1 week Ago
Poilievre’s vision mirrors far too closely that of Donald Trump Pierre Poilievre is a much better politician than Mark Carney. The Conservatives might lose anyway, April 7 The Star’s Richard Warnica, in his opinion piece comparing Prime Minister Mark Carney to Pierre Poilievre, summed up their respective opposing philosophies nicely. To paraphrase, Carney believes government can and should work with the private sector to help the economy grow.
Poilievre thinks the government should just get out of the way and let those focused solely on wealth take complete charge. Poilievre’s vision mimics that of the Trump administration. Decimate the guardrails and let the wealthy take charge, privatizing as much of the public sector services as possible for the sake of the pursuit of wealth and supposed prosperity.
But for whom and at what cost? We’ve seen how these policies have wreaked havoc on the American health care system, on education, veterans support, immigration, social services and countless other programs designed to help ordinary citizens prosper. And that is what Poilievre would be advocating for Canada, flying in the face of a storied history of support for all its citizens, not by handing the reins over to private interests who will work to enrich only themselves but by having them proportionately contribute to a measured government led effort to benefit all levels of society. To paraphrase a line from the movie Hello Dolly: “Money is like fertilizer.
It’s no good unless you spread it around.” That applies to power as well. Michael Bines, Toronto Conservative leader’s lack of empathy concerning The Star’s Richard Warnica writes that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is a much better politician than Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Which is a curious measurement of the worth of a leader of a party. I’m concerned that Poilievre’s relentless campaign against ‘woke ideology’ doesn’t merit a mention. Because being anti-woke means one is anti-empathy.
And lacking in empathy is a serious character flaw in any politician, polished or otherwise, and is a character flaw that should not be overlooked. Warnica states, “Poilievre believes government should mostly get out of the way” but ignores how Poilievre has publicly threatened institutions for pursuing ‘woke ideologies.’ That sounds interventionist, also dangerous.
Give me ‘a man still learning on the job’ instead of that. I’ll happily take my chances there. Stuart Knetsch, Cambridge, Ont.
What’s happening in the U.S. is difficult to fully grasp A wary Europe awaits Rubio with NATO’s future on the line, April 2 China holds a threatening ‘live fire’ exercise close to Taiwan while a weak Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, focuses on brow-beating our allies in the European Union.
Russia feels the U.S. has given it tacit approval to continue destroying the cities, people and democratic institutions of Ukraine.
And our stalwart friends in Canada are being addressed as if they’re enemies of the state. Here in Chicago and its suburbs, and in cities large and small across the country, U.S.
citizens of every political stripe, colour and persuasion flood the streets in response to the damage inflicted by Elon Musk, the unelected, seemingly self-appointed DOGE czar. All this while the man behind it all, Donald Trump, Fomenter-in-Chief, keeps his constituents apprised of his triumphs on the golf course. I find it hard to comprehend.
But despite the warnings and his publicly pronounced intentions beforehand, those who voted for the present regime and those who couldn’t be bothered to vote know exactly how we got here. Canada, please excuse our behaviour. Michael P.
Walsh, Chicago, Ill. Rights of the disabled need to be front and centre this election I’m writing to express my concern and frustration about the fact people with disabilities are being left out in the cold during this federal election. This election isn’t just about tariffs.
Canada’s next federal government will have to address issues critical to upholding the rights of people with disabilities and make improvements to things like the Canada Disability Benefit and access to affordable and adaptable housing. Upholding the rights of people with disabilities is a core democratic value and central to Canadian identity. We are a nation that believes in the power of diversity and that draws strength from its richness, and it’s never been more important for our Canadian values of equity, inclusion, accessibility and independence to be front and centre.
People with disabilities in Canada have been promised a “barrier free” society by governments for decades. But people with disabilities continue to be disproportionately affected by the housing crisis and the skyrocketing cost of living. They’re denied access to services because businesses can’t be bothered to do simple things like build a wheelchair ramp and governments can’t be bothered to make them.
And people with disabilities are treated like children in need of help rather than autonomous adults who know what’s best for their own lives. The well-being and dignity of people with disabilities should matter to everyone. Canada is one of the richest countries on earth with a track record of helping others.
And yet more than 1.6 million people with disabilities in this country are currently living in poverty by no fault of their own. Tell me how that makes sense? The politicians we elect need to uphold the rights of people with disabilities to make sure they can fully participate in the economy, society and within their communities.
Anything less is unacceptable. Jim McEwen, Bowmanville, Ont. U.
S. on losing end of global trade? Give me a break Stocks sway after Trump threatens to escalate trade war despite seeing how much Wall Street hates it, April 7 Watching American cable news, the one thing most pundits of all political stripes agree upon is that the U.S.
has suffered in trade deals for many years. Never mind that the U.S.
is easily the most wealthy country in the world, and the U.S. is not blameless when it comes to global trade.
Canadians will remember it was the Americans who continually broke NAFTA rules concerning softwood lumber. And when courts ruled against them, the U.S.
simply ignored the verdict. To think Americans are continually taken advantage of on the international stage is ludicrous . John Rochester, Toronto.
