LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Skill no longer comes first in NHL

When did the sport of hockey go from a hard-fought game of skill to mixed martial arts on ice?

The game has, over the years, evolved to the point where it is not necessarily the best team that wins the Stanley Cup, but the team that has enough healthy players remaining.

When did the purpose of a bodycheck change from removing the puck from the opposition player to the very prevalent practice of inflicting as much physical pain as possible, and usually to the head?

Ah, but yes, the offending player may be required to not play for two games and forgo two days’ pay. Is this nothing more than an unpaid brief vacation? In the meantime, the injured player may be dealing with a concussion, with future traumatic health implications.

It was always my understanding that the purpose of the hockey stick was to pass the puck and shoot on net, not be used as a vehicle to hack and slash opposition players. It wasn’t a love tap to Marc Methot’s hand that almost cost him part of a finger. It is a sad state of affairs when Don Cherry’s Best Hockey Hits are sold on DVD rather than the best hockey plays. Officiating is in a position to ensure the rules of hockey are respected. It is time to bring back sportsmanship to the game. Allan Fraser, Ottawa

City hall should fly only three flags Re: Ottawa City Hall yanks down anti-abortion flag after councillors express anger, May 11.

For all you flag-o-philes, there should only be three flags at Ottawa City Hall: the municipal flag, the provincial flag and the federal flag.

It is not just the antiabortion flag; all other flags represent the specific beliefs and personal expressions of some persons who are often not the majority. Such banners need to be banned from public building sites. Want to express your lifestyle views? Fly your flag on your own property. (Well, maybe, perhaps, depending on how the NHL playoffs turn out, a Senators flag for a day.) L.D. Cross, Ottawa

There are paths to Senate reform Re: Editorial cartoon, May 10.

Your editorial cartoon correctly depicts the dilemma of Senate reform, which is clearly one of leadership and not of ideas to free Canada from inaction on constitutional reform.

If the Senate’s problems are its lack of accountability to the Canadian people, its under-representation of Western Canada, and its allocation of powers, a number of proposals out there offer solutions.

As a starting point, the wholesale institutional reform proposed by the Charlottetown accord in 1991 and endorsed unanimously by all levels of government could be re-examined. If it is felt that complex constitutional reform proposals run a higher risk of failure, perhaps it would be better to proceed in stages.

For example, regarding the selection of senators, provinces could be empowered to decide how their senators should be selected, either by direct election by electors, indirect election by the members of the provincial legislature, or retention elections, which is a procedure used by various American states in their court systems.

Regarding the distribution of seats, British Columbia and the Prairie Provinces could be recognized as regions, with B.C. going from six seats to 12; Alberta going from six to 10 and Saskatchewan and Manitoba going from six to seven.

Regarding powers, a constitutional amendment could be made to ensure the Senate remains an effective check against flawed legislation which abuses legislative powers, poses grave detriment to the regions of Canada, or compromises Charter or linguistic rights, while ensuring the supremacy of the House of Commons with respect to confidence matters.

There is no escaping the fact that to truly fix the Senate for the benefit of Canadians, the Constitution Act, 1867 must be reopened.

To say that such an action will automatically result in failure, downplays the importance of leadership and the history of constitutional development in Canada, which is characterized by a spirit of pragmatic accommodation. Gary W. O’Brien ( former clerk of the Senate and clerk of the Parliaments), Nepean SHARE YOUR VIEWS: letters@ottawacitizen.com

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