Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump speak during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, June 16.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
Stay away
Re “The Donroe Doctrine gets a brushback” (Editorial, Sept. 19): In my view, the “doctrine” is a thinly veiled attempt to reintroduce America’s belligerent slogan “Manifest Destiny” into today’s debate.
I’m convinced that our national sovereignty is now at risk in any discussions with the U.S. President, and we are wise to explore other options to safeguard our future.
Les Dominy Renfrew, Ont.
Cuban class
Re “How much longer can the U.S. justify its campaign against Cuba?” (Opinion, Sept. 19): I appreciate this plea on behalf of Cuba.
The lack of action from our government troubles me. This is a country similar in population to Switzerland, yet we continue to seemingly turn a blind eye as these people are deprived of fuel, food, water, medications and crucial electricity for hospitals, homes and schools.
As a frequent visitor to this beautiful place, I am impressed with Cuban ingenuity, resilience and, even more, kindness and generosity. It regularly had the second-largest Terry Fox runs in the world; provided many years of free medical care for Ukrainian child victims of Chernobyl; trained thousands of doctors from poor countries, again for free; raised literacy standards with the help of Cuban revolutionaries and thousands of privileged young students.
There is much to be admired about Cuba, much less about the United States, and nothing at all about Canada’s decision to astain from a recent United Nations vote, rather than vote in support of this struggling country.
Gwen Chute Belcarra, B.C.
Not worth it
Re “Mark Carney brings John A. Macdonald back to the Canadian story”(Opinion, Sept. 12) and “Backstory” (Letters, Sept. 20): I think it does not fully reflect Sir John A. Macdonald’s role with regard to Indigenous peoples to see him merely as a man of his time. So far as “Indian policy” was concerned, he fundamentally shaped and changed policy and legislation with results that continue to harmfully impact Indigenous communities today.
J.R. Miller, a historian who wrote fundamental works on the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada, noted that Macdonald moved adoption of the assimilation policy in the 1857 Gradual Civilization Act and, as prime minister and superintendent-general of Indian Affairs, was instrumental in a swath of government programs that targeted First Nations’ cultural identity, spiritual practices and traditional governance.
It should not be surprising that many Canadians and Indigenous peoples have no desire to honour Macdonald’s legacy.
Jim Reynolds Author, Canada and Colonialism: An Unfinished History; Vancouver
Resource gap
Re “The grey (time) zone of academia” (The Sunday Editorial, Sept. 13): Austerity in postsecondary education, brought on by chronic government underfunding, has led to faculty attrition, hiring freezes and program cuts, which all threaten educational quality.
Despite Ontario’s record enrolments, university faculty decreased between 2023 to 2025, indicating limited permanent hiring. Meanwhile, highly qualified contract faculty teach more than half of undergraduate courses on temporary assignments with poor pay and few benefits.
Through collective bargaining, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations’ 30 member organizations work to address inequities in salary, workload, job security, career progression and retirement. We understand that faculty often begin their careers later in life than in other fields and face rigorous, ongoing evaluations.
Regardless of age, faculty are focused on teaching, research and service, doing more with less to support record numbers of students. When government denies adequate resources to a system, instead of pitting people against each other, we should look at the bigger picture.
Rob Kristofferson President, OCUFA; Toronto
Animal welfare
Re “Dolphin shipped out of Marineland dies in Spain after move” (Sept. 25): The deaths of four belugas and one dolphin since their transfer from Marineland are heartbreaking and demand accountability.
Many of us urged Ontario and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to seriously consider alternatives proposed by marine-mammal experts, lawyers and experienced wildlife rescue and rehabilitation professionals. Instead, valuable time was lost while governments disputed responsibility and viable proposals were rejected or went nowhere.
Now five animals are dead. They were intelligent, sentient and entirely dependent upon human decisions for their welfare. Canadians deserve to know what expert recommendations were considered, why alternatives were rejected, who made the decisions and whether these deaths could have been prevented.
Five lives have been lost. It is profoundly sad, and entirely reasonable to demand answers.
Patricia Gray Calgary
Sounds familiar
Re “Canada opened the door to private sports betting years ago, and then walked away” (Opinion, Sept. 19): I am old enough to remember when television commentators promoted specific brands of cigarettes (as did doctors). Sports commentators are now doing the same thing with betting sites during game broadcasts.
It was wrong in the 1950s, and it should be wrong now.
Barry Goldlist Toronto
Tune out
Re “No decision made on possible NHL expansion to Houston or Austin, Tex., after board discussion” (Report on Business, Sept. 23): I see the ever-greedy National Hockey League plans to gift another plaything to a billionaire American with nothing to do and all day to do it in. I solemnly swear that if another money-grubbing franchise is awarded south of the border before Quebec City or Southern Ontario, I will never, ever spend another dime on this diluted product.
Hockey is a passion. It is the lifeblood of many Canadian boys and girls. If the NHL steals the dream of playing in front of people who also love the game, all that is left is a bunch of billionaires and American players who want to move to Florida.
Kevin Tibbles Les Éboulements, Que.
Shed light on
Re “Not standard” (Letters, Sept. 21): Too many people, including a letter-writer from Ontario who congratulates Saskatchewan for “eliminating daylight time entirely,” don’t seem to know what time it is here.
I’ll let everyone in on a little secret: Though Saskatchewan claims to be on Central Standard Time, in practice the province has been on permanent daylight time for decades.
Mountain Standard Time is seven hours behind Greenwich and is centred on the 105th meridian. Saskatchewan lies between the 102nd and 110th meridians and thus comfortably sits within MST, yet our clocks are only six hours behind Greenwich.
In midwinter, I can watch the sun rise at 9 a.m. because the clocks here are the same as in Chicago off to the east. Yet I am an hour ahead of those in Denver, which is due south.
It seems only a deficiency of irony stops Saskatchewan from boldly stating that we use Mountain Daylight Time year-round.
Mik Bickis Saskatoon
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