Mark Carney, candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, participates in a scrum with journalists on the sidewalk outside the venue of his campaign event in Ottawa, on Jan. 23.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Better together
Re “Carney cites economic credentials while Liberal rivals promise to end top-down control of party in leadership race” and “The candidate running from herself to get away from Trudeau” (Jan. 24): I am not a Liberal, but it’s clear to me now that neither Jagmeet Singh nor Pierre Poilievre have any solutions to offer Canadians for the challenges we face. Now we are left with essentially a two-way race for the Liberal leadership.
I would argue we need the skills and experience of both Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney and we need them now, not in two or three months. I urge them to put Canada first and declare they are running as a team.
If they took this bold step, it would free them up to work for Canada rather than themselves. They are probably going to be working together in some form or another, so why waste weeks arguing over who is best to lead?
Canada currently has a lack of leadership, but there are solutions if we think outside the box.
Jonathan Robinson Carleton Place, Ont.
Both Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland have strengths and weaknesses. I note that, in many ways, their strengths are complementary.
I believe neither Mr. Carney nor Ms. Freeland can beat Pierre Poilievre on their own. Together, they might make a race of it.
David Goldsmith Ottawa
As a team with Chrystia Freeland as prime minister and Mark Carney as deputy prime minister and minister of finance, the Liberal Party would have unmatched leadership. The only thing standing in the way is the ability of each to defer to the other on what they do best.
It takes humility to say that it would take both of these people working at their (immense) capacity to save Canada. If ego wins (as it has in the United States) we lose as a country.
Humility is Canada’s superpower. If they play for Canada together, we win the game.
Darlene Tonelli Calgary
I watch as our Prime Minister says he will resign, as our beloved country is being bullied and there is infighting among our leaders.
What to do? As an aging boomer and proud Canadian who was never really an activist, I have decided the time to act is now.
One thing I can do is make my voice heard. I have joined the Liberals – it’s free – to help decide who will lead the party into the next election.
Another thing I can do is volunteer. I will commit to knocking on doors, making phone calls and doing other tasks the party thinks is necessary.
The party needs money, but there is so much else that can be done.
If others believe in forging a positive Liberal future, then hopefully I have encouraged them to take action as well. It is an unnerving time, so it’s time to act resolutely.
Marilyn Herbert Toronto
Rail redirection
Re “Canada has what the U.S. needs. How the country can fight back in a trade war” (Report on Business, Jan. 18): There is concern about possible export restrictions of oil into Ontario from the United States.
We ship large volumes of oil by rail to the U.S. from Alberta. Why not redirect some of it to the east at market rate? I assume Doug Ford would be happy to buy it. We also have a great rail network built to bring Canada together.
Alberta can’t have it both ways: Canadian taxpayers funded a nice pipeline to the Pacific Ocean. Danielle Smith seems to conveniently forget this fringe benefit of being part of this country.
Ms. Smith should stand for Canada. Instead of bowing and scraping at Mar-a-Lago, she should tell Donald Trump that she stands with her provincial partners and fellow Canadians.
Brian Layfield Oakville, Ont.
More Marner
Re “Leafs’ Mitch Marner has made himself indispensable” (Sports, Jan. 18): I’m not sure why people come down hard on Mitch Marner for his playoff performance. The naysayers overlook his amazing defensive work and overall importance to the team.
Do the Leafs need to do better in the playoffs? Yes. It would be great to see Mr. Marner do better in the playoffs, too.
That said, how many of his detractors know that, by points per game in the playoffs, he is outperforming Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares? Here’s betting that most armchair critics aren’t tops at anything in their workplaces, let alone one of the best in the world.
Robert McManus Hamilton
Let’s give our collective heads a shake.
If we seriously contemplate trading a player like Mitch Marner, and think there is a better or even comparable replacement in today’s diluted talent pool that would make the Leafs better, then we are probably delusional.
Michael Marchand Windsor, Ont.
Read and listen
Re “The point is not to be different from the States. It’s to be better than them” (Opinion, Jan. 18): “The question is not ‘who are we?’ but ‘what are we going to make of ourselves?’” The poet Alden Nowlan suggests the uniqueness of Canadian ambition.
For me personally? W.O. Mitchell’s Who Has Seen the Wind? about Saskatchewan, Margaret Atwood’s warnings about totalitarianism in The Handmaid’s Tale, Wayne Johnston’s The Colony of Unrequited Dreams about old and new Newfoundland, Waubgeshig Rice’s Moon of the Crusted Snow about Indigenous life in the North: These have taught me about Canada.
To say nothing of the songs and music of Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, The Band, Cowboy Junkies and hundreds of other bands, and all our art. They are my school and my home.
Hamish Guthrie Oakville, Ont.
Key to the city
Re “To songwriters, the City of Angels is a little bit heaven and a little bit hell” (Jan. 18): There is also Arlo Guthrie’s Coming into Los Angeles that was performed at Woodstock and released in 1969.
“Coming into Los Angeles / Bringing in a couple of keys / But don’t touch my bags if you please / Mister Customs Man.”
In 2003, Mr. Guthrie has recounted, he was at Boston’s Logan International Airport where he noticed two federal agents with dour expressions and plastic earpieces looking right at him. One of the agents walked over to him and said, “You Guthrie?”
He replied, “Yeah.”
The agent looked at his bags and said, “You got, uh, a couple keys in there?” Then he just smiled and asked for an autograph.
Brian Graham Halifax
Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com