Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks to a climate change conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Oct. 18, 2022.Blair Gable/Reuters
Trudeau tested
Re “Justin Trudeau, defiant and unbowed” (Sept. 14): How disappointing to read that Justin Trudeau cannot read the tea leaves, nor the polls.
Apparently the last two elections, where the best he could manage were minority governments, weren’t enough of a hint for him. Expecting that he can pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat again and almost win his fourth election smacks of delusion and narcissism to me.
His inability to recognize that even many Liberal voters simply don’t like him any more doesn’t bode well for the party’s hopes in the coming election.
James Harvey Ottawa
It would be easy for the Liberals to win the next federal election: Just have the Canada Revenue Agency send the last pre-election carbon rebate as a cheque in the mail and clearly marked “carbon rebate.”
Axe the tax or keep the rebate? Most households are better off with the tax and the rebate.
Why would Pierre Poilievre campaign on a plan that would make a majority of Canadians worse off?
David Hitchcock Hamilton
Does anyone in their right mind believe that Pierre Poilievre could deal with other world leaders should he ever be elected prime minister?
I wonder why no one remembers Justin Trudeau’s performances on the world stage with other leaders, upon whom we rely to keep our countries safe and secure. Never have I seen his agreements with other responsible countries given the same scrutiny that he is currently under.
My impression is that Mr. Trudeau is widely appreciated and admired by those who deal with matters that affect us all. I wonder how many people who are so quick to criticize would be able to do his job and do it responsibly.
Nancy Pearce Kingston
Bona fides
Re “Mark Carney finally enters Liberal politics – but is he too late?” (Opinion, Sept. 14): Surely Mark Carney’s experience as governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England and his commitment to addressing global climate change – all carried out with honours – is as good or better a recommendation than being a politician for the same period of time.
Since when did being a younger politician and having a better slogan become key qualifications for the highest office in the land? If a slogan is needed, how about “substance over appearance”?
H.W. MacFadyen Canmore, Alta.
Sea to sea to sea
Re “Ottawa, tear down those trade walls” (Editorial, Sept. 14): Provincial autonomy made sense in 1867. It seems to make much less sense in the internet age.
It no longer takes weeks or months for Ottawa to converse with far-flung outposts. Canada’s productivity is hamstrung by provincialism.
Canadians should start to live in a federal country. We do not benefit, for example, from 13 provincial and territorial ministers of health. One federal health authority should be sufficient – and indeed preferable.
When will Canada stop being the “village of the small huts,” to quote playwright Michael Hollingsworth, and become a country that can collectively punch above its weight on the world stage?
Ian Kamm Toronto
In the 1990s, I had some responsibility with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation for resolving differing interprovincial standards for vehicle size and weight dimensions.
To the credit of my colleagues in all provinces, there is an agreed standard for vehicles. However, many provinces allow differing vehicles that may be better configured to productively meet more local or regional transportation demands. Issues then arise about their use between neighbouring provinces.
In an attempt to resolve one issue (axle spacing of a few centimetres on a specific truck configuration), I convened a meeting of regulatory staff from Ontario and Quebec, including their respective bridge engineers. In defence of their respective positions, they each covered a whiteboard with formulas well beyond my comprehension.
At the end of the day, there was no resolution. The federal government’s contribution to this exercise was to provide us with a meeting room in Ottawa.
Rod Taylor Halton Hills, Ont.
The challenge of dismantling interprovincial barriers is more than one of political will. Provincial bureaucracies are a major part of the problem.
Every regulation is a source of employment for a regulator. Just watch a few old episodes of the British comedy Yes Minister and one will appreciate what even willing politicians are up against if they take this on.
Dan Dowdall Toronto
Office space
Re “PSAC proves tone deaf with its back-to-office protests” (Sept. 14): I believe the Public Service Alliance of Canada is giving civil servants across Canada a bad name, reinforcing what many in the general public already believe: that civil servants are overpaid, underworked and focused primarily on pocketing tax dollars toward an early retirement.
I spent 40 years in the Saskatchewan civil service. During budget preparation, it was not unusual to be in the office six or seven days a week. A meagre two or three days a week in the office would have been counterproductive. We lose the cross-fertilization of ideas and the focused work environment an office provides.
The federal civil service has ballooned since 2015. Now they’re reluctant to work at their desks for more than two days a week?
PSAC should not be surprised that so many working Canadians, who do not have the option of “working from home,” hold them in contempt.
Roy Schneider Regina
Rise and fall
Re “Why we think so much about the Roman Empire – and why it matters” (Opinion, Sept. 14): Last week, I stood on top of Hadrian’s Wall in Britain and visited the ruins of the Roman fort and town at Vindolanda. Two weeks before that, I walked through the Roman baths at night in the city of Bath.
I have been to Pompeii, the Roman Forum and Colosseum and Verona Arena, and seen an intact and fully functional Roman theatre in Israel. I visited Masada and saw the ramp the Romans built up to that fort, and felt awe and horror at Rome’s determination and ruthlessness.
Rome is still everywhere its empire existed, and beyond. Why? It haunts us as a cautionary tale of the rise and fall of a whole civilization that is even more relevant to our current times.
What worries me is not that we have failed to learn from history, but that we seem doomed to do nothing with the knowledge.
Christopher White Hamilton
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