Trudeau’s decline & fall

Refer to ‘Trudeau’s travails’; one of Canada’s longest-serving prime ministers and its most popular leader in recent history has announced his resignation amid increasing discontent within the ruling party as well as among voters. His highly publicised diplomatic spat with India failed to yield results and further eroded his domestic popularity. The impending Trump presidency has generated more economic and diplomatic uncertainty, and his statement that he wants to merge Canada with America is worrying for the Maple Country. The changing of the guard in Canada offers an opportunity to India to mend ties, even as Trudeau’s departure will present new political challenges for his country.

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Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai

Canada at a crossroads

Apropos of ‘Trudeau's travails’; the Canadian Prime Minister’s resignation has brought his country to a crossroads. Trudeau quit after disputes with allies, pressure from Donald Trump, falling popularity figures and dissent within the Liberal Party. The development has made Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre the frontrunner to take over the reins of Canadian politics. Trudeau’s rule witnessed a historic low in India-Canada relations after he accused the Indian government of involvement in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder. India may feel a sigh of relief in view of Trudeau’s anti-India stance. His resignation opens the possibility for a new leadership that could prioritise improving relations with India.

Harbinder S Dhillon, Una

Legitimising politicisation

Refer to the editorial, ‘Politicising VCs’; there is nothing new about the politicisation of VCs’ appointments in universities, but the new draft of UGC regulations has legitimised it. Similarly, joint secretary-level officers have been selected as IAS officers from among professionals of the industrial and corporate sectors. This has been done to ensure absolute control over educational institutes. A positive aspect of this change seems to be the administrative and professional experience for better managing of universities. The plan to remove the 10 per cent limit of recruiting contractual staff will have a huge impact on jobs in universities.

Wg Cdr JS Minhas (retd), mohali

Battleground Delhi

The Delhi Assembly elections will be a high-stakes political battle for the main contenders — AAP, BJP and the Congress. The BJP is hoping to turn the tables on the ruling party by highlighting the allegedly corrupt deeds of ex-CM Arvind Kejriwal. But what exactly will Delhi residents vote for? In almost every election, especially in the post-Covid era, freebies have influenced electoral outcomes to the point that parties are vying to outdo one another. Won’t it be better if the voters ask political parties to pledge to build more public hospitals, schools and colleges and insist on the implementation of these promises?

SK Singh, by mail

Tread warily on CDS’s rank

Apropos of ‘The pitfalls of elevating CDS to five-star rank’; for a country like India, flanked by hostile neighbours, the chiefs of services must be given free rein. Giving the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) a five-star rank would create problems regarding centralisation that would affect collaborative efforts. One of the primary challenges in selecting the CDS lies in the limited tenure if the seniormost officer is appointed. Striking a balance between representing the forces and negotiating with the government is a delicate task that requires deft handling.

Capt Amar Jeet (retd), Kharar

Education needs paradigm shift

Refer to 'Looking for a new culture of learning in 2025'; the article is thought-provoking and a good commentary on the need for true education. Definitely, education has got a higher purpose than merely goading students to seek jobs. It's basically meant to shape careers/lives of the youth by inculcating democratic and liberal values, critical thinking and cultural pluralism in them. The right kind of education is the only way forward to effect a paradigm shift and enable the youth fight evils such as market-driven education, consumerism and hyper-nationalism.

Ravi Sharma, Dhariwal