{"id":153840,"date":"2026-08-03T08:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T08:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/153840\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T08:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T08:22:11","slug":"canada-benefits-when-all-ages-work-together-to-optimize-the-standard-of-living-letters-to-the-editor-for-aug-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/153840\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Canada benefits when all ages work together to optimize\u00a0the standard of living.\u2019 Letters to the editor for Aug. 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The labour force participation rate for Canadians aged 65 and over hit a record 15.2 per cent in 2025.stock<\/p>\n

Older workers <\/p>\n

Re \u201cWe need more government incentives for older adults to keep working\u201d<\/a> (Report on Business, July 30): Canada is aging faster than it can replace itself. Immigration has slowed, and the economy needs workers of all ages to remain productive. Economists call the false belief that older workers take opportunities away from younger workers the \u201clump of labour fallacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our longer lives have outpaced associated institutions and norms. More people are continuing to work well beyond age 65; the labour force participation rate for that age group hit a record 15.2 per cent in 2025. <\/p>\n

Pitting generations against one another is unproductive. Canada benefits when all ages work together to optimize the standard of living we have come to appreciate. <\/p>\n

Helen Hirsh Spence Ottawa <\/p>\n

Keep it flowing <\/p>\n

Re \u201cCarney rules out using energy as leverage in U.S. trade talks\u201d<\/a> (July 30): While I am no fan of Canada\u2019s overwhelming dependence on the United States for our energy exports \u2013 especially oil and gas \u2013 threatening to cut them in retaliation for recent tariff threats invites U.S. President Donald Trump to cite national security as an excuse to act against Canada\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n

Remember what happened to Venezuela? I estimate it would take 27 minutes, more or less, for a large contingent of Black Hawk helicopters carrying Navy Seals and Marines to land on Parliament Hill, overcome a few security guards, secure the building and plant the American flag.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerica\u2019s saviour\u201d and \u201cManifest Destiny\u201d\u2013 the belief that the United States is divinely ordained to expand across the North American continent \u2013 would play very well among Donald Trump\u2019s supporters and, I expect, many Alberta separatists.<\/p>\n

Mike Priaro Calgary <\/p>\n

While I agree with Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s recent plan to rule out restricting exports of oil or natural gas to the U.S. in retaliation for tariffs and insults, I question why he chose to make that position public. He has repeatedly said that Canada would not negotiate in public, yet this announcement seems to do exactly that.<\/p>\n

A more effective response would be to charge world market prices for the energy we export to the United States. That move would benefit Canada far more than restricting supply and is better than retaliatory tariffs, which ultimately raise costs for Canadians. <\/p>\n

And speaking of restrictions, removing American liquor from store shelves was a mistake. Put it back and make Ottawa\u2019s task easier.<\/p>\n

Peter M. Gallop Toronto <\/p>\n

The Prime Minister is right to withhold making knee-jerk moves in retaliation tariffs. As the saying goes, an eye for an eye makes the world blind. We see it in the mess of our tit-for-tat world, as wars churn on \u2013 including ones that Trump has either insinuated himself into or fomented. <\/p>\n

Energy is to life as is our need for clean potable water. Over the coming months, it is incumbent on the American people and their representatives to turn the tide and reign in the Whitehouse. <\/p>\n

Until that happens, Canadians must hold our dignity powder dry; it is globally held in high regard. Let the United States go low while change happens as it must and as the polls shout it will.<\/p>\n

Marianna Kingsmill Hamilton <\/p>\n

Hate is everywhere<\/p>\n

Re \u201cNormalized and ignored, hate absolutely has a place in Canada\u201d <\/a>(Opinion, July 29): This column is wonderfully clear-eyed in revealing the doublespeak mirage that antisemitism (and, I would add, anti-LBGTQ, anti-women, anti-Muslim et cetera) rhetoric \u201chas no place in our communities\u201d (or that \u201cthis is not who we are\u201d) and then making us face the reality that fear, distrust or dislike of \u201cthe Other\u201d so often escalates to hate here, there and everywhere in the world, since time began. <\/p>\n

I agree that the most important question now, not just for government but for all of us, is whether we intend to actually do something about it.<\/p>\n

Michael A. Tukatsch Toronto<\/p>\n

The attitude of our political leaders at all levels seems to range between indifference and hostility on this issue. <\/p>\n

The Office of the Prime Minister in particular has the opportunity \u2013 and obligation \u2013 to set the tone. Take, for example, a recent open letter by leading non-Jewish Canadians in business and other sectors decrying antisemitism. As Mr. Carney\u2019s words were quoted therein, it represented a clear opportunity for the Prime Minister to build upon them. However, his response was deafening silence.<\/p>\n

The Canadian Jewish community continues to contribute much to our country. The fight against the normalization of hate requires political leadership. We continue to wait.<\/p>\n

Ronald Birken Toronto <\/p>\n

Robots don\u2019t shop<\/p>\n

Re \u201cChina is AI-maxxing and it has a lot to teach us\u201d<\/a> (Report on Business, July 30): It is hard to avoid news of AI in the world of work. I can\u2019t help recalling union leader Dennis McDermott telling me about an alleged encounter between Henry Ford and Walter Reuther of the United Auto Workers. Ford remarked that one day the work undertaken by UAW members would be handled by robots. To which Reuther replied, \u201cBut will these robots buy Ford cars?\u201d<\/p>\n

John Harker Lunenburg, N.S. <\/p>\n

Another take<\/p>\n

Re \u201cPrescription for burnout\u201d<\/a> (Letters, July 30): I don\u2019t believe people turn to emergency departments because \u201cprimary care, home care and timely follow-up\u201d have failed them.<\/p>\n

Many patients are more complicated than they used to be. Cancer can now be a chronic condition. Heart failure \u2013 a condition that didn\u2019t exist before advanced stenting and cardiovascular techniques \u2013 has become the second most common reason for hospital admission (after childbirth). Biologic medications have controlled previously devastating diseases, but run risks of immunosuppression (among other side effects).<\/p>\n

While I wholeheartedly support hospital-at-home programs, I would propose that it\u2019s the lack of primary care that is failing emergency departments. One needs a care provider on the other end for continuity. <\/p>\n

I cannot control where my patients go, but if I direct them to the ED, it\u2019s because their chest pain or shortness of breath obligates investigations and care beyond my stethoscope. This is not a failure. It\u2019s triage. <\/p>\n

Benjamin Reitzel, MD North Bay, Ont. <\/p>\n

Kick off your shoes<\/p>\n

Re \u201cWhen life\u2019s moving too fast, go barefoot\u201d<\/a> (First Person, July 25): As someone who grew up on a farm in southern Alberta, I recall glowing with satisfaction when I strode barefoot on gravel or rocky ground without flinching in front of visiting city cousins. Admittedly there was no need for vigilance to avoid scorpions or other venomous creatures lurking in the underbrush, but I still experienced glimmers of Tom Sawyerish freedom that made me feel brave and unencumbered.<\/p>\n

Paul Thiessen Vancouver <\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: The labour force participation rate for Canadians aged 65 and over hit a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153841,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17,616,484,617],"class_list":["post-153840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-canada","tag-letters-to-the-editor","tag-noastack","tag-nopolly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}