2 weeks Ago
Who among our best and brightest will step up in Canada’s hour of greatest need? Jan. 12 Jamie Watt argues that our leaders need to step up and protect Canada’s identity. He suggests that all of us have a part to play in this, though he doesn’t provide specifics.
Here are some things regular Canadians can do to send the right message to President-elect Donald Trump and his followers. If Americans wants to impose dramatic tariffs on Canadian products, then Canadians should stop buying American ones. We should cancel all vacations to the United States and visit other destinations instead, such as the Caribbean, Bermuda, or better still, somewhere in Canada.
We should walk right past American retailers like Walmart and Costco when other options are available and look for “Made in Canada” tags, leaving those “Made in USA” products on store shelves. Finally, we should select the foods that our grandparents relied upon: apple juice rather than orange juice, blueberries and pears from Canada rather than from California. Garden centre greenhouses need to move quickly to grow fresh vegetables such as lettuce and peas.
These are just few ideas. I’m sure my fellow-Canadians can develop other ways to bypass American goods in favour of supporting Canadian producers so that we can build a stronger, more resilient economy — even as Trump tries to destroy it. Brian Moore, Brantford Canada is passing through difficult times because of a lack of leadership at the federal level and an absence of unity at the provincial level.
The outcome of the first ministers meeting in Ottawa last Tuesday was disappointing and discouraging. There’s disagreement in the nation’s ranks, and everyone is playing their own flute. Ontario premier Doug Ford took a stand and emphasized the need for unity.
Alberta premier Danielle Smith took a different kind of stand: she appeared to care only for her province, not for Canada as a whole. A nation is more than just a geographical region: it is a complex union of cultures, histories and values. In a situation such as this, we should be focusing on the importance of unity, the role of the provinces in our federation and the factors that contribute to a nation’s strength.
Yet our first minsters failed to come together to form a common front against Donald Trump’s tariff threats. Still, we have time. Canadian leaders need to take unified stand to face the challenges ahead.
It needs courage, and courage is nothing more than an affirmative answer to the shocks of existence. Mehdi Rizvi, Pickering Let’s remember that Justin Trudeau is still the prime minister. International relations is his bailiwick.
He should be facing off with Donald Trump, flanked by the leaders of the opposition parties and the premiers of the provinces and territories. It must be made clear that regardless of the outcome of the federal election in Canada, Trump will face a united front. Instead, Doug Ford appears to be angling for the job of prime minister — a job that is not his to apply for — when he ought to be rallying the Ontario electorate.
He ought to be reminding them that we’ve faced bullies in the past and won. Adolf Hitler was defeated by the Allied powers. That’s how you deal with bullies, by forming defensive alliances.
Moses Shuldiner, Toronto I have never voted for Doug Ford and probably never will, but I am 100 per cent behind him in his approach to Donald Trump. If you don’t stand up to bullies, they will always pick on you. If you do — and if you can land a few punches of your own — they will think twice before messing with you again.
Elliot Keller, Toronto Alberta’s refusal to stand with the rest of Canada against Donald Trumps tariff threats is unacceptable but not surprising. Alberta’s political leaders have been all about themselves for decades. Their only concern has appeared to be selling oil to American interests at Canadians’ expense.
They need to stop playing into Trump’s hands for their own selfish purposes and start supporting the best country in the world. That country is Canada, and Alberta needs to realize as much. Rick Lockman, Orillia ‘We have to act now’: Deaths of two snowy owls at Tommy Thompson Park re-ignite calls for rodenticide ban, Jan.
5 I was disappointed that the Star went ahead with publishing the story ”‘We have to act now’: Deaths of two snowy owls at Tommy Thompson Park re-ignite calls for rodenticide ban” before having determined whether rodenticide was, in fact, the cause of death for these birds. I can’t stress enough how essential it is to wait for a pathologist to confirm the presence of rodenticide in an animal’s tissues before jumping to conclusions. If you come across a sick or dead wild animal in Ontario, your first call should be to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative.
Submitting samples to them allows us to monitor rodenticides’ impact on wildlife. Carly Davenport, Toronto The TDSB has spent tens of millions placing school staff on paid leave. It’s working to change its practices, Jan.
16 The Toronto District School Board paid $35 million in salary to 621 teachers, principals and staff over a three-year period to stay home while under investigation for misconduct. The board calls it “home assignment,” but this a misnomer, as the word “assignment” suggests that the employee in question is working from home. It should be termed “suspension with pay” to reflect the reality that the employee is not allowed in the school while being investigated.
I was shocked that the average length of a “home assignment” for the TDSB principals and vice-principals was eight months, while the provincial average was under four. Even more striking was the fact that some investigations take years to complete. I look forward to the upcoming report, which is expected to identify the specific types of misconduct that have allegedly been occurring within the TDSB.
Mike Faye, Toronto Edmonton is crushing Toronto when it comes to building new homes. An astounding Canadian first is a big reason why, Jan. 16 David Olive correctly points out that Edmonton is leading Toronto, a city four times its size, in building new homes and rental units.
Both municipalities face obstacles to housing construction — including high interest rates, an economic slump and costly materials — although Edmonton has benefitted from less onerous zoning bylaws and a strong focus on affordable housing. Yet Olive omits one of the greatest differences: unlike Ontario, Alberta has no rent control. Since Ontario implemented rent control in 1975, the number of designated rental units built has plummeted, resulting in a dearth of vacant units.
This has created artificial pressure to increase rents when apartments do become available. It’s another example of good government intentions gone wrong. Andy Suboch, Toronto Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre say a lot about themselves with their choices of interviewers, Jan.
16 Bruce Arthur was wrong to state that Mark Carney is “likely a financially conservative” politician. I am currently reading Carney’s 2021 book, “Value(s): Building a Better World for All.” His economic analysis offers a progressive perspective on how we can use the values of “sustainability, solidarity and responsibility” to deal with existential problems such as climate change, world hunger, and the obscene and growing gap between rich and poor.
He lays out a blueprint for building a just future for our children, our grandchildren and generations to come. Joanne Clarke, Toronto.
