logo
Letters to the editor, July 22: ‘Perhaps we should be thanking Donald Trump for getting our government to say it will clamp down on the dumping of foreign steel in Canada'

Letters to the editor, July 22: ‘Perhaps we should be thanking Donald Trump for getting our government to say it will clamp down on the dumping of foreign steel in Canada'

Globe and Mail5 days ago
Re 'Softwood deal a top priority in trade talks, Carney says' (July 17): I recall statements made in our King's recent speech from the Throne calling for more houses and using more Canadian technology and material. Furthermore, I believe the primary material in most individual homes and multiplexes is lumber and other wood products.
A financier as clever as our Prime Minister should be able to initiate a homebuilding program which vigorously supports the Canadian lumber industry. How about a guaranteed quota with guaranteed prices to keep mills open and employees, both in lumber and construction, working?
Steven Harker Kingston
Re 'Carney cracks down further on cheap steel imports in bid to protect domestic mills' (July 17): Perhaps we should be thanking Donald Trump for getting our government to say it will clamp down on the dumping of foreign steel in Canada. This has been a problem for many years, but it didn't seem to be a concern for prior governments.
And perhaps we should also thank Mr. Trump for forcing our governments to crack down on fentanyl. The opioid scourge has been killing and disabling Canadians for years, but their lives didn't seem to be a concern for prior governments.
If the U.S. President would demand change about our courts granting repeated bail to accused persons who violate the conditions under which they were released, perhaps there would be less violence on our streets. When I read about such travesties, I wonder why our police officers bother to risk their lives to capture the same offenders over and over again, only to see them released.
Ted Crljenica Windsor, Ont.
Re 'Defence spending should be leveraged to boost Canada's R&D' (July 17): Our military equipment is obsolescent, if not obsolete. Canada needs a well-equipped, well-trained military with state-of-the-art equipment.
However, strong spending on research and development, a heathy economy and an excellent national infrastructure are preconditions for national defence. Our weak R&D spending, along with our inability to translate our world-class innovations into new industries, contributes to our declining standard of living.
Economic health is essential to our national security, so devoting 20 per cent of our defence budget to R&D seems reasonable. The exodus of world-class researchers from American universities could, if harnessed, reinvent and create entire industries here.
We can also learn much from other countries such as the United States for best practices: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has created entirely new industries; Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works repeatedly undertook state-of-the-art aerospace projects; Stanford University played a critical role in creating of Silicon Valley.
John Shepherd Richmond, B.C.
Re 'Army removes commanding officer after alleged racist, sexual social-media posts by soldiers' (July 18): Seriously?
The Defence Minister thinks the Cameron Highlanders' alleged posting of racist comments and sexual images is 'unacceptable?' And any member participating 'should expect to face administrative and/or disciplinary consequences?'
Well, that sure sounds serious. I have a better idea: Boot them out, zero tolerance.
Who wants to have people like these, in 'a prestigious reserve unit' playing 'a major role' in Ottawa ceremonial events, representing us anywhere? I sure don't.
Let's get real about these types of incidents.
Erin Scullion Ottawa
Re 'Strength in numbers' (Letters, July 15): A letter-writer asserts that the NDP and Liberals should merge to form a left-leaning bloc to confront the Conservatives in the next election. This would be a bad idea.
Firstly the parties have different backgrounds, with the NDP standing for the working class and the Liberals associated with the mainstream middle class. Their ideologies are separate, and combining the two parties would make for an uneasy alliance in which radicals and moderates both vie for power – rather like the modern Conservative Party.
The merger would also accelerate the slide toward a two-party system, which would only intensify political polarization and make centrist coalitions, such as those in Denmark and Germany, more unlikely.
Let's instead embrace a diversity of parties and adopt a mixed-member proportional system, so we can have a fairer election for once.
Iain McInnes Ottawa
Re 'U.K. plans to lower voting age to 16 in national elections' (July 18): This has encouraged those campaigning to reduce the voting age in Canada to 16.
Before that happens, or at least at the same time, the Youth Criminal Justice Act should lower the maximum age of criminal responsibility to 16.
If they are old enough to vote, they are old enough to face consequences in adult courts.
Andrew Chong Toronto
Re 'Costa Rica is no longer a safe haven for Nicaraguan exiles' (July 18): I was pretty well in agreement with the contributor until the last paragraph about the need for 'regime change' in Nicaragua.
That's language right out of the ill-conceived Bush Doctrine, and we all know what happened in post-2003 Iraq. The last thing the United States should be doing, or the Organization of American States for that matter, is trying to destabilize the illiberal government in Managua.
Besides, the disastrous U.S.-sponsored 'Contra war' of the 1980s, which led to the vicious deaths of thousands of innocent Nicaraguans, is another reminder of why Washington should stay out of the business of trying to topple Central American governments.
Peter McKenna Professor, department of political science, University of Prince Edward Island; Charlottetown
Re 'Giller Prize says it will be forced to cease operations without federal funding' (July 17): The Giller Foundation wasn't forced to eject Scotiabank as its sponsor.
It seems to have caved in response to some 'holier than thou' folks, and now the Canadian taxpayer is asked to pay the bill instead. As much as I love the arts, I would rather that the bank paid.
Leave politics to the politicians.
Cassandra King Stratford, Ont.
Re 'A North Dakota city is being overrun by ground squirrels and officials are not amused' (July 18): Regarding the nefarious squirrels 'overrunning' Minot, N.D., it seems these squirrels are native to the region.
So I suppose they were there for thousands of years until humans came and destroyed their habitat, forcing them to move into town.
Who is overrunning whom, I wonder?
Glenn Parsons Guelph, Ont.
Are ground squirrels tasty?
Michael Arkin Toronto
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
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump's tariff threats against Canada face legal hurdles ahead of August deadline
Trump's tariff threats against Canada face legal hurdles ahead of August deadline

Vancouver Sun

time33 minutes ago

  • Vancouver Sun

Trump's tariff threats against Canada face legal hurdles ahead of August deadline

Donald Trump's plan to realign global trade faces its latest legal barrier this week in a federal appeals court — and Canada is bracing for the U.S. president to follow through on his threat to impose higher tariffs. While Trump set an Aug. 1 deadline for countries to make trade deals with the United States, the president's ultimatum has so far resulted in only a handful of frameworks for trade agreements. Deals have been announced for Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and the United Kingdom — but Trump indicated last week that an agreement with Canada is far from complete. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'We don't have a deal with Canada, we haven't been focused on it,' Trump told reporters Friday. Trump sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney threatening to impose 35 per cent tariffs if Canada doesn't make a trade deal by the deadline. The White House has said those duties would not apply to goods compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade. Canadian officials have also downplayed expectations of a new economic and security agreement materializing by Friday. 'We'll use all the time that's necessary,' Carney said last week. Countries around the world will also be watching as Trump's use of a national security statute to hit nations with tariffs faces scrutiny in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in May that Trump does not have the authority to wield tariffs on nearly every country through the use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act of 1977. The act, usually referred to by the acronym IEEPA, gives the U.S. president authority to control economic transactions after declaring an emergency. No previous president had ever used it for tariffs and the U.S. Constitution gives power over taxes and tariffs to Congress. The Trump administration quickly appealed the lower court's ruling on the so-called 'Liberation Day' and fentanyl-related tariffs and arguments are set to be heard in the appeal court on Thursday. The hearing combines two different cases that were pushing against Trump's tariffs. One involves five American small businesses arguing specifically against Trump's worldwide tariffs, and the other came from 12 states pushing back on both the 'Liberation Day' duties and the fentanyl-related tariffs George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin called Trump's tariff actions a 'massive power grab.' Somin, along with the Liberty Justice Center, is representing the American small businesses. 'We are hopeful — we can't know for sure obviously — we are hopeful that we will continue to prevail in court,' Somin said. Somin said they are arguing that IEEPA does not 'give the president the power to impose any tariff he wants, on any nation, for any reason, for as long as he wants, whenever he feels like it.' He added that 'the law also says there must be an emergency and an unusual and extraordinary threat to American security or the economy' — and neither the flow of fentanyl from Canada nor a trade deficit meet that definition. U.S. government data shows a minuscule volume of fentanyl is seized at the northern border. The White House has said the Trump administration is legally using powers granted to the executive branch by the Constitution and Congress to address America's 'national emergencies of persistent goods trade deficits and drug trafficking.' There have been 18 amicus briefs — a legal submission from a group that's not party to the action — filed in support of the small businesses and states pushing against Trump's tariffs. Two were filed in support of the Trump administration's actions. Brent Skorup, a legal fellow at the Washington-based Cato Institute, said the Trump administration is taking a vague statute and claiming powers never deployed by a president before. The Cato Institute submitted a brief that argued 'the Constitution specifies that Congress has the power to set tariffs and duties.' Skorup said there are serious issues with the Trump administration's interpretation of IEEPA. 'We don't want power consolidated into a single king or president,' he said. It's expected the appeals court will expedite its ruling. Even if it rules against the duties, however, they may not be immediately lifted. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said the Supreme Court should 'put an end to this.' There are at least eight lawsuits challenging the tariffs. Canada is also being hit with tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles. Trump used different powers under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to enact those duties. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .

Eco-friendly night market offers conscientious shopping in northeast Calgary
Eco-friendly night market offers conscientious shopping in northeast Calgary

CTV News

time33 minutes ago

  • CTV News

Eco-friendly night market offers conscientious shopping in northeast Calgary

An eco-friendly night market took place Saturday at Renfrew Community Association in northeast Calgary A night market with an ethical twist was held Saturday at Renfrew Community Association. Change Makers Collective annual eco-friendly night market doubled in size in 2025, offering more than 40 curated and eco-vetted vendors, selling an array of vintage and upcycled clothes, handmade jewellery, ceramics, prints, small-batch skincare, aromatherapy, low-waste art, home goods and decor. Event organizer Adriane Gerrard-Gauthier said every vendor is vetted before being accepted to the night market. 'They're either providing recycled or recyclable packaging, low packaging, no packaging, everything,' said Gerrard-Gauthier. '(There's) very little plastic, and there's very little waste from their production methods. 'People are kind of surprised, because it's everyday products. It's nothing quirky. I mean, we do have quirky, but it's not super niche stuff. It's everyday products, and just making a small effort can make a huge difference.' For more about Change Makers Collective, go here. With files from CTV's Darren Wright

Trump's tariff threats against Canada face legal hurdles ahead of August deadline
Trump's tariff threats against Canada face legal hurdles ahead of August deadline

National Post

time33 minutes ago

  • National Post

Trump's tariff threats against Canada face legal hurdles ahead of August deadline

Donald Trump's plan to realign global trade faces its latest legal barrier this week in a federal appeals court — and Canada is bracing for the U.S. president to follow through on his threat to impose higher tariffs. Article content While Trump set an Aug. 1 deadline for countries to make trade deals with the United States, the president's ultimatum has so far resulted in only a handful of frameworks for trade agreements. Article content Article content Article content Deals have been announced for Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and the United Kingdom — but Trump indicated last week that an agreement with Canada is far from complete. Article content Trump sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney threatening to impose 35 per cent tariffs if Canada doesn't make a trade deal by the deadline. The White House has said those duties would not apply to goods compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade. Article content Article content Countries around the world will also be watching as Trump's use of a national security statute to hit nations with tariffs faces scrutiny in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Article content The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in May that Trump does not have the authority to wield tariffs on nearly every country through the use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act of 1977. Article content The act, usually referred to by the acronym IEEPA, gives the U.S. president authority to control economic transactions after declaring an emergency. No previous president had ever used it for tariffs and the U.S. Constitution gives power over taxes and tariffs to Congress. Article content Article content The Trump administration quickly appealed the lower court's ruling on the so-called 'Liberation Day' and fentanyl-related tariffs and arguments are set to be heard in the appeal court on Thursday. Article content George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin called Trump's tariff actions a 'massive power grab.' Somin, along with the Liberty Justice Center, is representing the American small businesses.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store