U.S. President Donald Trump exits Air Force One after landing at Morristown Airport in New Jersey on Friday.Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Enemies closer
Re “Canadians should hit back at renewed 51st state insults” (June 4): Mark Carney’s approach to Donald Trump’s insults has generally been stoic silence or ignoring them, but a boycott is not going to get the President’s attention or get him to behave better.
Mr. Trump is a bully and, unfortunately, we should be stooping to his level, starting with sending U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra packing. On trade, Canada should use continental defence as a bargaining chip, such as threatening to quit NORAD and cancel other treaties that benefit the United States, including military access to Canadian airspace and waters. Mexico does not allow such access, and the Cold War is long over.
Mr. Trump can be forced to back off, such as when China threatened to stop exports of rare earth metals. Stoop to his level and fight fire with fire, or we will keep getting burned.
Brian Graff Toronto
In Michael Pearson’s new book Private Letters, Public Matters: The Family Correspondence of Lester B. Pearson, I learned that as early as 1947, he was concerned that “our survival as a separate state against powerful, if friendly, social and economic pressures from our American neighbour” needed to be an important part of Canada’s postwar foreign policy.
Almost 80 years later, the phase “if friendly” has proved prophetic.
Patricia Bowles West Vancouver
Smells off
Re “The numbers Alberta separatists don’t want you to see” (June 5): Unlike Quebec separatists who want to (sort of) leave the Canadian federation and (sort of) become independent, as long as they can keep the Canadian dollar, trade agreements and passports, Alberta separatists seem to be mostly wannabe Trump supporters who would love for their province to become the 51st state.
I think they are enamoured of Donald Trump’s gutting of social services and immigration policies and Robert F. Kennedy’s Jr.’s vaccine skepticism, but it’s not advantageous to their cause to admit out loud – they might lose votes in the referendum.
I smell a definite whiff of hypocrisy about both separatist movements.
James McCall Toronto
End game
Re “The immutable duty of restraint by the courts” (Editorial, June 3): The pathway that the judiciary has put Canada on can only end in the weakening of the rule of law as the demands become unbearable.
The courts are now consistently issuing rulings that have billions of dollars of spending implications for territories, provinces and the national government. This is a result of a fundamental shift in how “rights” are understood.
A traditional 19th-century liberal understanding of rights was one in which the power of the state was restrained from abusing its citizens as seen with free speech, practice of faith and equality before the law, for example. These rights did not put a burden on common public resources.
But now the courts are making decisions about “rights” and “identities” that go profoundly beyond these traditional liberal norms. The courts, then, are interfering in politics, and that can only end badly. They are undermining their own legitimacy.
Mark Wolfgram Ottawa
Low power
Re “To get its first new nuclear reactor in decades, Canada must beat the clock – and the odds" (June 4): Mycle Schneider Consulting noted in its World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2025 that small modular reactors, like the one planned for Darlington in Ontario, can’t avoid two basic cost drivers: safety and security.
Further, Darlington will rely on enriched uranium, of which there is no Canadian source. This means the fuel will have to be sourced from the United States and elsewhere. What could possibly go wrong?
And given Ontario’s record on nuclear power plants taking an average of 6.7 years to come online, SMRs should not be the answer for the voracious and rapidly increasing power requirements for artificial intelligence data centres, which need their power requirements basically yesterday.
Meanwhile the Mycle Schneider report noted that, over the past 50 years, solar module costs have declined by more than 99.5 per cent. Matched with the plunging costs in utility-scale battery storage, my money is on renewables.
Chris Gates Cobourg, Ont.
In his 2023 study of megaprojects around the world, economic geographer Bent Flyvbjerg determined that nuclear energy projects are the worst for going well past contractual completion dates and being significantly overbudget. His book How Big Things Get Done, co-authored with Dan Gardner, examines bridges, tunnels, railways, airports, etc., as well as costly nuclear reactors.
What he doesn’t examine is what to do with radioactive waste, be it mops, clothing, water, fuel rods and, ultimately, the massive amounts of concrete, steel and other material that remains when reactors are decommissioned.
Oh, well. That’s for future generations, hundreds of them potentially, to figure out.
Duncan MacKenzie Guelph, Ont.
Self-sacrifice
Re “Cut it out” (Letters, June 4): A letter-writer has “lived and worked in five different countries … Canadians are taxed to death.“ Did those countries also provide the same quality of living? I suspect not, as he has chosen to retire in Canada.
He goes on to say that without current levels of financial support from the government, “My wife and I would have to cut costs on food, vacation, charity and helping children financially.” I think this inadvertently makes a good case for reducing the threshold for full Old Age Security to $74,600 and increasing the eligibility age.
As a 73-year-old, I fully support proposals to reduce OAS. We are all asked to buckle up for economic tough times. We need money for housing, food security, defence, mental health and more.
I want to do my share.
Kathleen Glynn-Morris West Vancouver
Once in a lifetime
Re “Going to a FIFA World Cup game isn’t cheap – but for these fans, it’s worth it" (June 3): My two children and I braved frigid March weather back in 2022 to witness an incredible victory. At Toronto’s BMO Field, our men’s national soccer team secured their place in that year’s World Cup.
We have cherished the rising tide of success since then, spearheaded by head coach Jesse Marsch at the helm and superstar Alphonso Davies on the pitch.
I gave my kids the choice of attending Canada’s historic opening match on June 12 (approximate budget: $12,000) or spending 12 days exploring Newfoundland for the first time.
As one of our collective dreams screeches to a halt, another was relaunched. We will happily “kiss the cod and get screeched in” as we hopefully celebrate a historic win on George Street in St. John’s among some of the friendliest people in Canada.
Jeffrey Peckitt Oakville, Ont.
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