In defence of the well-worn passport

Re Prime minister’s passport getting a workout,

April 25 I don’t think we should be too alarmed that our Prime Minister has been travelling around the world at twice the pace of his predecessor as long as he’s taking care of business. He’s attended an APEC summit meeting; a climate change meeting; visited the U.S. president and has given boxing lessons in Brooklyn to mention just a few.

He’s selling Canada and Justin Trudeau and that’s OK. But hopefully he hasn’t forgotten about the real issues — the devastation of Alberta lands due to tarsands exploitation; the thousands of unemployed in Alberta; the war on terrorism; the right-to-die legislation and its consequences; the legalization of marijuana and its ramifications and the sluggish Canadian economy. Donald Cangiano, Oakville So, both the NDP’s Niki Ashton and Conservative Rona Ambrose say that Justin Trudeau should decline an invitation to box with disadvantaged youth. Why? Because there are others that don’t have the same opportunity and because it is simply a photo op.

These kids who are lucky enough to get some rare, quality one-on-one time with someone who actually cares (and he does) about their well-being can’t vote for Mr. Trudeau, so how exactly is that a photo op?

And a poor kid in Brooklyn is a poor kid in Cross Lake is a poor kid in London . . . Why on earth would you say “no” to a kid who asks you for some mentoring, simply because someone else isn’t receiving it? Isn’t the answer to do more of it, in various localities, instead of less?

It is for precisely this lack of empathic response that neither of your parties were voted in. David Klarer, Toronto While on the subject of passports, I have a question: Why can I get a health card and driver’s licence photo taken at the place of renewal, but must get a commercial photographer for my passport photo? Somehow I think there is more validity in the former circumstance. Douglas L. Martin, Hamilton