Letters: Eastern Canada, our nation’s future lies in your hands

Breadcrumb Trail Links

NP CommentLetters

Article content‘The choices made on April 28 will determine whether we stand together’

Re: Danielle Smith proposes ‘provincial autonomy’ alliance to Quebec — Rahim Mohamed, April 1

The world has watched in shock as U.S. President Donald Trump has made decisions that have deeply impacted Canada, a long-standing friend and ally. How could such a close relationship be treated with such disregard?

Article content

Yet, as we approach April 28, a more basic and surprising question arises within our own country: how can not just allies and friends but family turn on family? If the polls are correct, once again, our eastern “family” members appear poised to usher in another four years of a government that continues to sacrifice the West — jeopardizing the very equalization payments that the East relies upon while driving further division within our country.

The choices made on April 28 will determine whether we stand together as a united Canada or whether the growing fractures push us even further apart. The West has long been a proud participant of our nation, but if history repeats itself, many of us will find ourselves questioning where we truly belong. Not with our American neighbour but perhaps on our own.

Eastern Canada, the choice is truly in your hands.

Robin Bellamy, Saskatoon

Kudos to union for endorsement of Conservatives

Re: FIRST READING: Trade unions issue surprise early endorsements for Conservatives — Tristin Hopper, April 2

My father’s old union, the UA Local 67 (United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry) has endorsed Pierre Poilievre for the upcoming federal election. My father was a lifelong Conservative, and although he would regularly rail against his union for endorsing “socialists” (a.k.a. the NDP), I don’t think he would be surprised by what has now occurred.

Article content

Blue-collar labour in this country, whether unionized or not, has been put on the shelf by their traditional leftist allies in favour of causes they simply cannot relate to because it has nothing to do with their everyday lives. Those of you who grew up in a blue-collar households know that practical considerations over the cost of living, the safety of your neighbourhood and the future of your children were not only at the forefront, it was all our parents could afford to even consider. Given the current economic climate I am sure that this is, at the very least, still the case, so this endorsement isn’t surprising but it is very important.

Thank you UA Local 67 for focusing on what’s important to your members and the country.

Glen Leis, Aurora, Ont.

Third term for Trump?

Re: Trump ‘not joking’ about trying to seek third presidency — March 30

Donald Trump is floating the idea of a third term as POTUS, which clearly goes against the U.S. constitution, and people are saying he’s just joking. Dismiss him at your peril as he does mean it — the constitution to men like Trump is just a piece of paper that can be ignored or trampled on.

Article content

Article content

People dismissed the rantings of Adolf Hitler in the 1920s and ’30s as they sleepwalked to the concentration camps and death pits. The same with the Iranian mullahs. Their stated goal is the annihilation of Israel.

Take all of these men at their word. Dismiss them at our peril.

Ted Mead, Winchester, Ont.

‘Promote tourism in Canada like never before’

Re: What are your rights at the U.S. border? Can phones or laptops be searched? — Chris Knight, March 25

Canada has an opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade. The U.S.A. is quickly becoming a rogue state, with Germany, the U.K., Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Canada and other nations issuing travel advisories to citizens. U.S. border officers are searching people’s phones: anything negative about President Donald Trump could result in refusal to entry.

Let’s promote tourism in Canada like never before. Canada is open for business. Come on over.

Thomas Ryerson, Woodstock, Ont.

Carney showed poor judgment in Chiang affair

Re: Does Mark Carney also admire China’s ‘basic dictatorship’? — Michael Higgins, April 1

There is no single characteristic in a leader more important than that of having good judgment. The people of Canada need to know that they can trust the judgment of the person they elect as prime minister, and the party he or she leads, to run the country over the next four years.

Article content

Judgment skills typically come from a combination of experience and education, and some people gain these skills as they mature, while others do not. Mark Carney has demonstrated via the Paul Chiang affair that he does not have the requisite judgment to successfully lead Canada through the coming challenging months and years, especially with the same team that supported the Liberals through the many scandals that marked the Justin Trudeau years.

Louis Florence, Toronto

Poilievre missing the mark

Re: Poilievre attacks Carney’s offshore haven ties as he promises TFSA boost — Rahim Mohamed, March 27

Pierre Poilievre is defending his campaign against voices insistent that he “pivot” to tariffs as a ballot box issue. But if he relented, would that really close the gap that’s pushing Liberals into the lead?

Do voters feel they have a stake in Poilevre’s election goodies, or that the Tory leader is talking directly to them? Take, for example, his pledge to boost TFSA contribution limits by $5,000 annually if the money is invested in Canadian companies. Is Poilievre aware just 39 per cent of Canadians intend to contribute to their RRSP this year, a 10 per cent drop from 2024. Blame for this? According to the polling data from Edward Jones Canada, the high cost of living and debt.

Article content

So how is Poilievre’s proposal real to so many voters who can’t afford to save for retirement?

It’s admirable the Tory leader wants to improve our standard of living. But his ideas like a capital gains tax cut and bigger TFSA accounts are a fantasy camp for those struggling financially, including middle-class voters whose savings are eroding in the current economic climate.

Dorothy Lipovenko, Westmount, Que.

Praise for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith

Re: Done properly, Danielle Smith’s brand of American outreach is the way forward — Chris Selley, March 26

Chris Selley can’t seem to stop himself from finding fault in Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s dialogue with American media personalities and others. He quotes columnist Don Braid’s description of her as being too cozy with influential Americans who are more powerful now that a new administration has been elected.

Of course, all these individual efforts on the part of premiers would be unnecessary if we, too, had a new administration instead of a place-holder. But far from “putting her foot in her mouth,” Smith is engaging in careful, fact-based dialogue, and in meeting people like Ben Shapiro who provide fast-paced analysis as well as jibes and humour, which demonstrates she is unafraid to engage in real debate.

Article content

There are few elected politicians in Canada who are as capable as Smith in this respect. Mark Carney has been slow and foggy by comparison, only willing to speak to silly Jon Stewart, and no one since. Carney has revealed he is not ready for prime time, let alone prime ministership.

Barbara Okun, Scarborough, Ont.

Make euthanasia an election issue

Re: MAiD’s decade of expansion shows how Canada’s slippery slope was actually a cliff — Yuan Yi Zhu, Feb. 18

This election has no shortage of storylines, including many that few would have anticipated just months ago. While many important issues are being debated, there is one we must hear from party leaders on: euthanasia.

Since its legalization in 2016, more than 60,000 Canadians have died by euthanasia. Due to constant expansions of the original legislation, Canada now has one of the most permissive euthanasia regimes in the world. In fact, as of March 2027, eligibility is set to expand even further — to include those whose sole underlying condition is mental illness.

Last month, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities condemned Canada’s euthanasia laws, urging the government to repeal the law allowing euthanasia for people who are not dying, rather than expand MAID further.

Article content

Will Canada’s next prime minister continue to offer euthanasia as a solution for disability, chronic illness and mental health challenges? Or will he promote suicide prevention and life-affirming care for all Canadians, regardless of age, disability, or mental health?

Voters deserve to know where each party stands before casting their ballots on April 28.

Mike Schouten, Chilliwack, B.C.

Two views on plagiarism allegations about Carney

Re: Mark Carney faces plagiarism accusations for 1995 Oxford doctoral thesis — Catherine Lévesque, March 28

Kudos to the National Post for covering this important story that some other major news outlets are simply giving a pass. The allegations of instances of plagiarism in Mark Carney’s thesis for his doctorate in economics from Oxford University was front-page news in The Daily Telegraph in Britain. With both the prestigious Oxford and Cambridge universities in England, there are many academics there who take cheating extremely seriously.

Larry Comeau, Ottawa

I don’t think Canadians care about whether Mark Carney plagiarized 30 years ago. I certainly don’t.

Article content

They care about the smouldering ruins of our economy, ravaged by a decade of Liberal rule. They care about cities clogged by police-protected hate demonstrations and homeless encampments. And while the cops take coffee to the protesters, fearless thugs are busy smashing jewelry store displays and stealing liquor from the LCBO. Can we please get a leader who can tackle these issues?

Jonathan B. Schrieder, Toronto

Trump’s ‘cunning’ strategy

Re: Trump says things will work out ‘very well’ with Canada but tariff threats remain — Christopher Nardi, March 28

Donald Trump has cunningly played Mark Carney as a fool. He knows Carney wants to lock Canadian energy resources in the ground, which will give energy sales advantages to U.S., Russian and Saudi energy suppliers who laugh at Carney’s green fantasies while reaping billions for their authoritarian regimes.

Daniel McAlister, Toronto

Recommended from Editorial

Letters: Canada can stand on its own

Letters: Democracy is on the line

Mixed fleet of fighter jets best plan for Canada

Re: Canadian general who recommended F-35 deal now calls for purchase of other jets — David Pugliese, March 27

Article content

As the article by David Pugliese made clear, Canada cannot afford to ignore the vulnerabilities inherent in operating a fleet of fighter aircraft consisting entirely of Lockheed Martin F-35s. Any incremental cost of operating a mixed fleet can be reasonably characterized as being akin to the purchase of “life insurance.”

Given Donald Trump’s threat to acquire Greenland using military force, if necessary, I’m sure Denmark is now having buyer’s remorse in respect of the 27 F-35s it has purchased, which would most likely be rendered useless if any attempt were made to use them to resist a U.S. invasion.

Tony Whittaker, Toronto

Bill C-69 will hinder Canada’s growth

Re: Recovery from the lost decade means ditching the Impact Assessment Act — Jamie Sarkonak, March 31

With the recent surge of the Liberals in the polls and the possibility that they will win the election, I expect that the current prime minister and climate doomsday blowhard, Mark Carney, will maintain and enforce the ridiculous Bill C-69, the Impact Assessment Act, despite any court challenges.

The bill will guarantee that no resource extracting company will escape the gauntlet of environment assessments, Indigenous cultural concerns, sociological surveys, company DEI requirements and other woke activities that are required to proceed. So we won’t even be able to be “hewers of wood and drawers of water” and will instead be a nation of consulting firms that do assessments of projects that never go ahead.

Article content

I ask those who have switched to supporting the Liberals where they expect the wealth that pays for our schools, hospitals, pensions, roads and bridges will come from? Windmills? Solar panels? Please tell me.

Harold Knowles, Montreal West

‘This federal election, the script has been reversed’

Re: The (missing) book on Mark Carney’s plan for Canada — Terence Corcoran, March 26

Mark Carney’s current agenda, with its heavy emphasis on government intervention, seems to stifle productivity, innovation and economic growth. The fact that his housing announcement did not refer to “home ownership” is concerning. Policies that prioritize extensive regulation and control over market forces often lead to inefficiencies and hinder the entrepreneurial spirit that drives progress.

Carney’s vision, as Terence Corcoran highlighted in his recent column, involves significant government intervention, which raises questions about its long-term sustainability and effectiveness. The lack of specific policy details further complicates understanding how these plans will address our economic challenges without exacerbating them.

Article content

Moreover, the generational divide is growing, with younger Canadians facing high costs and economic instability. We need policies that foster a dynamic and competitive economy, encouraging innovation and investment across all sectors.

This federal election, the script has been reversed: Boomers are hanging with the Carney/Trudeau Liberals, and millennials and Gen Z are supporting Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives. It is a sharp turnaround from a decade ago, when young people propelled Justin Trudeau to his 2015 victory. Why the reversal this time? Economic deterioration has disproportionately affected younger generations, and boomers, safeguarded by previous success, have not experienced the financial pain.

Consequently, it’s crucial for our leaders to strike a balance between necessary regulation and fostering an environment where businesses can thrive.

Dave Suchanek, Oakville, Ont.

National Post and Financial Post welcome letters to the editor (200 words or fewer). Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. Email letters@nationalpost.com. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.

Article content

Share this article in your social network