Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during an announcement on the Canada Strong Fund in Ottawa on Monday.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Doesn’t add up
Re “Ottawa draws mixed reviews with new sovereign wealth fund to finance major projects” (April 27): I don’t have degrees in economics like our Prime Minister, but let me see if I can get this straight.
By some estimates, we’re spending roughly $90-billion a year more than we take in and still have a federal debt of more than $1-trillion.
And yet the Liberals think it’s a good idea to borrow yet another $25-billion and invest in areas which they assure us will be free of political interference, corruption and mismanagement.
Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Charles Caldwell Saskatoon
Just a temporary thing?
Re “Canada’s rupture with the U.S. is temporary” (April 23): There is a miscalculation here: Donald Trump himself isn’t the core of the problem. He has simply been the one who revealed the huge swath of American voters who agree with him and delight in his obscene ways.
Mr. Trump has uncovered the essential cultural differences between Canada and the United States, especially in shared values such as how we approach the common good.
After electing him – twice – there are still tens of millions of people in American society who have shown the world how extensive these cultural differences are. They can’t say they didn’t know.
Brian Tansey Ottawa
Between former U.S. and Canadian ambassadors and a professor of Canada-U.S. relations, their collective wisdom predicts a post-Trump normalization of trade, travel and other cross-border relationships. While that may be the case, one major, and perhaps the most critical item, looks missing from their assessments: trust.
I suggest it will take a generation to rebuild the trust that Canada has shared with the United States over many generations. And when trust is lost, no form of agreement will quickly fill the void.
New bilateral agreements signed by Canada will likely be different. They will likely not include terms and conditions based on long-term trust and friendship. Those have been lost.
Ronald Reagan’s famous quote of a Russian proverb seems particularly apropos in restructuring Canada-U.S. relations: “Trust, but verify.”
Robin Lecky Vancouver
I find this far too optimistic.
The assumption that U.S. Democrats will overwhelm in the midterm elections may not happen. Why? The Trump administration is working hard to undermine the concept of free and fair elections.
Its ongoing attempts to manipulate electoral maps could well bear fruit. Even if Democrats win the seats they expect, we can be sure the administration will fight tooth and nail to deny them their seats.
The possibility of Donald Trump stepping down in 2028 does not necessarily offer relief. His possible successor is probably JD Vance, who could well be more radical as he has shown in some circumstances. Then we could be up to 2036, and we don’t know what will happen at that point.
We could be looking at 15 to 20 years before some form of normalcy is achieved in Canada-U.S. relations.
Gordon Forbes Peterborough, Ont.
Lines crossed
Re “Short of a few votes in Edmonton, eh?” (Editorial Cartoon, April 23): Hopefully this cartoon of Danielle Smith redrawing boundaries with a sharpie won’t be seen by many Alberta separatists.
Drawing attention to similarities between Ms. Smith and Donald Trump is political commentary. But while many of her actions could be straight out of the Trump playbook, an Ontario-based publication also portraying rural Albertans as hayseeds seems only helpful to those who want to split up our country.
Today’s Prairie farmers are business operators who risk millions of dollars annually with no assurances that the weather and global produce markets will be favorable. Their conservative allegiances can be partially explained by fears that their diminishing numbers will lead to being completely ignored by the federal government. For some, there are also common conservative fears such as increased taxes.
They are not voting conservative because they are the rubes depicted in the cartoon. Eastern arrogance is so easy to use in creating alienation.
David Steele Saskatoon
Re “The UCP shouldn’t smudge Alberta’s electoral map” (April 22): There is another province where I see a less obvious form of gerrymandering taking place.
The decennial census in 2021 resulted in Ontario receiving one more MP. Doug Ford decided unilaterally that Ontario was not, as done previously, adopting federal electoral boundary changes for the following provincial election.
To not revise the boundaries of provincial electoral districts after each decennial census makes the votes of some electors worth more than others. This decision also meant that existing municipal ward boundaries would remain the same for Toronto, even though parts of the city had increased populations since 2011.
Mr. Ford’s unwillingness to redistribute electoral districts seems to have been because of a desire to maintain tranquility within his own party caucus in the run up to the 2025 provincial election. However, I find it undemocratic, if not anti-democratic, to use a silent gerrymander to make some voters less well-represented than others.
James McAllister PhD; Ajax, Ont.
Years and years
Re “The long and costly shadow of COVID-19″ (April 21): What has also disappeared from public discourse is how deaths from all causes during the pandemic led to more complex grief. People continue to live with the effects of not being able to say goodbye or gather to mourn due to public health restrictions.
Research confirms that this resulted in increased risk of poor mental health outcomes and loss of worker productivity. Research also shows that grief of all kinds goes largely unrecognized and unsupported.
When grief is complex and circumstances prevent access to appropriate supports, it can evolve into depression or anxiety, substance use and risk of suicide, and may result in poorer quality of life. More than six years later, grief services overwhelmed during the pandemic continue to struggle under the volume of need.
Canada needs a properly funded public health model to address grief and provide services to those who need more formal support.
Maxxine Rattner Executive member, Canadian Grief Alliance; assistant professor, school of social work, York University; Toronto
Mind the gap
Re “The house I see with my eyes closed was turned into a McMansion” (First Person, April 28): Like in the essay-writer’s experience, my childhood home has morphed from a modest self-built bungalow located in a postwar suburb, surrounded by 10 apple trees, into a gated “French château.”
Meanwhile, growing numbers of people are living on the streets, reflecting the growing gap between rich and poor. This is not the Canada I want for our children and grandchildren.
Carol Town Hamilton
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