Letters: Silencing doctors sends a chill

Montreal Gazette

2 days ago

Letters To The Editor
I am appalled that the Collège des médecins is telling its members not to communicate with patients about proposed legislation that could change how doctors are paid.
What right does the Collège have to do this? It must be taking its cues from the government. That's a problem, especially when the political climate south of the border chips away at the right to say anything that disagrees with the government's line.
Meanwhile, doctors are saying they are working under too many levels of management in a health system that is broken and toxic. Who among us would like to be in their place?
Negotiating should be about arriving at a compromise. But it seems the government knows what it wants and has the power to ultimately get it. It just doesn't have to suffer with the result. That's left to the rest of us.
Rod Elkin, Pierrefonds
The cheers we hear for Canada's team
All across the country we can hear Canadians shouting in unison: 'Go Oilers Go!'
Even in Quebec, people are adding their voices to the chorus — though some presumably with shouts of: 'Allez Pétroliers Allez!'
Robert Fox, Dorval
Ghazal should honour her oath
Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal declares Canada to be 'a bizarre country' because we invited 'the monarch of a foreign country' to read the throne speech.
Whatever else King Charles III may be, he is the constitutional monarch of Canada.
Ghazal, like me, is a naturalized Canadian. I assume she had to pass a citizenship test and swear her allegiance and duty to the constitutional monarch — not as a feudal overlord but as a symbol of our sovereign Constitution.
Political leaders should know the Constitution and honour their oaths.
Elaine Bander, Montreal
Student's plea a poignant reminder
Re: ' Dear Miss Teacher, Why can't I fail too? ' (Opinion, May 31)
What an absolutely true and heart-rending appeal to teachers by Maïka Forget.
A poignant reminder that grades should not be the only things that make an individual a good student.
As a retired teacher, I was always guided by a strong underlying belief in the capacity of each young life I was privileged to have in my classroom.
I salute Forget's determination that, despite the performance assessment of our educational system, she is committed to 'make the world a better place.'
It is my most profound belief that she will.
Vivianne M. Silver, Côte-St-Luc
Submitting a letter to the editor
Letters should be sent by email to [e-mail]
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.