Washington State Park workers put up a new Canadian flag in front of an American flag during scheduled maintenance atop the Peace Arch in Blaine, Wash., in November, 2021.Elaine Thompson/The Associated Press
Doesn’t add up
Re “A ruling against Trump’s tariffs changes nothing, and everything” (Report on Business, Feb. 21): The real point I see about the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Donald Trump’s tariffs is that it was not unanimous. Unfortunately, this reflects the inherent biases of the three justices who voted against the ruling.
It’s obvious to any bystander that only U.S. Congress has the authority to impose tariffs with very few exceptions, and Mr. Trump’s actions did not reflect those exceptions. (Imaginary amounts of fentanyl crossing the border from Canada does not qualify as one.)
Sadly, their decision thus remains a real stain on the independence of the U.S. judiciary.
David Enns Cornwall, Ont.
Re “Canada will have to accept higher U.S. tariffs and unthinkable concessions” (Report on Business, Feb. 18): Fortunately, we do have other choices. The recent U.S. Supreme Court tariffs ruling puts an exclamation mark on that reality.
Canada has resources Americans need. We are advancing other trade relationships, tapping new investment sources and starting to rebuild our defence and transportation infrastructure. Beyond trade, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has previously reported a robust multiplier on jobs per dollar of GDP growth for investments in housing and other needed social projects.
The dismantling of U.S. global leadership, its domestic instability and the softening of international investment in U.S. debt are just a few key leverage points we can exploit to renew – or walk away from – a trade deal.
Denis Gertler Toronto
Soft on drugs
Re “Dozens of online-pharmacy ads, including for weight-loss drugs, appear to violate federal rules” (Feb. 17): The daily assault on our senses by drug advertisers appearing to break the law might generate a front-page headline, but the real lasting damage has been going on for years.
Illegal marketing of pharmaceuticals feels so ubiquitous that regulation has become nothing more than a punchline. If drug advertising laws are broken, the damage is very real in terms of deceived and harmed patients and wasted drug spending.
Yet there are no real consequences for breaking the law: “Typically, the government’s approach has been to work with companies to address non-compliance.” We don’t “address non-compliance” or “work with” alleged bank robbers or murderers, we rightfully put them on trial and, if guilty, put them in jail. We should be doing the same for those who push pharmaceuticals way beyond their intended uses.
Our drug regulator is no watchdog, it seems more like a lapdog without any teeth.
Alan Cassels Drug policy researcher, Victoria
Lost in thought
Re “That wasn’t the game, nor the Games, Canada wanted” (Sports, Feb. 23): The United States did not really beat Canada in either gold medal hockey final: Chance fell on their side, given the crapshoot nature of 3-on-3 overtime.
The noble sport of hockey and its fans deserve better.
Michael Jay Gatineau, Que.
Re “Winners at heart” (Online, Feb. 22): A letter-writer suggests that instead of admitting the heartbreaking loss by the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team (and now the men, too), we instead spin the gold medal game as a victory by winning the silver.
Sadly, we lost. Admitting it is not implying the players are losers, but simply that they lost the game.
If we are ever to celebrate our victories, we should also acknowledge and accept our defeats. A hard, but important, fact of life.
Robert McCullough Edmonton
If only Isiah Kiner-Falefa had taken a slightly bigger lead off third base, then Devon Toews’s shot would have gone in. If only Nathan MacKinnon had shot a few inches to the right, Andy Pages would not have caught the ball in the bottom of the ninth.
Oops, sorry, I mixed up games we should have won.
Ron Saunders Toronto
While the sting of Canada’s 2-1 overtime loss to the United States in the men’s gold medal game is still fresh, the result on the ice is less troubling than the media narrative following it.
As a country, we have a habit of consuming our heartbreak through the lens of American exceptionalism. Today, I’m choosing to disconnect from that echo chamber. I’m going to lean into listening to our own broadcasters at home who tell our stories and see the U.S. as it has become: self-righteous, obnoxious and ignorant.
We should stop looking for validation from a neighbour who lacks awareness of their perception on the global stage. Here’s hoping I never have to see that eagle emoji ever again.
Joel Tatlow Calgary
A keeper
Re “Why Taylor Swift’s marriage shouldn’t be #relationshipgoals” (Feb. 17): Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Yes, marriage as the sole culmination of identity is a debacle we have moved beyond. But marriage itself, between two people determined to show up for one another in all aspects of life despite the odds, is something beautiful and sacred.
A marriage that outlasts the infatuation of young adulthood, maintains its serving heart through the chaos of raising children, apologizes for and forgives selfishness and cruelty, values memories over mistakes, recognizes beauty despite aging bodies, keeps sexual intimacy into the late stages of life, serves in sickness and chooses to serve above searching elsewhere – this is something to be sought out and celebrated.
As Taylor Swift teaches, espousing our enduring desire for what marriage offers should not be treated with “cautious discretion.” Let’s boldly declare with her that “when I said I don’t believe in marriage, that was a lie.”
Marya Moore Ottawa
Go time
Re “What is the right age to start travelling with kids? For our family, the answer is right away” (Report on Business, Feb. 16): How about zero? Ours took their first trips before turning 1. The challenges were considerable.
But soon enough, youngsters will also develop the will and argumentation for the debate and negotiation stage of family vacations. We recall a defiant “not another castle” mutiny on the last day in Andalusia, and a compromise in Tuscany with one teen in an art gallery while the other opted for a hotel movie channel. And the essential bribe-in-reserve: the two-gelato day.
The rewards are significant. Our kids, now in their 30s, are both serious travellers who revel in planning, adaptation and testing the critical tolerance for “discomfort.” More important, perhaps, is their understanding that secure and affluent Canadian lives are an exception; the sad, humbling lesson that much of life is contingent on time and place.
Chester Fedoruk Toronto
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