Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in Ottawa on June 1, 2022.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
No deal
Re “Jagmeet Singh ends Liberal-NDP deal that helped support Trudeau’s minority government” (Sept. 5): Justin Trudeau keeps saying that “we’re here for Canadians,” but it seems Canadians don’t want Mr. Trudeau.
The Liberals have had crisis after crisis and scandal after scandal. Mr. Trudeau even ignored those in his own party asking him to step down so that members could benefit from the renewal process of a leadership campaign.
Now that the Liberals’ only friend, the NDP, can’t even stand the Liberals any more, it looks to be too late, as the government will likely fall in the first confidence vote. The only issue that I see uniting every Canadian now: Justin Trudeau must go.
Chris Robertson Stony Plain, Alta.
The NDP’s decision to end its pact with the Liberals could prove wise, in that it will make them more distinguishable from the currently declining Liberals.
This would give those who want to resist a Pierre Poilievre-led government a place to park their vote. One of the only ways to defend any progressive legislation on the books would be to have another minority government, with the NDP holding the balance of power to hold the Conservatives in check.
To achieve this goal, however, Jagmeet Singh should ditch his reliance on tired clichés such as “corporate greed” to fire up the masses. It may have worked in 1972 (David Lewis’s NDP, c’mon down), but it hasn’t worked since.
Mr. Singh should take a page from Mr. Poilievre’s playbook and be seen out there mingling with ordinary working people, so he becomes the voice for their concerns. Only then would he attract the necessary votes to make a difference.
Murray Angus Ottawa
Re “Justin Trudeau must call a leadership race, before it’s too late” (Opinion, Aug. 24): “Before it’s too late.” Before?
Nigel Smith Toronto
Max capacity
Re “Justin Trudeau’s legacy will be destroying the Canadian consensus on immigration” (Aug. 29): The assertion that Canada needs more immigration because its fertility rate is sagging ignores the looming global climate crisis driven by both population and economic growth.
If Canada and the rest of the world are to avert catastrophic ecocide, they will need to adopt steady-state economics (read economist Herman Daly for details) and policies for declining population (read the 1972 report “The Limits to Growth”).
Rational solutions exist – they just need a far-sighted electorate led by courageous politicians.
James Heller Toronto
Big money
Re “Canadian banks need a history lesson on the perils of money laundering in the United States” (Report on Business, Aug. 30): I am associated with a small non-profit organization that educates girls in East Africa. The time-consuming rigmarole we are subjected to at our Toronto-Dominion Bank branch every time we send a wire transfer (twice yearly for a few thousand dollars to cover school fees and living expenses for the girls) would suggest hypervigilance against the threat of money laundering and the funding of terrorist groups.
It is indeed startling and disappointing to find that apparently no comparable measures are in place when tens of millions of dirty dollars are in play.
Fiona Benson Toronto
Rubber, road
Re “Driving in America is better because of road tolls” (Globe Drive, Aug. 30): I agree, Canadians’ aversion to road tolls makes no sense. And the toll highway we have in Ontario, the 407 ETR, is needlessly expensive (and never should have been privatized): It’s cheaper to drive to South Carolina than across the top of Toronto.
I’m old enough to remember toll booths on the Burlington Skyway in the 1950s; they should have kept them. Then perhaps our highways would be in better shape.
George McNeillie Toronto
Track record
Re “Over 200 Via Rail passengers stranded for 10 hours due to mechanical issues” (Sept. 3): Something similar happened to me on Via Rail in the 1980s.
We were stuck at the station in Brockville, Ont., with no explanation for five hours. I was so upset that I did not take a train for 10 years from Montreal to Toronto. (I recently took it to Toronto in May and it arrived three hours late – the freight train problem.)
It should be the ultimate responsibility of the federal government to do something about this antediluvian rail system and bring it into the modern era. I do not believe more frequent service will solve the basic problem. I doubt that anything will be done.
I often ask myself how it is that Canada was once a country that rolled up its sleeves and did things. I remember well, as an immigrant, the energy put into building Highway 401.
Something has died in Canada. Maybe it’s passion.
Donald McWilliams Westmount, Que.
It seems Via Rail has bought itself a first-class ticket to customer-service hell by treating its passengers so disrespectfully and miserly after being stranded for 10 hours.
Providing only potato chips, soft drinks, refunds and credits reflects how out of touch the company has been to the impact on these travellers and the supersized public-relations disaster it is facing.
With a dismal on-time record of 59 per cent, I believe Via has earned its reputation as a second-rate railway. And this is the company that will provide new high-frequency rail service at a cost of billions of dollars? What a joke.
Marty Cutler Toronto
Judgment call
Re “On the first day of school, Canada’s new student cellphone bans will face a crucial test” (Aug. 31): A great number of people will say, “Finally!” The reality is somewhat different.
Any behaviour that negatively affects the learning environment has long been within reach of codes of conduct. The only difference now is that cellphones are being given a red light at the top of the hierarchy by the politicians in charge.
Whether or not this “new” movement has impact will rest entirely on the shoulders of educators in the classroom. They need to have confidence that school administrators will have their back and that their colleagues are not undermining their efforts. The rules don’t work if educators apply individual interpretations to what should always be a universal standard.
Human nature being what it is, the cellphone issue will make for an interesting time in schools. But one thing is certain: This retired high-school principal will be not fielding any calls from angry parents.
Barry Armstrong Ottawa
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