s letter makes the score 1 for 4, but that’s ok, because here are three great letters they printed instead.

The Globe defends Chapter 11 of the North American free-trade agreement by saying that only two cases were lost by the Canadian government in response to corporate lawsuits. It is not the quantity of cases but the effect of the cases that is important.

One case the government lost concerned a gasoline additive banned in California. When the Canadian government came to the same conclusion as the California Environmental Protection Agency and decided to ban the additive, a U.S. company sued Canada for loss of revenue and won.

This one case has had a chilling effect on future regulation and makes the government think twice about banning toxic substances.
MURRAY MARTIN, Burnaby, B.C.

—
“Almost 85 per cent of our merchandise exports go to our NAFTA partners,” you say. If you think that’s a good thing, I’d shudder to hear what you think is a bad thing.
CHARLES MARKER, Toronto

—
Re Elizabeth May, Off To A Bad Start? (Aug. 29): You no sooner get elected to the leadership of a marginal political party and the leading newspaper in the country leaps to the attack. Seems like a pretty good start to me.
CHRIS MARSTON, Toronto