Well stocked
Re “Carney’s cabinet: a familiar mix of quotas, duplication and pork-barrel politics” (Opinion, May 17): The continued preoccupations with regional interests, gender parity and the power of the Prime Minister’s Office are certainly open to criticism.
However, the labelling of some newer ministries as “comic-book portfolios” suggests that governments should remain static and not address emerging issues such as artificial intelligence, Northern economic development and Canada-U.S trade relations.
Perhaps critics would be happier with the cabinet of Sir John A. Macdonald, which included a minister of the interior, minister of militia and superintendent-general of Indian affairs.
Robert Coutts Winnipeg
As I recall, Justin Trudeau came into power without significant managerial experience and thus relied heavily on close staff members.
Mark Carney comes with decades of experience in managing large staffs and delegating responsibility.
I expect a different modus operandi.
Wendy Thomas Montreal
Re “For Carney to succeed, he must convince Canada’s elite that it’s time for change” (Opinion, May 17): Mark Carney brings a great educational pedigree and political promise, but now that promise must meet performance.
Talk of transformative politics and an ambitious hyping of a Laurentian policy revival seems uncomfortably close to the non-wonders of “deliverology” as promised by the Trudeau government of our recent yesterdays.
When judging the long-term performance of the Carney ministry, it would be best to adopt the judgment of the U.S. journalist Murray Kempton: “It is a function of government to invent philosophies to explain the demands of its own convenience.”
Toby Zanin Toronto
Changing winds
Re “Danielle Smith is against forest fires, but she’ll leave this lighter right here” (Opinion, May 17): If anyone has been paying attention, the Alberta Premier has run a trial balloon showing that support for secession is more illusionary than real.
In 2023, she proposed withdrawing Alberta from the Canada Pension Plan to create a similar but independent Alberta pension plan. While the idea isn’t dead, it’s clearly on life support.
Human nature doesn’t favour the unfamiliar, and separation is a momentous leap of faith. While the Premier is rebuked for fanning the flames, we should also recognize that when faced with the unknown, people know better than to play with fire.
Paul Baumberg Dead Man’s Flats, Alta.
Price point
Re “An unnecessary harvest of pain from Ottawa’s EV tariffs” (Editorial, May 17): I was delighted to read the case for reducing tariffs against Chinese electric vehicles and linking it to Chinese auto production in Canada.
I have long hoped to purchase and drive an EV, but it’s simply not possible based on my income. Having an affordable option would be awesome.
Having another auto production plant in Canada would delight parts suppliers and target a whole group of buyers currently being ignored by manufacturers.
Stephen Elson London, Ont.
Bite the hand
Re “When it comes to homelessness, my heart is in danger of bleeding dry” (Opinion, May 17): I appreciate that the contributor is candid in admitting to being a “bleeding-heart liberal.” However, I believe a prolonged “bleeding-heart” affliction, which so many aggregately subscribe to, is precisely why we are faced with the current calamity on our streets and in our public spaces.
How long does it take to recognize that free socks, sandwiches and supports to those not wishing to comply with the basic laws of society are not a long-term solution?
Section 7 of the Charter, which attests to the right to life, liberty and security of the person, has often been cited in defence of those violating the law and tenting in our public spaces. Yet the safety and security of local residents, the law-abiding public, is curiously forgotten by our courts.
Is this all not a by-product of years of exempting this cohort from the normal societal expectations we have of one another?
Gordon Zawaski Parksville, B.C.
Kids these days
Re “How the world became obsessed with naming – and blaming – the next generation" (May 20): In 2009, when the United Church of Canada commissioned me to begin a national study of young adult spirituality, my cut-off date for participants’ birth years was 1980.
That is convention now for “millennials.” But I used a different term, one that some social scientists were using at the time: the echo generation.
I took the approach of cultural anthropology, using participant observation and unscripted conversations rather than prepared questionnaires. I listened.
One of the main reference points I heard was the perceived culture of their boomer parents. They told me how their world was not their parents’ world and expressed how they themselves were different.
The McGill University theologian Douglas John Hall once said to me that “generational thinking is degenerate.” But our society is changing at a rapid pace, and that is accelerating.
The concept of “generations” is one lens that can help us understand our social world.
Tom Sherwood Author, Listening to The Echo; Ottawa
Shape of things
Re “My summer at fat camp” (Opinion, May 17): I applaud author Moira Dann for her openness and bravery in writing about her struggles with weight and systemic fat-shaming. I grew up in the 1970s and remember the quest for the ultimate skinny and trendy diet cultures of the time.
I attended a Weight Watchers meeting, wanting to lose only 10 pounds. When I failed, I was hastily told it was my fault, that I must have done something wrong.
I was devastated, ashamed and angry. I quit right after that meeting and decided to find another way.
As a registered dietitian for more than 35 years, I can say that weight struggles are never easy. But we have come a long way since those restrictive and painful fad diets and humiliating fat camps.
What remains most important is the need to accept and respect all persons for their individuality, preferences and needs, regardless of body size and shape.
Linda Cadloff Richman PDt, CDE; Montreal
Surprise me
Re “The one diet you won’t crash out on: a steady dose of joy” (Opinion, May 17): Maybe I’m joy-averse, but this lengthy advocacy for “The Joy Diet,” though well-intentioned, ironically might undermine the very joy it aims to nurture with overthinking.
Spontaneous distractions are the source code of delight. Serendipity capturing our attention is the algorithm of joy. No prepping births delight.
Poets like the blissful William Blake get it: “He who binds to himself a joy / Does the winged life destroy / He who kisses the joy as it flies / Lives in eternity’s sunrise.”
Forcing joy with playlists or diet regimens stifles its essence. True joy runs on surprise, not scheduled maintenance. We can’t make it happen.
Enjoy.
Tony D’Andrea Toronto