Letters to the editor, July 10: ‘Utilize a well-used Trump tactic: Ignore any previous agreements, do a complete about-face and reintroduce the digital services tax’

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If you can’t beat ‘em

Re “The U.S. is not our friend any more. Has anyone told Mark Carney?” (Report on Business, July 9): If future negotiations on comprehensive tariffs and a fair trade agreement with the United States go nowhere, our Prime Minister should utilize a well-used Trump tactic: Ignore any previous agreements, do a complete about-face and reintroduce the digital services tax.

Michael Gilman Toronto

Best Western

Re “Carney risks boosting Western alienation by leaning on his ‘wise men from the East’” (July 12): So am I understanding this correctly?

Is contributor Preston Manning advocating for a sort of diversity, equity and inclusion program whereby people are hired by the government based on where they’re from?

Randy Tait Toronto

Elitism? Of all provinces, Quebec drools egalitarianism, which emphasizes equality among all individuals, and provincial taxes show it.

But while all provinces are challenged by elitism, it was a Conservative government that displayed a great deal of superiority when it failed to negotiate in good faith with Indigenous peoples, and got a slap on the wrist from the Supreme Court for that faux pas. It was a Liberal government that purchased, negotiated and completed the pipeline to the West Coast, which I believe was a good endeavour for all.

My grandfather used to say about some good people with a calcified chip on their shoulders: “You’ll die and go to heaven, but you won’t like God.”

Miles Tompkins Antigonish, N.S.

Problem solved

Re “Alberta has an Alberta problem” (Editorial, July 9): “Alberta has an Ottawa problem,” Danielle Smith says – of course, since 28 per cent of Alberta voters supported the Liberals, yet they elected only two of the province’s 37 MPs and not the 10 MPs their Liberal votes should represent.

And with 11 per cent of Canada’s MPs, Albertans could expect three of cabinet’s 29 members to be from their province, not just one. When will the Liberals finally fix Alberta’s Ottawa problem by making every vote count?

Wilfred Day Port Hope, Ont.

Corporate position

Re “Canada should consider hiking GST, other taxes to pay for defence-spending boost: analysts” (July 5): As someone who has advocated for a temporary tax where its revenues would be targeted at needed upgrades in particular areas, such as health or education, I’ve been heartened to read recent suggestions of adding back one or two points on the GST to fund essential upgrades in the military.

Like many Canadians, I’d support such a move, but only if there is a corresponding corporate tax that would contribute its fair share to this compelling national need.

Edward Carson Toronto

Past lives

Re “Ottawa Hospital receives US$2.3-million in funding for bipolar disorder research” (July 9): I am heartened to see ongoing support for the study of bipolar disorder.

I hope that continued research will deepen investigation into childhood neglect. Particularly for those younger than seven years old, it seems to be a significant factor in a bipolar disorder diagnosis later in life.

Jane Cayley EdD; The Blue Mountains, Ont.

Happy now?

Re “A rising number of Canadians are millionaires. So why don’t they feel rich?” (Report on Business, July 7): Why? The definition of a millionaire has long since changed from being a balance sheet item to that of an income statement. Having $1-million in assets no longer makes the grade.

Now being a millionaire is a simple matter of having $1-million in annual income. Despite what enthusiastic promoters say about reverse mortgages, we can’t really eat the bedroom.

Christopher Cottier West Vancouver

Error, error

Re “Britain’s Post Office scandal led to about 1,000 wrongful convictions, 13 suicides, report finds” (July 9): In January, 2024, ITV’s docudrama Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office exposed this scandal so effectively that the British government immediately moved legislation to exonerate the wrongly convicted and provide some compensation. Former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells was stripped of her CBE appointment by King Charles.

We have become so reliant on computers that when they go wrong, the effects can be devastating, particularly when the full weight of a Crown corporation comes after innocent people in court.

Mike Sullivan Stratford, Ont.

Shelf life

Re “I had to say goodbye to my old Encyclopedia Britannica set” (First Person, July 8): Thanks to the essay-writer for holding on to his encyclopedias as long as he did. Now he should go and find a new set, or at least a library card.

“Big Search” is all about who pays enough to obfuscate anything impeding a political or business goal. In other words, pay someone enough and interesting “facts” can be whatever the buyer likes.

This is what makes the quick-click curiosity-fix so dangerous, and rapidly more so by the hour. As for future generations? Heaven help them.

Encyclopedias such as the famed Brittanica were not perfect – they were informed by colonial enterprise – but save that World Book for when we’re being told the sky isn’t blue and it never was; that human rights are not so much a thing and never were in the first place.

Hard copies will at least give us a point of reference for any hope of survival.

Timothy Andrew Goddard-Hill Belleville, Ont.

Come on back

Re “Canadian tourism gets a summer lift as U.S. travel boycott grinds on” (Report on Business, July 5): I read this on my way back to Washington state after visiting my stepson and grandkids in Gibsons‚ B.C., for Canada Day.

It is heartening to see how Canadians are united and exploring their own country via travel and holidays. I very much enjoyed the Canada Day celebration in Gibsons and basked in my Canadian identity.

Crossing the border into Canada, I felt a real sense of joy knowing I was back in a country with a leadership committed to other democracies, the rule of law, decency and shared egalitarian goals. It is ironic that the U.S. leader has greatly contributed to this sense of Canadian patriotism.

Watching the CBC, with its normal and rational discussion of politics, was refreshing compared to the daily diatribes of the U.S. leader.

While my Canadian friends and family will not likely be visiting soon, I look forward to my return to Canada.

Charles Reasons Kitsap County, Wash.

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