Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, responds to a question as Ontario Premier Doug Ford looks on following an announcement in Ottawa on Oct. 17, 2022.Adrian Wyld/The Associated Press
Altogether now
Re “Trudeau, Premiers to meet after Trump vows to levy 25-per-cent tariffs on Canada” (Nov. 27): Faced with the looming threat of tariffs, premiers have at last decided that a show of teamwork with the federal government might help.
Cynics could point out that the same premiers have resisted all attempts to introduce true free trade between provinces, and harmonize diverse regulations for everything from professional and trades qualifications to interprovincial trucking. In other words, please drop the resistance to allowing Canada to start working like a united country.
Let us also admit that a focus on promoting more trade to the European Union and Asia under current free trade agreements would have put us in a stronger position in the face of Donald Trump’s threats.
Collectively, we have chosen the easy way out – trade with the United States and practically no one else – in return for surrendering our sovereignty.
Ritchie Leslie Vernon, B.C.
Young and old
Re “NDP, Bloc Québécois urge Liberals to extend $250 payouts to retirees” (Nov. 26): Many letter-writers have been seniors decrying the lack of inclusion in the recent government handout of $250.
Might I suggest to my fellow golden-agers that they hand back the extra OAS those of us between 65 and 75 have not received from our generous federal overlords.
Paul Park Ottawa
Re “Is that my wallet?” (Editorial Cartoon, Nov. 26): Wonderfully biting, but sadly it would have been truer if, instead of the father, it was said to Justin Trudeau by the little kids in the family, who will likely be paying off the debt in the future.
Jacques Konig Toronto
Re “Affluent retirees don’t need subsidies from younger taxpayers” (Report on Business, Nov. 25): Against contributor Paul Kershaw’s frequent pleadings of “intergenerational inequity,” an analogy of Canada as a factory comes to mind.
An aging factory’s founder gathers his children and says, “I am bequeathing you my factory. With due diligence and proper management, it will produce abundant wealth not only for yourself, but your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His glum-looking children respond, “We were hoping for cash.”
Andrew Bond Central Saanich, B.C.
Supply side
Re “Trump is an opportunity for Ottawa to push politically difficult, but vital, policies” (Report on Business, Nov. 21): The argument that phasing out supply management would bring Canada benefits makes no sense going into 2025. Surrendering our markets for the promise of lower prices – when dairy, chicken and egg prices have remained in line or below Canada’s inflationary trends – would be a misguided decision.
What happens when global supply chains are disrupted? Did we forget what happened during the pandemic? Do we want that level of volatility when it comes to staple food items?
We have no doubt that Canada’s food sovereignty can be upheld while also advancing our relationship with the United States. Suggesting that this cannot happen without undercutting our supply managed sectors feels absurd.
Supply management supports 339,000 full-time jobs and contributes $30.1-billion to Canada’s GDP, with farms in every province. Canadians know they can count on dairy, poultry and egg farmers to provide reliable access to nutritious food products.
Why risk compromising that?
Roger Pelissero, Chair, Egg Farmers of Canada West Lincoln, Ont.
David Wiens, President, Dairy Farmers of Canada Grunthal, Man.
Tim Klompmaker, Chair, Chicken Farmers of Canada Asphodel-Norwood, Ont.
Darren Ference, Chair, Turkey Farmers of Canada Monitor, Alta.
Brian Bilkes Chair, Canadian Hatching Egg Producers Chilliwack, B.C.
If I was a cynical Canadian, I might think the talk from our federal politicians regarding China’s investment in Mexico was nothing more than sleight of hand to misdirect the United States.
By focusing on Mexico, could it be hoped that Donald Trump forgets about our closed markets owing to supply management, a system he has repeatedly complained keeps American farmers out? If I was cynical, I might think that’s the case.
David Harper Burlington, Ont.
Great cost
Re “Cystic fibrosis drug reduces hospital visits and offers patients hope – at a cost” (Nov. 21): Who wouldn’t want to help a sick person have a better life? But at the cost of $300,000 per person, how many homeless people can we house in a year? They are people who also necessitate high cost in our health system.
Making these decisions test our moral value as a society. One thing that tips the scale for me is that this drug, and many others, seem developed knowing full well that patients won’t be able to pay for them.
I feel we are being held for ransom by drug companies that make extravagant profit and claim to help the sick.
Kimberly Chan Toronto
Managing drug costs is an important issue and the cost of Trikafta is often examined.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information report does not quantify savings from the reduction in transplants. In 2019 there were 57 organ transplants, of which our burden of disease study estimated the direct and indirect costs to be $12-million per year. In 2022, after the introduction of Trikafta, there were seven transplants. There are also savings related to the substantial medical care, caregiving and socioeconomic burdens this disease requires.
As someone with direct sight of Trikafta’s impact on people living with cystic fibrosis, its arrival has been incredibly special to see. Future plans are being made, careers embraced, families built and lives lived.
Let us not forget that cystic fibrosis is a fatal disease that people continue to die from, far too young. They have been given a new lease on life and that matters.
Kelly Grover, President and CEO, Cystic Fibrosis Canada Toronto
Crypto futures
Re “Booming bitcoin is a reminder that Canada must get serious about crypto and blockchain” (Report on Business, Nov. 21): Fiat money has three functions, and crypto serves as none of these.
They are not a good store of value because of their extreme volatility. Few of about 8,000 cryptos worldwide are used as legitimate mediums of exchange (who gets paid for anything using Dogecoin?). None have become a standard unit of account like the U.S. dollar; all cryptos are priced in dollars and not the reverse.
Rather, these digital entries – not coin, metal or even paper – have strong appeal as speculative assets. If we ignore any Ponzi scheme or outright fraud, as was the case with FTX, it’s my prediction that at some point speculators will come to the realization there’s nothing there, and eventually the bubble will burst.
David Enns, Professor of economics (retired) Cornwall, Ont.
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