Prime Minister Mark Carney takes questions during a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Thursday.Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images
Blowing with the wind
Re “Carney won’t ‘rule out’ Canadian military involvement in Middle East” (March 5): To the Prime Minister: Which is it? Is he in favour of action against Iran or not?
What’s with the prevarication? He is expected to lead, not stick a finger in the air to find the prevailing breeze.
He will lose the trust of the electorate if he acts like nothing more than a politician.
Stephen Gross Toronto
U.S. efforts to neutralize an oppressive regime should be supported by Canada and our allies. Pursuing this goal without international consultation and support, U.S. congressional approval and a clear post-conflict strategy should be challenged.
Our knee-jerk reaction is to gainsay every action of the Trump administration, which can cloud our judgment. Mark Carney seems to be holding his nose and supporting the ends without supporting the means.
John Seigner Calgary
Back and forth
Re “Ottawa arranges charter, commercial flights to help evacuate Canadians from Middle East” (March 5): Canadian citizenship comes with many benefits, but expecting the government (and taxpayers) to provide emergency transport home each time a conflict erupts in the Middle East should not be one of them.
If Canadians want to live in a place largely controlled by Hezbollah, that’s a choice they can make – a risky one, considering the multiple times we’ve gone through this in recent years.
Go live in and enjoy the charms of Lebanon, Iran or Jordan. But if they go, that should be on them, not the rest of us.
I want my tax dollars used for things to improve Canada, not revolving-door emergency transport.
Graham Farrell Toronto
Shut off
Re “How the closing of the Strait of Hormuz is affecting global oil markets” (Report on Business, March 5): With all the strife and uncertainty of access to Middle Eastern oil, wouldn’t it be great if Canada had a business case to market our resources?
My thanks to Justin Trudeau.
Wilf Johnston Kingston, Ont.
Re “China warns of threat to ‘vital’ Hormuz shipping route as Iran war expands” (March 3): The Arabian Peninsula produces more than six million tons of primary aluminum, mainly for export, including 600,000-plus tons for the U.S. market alone. This makes the region the second-most important supply source for Americans after Canada, which accounts for more than three million tons delivered.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is shutting down the Arabic enclave, thus blocking access to a major supply source of aluminum for Americans, with considerable potential disruption effects on value chains. This can only result in higher prices and serious supply issues, as maritime logistics chains do not allow for immediate adjustments.
This is yet another demonstration of the importance, for the United States, of recognizing the critical role of Canadian primary aluminum as the only reliable and secure source of supply to ensure the economic and military security of the continent.
Jean Simard President and CEO, Aluminium Association of Canada; Montreal
Bigger problem
Re “No time for truth in this reset with India” (March 3): Is India the only country for concern when it comes to foreign interference? The problem is wider than our relationship with one country.
Mark Carney has proved he is prepared to use time to reset public policy when it comes to war. Trade, hence common commercial interest, has a way of clarifying what is essential.
Robert Marcucci Toronto
Think about it
Re “Don’t leave AI safety to the tech bros” (Editorial, Feb. 27): The AI Stewardship Practice Program is a noteworthy intentionality initiative, and lined up with participants eager to contribute and act. AISPP encircles ensuring (non-tech bro) humans are, and will continue to be, in the loop.
There’s so much more Canadian collaboration, innovation and governance at work in framing governance of artificial intelligence and its agents. Readers should be cognizant of societal development encompassing improvements in technology, economy and human capacity for better understanding and engagement.
Lyn Brooks Vancouver
First, one would expect the Tumbler Ridge shooter to present in the same manner to artificial intelligence as to the community. But AI is limited to a single dimension: typed words.
The community, by contrast, observes the full spectrum of human behaviours. Governments, then, are shifting blame onto AI for their own failures to heed warning signs of a looming disaster.
Second, nothing screams Big Brother more than governments dictating the parameters for AI monitoring of individuals. Would such oversight truly stop at potential mass-harm events, or would it expand to financial dealings, political activities and personal relationships? I know that answer.
To loosely borrow from an oft-used phrase, using this event to further government involvement in our private lives is a textbook case of never letting a calamity go to waste.
John Budreski Whistler, B.C.
Out of time
Re “Most of B.C. to adopt daylight saving time permanently, Eby says” (March 3): The reason for introducing permanent daylight time seems to be not our wellness, but California contemplating such a switch.
The proper plan for British Columbia would be to fall back to standard time. This would let our circadian clocks reset in the morning by daylight, at the cost of some businesses having to adapt to California’s workday.
Vancouver’s winter sunrise will now be around 9 a.m. Frustrated parents will drive their kids to school in darkness. There will likely be more car accidents during morning rush hour due to darkness and sleep deprivation. Some workers will see no morning daylight for months, with inevitable health effects.
All this because B.C. would prefer that workers and children suffer, rather than tell California to do things its own way if it wants to.
Matthew Morycinski Surrey, B.C.
David Eby should consider the benefits of year-round standard time, rather than daylight saving time.
To justify permanent DST, the Premier cites the results of a 2019 online questionnaire, even though it did not include the option of permanent standard time. (Also, just 223,000 people participated, less than 5 per cent of the province’s population.)
Perhaps Mr. Eby should go to the government website announcing the time change, which links to a Stanford University article that finds medical evidence favouring permanent standard time. DST forces many people to start their winter days in the dark, which disrupts circadian rhythms.
By contrast, permanent standard time better aligns with the natural solar cycle, allowing for superior sleep quality and so reducing risks of heart attack, stroke and obesity.
Constance Smith Victoria
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