“What does the governor general actually do, other than travel around the globe at taxpayers’ expense?”
I hope the kerfuffle over Gov. Gen. Mary Simon’s lack of proficiency in French, after three years in her position, will serve as the last straw for this anachronism.
Canada and Britain exchange ambassadors and have ministers of foreign affairs who can together manage any intergovernmental issues below the prime-minister level. What does the governor general actually do, other than travel around the globe at taxpayers’ expense? The governor general’s office soaks up over $50 million annually that could be better spent elsewhere.
It’s time for the position of governor general in Canada to be dumped into the dustbin of history.
David Grogan, Griffintown
Include tips and taxes in the price
The Gazette reports that “a 2023 Angus Reid survey found that most Canadians — 59 per cent — would exchange the current tip system for a service-included model with higher wages for servers.”
In the U.K., tipping is rare unless you get such wonderful service that you want to reward it. Go to a pub and you can expect a pint of premium beer to set you back the equivalent of around $8.30, with no tip expected.
In Quebec, you can expect the same pint to cost around $8 before taxes and tip.
There is an extra tax on alcoholic beverages in Quebec. Then the payment machine is shoved in front of you. If you add a 15 per cent tip, you’re now over $10.50. And I doubt the service in a Quebec bar is any better than in a London pub.
I believe servers, customers and restaurant owners would be better served if tips and taxes were included in the price of the item, and salaries of servers and other staff were raised.
Gary Bernstein, C.D.N.-N.D.G.
Combative tactics counterproductive
The only fly in the ointment, in my view, were the comments by Raymond Théberge, Canada’s commissioner of official languages, regarding school boards. I believe a combative approach is counterproductive, especially when some community members see limited value in the boards.
While the government is building new schools for the English sector, let’s be cool, take a diplomatic approach and use our energies to fight for the needs of students, teachers and support personnel. After all, it’s been said one can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.
Chris Eustace, Pierrefonds
Submitting a letter to the editor
We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one.
Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication.
Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation.
We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer’s argument.
Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or “open letters” addressed to third parties.
Letters are published with the author’s full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published.
We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Please send the letter in the body of an email, not as an attachment.