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Decision to deploy

The disturbing examples of extremism we have seen (or avoided seeing) from Islamic State are no justification for Canada to be part of a massive aerial bombing campaign that could kill as many innocent civilians as intended targets. And this is assuming that the intelligence is reliable in the first place (For Harper, Decision To Deploy Must Come With Full Disclosure – Sept. 29).

This is not our war, but not being part of it does not mean sitting on the sidelines. Canada will always have a humanitarian role to play. It can start by joining a coalition of countries willing to help deal with the massive refugee outflows and human suffering caused by the air strikes in Syria.

If the Prime Minister is intent on Canada having a direct combat role, the debate should be premised on the worst-case scenario: Canadian soldiers deployed in a long-term ground war in the Mid-east. Then the question should be put to a free vote in Parliament so that MPs of all stripes can vote their individual conscience and that of their constituents.

Roger Barany, Vancouver

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Scripted behaviour

Re The Root Causes Of Paul Calandra (editorial, Sept. 29): You missed a cause – governments have condoned, encouraged and even dictated these outrageous behaviours.

The current government's unrelenting practice of scripting and managing the message is particularly offensive. This cannot be dismissed by simply blaming or excusing the behaviour of one MP. Had Mr. Calandra been directed to respond appropriately to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, no apology – heartfelt or otherwise – would have been necessary.

These behaviours only continue to undermine the confidence Canadians must have in their government.

Monica Cullum, Ottawa

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E-cigarette curse

Re Ottawa Fails To Take Action On E-Cigarettes (Arts & Life, Sept. 29): You get hooked on nicotine in cigarettes, not on the smoke. Nicotine would, like narcotics, be a controlled drug but for history. There is no reason to allow it on an unregulated market.

True, e-cigarettes can make nicotine available without the smoke but are just as addictive and carry the risks for heart and blood vessel disease.

We can't ban e-cigarettes without encouraging a new underground business but let's at least apply the same controls. It boggles the mind that Health Canada has ignored this new curse.

George Sweeney, Dundas, Ont.

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Hong Kong's anger

The protests in Hong Kong are not just about political and economic freedom (Hong Kong Affects Us All – Sept. 26).

Hong Kong's anger stems from the failure of the government to protect its own citizens. The Chinese handover in 1997 ushered in an era of unprecedented uncertainty, yet less than a decade later this uncertainty had already turned into anger and resentment. The reality is that Hong Kong citizens must compete with Mainland Chinese citizens for school and hospital space, baby formula, jobs and property.

Hong Kongers are angry because they are being disrespected as rightful citizens, while the government continues to pander to the Mainland Chinese.

Cally Fung, Vancouver

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Reaching in the Peg

For this Winnipegger, it was something of a downer to read Alex Bozikovic's review of our spectacular new Canadian Museum for Human Rights (Arts, Sept. 27). This building, along with our new bridge between downtown and Saint Boniface, has changed our cityscape into something quite beautiful, in contrast to the ubiquitous business towers.

The article asks, "a mountain in Winnipeg?" No, this is our "reach." That is what we do on the Prairies against the overwhelming sky, we reach – and finally we have a building to suggest that.

Per Brask, Winnipeg

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Battle of Web wills

Re Thinking Outside The Idiot Box (editorial, Sept. 27): Over two decades, the Internet has slowly morphed into a medium capable of streaming audiovisual content. When the CRTC first issued an exemption order for Web programing, it was considered complementary to, not competing with, other programming. That order is now obsolete.

The CRTC has clear authority under the Broadcasting Act to regulate audiovisual signals entering Canadian homes, regardless of how they are distributed. The only question is its will to do so, in the face of a hostile government. The Lobby Registration website shows that Netflix has met with many government officials, up to Paul Calandra, the Prime Minister's parliamentary secretary. The company clearly thought that it did not need to respect the commission's legal authority when it appeared before it on Sept. 19.

Channel scarcity was never a rationale for broadcasting regulation in Canada. Shelf space for Canada in the audiovisual system was always the goal, and the CRTC has succeeded over five decades in maintaining a strong Canadian presence on English television in head-on competition with Hollywood. A recent Nanos Research poll found that 69 per cent of Canadians' impression of Netflix would be more positive if it contributed financially to help support Canadian TV programs.

This not about technology.

It's about political will.

Ian Morrison, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting

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Define 'elite'

If Doug Ford believes the Empire Club of Canada is a private club for Toronto's elite, he is mistaken (Last-Minute Decision To Pull Out Of Debate Signals Shift In Strategy – Sept. 27).

We are a not-for-profit organization whose members are drawn from all walks of life. The shared quality of our members is their active curiosity in the people who are having the greatest impact on Canadian society. Membership in our 111-year-old club costs $75 a year and provides members advance notice on speakers and a discount on tickets.

Our sole expression of any elitism may be this: Every speech ever made at our club has been published in our annual Red Book and distributed to every school library in Canada, and Canada's embassies and consulates internationally.

As a candidate for mayor in 2010, then-councillor Rob Ford spoke to the club. His speech is on Page 24 of that season's Red Book. Every speech ever made to the club is available on our website.

If Doug Ford had chosen to debate mayoral candidates John Tory and Olivia Chow at our club, every one of his words would have been published, too.

Ted Griffith, president-elect, Empire Club of Canada

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It is more than a little hypocritical when a man who gives his brother a Cadillac Escalade as a birthday present accuses someone else of being an elitist out of touch with the common people.

William Christian, Guelph, Ont.

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