Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, and Liberal Leader Mark Carney talk after the English-language federal leaders' debate in Montreal on April 17.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
End of an era
Re “The fall of Hudson’s Bay: How Richard Baker presided over the failure of a retail icon” (Report on Business, April 26): Former Hudson’s Bay president and CEO Bonnie Brooks succinctly states the requisites for success that Richard Baker ignored.
He didn’t bother to discover who constituted his core customer base. He didn’t stock his stores with the product assortments and price points we wanted. He alienated us with faux marble and glass and chrome. He went upscale to attract a non-existent clientele of well-to-do women.
When I first arrived in Etobicoke in 1972, the Hudson’s Bay store at Sherway Gardens was my go-to place for pleasant shopping. But in recent times, I found the overstocked, understaffed departments exhausting.
Richard Baker has brought a historic Canadian institution to a sad end. It would be decent of him to donate the original Charter to the Canadian Museum of History. The Indigenous items should be returned to their original nations.
Isobel Raven Toronto
The demise of Hudson’s Bay was evidently due to one man – its governor and executive chairman Richard Baker.
His activities were revealed to be those of a real estate expert with no real knowledge of how to operate a retail store, let alone a chain of iconic stores with a rich history and representation across this country.
He was only interested in monetizing the real estate value of his stores by selling those values and leasing back the infrastructure so that stores were forced to pay for costly leases and foregoing the purchase of inventory.
Even a child operating a lemonade stand knows that without the ability to purchase the ingredients of lemonade, there are no chances of making a profit.
The intransigence of senior management led the company to fall off the cliff.
Michael Cook London, Ont.
End of creativity?
Re “Art is a form of communication between human beings. AI won’t change that” (Opinion, April 26): At the moment, a small group of billionaires desire to keep their corporations profitable by promoting AI. But will this allow society to progress?
We know that much of what human beings do is mechanical, and with AI we can do this part faster and more efficiently.
A part of humanity, such as altruism, for example, cannot be learned by machines. Hopefully this humanistic aspect of people will not be overlooked in the faster mechanistic part.
Is humanity giving over its humanistic part to greater machine efficiency? It’s true AI can now make contexts involving people faster than artists can. But can they be as creative?
Machines cannot have hope, but people can, and they also have the imagination necessary to create an improved work.
Hopefully the money-making potential of AI will not surmount the creativity of artists, students or other humans.
Barry Hammond Winnipeg
Joining forces
Re “A modest, if unlikely, proposal for a better government: a grand coalition” (Opinion, April 26): Yes, wouldn’t it be wonderful, if Mark Carney, who I’m happy was elected to be our Prime Minister, and who I am personally rooting for, would link up with Pierre Poilievre, and possibly two other party leaders in a show of unity?
If they were all together meeting that atrocious American President in the White House, they could stand together and proclaim that Canada is a united force and is willing to negotiate a humane and equitable agreement that would allow all Canadians and our American neighbours to live together in peace and harmony (as we have done for several decades) and trade like civilized people.
Citizens on both sides and the citizens of the world might be able to benefit.
V. Tony Hauser CM Toronto
Over the years, I have voted for the election of a particular candidate; a particular party (basically because the leader looked good to me); or any other party than the incumbent group when I felt they were doing a poor job.
The party system thus makes us occasionally vote for a person in whom we have less than total confidence.
It is this slavish loyalty to a party that gives us the Official Opposition – a group of people bent on saying the opposite of the governing party’s proposals, no matter how sensible they may be.
Instead, we could have a forum where ideas are debated and a path is chosen based on a majority vote.
No more whips, no more time lost in multiple hearings and a problem solved by the action of common sense.
A grand coalition sounds to me like a grand idea.
Dave Ashby Toronto
My initial reaction after reading this article was to roll my eyes.
However, upon reflection following the incredibly close election, I reread it and I think Ms. Lederman may be onto something.
With half of the country’s electorate gladdened and half saddened (if not downright angered) by the Liberals’ return to power, perhaps it’s time for Prime Minister Mark Carney to take some politically radical steps to help bring Canadians together.
Let’s face it. Some of the Liberals’ key policy decisions in the pre-election period were strongly influenced by, if not adopted outright from, the opposition parties.
While this might have once been considered an example of unanticipated events creating strange bedfellows, it could actually help Canada correct its current path of adopting the destructive American-style two-party system.
Howard Brunt North Saanich, B.C.
Supporting refugees
Re “The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago. Its legacy continues to evolve” (Opinion, April 26): During the mass exodus of Vietnamese refugees, Canada was pro-active in sending immigration officials to screen those in refugee camps. Canadians welcomed them with open arms.
But now, millions of desperate refugees fleeing the horrors of war are stuck in squalid camps, virtually abandoned by most governments.
Many fall prey to human traffickers who smuggle them across borders and then drain away much of the migrants’ meagre earnings. They suffer, and so does our economy.
The best way we can restore public confidence in the integrity of our asylum process is to increase our intake of screened applicants from refugee camps abroad, lessening the horrors of human trafficking and coerced underground labour.
Maybe then we can relive the miracle of the Vietnamese “boat people,” when the generosity of Canadians, combined with the hard work of the new arrivals, helped build a country we can be proud of.
Norm Beach Toronto
Crucial characteristic
Re “Empathy is humanity’s superpower, not its weakness” (Opinion, April 26): Chaos and conflict constantly surround us. I believe the world needs more empathy. So I thank Anita Nowak for her apt and poignant article, which reinforces my thoughts.
It should be required reading for all of us, especially Elon Musk.
Mary Valeriote Victoria B.C.