Investigating interference plus other letters, June 8: ‘China certainly isn’t the only actor in this movie, and its impact shouldn’t equate to hysteria’

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Mask up

Re “Smoke from Quebec wildfires spreading into Southern Ontario, northeastern U.S.” (June 7): New public-health advisory: Use a face mask when venturing outdoors – then feel free to promptly remove it once inside, in close quarters with other people.

Mark Spurr Toronto

Inquiring minds

Re “David Johnston’s testimony raises more questions about his report on foreign interference” (June 7): While the security definition of “target” remains publicly elusive, it’s becoming more clear to me that the primary concern is disinformation through social media, rather than some giant spy network integrated with our politicians.

It’s likely that China, via surrogates, initiated disinformation attacks against various politicians. China’s audience: Canada’s large Chinese diaspora. China’s probable advantage: language. But China certainly isn’t the only actor in this movie, and its impact shouldn’t equate to hysteria.

Disinformation is a currency of social media. The multitude of channels and veritable flood of comments makes policing difficult, maybe impossible. But the likelihood that disinformation changes minds from where they were already living seems, at best, low.

Let’s take a breath and calm down the political rage-farming, which in and of itself is a form of disinformation.

Frank Malone Aurora, Ont.

Re “David Johnston’s lead counsel on foreign interference probe attended Trudeau fundraiser in 2021″ (June 6): The argument that David Johnston or his counsel’s support of the Liberals disqualifies him from investigating foreign interference seems like partisan foolishness.

On that basis, the same thing could be said of anyone who donates to or supports the Conservatives, NDP or Green Party. And extending that logic to its most partisan extent, anyone who has ever been appointed by order-in-council to serve in a public position would also be excluded.

David Johnston’s appointment as governor-general by Stephen Harper, and his distinguished service in that post, should be sufficient evidence that he is capable of independent judgment.

Robert O’Kell Winnipeg

Re “Danielle Smith wants a fight with Justin Trudeau. But what if there’s not much to fight about?” (Report on Business, June 2): I suppose it is inevitable that the Prime Minister should be the target of so much animus. But I would put Justin Trudeau well up the list of those I have seen in that office in my 78 years.

He takes the dangers of climate change seriously; his actions during the pandemic, if a bit slow to start, saved tens of thousands of lives; his support for Indigenous communities is significant; he seems to understand the needs of diplomacy better than so many of his critics.

I could go on. But in the end, I think it can only be his appearance as a quiet family man, his name and the ambitions of other politicians that account for the hostility.

Nicholas Tracy Fredericton

Private promotion

Re “Immigration: Don’t mess with the success of private refugee sponsorship” (Editorial, June 6): Thank you for highlighting the plight of refugees and their sponsors who have been in limbo for years.

After hearing of Australia’s incarceration of refugees on Nauru and Manus Island, I joined a private sponsorship group. (For an understanding of their conditions, read Jaivet Ealom’s Escape from Manus Prison: One Man’s Daring Quest for Freedom.) In 2019, we were paired with a young man who was sent to Nauru 11 years prior.

He has yet to come to Canada. My letter last year to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship went unanswered. My subsequent two letters to the Canadian High Commission in Australia received a response: “It is not possible to provide a timeline for finalization but rest assured that our processing team is treating this cohort as a high priority and understands the difficult circumstances.”

We are left to wonder what happens to those who are not “high priority.”

Judith Hanebury Calgary

In 1978, I helped bring one of the first Vietnamese boat families to Canada as a private sponsor. This week, we celebrate the seventh anniversary of the sponsored arrival of three generations of a Syrian family of eight.

Recently we welcomed two young women from Afghanistan, and soon the three siblings of one woman will also arrive. Through these years, I have gained adopted daughters, grandchildren and lifelong friends.

My life has been greatly enriched by the private sponsorship program, and so has our country.

Patricia Houston Victoria

Time and place

Re “Is administering MAID in a funeral home undignified?” (June 6): It is to be expected that 54 per cent of medical assistance in dying occurs in hospitals, hospices and care homes. MAID is still largely an end-of-life event with very ill patients, whose care needs cannot always be met at home.

Which is why it is so shocking that forced transfers for MAID from faith-influenced hospitals, hospices and care homes occur when patients are at their most vulnerable. Many of the patients who I have provided with MAID have been forcibly transferred from the palliative-care unit of my local faith-influenced hospital.

As a secular country, Canadians should ask our governments to stop permitting the unnecessary suffering caused by forced transfers. Bravo to La Belle Province for showing us the way.

Jyothi Jayaraman Palliative-care physician and MAID provider, Vancouver

Defining the expansion of medical assistance in dying in terms of freedom and rights would fail to acknowledge the existence of the slippery slope.

There is the potential abuse of MAID, particularly in the case of the vulnerable elderly and those with disabilities. In 2015, the Supreme Court was presented with evidence that showed abuses long existed in countries with MAID such as Belgium.

Since then, Canada has acquired its own horror stories. We should wonder if we have slid right down the slope to the point of being oblivious to it.

S. K. Riggs Toronto

In this age of environmental deterioration and climate change, anyone who advocates for assisted dying in funeral homes probably hasn’t seen the 1973 film Soylent Green.

Is that where we are being led?

Patrick Martin Westmount, Que.

Dig in

Re “Yes, you can find a decent meal – and avoid sky high prices – at the airport” (June 7): As a multimillion-mile flyer, I think this is a great list of airport dining recommendations.

One out-of-the-box opportunity: Go to Clearwater Seafoods at Halifax Stanfield International Airport and grab a cooked and chilled lobster. With a bit of temerity, a modicum of ingenuity and a lot of napkins, a great meal awaits.

John Budreski Whistler, B.C.

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: letters@globeandmail.com