Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance meet in the Oval Office on Oct. 7, 2025.Evan Vucci/The Associated Press
Domino effect
Re “The dream of a better Lebanon remains afloat” (Opinion, Oct. 11): Contributor Dany Assaf describes the conflict in Lebanon as a “war between Israel and Hezbollah.” We find that this creates a false symmetry between a powerful state and a non-state actor, obscuring Israel’s overwhelming responsibility for the devastation.
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data non-profit organization, Israel carried out more than 8,300 attacks on Lebanon between 2023 and 2024, four times more than Hezbollah. Other reporting shows that to date, these Israeli attacks have killed more than 4,000 people and displaced nearly one million civilians.
Disarmament as a path to “national renewal” disregards Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese territory, undermining Lebanon’s right to sovereignty. Furthermore, the Lebanese Armed Forces remain structurally dependent on U.S. funding, which puts them in a difficult position to defend their own country against Israeli aggression.
Entrepreneurship does fuel Lebanon’s spirit, but we believe no nation can properly rebuild under Israeli bombs.
Anthony Issa Media analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East; Montreal
Welcome home
Re “Ottawa narrows the private path for settling refugees” (Editorial, Oct. 11): A permanent demise of Canada’s private sponsorship program would be a sad day, not only for future asylum seekers but for the future of our country.
For the women, men and children arriving in Canada as refugees, being taken immediately under the wing of a local community is a huge advantage. But they are not the only beneficiaries.
Sponsoring groups over the past 50 years, they are informed about and engaged with events in the far corners of the world. Our lives, and those of families and friends, are touched by the human rights activists and victims of social injustice we come to know.
Private sponsorships make our communities richer and our connections with the world deeper. They help build a Canada founded on empathy, civic responsibility and compassion.
We should ensure the private sponsorship program is a permanent feature of our democracy.
Joan Fairweather Ottawa
Water down
Re “Canada wants to detangle its data from U.S. tech giants. Can it be done?” (Report on Business, Oct. 18): There is also the wasteful use of subsidized electricity to protect vast amounts of insignificant material.
The word “cloud” should be dropped by media. The “cloud” is, in reality, a widely scattered group of sheds, heated by vast amounts of fuel, where disks are stacked.
We should abandon this blind admiration for wasteful systems that make a few vastly rich while diminishing our world’s limited resources. I am not a religious person, but of late I find myself reflecting on the Tower of Babel.
Bernice Morgan St. John’s
Church and state
Re “Carney and Vance’s shared Catholic faith could have been dinner-table conversation topic, experts say” (Oct. 11): JD Vance has written that he was drawn to becoming a Catholic in 2019 because Catholicism is “sympathetic with the meek and poor.” Does one need a religion and Bible to say this? Is there not an innate human trait that encourages us to know right from wrong?
Mr. Vance also invoked the Bible to explain Donald Trump’s orders to deport people from the United States, which drew the condemnation of the Pope and Catholics around the world.
On the other hand, although Mark Carney was born into the Catholic faith, he said he feels a sense of responsibility to be of service, not because of his religion but rather an innate feeling that he can help others. He was particularly clear on his support of a women’s right to choose an abortion, something that would give Mr. Vance cause for concern because of his Catholic faith.
Selma Edelstone Toronto
Royal fallout
Re “One scandal too many forces U.K. monarchy to sideline Prince Andrew” (Online, Oct. 18): One has to hand it to Prince Andrew. In spite of his calamitous, self-inflicted fall from grace, he is nothing if not consistent.
He consistently denies all allegations. He consistently demonstrates an inability to show remorse or apologize for alleged behaviour. Most of all, he is consistent in his ability to be, at best, disingenuous.
His claim that “I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life” is a case in point. As I remember events, it was six years ago when the late Queen, under enormous pressure, made the necessary decision to sideline the Prince.
He claims further that “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first.“ His alleged judgment, choices, associations and behaviour say otherwise.
Unfortunately for the Royal Family, I rather suspect that we are witnessing the tip of the iceberg.
Annette Kavanagh-Turner Guelph, Ont.
Stories we tell
Re “Why we’re blowing a generational moment for Canadian culture” (Arts & Books, Oct. 18): As more countries around the world recognize the vital role that culture and stories play in defining national identity, so too must we.
The culture sector in Canada stands apart, serving as both the thread in our social fabric and as a powerful economic driver, contributing billions of dollars to Canada’s GDP and hundreds of thousands of jobs. But beyond the economics, Canadian stories unite us and reflect our values to the world.
The current political climate is a stark reminder of why now, more than ever, we must protect and invest in the ability of Canadians to tell our own stories. Anything less would risk eroding our sense of national unity and losing Canada’s voice on the global stage.
Reynolds Mastin President and CEO, Canadian Media Producers Association; Toronto
Toronto the good
Re “What a 50-year-old neighbourhood development can teach us about solving Canada’s housing crisis” (Opinion, Oct. 18): The neighbourhood plan for St. Lawrence provided for a mix of amenities including parks, recreation and community centres, child care centres, schools and libraries. The City of Toronto was critical in designing and facilitating the implementation of these services.
As part of the planning team for Bathurst Quay (known now as Harbourfront) in the 1980s, many of us young staff looked to the St. Lawrence example when facing stark towers that made no allocations for child care centres, community centres or schools. Early planning for Spadina-Fort York (known as the Railway Lands in the 1990s) made some improvements in community services and amenities that residents across the economic spectrum expect.
Let’s hope development of the Downsview site – the largest development in Canada that will eventually welcome 115,000 residents at full build out in 30 years – will reflect the success of St. Lawrence. Toronto sorely needs that holistic approach to city building.
Laurel Rothman Toronto
Re “Trapped by fear of change, Kensington Market’s wonder is fading” (Opinion, Oct. 18): This article, although sad, brought back wonderful memories.
My father and his cousin, both Holocaust survivors, had their Kensington Market poultry store just down the street from contributor David Schwartz’s family store, P&K Poultry. They might have seemed like competitors, but they were always helping each other.
In fact, Mr. and Mrs. K were my parents’ best friends. I never understood how they could be such kind and generous people after going through the worst experiences humans could ever imagine.
The first portion of my medical career was spent at nearby Toronto Western Hospital and it was always a pleasure to wander through the market. I even provide guided tours to visiting professors.
Barry Goldlist Toronto
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