How will Supreme Court headed by Wagner ‘interpret’ the law?

Re: Stephen Harper wouldn’t like this — June 25

As I understand it, good democratic development in our society and in its legal system, should flow as directly as possible from the choices voters make at the ballot box.

Columnist Geoffrey Stevens relates the opinions and intentions of the new Chief Justice of Canada’s Supreme Court. If my understanding of what is demonstrably democratic holds water, then what Chief Justice Richard Wagner wants the Supreme Court to accomplish, by leading us into a future of legal activism, is decidedly less than democratic.

Wagner does not want to be constrained by the plain reading and original intent of the law as approved at the ballot box or as enacted by a duly elected Parliament. Rather, in his “living tree” view of Canada’s Constitution he believes he finds the authority for the Supreme Court (or a majority of it) to ignore the literal intent of basic law, and reinterpret it to accommodate what he calls “the evolution of society.” In this he also chooses to ignore the fact that he and the other members of the Supreme Court are unelected appointees in the rule-of-law system of our democratic society.

Courts at all levels are mandated to adjudicate the clearly stated intent of legislated law, and in our legal system, the Supreme Court is the court of last resort. Changes to the intent or meaning of laws require a democratic process, not a court’s reading of opinion polls.

Ed Grootenboer

Waterloo

Just answer the phone!

Re: Manulife cutting 700 jobs, vacating offices in downtown Kitchener — June 22

Michael Doughty, CEO of Manulife Canada, says his company is playing catch-up in the digital world and giving his clients (he called us ‘customers’ — there is a difference) easier access with “no customer effort” and providing us with “experiences that are intuitive, digital, automated.” And then he gave the real reason — “They don’t need to phone us as much.”

It appears we are a nuisance. Perhaps we should take our business elsewhere.

If his digital automated system works as well as most others then there will be more customer effort required, in finding the right page, the right form, then being told that the answer is not acceptable, or finding that your issue is not on the drop-down menu.

And then of course this scheme ignores the fact that many people, especially seniors, are not computer and internet literate.

When will big business learn that people prefer contact with a real person and to be guided through a process by them and not have to search through scads of instructions when we require service?

Don’t cut the 700 jobs. Take care of your clients instead.

Derek Perry

Kitchener