Letters to the editor

A10

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12 Comment(s)

It disturbed me to read that some 40 francophone schools want to opt out of singing the Canadian anthem daily. It's commendable the schools' objective is to instill pride in the students' language and heritage, but it shouldn't eclipse national pride.

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From the day we landed at Pier 21, my parents encouraged me to be thankful for the privilege of living in Canada. When I started school, none of my classmates' mother tongue was English - we spoke Ukrainian, Hungarian, German, or Polish. We learned about Canada, respected the flag and sang the anthem proudly every day. Our culture and language were kept alive at home; but we were taught to be Canadian.

Acadia is not a country, nor a province; allegiance should be first to Canada, then to New Brunswick and then to heritage.

Every child must have a solid and continuing education about Canada's past history and current affairs to help develop their Canadian identity.

Add to that the study of their cultural history, which is important to have as a member of society - but don't teach one to the exclusion of the other. When citizens show their national pride, it can translate into respect for their country by others around the world.

LILLIAN WARNE

Hartland

Are schools doing enough about H1N1?

Lately we hear a lot about the H1N1 everywhere. Whether it's at the mall or at school or at home, the flu virus is serious enough that people talk about it regularly. It's not surprising when you know the effect of this pandemic flu, which sometimes leads to death.

I feel like the government is doing a lot to protect the population. They are publishing information about the virus and the ways to protect yourself against it. They even offer a free vaccine.

One question still lingers: are the schools doing enough? In a crisis situation, I feel we, as a population, should be proactive. A simple solution could possibly reduce the contamination of children.

Maybe if the schools were closed until every child is vaccinated and protected, that group would no longer be at risk. I don't think we should wait until the majority of children are affected before acting; rather, we should act before the majority become sick. And if the schools refuse to close, wouldn't it be the parents responsibility to keep their children protected and keep them at home?

CHANTAL LOSIER

Dieppe

Health Department was ill prepared

I was one of the people at the H1N1 vaccine clinic in St. George on Oct. 29 and I did not experience any butting in or queue jumping or "craziness."

I probably spent as much time as anyone in the lineup, because by the time I got to the waiting room door the security people decided that young children were an uber-priority and I watched a good many family groups with children go by me under the direction of the security guard.

I don't mean to suggest that the security people did anything wrong, rather that they were doing the best they could under trying circumstances in a situation where they had not been provided with a clear set of criteria for eligibility for the shots, and there was an evident lack of guidelines for the set-up of the clinic itself.

The fault for any problems rest directly on the shoulders of the people in the Department of Health. They should have had clear-cut guidelines in place, for those who were setting up the clinics. They should have had people at the entrances to the buildings where the clinics were set up, to screen out those not eligible.

They should have realized that all the hype which has accompanied this outbreak of what is just a very bad flu, not the bubonic plague, has made lot of people afraid.

They should also have known that when these people became afraid they would do what they needed to do to get the vaccine, whether they were a priority case or not.

ROBERT NODDING

Beaver Harbour

The real prize is U.S. access

Shawn Graham's government is at it again.

A basic tenet of marketing 101 is "he who controls the channel, controls the market."

Selling NB Power to Hydro-Québec stretches one's perception of incredulity. While it's about time the province off-loaded this white elephant, the Graham Liberals, in so doing, are going to outdo themselves by the sheer magnitude of their incompetence.

To sell NB Power for $4.7 billion is chump change to Quebec. The New Brunswick government is out of its league.

It has no idea with whom it's doing business, or why Quebec wants the facility.

Hydro-Québec is a mega-monopoly of power generation and transmission of electricity. Quebec has virtually unlimited hydro resources waiting to be developed, from the north shore and eastern interior sites adjacent to Labrador, to feed an insatiable U.S. market.

Hydro-Québec couldn't care less about the power-generating infrastructure of NB Power. In Quebec's world, allowing these assets to depreciate, be decommissioned and not replaced, is petty cash. It's more cost-effective for them to continue to develop their present unlimited hydro electric sites. What Hydro-Québec wants, and Premier Graham is willing to give them, is the power transmission corridor, i.e., the only channel to the U.S. market.

The Graham government is ignoring the true worth of NB Power. It should not allow anyone to purchase this facility for under $9 billion.

New Brunswick's inept government is going to sell NB Power for the quick fix.

Strategically, it is dangerous. It is to be feared.

MICHAEL BRISLAIN

Fredericton

Many reasons power deal seems flawed

From a non-political stance - just a taxpayer reviewing the circumstances - the decision to sell NB Power to Hydro-Québec seems flawed for the following reasons:

After five years our power rates will be at the mercy of a province not known for its spirit of cooperation with the rest of Canada.

The Graham goverment, unfortunately, has not got a track record of making wise decisions. On all the major issues that have been announced they have eventually backtracked and returned to the status quo due to major flaws in their policies. On this matter, they will not have this opportunity.

If our power grid is to be owned by Hydro-Québec, why will we not get a guarantee of same rates as provided to Quebecers?

Why does the deal give huge breaks to big business but just a freeze on present rates for the consumer?

The Power Commission of Saint John would seem to be in a much-diminished situation when negotiating with Hydro-Québec.

If it is such a great deal, why does the government need to spend $1 million of our scarce tax revenues to sell it to us?

It is obvious that Hydro-Québec is really only interested in the gateway to the U.S. The satisfaction of N.B. subscribers will be a secondary priority.

What happens if the separatists return to power in Quebec?

It seems to add up to questionable short-term gain for a future of long-term pain and uncertainty.

BRIAN STONE

Saint John

Donations cover up for governments

Every time you look in the paper there is some group giving money to this organization or that. Where is the end of this long trail? Every time you turn around, someone has a hand out for a different charity.

The question is this. How many worthy causes can we afford? Look at all the money that goes out for cancer research, the Heart Foundation, diabetes, hospital funds, IWK, Easter Seals, and so on.

Without these billions in charity, where would all these organization be? Are we not covering up for governments? Isn't that why we pay out billions and billions in taxes - so we can have the services that these charities are funding?

What happens if the army decides it needs a dozen new tanks? Do we start a fundraiser for the army? A great cause no one will argue!

Need sidewalks in your village? Bingo on Saturday!

Need to entice a new business to your town? Let's have a flea market!

I think you get the point.

We pay dearly with our taxes, and to keep on asking people to cover the cost of things that the government has the responsibility to cover is wrong and sets a dangerous precedent.

It all may be done as charity, but if you look closely it is a hidden tax that we all pay because it is a good thing to do and we feel guilty if we don't.

There is a limit, and it is time to draw the line.

BERNARD LANDRY

Rexton