‘Carney may have caved, but the rest of us don't have to.' Letters to the editor for July 3
I first met Chinyere at the first Ride to Conquer Cancer event in 2008. Her daunting push to the finish line of the 100-kilometre hilly course brought thousands of riders to their feet and many of us to tears. Her story became embedded in the DNA of the ride, now in its 18th year of raising funds for cancer research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
I hope we all get a chance to reflect on our Canadian heroes like Terry Fox and Chinyere Eni. Parents and grandparents, may I suggest you take a few minutes to share Chinyere's story with your kids this week. It is a made-in-Canada story about a transformational Canadian hero very much worth sharing.
Paul Alofs, former CEO of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Toronto
Re 'Newfoundland A-G identifies potential fraud in travel nurse agency billings' (June 26): Better late than never, but why so late? Sixteen months after an admirably extensive and detailed Globe and Mail investigation ('Have nurses, will travel'), the Newfoundland and Labrador Auditor-General now reports findings that are, surprisingly, described as 'surprising.'
Curiously absent in the long-overdue report is the typical ministry response. Audit best practices require management to acknowledge findings and commit to corrective actions with responsibilities, timelines and resources.
A 2025 Ontario Auditor-General report on the safety of non-municipal drinking water contained 17 recommendations. Ministry of Health responses blandly agreed, but promises to 'evaluate,' 'consider' and 'explore options' proposed no timelines or accountabilities.
This pattern of reluctance to confront problems until publicly exposed, then dodge responsibility, echoes federal disasters such as Phoenix and ArriveCan and serves as a cautionary reminder of the challenges facing incoming clerk of the Privy Council Michael Sabia.
Chester Fedoruk Toronto
Re 'The false world of mommy influencers' (Opinion, June 28): Oh, to be very young, photogenic and rich so you can offer breezy advice on achieving your (mostly) fantasy life! I'm all for new, fresh voices joining the conversation about shaping society, but more than equal weight must be given to years of hard-earned experience. To quote that famous influencer RuPaul, 'You better work.'
Mike Karapita Toronto
Re 'When 'justice' is a joke' (Opinion, June 28): I read with some interest your columnist's take on the sentencing of the young woman who was convicted of being an accessory to Karolina Huebner-Makurat's tragic murder. And by inference her support of Ontario Premier Doug Ford's criticism of 'left-leaning lenient judges.'
Most people, I am sure, winced about the details behind Khalila Mohammed's offence. But your writer's view of what an appropriate sentence is falls back on tired notions, particularly that incarceration is the only form of 'real' deterrence.
I am not privy to the evidence and submissions regarding Ms. Mohammed's background for the sentencing, but I venture to say it revealed she was sincerely remorseful and that her rehabilitation was well under way. And it would be hard to underestimate the crushing public opprobrium and personal humiliation that resulted from the nationally publicized details concerning her arrest and conviction.
There is also the very real risk that sending someone to jail endangers their progress and commitment to social values – in your columnist's parlance, the 'lie down with dogs, get up with fleas' principle.
I have no doubt that Justice Russell Silverstein would not shrink from imposing a substantial jail sentence if that had been appropriate for the offender in front of him. But in this case he didn't do what was popular, to your columnist or to the Premier of Ontario, for that matter. However, I have to think he did the right thing, not just for the individual involved but for the people of Ontario. It's now up to Ms. Mohammed to show whether he was right or wrong.
Joe Wright Toronto
Re 'What is behind Carney walking back the DST?' (Report on Business, July 1): Like Taylor C. Noakes, I am sorely disappointed in Mark Carney for cancelling the digital services tax. In fact, I'm kind of in a rage.
All I can think of to do is to 'tax' those big American companies myself, by boycotting them. I'm cancelling my Amazon membership, forgoing Prime, using local taxi companies instead of Uber. I urge all Canadians to consider hitting back at those American transnationals that won't even pay a paltry 3 per cent in taxes to the Canadians who pay them billions.
Carney may have caved, but the rest of us don't have to.
Audrey Samson Halifax
Prime Minister Mark Carney has shown regrettable weakness in cancelling the digital services tax – and he may be disappointed if he thinks that concession will be enough to get trade talks back on track. As Taylor C. Noakes argues, there is a perfectly good policy basis for taxing the enormous profits that American tech giants make in Canada. Now what will happen when President Donald Trump goes after our dairy and poultry supply management system, about which he has quite legitimate grounds for complaint, given its protectionist and market-distorting nature? Will that become the hill the Prime Minister chooses to die on?
Peter Maitland Lindsay, Ont.
Re 'Carney 'caved' on DST, according to U.S.' (July 1): It pains me to find myself in agreement with both the White House and Pierre Poilievre that the Carney Liberals 'caved' on the digital services tax.
We've just watched the spectacle of tech oligarch Jeff Bezos essentially buying Venice for his multimillion-dollar wedding extravaganza, but we don't have the stomach to insist that he pay a 3-per-cent tax on the business he does in Canada? Those tax dollars are needed to finance all kinds of public infrastructure and services that support Amazon's success. Bezos and his tech bros need to pay their fair share.
What happened to the promise of 'elbows up' – standing our ground and defending our values?
Susan Watson Guelph, Ont.
For those who say Canada caved to President Trump when the DST was cancelled, I remind them that we were not obliterated.
Peter Woolstencroft Waterloo
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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
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