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Re: “‘It starts with one word’ (and that word isn’t ‘Hi’): Quebec launches video promoting French)” (The Gazette, Sept. 17)

The Coalition Avenir Québec’s seemingly never-ending preoccupation with language has serious consequences.

In financial terms, the government keeps pouring money into its version of protecting and promoting French, despite a huge budget deficit and pressing needs in other areas, such as health care.

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More than that, the fraught atmosphere is leading to tears in our social fabric, especially in Montreal with its diverse linguistic and cultural communities.

The CAQ government, which is now spending another $2.5 million on a publicity campaign to promote the use of French, should stop its efforts to control the languages we choose to speak.

Goldie Olszynko, Mile End

Bad idea to dump on party leader

Re: “Trudeau in free fall after Montreal byelection loss; own goal sinks NDP” (Tom Mulcair, Sept. 18)

Tom Mulcair says the NDP made a “political blunder of epic proportions” when it put out a campaign pamphlet containing anti-Israel rhetoric and a Palestinian flag for its candidate Craig Sauvé.

To my mind, Liberal candidate Laura Palestini’s comment that the byelection in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun was “about me” and not Justin Trudeau was another blunder of epic proportions.

Elections are often about party leaders, and this one seems particularly so. Dumping on your boss is never the play to make.

Barry Beloff, Montreal

Our winters take a toll on electric vehicles   

Re: “Quebec Conservatives want province to delay ban on sale of gas-powered vehicles” (The Gazette, Aug. 21)

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As a new owner of an electric vehicle, I agree with the Conservative Party of Quebec that these vehicles seem not yet fully suited for our winters.

We travel to the Laurentians every week, and in the winter there is a dramatic increase in battery usage compared to summer. The colder the temperatures, the faster the battery runs down — and range is significantly compromised.

Any thought of a long-haul winter trip needs to be thought through carefully. While rapid-charging stations can be found on most major highways, we’ve seen they are often in use at most times of the day. So you have to wait for one to free up.

Can we trust the government to deliver sufficient capacity of electricity and charging infrastructure in time for 2035 — Quebec’s deadline for banning the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles? So far, there seems to be little evidence of even a plan to do so.

A more realistic goal might be to set targets for sales of hybrid vehicles to help reduce emissions in high-traffic, low-speed areas and put us on a more realistic path toward carbon neutrality.

Bob Vaupshas, T.M.R.

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Traffic nightmare extends to downtown

Re: “Opposition calls for better traffic plan around Royalmount” (The Gazette, Sept. 6)

In the buildup to the opening of the Royalmount development, Mayor Valérie Plante said traffic around the area is among the worst in Canada. I wonder whether she has looked at Ste-Catherine St. and much of downtown.

Plante has been in office since 2017. What has she done to alleviate Montreal’s traffic woes?

Allen Rubin, Westmount

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